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Mrs Ambrose wants a Kindle or alternative. Needs to be a 'good thing' that will definately allow her to read books easily. I'm not an early adopter, so will draw upon your advice here folks. Tablets (whatever they are... ...tiny lap-toppy things?) seem to be quite cheap and do lots of things, way more than a Kindle does, will they let her read books or am I wrong?
So- what do you suggest I should buy for the light of my life. I really want to get it right this year. I have messed up spectacularly in the past. The big fluffy orange fleece was possibly the best/ worst- or was it when I bought her some luggage?
Hangs head in shame, slinks off to the corner.....
[img] http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR2FDu3JpATgkgfSRLlmu-VlfA1X9wV3VN9Aa5RP7XyIk3RCyDM [/img]
Brownie points in the bag!
Just get the Kindle.
It's not as capable/versatile as a "tablet" and that's what putting you off, but don't let it. It does what it does really, really well.
(and you can install the Kindle app on your PC too and read the same books if you want).
If it's just for reading books, then I reckon Kindle is the way to go. If you want a tablet, go the iPad - but the Kindle will always be nicer to read plain text from IMO.
You're that close to her, and she means that much to you, you need to ask on here?
If she wants "a Kindle or something similar," buy a Kindle and stop fretting. There is nothing similar, nothing currently comes close.
I kind of like Kindles, but also have philosophical reservations about them.
For all that, I was dead pleased when I was caught somewhere without a book, and discovered I could download books to my android phone.
Does she have a good phone? Because if she doesn't, you might consider combining functionality. If she ever joins you on your adventures (and iirc, she does), she might like the whole 'electronic Swiss Army Knife' idea of a phone that also allows her to read, but also a bunch of other stuff as well.
Then again, I think a tablet would run a close second.
Just a thought...
Kindle will let you read books.
Tablets will let you read books from kindle and other providers, check email as well as surf the net and check social networks.
SaxonRider - Member
I kind of like Kindles, [b]but also have philosophical reservations about them.[/b]For all that, I was dead pleased when I was caught somewhere without a book, and discovered I could download books to my android phone.
Does she have a good phone? Because if she doesn't, you might consider combining functionality. If she ever joins you on your adventures (and iirc, she does), she might like the whole 'electronic Swiss Army Knife' idea of a phone that also allows her to read, but also a bunch of other stuff as well.
Then again, I think a tablet would run a close second.
Just a thought...
Cougar - Member
If she wants "a Kindle or something similar," buy a Kindle and stop fretting. [b]There is nothing similar, nothing currently comes close.[/b]
Drac - Moderator
Kindle will let you read books, check email as well as surf the net and check social networks.
FTFY
I suggested a decent Android but she wants a bigger screen. She is even more luddite than me, so that's why I'm asking here.
Just get her a candle. S'cheaper. Birds love candles, speshly smelly ones.
Used money saved to but new bike bits/booze.
Win win! 😀
(Elfinsafety would like to make it clear that he in no way endorses the blatant and ignorant chauvinism in the comment above. In fact he finds such views and attitudes abhorrent)
My wife is a complete technophobe. Despite this, the Kindle is [i]easily[/i] the present she has most appreciated (other than my daughter).
Ironing boad cover; it's the gift that keeps on giving.
Oh no, here we go again....
druidh- you paid for a daughter?
Cheez, I opted for one of those for my ex a few Xmas' back ... gave me yet more ammo that women don't alway want what they say they want.
druidh- you paid for a daughter?
I'd guess he's probably still paying for her.. 😕
I once worked with a bloke who bought his wife a vacuum cleaner for Christmas. He wrapped it in brown kraft paper and brown parcel tape.
Legend! 😯
Last time I checked the DruidH the kindle was really crap at anything else other than being used for reading books.
once worked with a bloke who bought his wife a vacuum cleaner for Christmas. He wrapped it in brown kraft paper and brown parcel tape.
Was the parcel properly vacuum cleaner shaped? 😆
Mate of mine did actually buy his missus an ironing board and wrap it up so that it was clear what it was.
In fairness they did need a new one and he did get her a 'proper' pressie as well. 🙂
You're that close to her, and she means that much to you, you need to ask on here?
PPppffffffffff!
Kindle's great. Put a few books on it for her - choosing carefully to show you thought about it. Get her a nice 'jacket' to put it in (with reading light if you think she'll use that).
Oh, and some 'fancy pants' wrapped around chocolate.
Bit early for christmas though isn't it?
[nodding] yep, spacemonkey [/nodding]
[lol] elf and his candle! [/lol]
Cheers guys, Kindle it is then. Now- which version? I will probably go for the non-keyboard one. Same price as a decent rucsac, less things to go wrong. And a book voucher or two as well. I hate the stuff she loves to read so I'm bound to get it wrong if I buy some 'content' for her too.
Just done the homework on this. eReaders use E Ink screens that seem to be held to be less tiring on the eye over a prolonged period. There is a colour version of this technology but I ain't seen one in real life.
Kindle and the other dedicated e readers all use this technology. Your options for dedicated readers are Kindle which uses a proprietary file format that is pretty much restricted to Amazon so that is where you will be getting your ebooks from. The alternatives will read epub and pdf files and usually a fair cross section of others as well. If you go down this route you have access to everyone else e.g. Waterstones and WH Smiths in this country plus all the free books from the gutenberg project and google books, in fact everywhere but Amazon. The cost of bestsellers seems very similar with the presence of competition giving a very slight edge to the non Amazon brigade if anything.
Personally I have just gone for a Kobo Touch - well established Canadian ( I think ) company who have just done an exclusive deal with WH Smiths - and so far I don't see any difference to the Kindles I have played with except that I am able to source books from a greater variety of places and shop around for the best deal.
Kindle is better for reading than a smart phone/tablet because it's not a 'screen', you don't get the same fatigue with them.
FWIW I bought mother a Kindle for Christmas last year and she loves it.
NEVER EVER BUY YOUR WIFE A FOOT SPA FOR XMAS.
A Kindle however is a nice present, that won't breed seething resentment, and although only as useful as a foot spa, won't be brought up as an example of a crap present more than 10 years down
the line .....
'Only as useful as a footspa'?
Depends how much you read I suppose.
*Wafts off*
Just done the homework on this...The alternatives will read epub and pdf files and usually a fair cross section of others as well. If you go down this route you have access to everyone else e.g. Waterstones and WH Smiths in this country plus all the free books from the gutenberg project and google books,
You've just failed your homework then 😀 A Kindle will read a pdf file, and you can use something like Caliber to convert epub books and add them to Kindle. Same goes for all the stuff from Gutenberg or Google.
There are pros and cons to each of the main e-book contenders: Kindle, Sony, Kobo. If it was me, I'd get her a Kindle [i]without[/i] the keyboard and a pretty cover in a colour she'll like. I have the version with the keyboard and I don't really ever use it - if I need to make notes in a book, I tend to use the Kindle software on my laptop or iPad as its much less faff.
Just go and buy a kindle.... If you get it from tesco online you can get a tenner off (voucher code online). £79 = cheaper than Amazon.
If she doesn't already have an amazon account, set one up for her using her email address on Xmas eve (so she won't notice the account confirmation email until after Christmas) and redeem a couple of gift voucher on the new account. That way as soon as she turns the thing on it'll be all ready to go and she'll have credit on her account.
I'd get her a Kindle without the keyboard and a pretty cover in a colour she'll like.
and
If she doesn't already have an amazon account, set one up for her using her email address on Xmas eve (so she won't notice the account confirmation email until after Christmas) and redeem a couple of gift voucher on the new account.
Perfect.
Choice between kindle and a tablet. I'd have a tablet provided it was a decent one, think 89 quid v 400+ quid.
Kindles are OK for reading (snore) but a bit limited. If it is mostly gonna get used indoors then take a look at a [url= http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Tablets/buy-ARNOVA-ARNOVA10-G2-Tablet/757373 ]ARNOVA ARNOVA10 G2[/url] - assume it will run all the free android apps or the Kindle Fire?
Kindles are OK for reading (snore) but a bit limited.
Well that's hundreds of years worth of literature dismissed then. 🙂
Just bought the amazon kindle for daughters birthday and its ace. Great bit of kit. Smaller,thinner and lighter than before,space for 2500 books and a usb connection. 90quid. Terrific.
How about a frying pan or a 'Black Invader'.... My wife loves hers (ahem).
Seriously, Kindle. They are buttons now and brilliant. My wife bought me one last year and I was made up. Yes you can read on a phone/pc/tablet but it's such a faff. Battery life is short/useless and the screens makes you go boss eyed.
The Kindle screen is very easy on the eye (you can read for many hours without your eyes getting tired) and the battery last a month (yes really, a month) of daily reading (2-4 hours - thanks East Coast 🙂 ).
Buying books is so simple (once you've worked through the 1000's of freebies). Click->arrive on Kindle->job done.
I was sceptical, now I'm not.
Get her a chocolate orange for Xmas and then wait for the January sales.
Nothing even comes close to a Kindle for reading ebooks
As said above, they will work with any format if you use something like Calibre for your library
It does absolutely nothing else of any significance to bother about but it's got the ebook thing well and truly nailed.
The eink system is superb, nothing like text on a screen, and the screen itself doesn't attract fingerprints etc.
Has anyone mentioned battery life? - I reckon about a month for mine then a 30 min charge will have it full again, it's one of the few bits of tech that you really never bother carrying a charger with you, I go away on holiday without one.
I have 2 tablets, a laptop and a phone and I would never again read a book on them - they're a pale imitation compared to a Kindle.
How do they cope with foreign language books, anyone know? I ask because my wife really struggles to get Polish books in the UK and they are very expensive.
I've certainly seen Polish ebook novels - never tried them though, on account of I don't read Polish 🙂
Can't see it not working TBH
Where should I be looking jota180?
No idea what they are but try here,
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/languages/pl
There'll also be loads on the usual download sites
Anything really with a .mobi, .epub, .lit file extension will do
looks like it renders the characters OK - just put this on mine to test it
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That's dead exciting, how does it continue?
Get her a kindle. I have one, love it.
In reality it does one thing lets you read ebooks, it does it really really well, it keeps lots of them & you can download more easily (inc STW I'm pleased to see).
You can access the web but its shonky. Same with email. But you really can read books on it & it is not heavy so your hands don't tire like they do with a tablet and it fits in my fleece pocket and the battery lasts for a couple of weeks even if you are on holiday reading lots.