• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Just got a Kindle.

Elizabeth I said:
Since Kindle is proprietary and you can't download from anywhere except Amazon, could I ask why you went with that one instead of some of the other e-readers out there, that would let you download from multiple sites, including freebies from your library?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure this really matters when it comes to actual use. The selection and prices at Amazon seem better than at other sites (let alone equivalent). And of course, freebies from anywhere can go onto your Kindle.

Linda
 
I have an iPad and a Kindle. For reading, I go to my Kindle first. Unless it's dark and I don't want to turn on the light. The weight does make a difference if I'm holding it, in addition to the ease of reading e-ink.

ETA: I do admit that I like the colour display of covers on my Kindle home page on my iPad. But that's obviously just window-dressing when it comes to functionality. :)

Linda
 
Last edited:
BenBurch said:
These things are really cooler than I thought they would be.

Contrast is really good.

The cover with book-light is clever.

I think I am going be spending the weekend playing with it.

So Kindle-owners; Any cool things I should learn about it?
Click to expand...
No Kindle specific but (if you're into SF) the new 1632 ebook is out and can be downloaded (legally) from http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/23-TheEasternFrontCD/ along with a lot more Baen ebooks.
 
The big problem I have with the Kindle is the horrible way it presents the list of books. I have over 2000 titles. I can list them by author or by title, and that's it. A 2000+ list by author (scroll 55 times to find Tolkein) or by title (scroll the entire list looking for the title you can't remember). It's incredibly tedious.

My Sony let me select the author, then scroll through the list of that one author's books. So if I was looking for a Pratchett to read while stuck in the dentist's waiting room, I could find Pratchett with a couple of keypresses (authors, then P, then one scroll down to get to the Pratchetts), then scroll through the titles looking for one I haven't read yet. I can also sort by genre, collections, etc.

I can't figure out how to do any of this with the Kindle, other than by manually creating groups, which is even more tedious. I did one just for Tolkein, and it took over an hour of click-scroll-select-click-scroll-select-etc.

I must be missing something. The online docs suggest searching to narrow down the list, but that doesn't seem to work well. A search for "tolk" shows only four books, none by Tolkein. A search for "Fellowship" shows zero books, even though "Fellowship of the Ring" is clearly there. A search for "Rowling" shows three books by Dickins.

Any suggestions?
 
Last edited:
Thanks, Amused.

Hmmn, either those people have far fewer books or they don't find the process of making collections (what I mistakenly called "groups" above) as tedious as I do. I shall consult the documentation to find out if I'm missing some shortcuts in creating collections.
 
fls said:
I have an iPad and a Kindle. For reading, I go to my Kindle first. Unless it's dark and I don't want to turn on the light. The weight does make a difference if I'm holding it, in addition to the ease of reading e-ink.

ETA: I do admit that I like the colour display of covers on my Kindle home page on my iPad. But that's obviously just window-dressing when it comes to functionality. :)

Linda
Click to expand...

Would you mind elaborating on the reading in the dark thing?

Which e-reader is best for this?

I love to read in bed after my other half has already fallen asleep, and book lights are quite awkward.
 
Tatyana said:
Would you mind elaborating on the reading in the dark thing?

Which e-reader is best for this?

I love to read in bed after my other half has already fallen asleep, and book lights are quite awkward.
Click to expand...

I'm not fls, but...

All the ereaders (Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony) use e-ink technology that is not back-lit like the LCD screen of an iPad, notebook, or computer monitor. In the dark e-ink is dark, just like paper. So they have to be front-lit. Many covers that are sold for the ereaders come with electrical contact points that use the battery in the device to power a small reading light that slides out of a pocket in the cover.
 
DallasDad said:
The big problem I have with the Kindle is the horrible way it presents the list of books. I have over 2000 titles. I can list them by author or by title, and that's it. A 2000+ list by author (scroll 55 times to find Tolkein) or by title (scroll the entire list looking for the title you can't remember). It's incredibly tedious.

My Sony let me select the author, then scroll through the list of that one author's books. So if I was looking for a Pratchett to read while stuck in the dentist's waiting room, I could find Pratchett with a couple of keypresses (authors, then P, then one scroll down to get to the Pratchetts), then scroll through the titles looking for one I haven't read yet. I can also sort by genre, collections, etc.

I can't figure out how to do any of this with the Kindle, other than by manually creating groups, which is even more tedious. I did one just for Tolkein, and it took over an hour of click-scroll-select-click-scroll-select-etc.

I must be missing something. The online docs suggest searching to narrow down the list, but that doesn't seem to work well. A search for "tolk" shows only four books, none by Tolkein. A search for "Fellowship" shows zero books, even though "Fellowship of the Ring" is clearly there. A search for "Rowling" shows three books by Dickins.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Yes. On the "Home" page, sort books by "Author". Type "P" (for Pratchett) and then click (don't scroll over to "search", just click). It will show you all the 'P' authors. You can do the same thing for "Title".

Linda
 
Tatyana said:
Would you mind elaborating on the reading in the dark thing?

Which e-reader is best for this?

I love to read in bed after my other half has already fallen asleep, and book lights are quite awkward.
Click to expand...

Same situation here. :)

You can't read in the dark with the e-ink. I have used book lights, but since I got my iPhone and then my iPad, I just read with one of those instead (sorry if this wasn't clear). With 'sync' turned on, whichever device I use just picks up wherever I left off with the other device.

Linda
 
I always thought I'd be one of those people who sort of disdained e-readers - lacking the tactile experience of reading an actual book and all that. Then I borrowed one from a friend and I'm pretty much hooked. My time on the internet tends to cut down on my time reading (e.g. checking e-mail/forums before I go to sleep instead of reading); I reckon e-readers trick my brain into thinking I'm browsing the net and act as a kind of 'half-way house' between books and the computer, so it's easier to focus. Yes, the internet has ruined me.

As far as which one to go with, the one I've borrowed is a Sony e-reader. Originally I was thinking about getting a Kindle for myself, with it being cheaper, but reading about the proprietary format has put me off. So it's probably going to be a Sony, when I get around to buying one (i.e. just as soon as my friend wants hers back).
 
Proprietary wasn't a real consideration for me. Amazon needs DRM to convince publishers to allow their content to be sold, and they have demonstrated good faith in releasing readers for almost every platform around. And, as others have pointed out, you can put almost any other content on it if it's in, or can be converted to, one of the Kindle's formats. And they have a conversion service.
 
katy_did said:
As far as which one to go with, the one I've borrowed is a Sony e-reader. Originally I was thinking about getting a Kindle for myself, with it being cheaper, but reading about the proprietary format has put me off. So it's probably going to be a Sony, when I get around to buying one (i.e. just as soon as my friend wants hers back).
Click to expand...

If you've got a good public library system ask them if they have plans to have the capability to loan ebooks and what readers they will support.

New York Public Library says they will support Kindle and iPad.
 
Damn, I must correct my original post. The current Baen CD is a promo one and doesn't have the full text of 1635 -The Eastern Front. It does have the previous books in the series.
 
I just got my Kindle today and its worth every Rupee I spent on it. What blew me away was the absolute lack of eye strain reading stuff on it. I am not familiar with any of the other e-book readers so I really cannot compare this with those, and it can nowhere compete with an I-pad where features are concerned. However, in comparison to traditional books, this is a quantum leap forward. I also really love the love the black and white photographs the screen displays when it goes into sleep mode.
Daddy Like!!!
 
What stops me is that most of my book buying is at the used book store, book sales, and the like, and most of my reading material comes from the library. If I had more disposable income, or traveled frequently, I'd be on this like white on rice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom