Just got a Kindle.

[CelticRose]

I've had mine for about a week. After about an hour of reading with it, books started to seem antiquated. It's easier to hold than a book and you don't need to hold the pages open. Does anyone here prefer it to a book?

I have Cruz ereader, not a Kindle, but, yes, I prefer it over dead tree books. I find I'm reading a lot more since I got my ereader.

Overwhelmingly. There's only one disadvantage for me, and that's the fact that I can't use a reader out in the rain (without getting a waterproof cover, and I'm cheap about accessories).

Somebody in one of these threads suggested a 1-gallon ziplock works well.

There's yet another advantage to ereaders. I can't read a dead tree book in the rain without damaging it, but with the ziplock kludge I could read ebooks no matter what the weather.

 

[rdaneel]

I've had mine for about a week. After about an hour of reading with it, books started to seem antiquated. It's easier to hold than a book and you don't need to hold the pages open. Does anyone here prefer it to a book?

Definite yes for me. In addition to what you mentioned, I'm finding that only seeing one "page" at a time helps me focus better.

 

[RobRoy]

Definite yes for me. In addition to what you mentioned, I'm finding that only seeing one "page" at a time helps me focus better.

I also prefer my Kindle to paper books for a number of reasons, not that my love of the printed word, the binding, etc. has changed. But just for my personal usage, I prefer this. I also seem to read more and faster due to the way the Kindle handles the text. It may, indeed, be in part due to a lack of distraction from a single page, so that I don't catch a phrase or exclamation on facing page.

There are also some semi-interactive books that are fun, and I put blackjack on my Kindle. That's pretty cool.

 

[zooterkin]

I also prefer my Kindle to paper books for a number of reasons, not that my love of the printed word, the binding, etc. has changed. But just for my personal usage, I prefer this. I also seem to read more and faster due to the way the Kindle handles the text. It may, indeed, be in part due to a lack of distraction from a single page, so that I don't catch a phrase or exclamation on facing page.

For those of us with older eyes, the ability to increase the text size when the light is a bit dim or our reading glasses are not hand is wonderful.

There are also some semi-interactive books that are fun, and I put blackjack on my Kindle. That's pretty cool.

That's something I haven't looked into, but for now I have enough games on my phone (mainly Scrabble-type games at the moment).

Oh, and I still love my Oberon cover; I even find myself enjoying just carrying it around

 

[amused]

I have a Kindle and the Kindle application on my Droidphone. I can read on either one and they will sync up with each other. Way cool, because it means that I can carry my library around with me on my phone. And, even if the phone/Kindle get lost or damaged, my library exists in the Amazon cloud and can be retrieved again, for free. Not ever having to move boxes of books again is also a plus.

 

[RobRoy]

For those of us with older eyes, the ability to increase the text size when the light is a bit dim or our reading glasses are not hand is wonderful.

My wife asked me last night if I liked reading on the Kindle, and then commented that she thought the text/screen looked small. I quickly pushed the Aa button and showed her how you had all kinds of text adjustments that you could make, and she was quite impressed.

Oh, and I still love my Oberon cover; I even find myself enjoying just carrying it around

Indeed. I wanted my Kindle to have a kind of book look/feel to it, and the Oberon, which was my second choice due to price considerations, has not disappointed. I’m quite enamored of its look and feel, and I have had a number of compliments on the cover. I’d attempt to charge Oberon a sales commission, but their work really does speak for itself.

 

[AdMan]

Does anyone know what the deal is with Kindles on airplanes? I've been flying a bit the last couple of weeks, and never quite sure whether I am supposed to turn "off" my Kindle for take-off and landing, when all other electronics are supposed to be turned off.

When I put my Kindle to sleep, it simply displays another image, rather than the next page in my book. Even if I were to keep on reading, I would imagine the electricity needed to display each new page would be miniscule. Could it really interfere with the aircraft's navigation (yes, I turn wireless off)?

On my latest flight today, the flight attendant made a specific announcement about turning off "all electronics, cell phones, iPods, Kindles..." when we were taking off.

So what's the deal with this? I really wish I could keep on reading, as I could with a regular book...

 

[BenBurch]

Well, many people are not savvy enough to turn off the wireless on a Kindle. and the airline can't be in the business of teaching them.

 

[JSFolk]

Last time I flew (with a Kindle) they said "Turn off anything with a screen." I put my Kindle into "screensaver" mode and stuffed it in the seat pocket. I'm 99.99% sure that a Kindle in "do not transmit" mode would not interfere at all with a plane, but I'm also sure that if we asked flight attendants to individually make judgments on 150 people's electronics, the plane would be sitting on the tarmac for a good 2 hours before takeoff.

ETA: Also, I think some of the reason might be less that the devices would interfere with the plane, but rather they could provide distraction if something bad should happen on takeoff or landing, and they want passengers focused on getting the hell out of the plane.

 

[AdMan]

ETA: Also, I think some of the reason might be less that the devices would interfere with the plane, but rather they could provide distraction if something bad should happen on takeoff or landing...

Maybe, but so could a paperback.


I think you're right, though, about there being so many devices that it's easier and faster to just say, "turn everything off!"

 

[Darat]

I've had mine for about a week. After about an hour of reading with it, books started to seem antiquated. It's easier to hold than a book and you don't need to hold the pages open. Does anyone here prefer it to a book?

I have to admit it - yes. The only thing I miss from books is the more varied typography

 

[zooterkin]

I have to admit it - yes. The only thing I miss from books is the more varied typography

The main thing I miss is sharing books by passing them around friends and family, but otherwise I think I too prefer the Kindle.

 

[Nursefoxfire]

The main thing I miss is sharing books by passing them around friends and family, but otherwise I think I too prefer the Kindle.

I miss scanning the spines in my library and letting my gaze fall on a book I haven't seen in a while, blowing the dust off it and settling in for a nice long read.

I'm pretty sure that's all I miss about (print) books, the actual perusing of the library.

 

[RobRoy]

Last time I flew (with a Kindle) they said "Turn off anything with a screen." I put my Kindle into "screensaver" mode and stuffed it in the seat pocket. I'm 99.99% sure that a Kindle in "do not transmit" mode would not interfere at all with a plane, but I'm also sure that if we asked flight attendants to individually make judgments on 150 people's electronics, the plane would be sitting on the tarmac for a good 2 hours before takeoff.

Do they make you turn it off the entire flight, or just during take-off and landing?

I haven't flown with my Kindle, but I'm sure the issue will come up in the future, and I want to make damn sure I have something to read!

 

[fls]

Last time I flew (with a Kindle) they said "Turn off anything with a screen." I put my Kindle into "screensaver" mode and stuffed it in the seat pocket. I'm 99.99% sure that a Kindle in "do not transmit" mode would not interfere at all with a plane, but I'm also sure that if we asked flight attendants to individually make judgments on 150 people's electronics, the plane would be sitting on the tarmac for a good 2 hours before takeoff.

ETA: Also, I think some of the reason might be less that the devices would interfere with the plane, but rather they could provide distraction if something bad should happen on takeoff or landing, and they want passengers focused on getting the hell out of the plane.

Actually, what I notice a lot is people putting devices into sleep mode, seemingly unaware that they will still transmit and receive in this mode. So if the "turn off all devices" command is for the purposes of preventing interference, it fails to accomplish anything. Your Kindle will still receive transmissions in screen-saver mode. This is how updates are automatically sent to it. The way to stop this is to turn off the wifi/3G, not to put it to sleep.

Same with the smartphones and tablets I see people merely put to sleep instead of turning off.

Linda

 

[Darat]

I miss scanning the spines in my library and letting my gaze fall on a book I haven't seen in a while, blowing the dust off it and settling in for a nice long read.

I'm pretty sure that's all I miss about (print) books, the actual perusing of the library.

That just means you need to add more books to your Kindle so you can browse the titles on the Kindle!

 

[fls]

Do they make you turn it off the entire flight, or just during take-off and landing?

I haven't flown with my Kindle, but I'm sure the issue will come up in the future, and I want to make damn sure I have something to read!

Just take off and landing. But you also have to have the wifi/3G turned off for the entire flight.

Linda

 

[AdMan]

Just take off and landing. But you also have to have the wifi/3G turned off for the entire flight.

Linda

Except for those airlines that now offer on-board wi-fi. I browsed the Kindle store on a flight last December when Delta had a free wi-fi promotion going.

So who can understand airline rules?

 

[RobRoy]

Just take off and landing. But you also have to have the wifi/3G turned off for the entire flight.

Oh, well, good then! I usually have the wifi off.

 

[fls]

Except for those airlines that now offer on-board wi-fi. I browsed the Kindle store on a flight last December when Delta had a free wi-fi promotion going.

So who can understand airline rules?

Yup. It doesn't make sense. I'm flying this Friday again, so I'll see what happens. Fortunately, it's probably only going to get less restrictive, rather than more.

Linda