[Closed] Kindle

What case? I'm sure I read that they came with a case but mine didn't.

Got the wife one for christmas as she loves reading books, only complaint she has is that it doesnt have a backlight on it,so cant read it at night in bed ..... apart from that she loves it
sorry cant help with the case ..... kids got her a neoprene one for it

stumpy, my wife got me one with a case that has a pull out light. I think it is the official kindle one. Treat your wifelet to a new years gift.

Love it! Have had mine ages now and the GF just got one.

offical case jobbie is ok, the issues are with the ones with the light as the clasp that holds them in is used to power it.

Was a link up on Slashdot about it a while back

I've got one with the Amazon case - not the one with the light, as I don't need it. I've had no problems so far, but I can't see the elasticated strap lasting for ever.

only complaint she has is that it doesnt have a backlight on it,so cant read it at night in bed

Lol.. it's meant to be just like a book! Backlight would not work.

I bought a leather case from ebay. It's got no light on it though.

Agreed though. It's an awesome little device.

But how do they work? I presume you purchase the "book" (a bit like purchasing songs on i-tunes. Do you get to "keep" them? How much space does it have? How much is a "book"?? not sure I'd like it. I LOVE reading but isn't it the fun of searching book shops/online looking at what you would read and then actually getting the book and turning the pages? Please don't convince me otherwise as I don't want to go out and spend a few hundred on a new device 😉 Just don't know much about them or how they work, excuse the ignorance.

isn't it the fun of searching book shops/online looking at what you would read and then actually getting the book and turning the pages?

No, the fun is the actual content of the book. I'm sure Thomas Hardy or Leo Tolstoy would be pleased to know that the best thing about their life's work is just moving a bit of paper from one side to another... 🙂

I wasn't sure I'd personally want one although I did consider them good, but then I looked at the Amazon store and saw a load of novellas and short stories for $1 that sounded REALLY interesting. Can't really say no to that can you? I think you do get to keep them, and they are the same price or less as paper books.

I have been taking three or four books away with me since I have several non fiction on the go, but I often don't fancy reading one particular thing. So it would save a lot of effort for me, I could have dozens of books with me and read whatever matched my mood.

But how do they work? I presume you purchase the "book" (a bit like purchasing songs on i-tunes. Do you get to "keep" them?

Pretty much - yes

How much space does it have?

Mine reports around 3GB - so enough space for around 1500 average sized novels

When you buy a Kindle you get an 'account'. The first time you buy a book you provide details of your bank account and after that whenever you buy one they charge your debit/credit card. It is easy.

ebooks are cheaper than a paper one. If a book is out in hardback then it will undercut this price. Once out in paperback it undercuts this price, so still worth waiting.

Many classics are free like Tolstoy etc. Books download in a minute or so if you have the 3G version,not sure how quick on the cheaper Kindle.

(Currently reading The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry)

Meant to add - the book remains yours. So if in 5 years time you upgraded to a new s****y model then the books would just transfer. No idea how this actually works, something to do with your account I guess.

Books download in a minute or so if you have the 3G version,not sure how quick on the cheaper Kindle.

something like 10-20 seconds on mine

[i]I think you do get to keep them, and they are the same price or less as paper books.[/i]

Yep, once you've bought them they're yours for ever. In fact they're perfectly mobile so you could put them on a different device.
All the ones I've got so far have been either free of less than half price of the paper book.

No case with my wife's one that I purchased back in October.

Son has already downloaded the Apple Kindle App onto his IPod touch and is getting into the cyber book thing.

[i]something like 10-20 seconds on mine [/i]

When I'm at home on wireless (the 3G kindle automatically switches to wireless when it finds it), if I order a book on my iphone, the book will be on my kindle by the time I put the iphone down and pick up the kindle.

Interesting so I can see the point now. I take it, it uses internet hence you can buy ebooks straight onto the kindle?? Do you pay door internet or just use WiFi everywhere? How much are these things??

Another good thing about Kindle is that it synchronises across multiple devices, so if you've got it installed on a PC, your phone and a Kindle reader they'll all have the same content, with the same bookmarks etc.

Interesting so I can see the point now. I take it, it uses internet hence you can buy ebooks straight onto the kindle?? Do you pay door internet or just use WiFi everywhere? How much are these things??

There are two versions, 3G+WiFi or Wifi only. The 3G connection is (once paid for) free worldwide. Not sure how much use it really is, I can't see myself needing to download books every day, and if you go on holiday you just download enough before you head off. If you really get the urge finding WiFi isn't usually that hard.

Caveat: I use the software version. I haven't got round to getting the proper reader, though I probably will soon.

Edit: too many commas in that first paragraph!

Mogrim now you are confusing me? Could I sync it to use with my HTC desire? Although that has a small screen to read books on. Had a brief look on amazon last night and on there but couldn't see it.

Wi-fi model is £109. There is a 3G model which is £149, but I couldn't really see the need for this - it's unlikely that I'll be caught with nothing to read and no wi-fi signal.

For the 3G one, there is no charge for using the 3G, and it includes a basic web browser on the device - so unlimited free mobile internet! Although it's a bit clunky to use the brower and black and white only.

You can buy books directly from the device using 3G or wi-fi, or buy from amazon.co.uk.

You can also download a Kindle app to your iPhone/Android/Mac/PC and read the same books that you've bought for the Kindle for no extra cost. It even syncs between the different readers, so that if I read to page 57 on my phone, when I access the same book on the Kindle it knows I'm on page 57.

Capacity, as already mentioned is 1000+ books (I think Amazon quote 3500).

Battery life is great, at least a month for me (or 3-4 books of reading). Had mine since October I think, got one shortly after they were released in the UK.

Brilliant device - bought my Mum one for Christmas, my sister got one, my mate got one...

Another advantage - when I'm abroad I can buy UK papers on the Kindle.

Um... get one!

I downloaded the apple phone app for it about three days ago and have just finished my first book on it 🙂

The case thing is a bit of a weird one. The case with light uses the socket on the side of the Kindle to power the light itself. The case without light just hooks into the sockets on the side of the Kindle but can cause power failures/ freezes as the connection is made with the case but no light to light!

erm, that doesn't really make sense does it?

In short, the case without a light can freak the Kindle out and it does weird stuff. Kindle is also awesome! Free books!

Just re-reading this - I think there might be some confusion because there is a Kindle service, and a Kindle device.

The Kindle service - ebooks in a specific format, for sale through Amazon. When you buy a book you can read it on any of the Kindle applications (phone/PC/Mac) or on the Kindle device. The Kindle applications can all access the Amazon store too. The service syncs your Kindle books and where you are in them across all of the applications you use, and the Kindle device. The service knows which books you've bought and you can re-download them.

The Kindle Device - an ebook reader that is designed to work with the Kindle service.

It's a bit like the relationship between the iTunes service/software and an iPod/iPhone.

Mogrim now you are confusing me? Could I sync it to use with my HTC desire? Although that has a small screen to read books on. Had a brief look on amazon last night and on there but couldn't see it.

You need to install the Kindle app (free) from the Android Marketplace, it should then synch automatically with the other books you've bought.

Edit: I've got it installed on my HTC, it's perfect for a quick 5-10 minute read while you're waiting for the bus, the small screen is obviously a bit limiting although the text reformats to the lower resolution, and is perfectly legible.

I nearly got my other half one of these for Christmas.

From the research I did, the things that put me off are that you can only get books for it through Amazon & they seemed no cheaper than book shops, particularly when you factor in most places like Waterstones/Smiths have offers on a lot of the time.

Does look like a great device though & will probably get one at some point! We are slowly filling the house with books!

From the research I did, the things that put me off are that you can only get books for it through Amazon & they seemed no cheaper than book shops, particularly when you factor in most places like Waterstones/Smiths have offers on a lot of the time.

Pricewise a Kindle's a waste of time, unless you're a particular fan of the classics - the main advantage (IMO) is being able to carry around a whole library of books without suffering serious backache in the process...

I'm using the kindle app on the iPad, which has solved one of my perennial problems - I like to read when i go to bed, but my wife is a head down and off to sleep kinda girl. I can read stuff on the kindle app without a light on, and the glow from the iPad screen isn't enough to disturb her.

The kindle synching is a nice touch - I have the app on my iPhone as well, so they stay synched between books, page numbers and so on, which is nice if you find yourself somewhere with a few minutes to spare to read another couple of pages of novel. The iPhone screen is fine for reading in short bursts, so I'd imagine an HTC with a similar screen size would be fine as well.

I'm not sure I could ever replace textbooks and reports with an online reader, but novels work pretty well IME.

OOOO you all sound like you may have convinced me! I'll have to think about it and see if I can see one somewhere, otherwise it's only a short wait until my birthday (April!) and I never have a clue what I want...
I like the idea of syncing it with phone. I often find I have 20min-1 hour free when I'm away from the house but don't have my book as I'm not going to carry it around.

So do people just recommend the wi-fi one then?? rather then the extra for 3g?

I could imagine the 3G would be useful if you wanted something instant and up to date like say a newspaper that you hadn't subscribed to

If you're prepared to spend 10 minutes doing the conversion, then you can buy DRM-protected ePub books from anywhere, remove the encryption in seconds with a free tool, then email the document to your Kindle.

However, you lose the page sync across multiple devices when doing this. Didn't bother me, as I came from an older Sony eReader and was able to bring the books with me.

I so want one, but since I live in China, and because of license reasons, most of the books I want can't be bought 🙁

[edit] so I'm now using Audible. Forgot what a joy it was listening to spoken word.

I got the 3G version as I often walk into a book shop at an airport etc, think I like that and can buy and download as I walk out.
Buying exclusively from Amazon is not too bad as they have a huge range but if you live abroad then it’s annoying as you do not access to the UK book market; it’s mainly the US which for me is not the best
I did find that it was also quite to do some monochrome surfing whilst stuck in Amsterdam airport.

So you can surf the internet? and obviously 3G is mobile internet? cool that makes a bit more sense!

Yep, the browsers works surprisingly well under 3G, although any clever stuff like flash and java don't work.

[i]From the research I did, the things that put me off are that you can only get books for it through Amazon & they seemed no cheaper than book shops, particularly when you factor in most places like Waterstones/Smiths have offers on a lot of the time.[/i]

Yeah, new books I think they keep the Kindle price high on purpose but it's usually pretty much the same as the book but I'm afraid Amazon is always going to be cheaper than a book shop for new stuff.

Where this works best I reckon is than in say six months time, the kindle edition will be *much* cheaper.

So can you "swap" or "borrow" other Kindle users books?

Can't see these mentioned yet, so a couple of really useful sites for anyone who has got, or is thinking of getting, an ereader of some kind: http://www.gutenberg.org/ and http://manybooks.net/ - both have copyright & cost free books by the thousands. Some surprising stuff turns up out of copyright.

For me I think my ereader has changed the way I deal with books - I think I do now focus a whole lot less on the object of the book itself.
Lately when I've picked up a real book I've found it kind of annoying - all those flapping pages needing two hands to manage, getting caught on the duvet, etc. And what if I'm near the end of my book - I need to actually carry two books with me when I go out? Hmm.

I'm running on an old bebook reader, which is fine for reading. It would be really nice to have a device with the syncing features so I could pick up where I left off from any device though.
However I wouldn't be willing to put up with the lock in features of a kindle for that.

Lending for a couple of weeks coming to the Kindle in the new year apparently.

Oh, just checked - launched yesterday in the US. Not sure about UK.

[url= http://mashable.com/2010/12/30/kindle-lending-how-to/ ]Mashable Link[/url]

Lending looks crap. Last time I checked the setup was such that the book could only be leant out once 8O, and you couldn't read it yourself if you had it leant out.

Pricing's all over the place at the moment- a couple of months back ebooks were consistently cheaper than real ones at Amazon, then a few of the biggest publishers took the pricing initiative in house- you can see these on Amazon- they're tagged with something like 'the publisher has set the price of this book'. Amazon (or Waterstones etc) aren't allowed to adjust the price, as they, and everyone else are able to do with paper copies. Pricefixing by another name, imo. As the publishers refine their pricing model the prices should look more sensible, but there's some really screwy prices around, and it's unlikely they'll match supermarket paperback prices.

edit: I got the cover with light for Christmas. Expensive (overpriced really) but nice- really good light coverage for reading at night. Price of convenience.

Travis

I have a similare problem. Googling for a torrent is a dreadful temptation!

I have had a Kindle for a couple of months and love it. The first one I had had a screen failure but it was quickly replaced by Amazon.

I have the official cover with in-built light. It is very expensive for what it is but was worth it for me as it allows me to read in bed without annoying my partner which is something I treasure.

One of the coolest features is that almost all books have a sample chapter or two that you can download before paying for the book.

The web browsing is basic and clunky - I rarely use it if I have my Android phone with me.

When I bought it I had hoped to store A4 PDF work documents on it (manuals etc.) but it is a little too small to read them comfortably in portrait mode. You can zoom in but this is again a bit clunky.

Despite these limitations I would strongly recommend the Kindle.

Just taken the plunge and bought the official lighted cover. Seems expensive for what it is but I want my investment protected as it will have a shedload of use due to all the travelling I do.

Sounds good now I know more about it. How much roughly are books then. I like the idea of taking it on hold and if my book is rubbish I can just buy a new one rather than wasting my time as I have nothing else to read. One memorable 9hr flight from Colorado was horrific kindle would've been great!!

How much roughly are books then.

Piece of string question really, generally cheaper than the paperback option though

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/

Wow now I have seen that I am even more tempted!! Looks ace really can't see many negatives.not buying books means I am not clogging up house and needing to buy extra book cases!!!

Caher - Member
I got the 3G version as I often walk into a book shop at an airport etc, think I like that and can buy and download as I walk out.
Buying exclusively from Amazon is not too bad as they have a huge range but if you live abroad then it’s annoying as you do not access to the UK book market; it’s mainly the US which for me is not the best
I did find that it was also quite to do some monochrome surfing whilst stuck in Amsterdam airport.

Is that right? I have an amazon.co.uk account from when i lived in the UK...and its still active now that i live in Switzerland..
If i buy a kindle from them and get them to ship to me, can i then download uk books or not?

Is that right? I have an amazon.co.uk account from when i lived in the UK...and its still active now that i live in Switzerland..

I've got an amazon.co.uk account too, but their server detects where your computer is (using IP geolocation), and redirects you to the amazon.com Kindle store. You could probably play around with open proxies and the like to get round the restriction, but personally I couldn't be bothered.

I got the other half one for Christmas and so far we can only find 2 Swedish books and one is an encyclopedia. We havent really looked hard yet but does anyone know if books in languages other than English are available?

scotia, if you can get a kindle, it will definately work with your UK account from Swiss teritory. My mate was using his UK one on the beach in Egypt last month (sending me emails and downloading newspapers) with no problems.
I am not sure if you need to buy the device from the UK to log onto a UK account, they MAY be country specific, or like Ipads they may be worldwide identical.

I got the other half one for Christmas and so far we can only find 2 Swedish books and one is an encyclopedia. We havent really looked hard yet but does anyone know if books in languages other than English are available?

Not seen much foreign language stuff on Amazon (although I was looking for Spanish), you could probably try one of the local eBook sellers and convert the downloaded file. Amazon's having problems getting non-English publishers to let them resell books, unsurprisingly perhaps they don't fully trust the US juggernaut...

I am not sure if you need to buy the device from the UK to log onto a UK account, they MAY be country specific, or like Ipads they may be worldwide identical.

Definitely not worldwide identical - I'm very much limited to using the US store (albeit on my Android phone). Hadn't thought of getting a Kindle sent to a UK address and then get family / friend to send it over, have to look into that one!

Well i was thnking of buying it then sending it to my brother in Edin..then him sending it to me.

I guess i need to know that this kindle, being of UK destination originally...will have access to the uk book store ok...or will they then pickup that i am in switzerland?!

from what you say CHB it might be ok?

When I used my UK one in the US, it accessed the UK store.

It's registered to my amazon.co.uk account.

I'm pretty sure they access their "home" country store - mine had a label on the box that said US/UK/Germany, with UK ticked.

There should be info on the Amazon site about it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=amb_link_157108067_2?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200501450&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-32&pf_rd_r=06QP7W6NBWXMXFWGTZBD&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=221684087&pf_rd_i=B002LVUWFE#wireless

Confirms Amazon pick up the cost of GSM.

12 I'm in the UK, can I buy from the USA (and vice versa)?

- no. If you are a UK resident (and you have a UK address and card on file with Amazon) you must buy from the UK store. If you are in the US, you must buy from the US store. If you are in ANY other country, you are considered by Amazon to be "rest of the world" and you must order from the US store.

There is a slight grey area as to whether you can switch from .com to .co.uk to buy books. Also, if you buy a Kindle in the UK and move for a long period to (say) Germany, then Amazon may restrict your purchases from the UK store and ask you to switch to the US store - again this is rather grey and new and will develop. Hardware purchases however ARE restricted as above.

ah..not so sure now..it looks like it'll be reverted to .com after a while..

I think i'll still try! The worst that can happen is that they change it after a while to .com..