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Just got a Kindle.

zooterkin said:
Really? It doesn't strike me as a replacement for reading books, more a new, multi-media device. It weighs a lot more, and I don't know how easy it would be to use in bright sunlight. I would also guess battery life is much shorter. I know the Kindle app does look very nice on other devices (I have an Android phone, and an HP Touchpad), especially with colour for the book covers and so on, but for extended reading I find the current Kindle the best option.
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I bought a Nook Color for the rooting to get a cheap but solid Android tablet, and used it for a few months as my primary reading device. It was pretty terrible due to the battery life and lighting issues you mention. Now I'm back to an e-ink device (Nook Touch - awesome) and the only way I'd use the Nook Color for reading again is if I was going to be riding late buses during the winter when the backlighting becomes an advantage.

The Nook Color still gets use but only for applications were color and/or LCD speed are important, like watching videos and reading comic books. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend anything similar for anyone whose primary use will be reading books.
 
zooterkin said:
Really? It doesn't strike me as a replacement for reading books, more a new, multi-media device. It weighs a lot more, and I don't know how easy it would be to use in bright sunlight. I would also guess battery life is much shorter. I know the Kindle app does look very nice on other devices (I have an Android phone, and an HP Touchpad), especially with colour for the book covers and so on, but for extended reading I find the current Kindle the best option.
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Yeppers, really. That’s why I said it. :D

It’s a challenge to the iPad (which I don’t really care about), providing a Kindle-sized device that will multi-task in addition to being a reading device. I’m not convinced the extra 6 ounces is significant (8.5oz on the 3G+WiFi versus 14.6 of the Fire) to holding it, compared with any given hardback. A Dance With Dragons (given to me as a gift, even though I would have preferred the Kindle version) was something like 2 pounds, and I held that bad boy from page 1 all the way to page 1040 (cursing it quite often). Direct sunlight will likely impact the usability, but I honestly don’t read that often in bright sunlight, preferring to sit in the shade in a comfortable chair, or sitting in bed before going to sleep. That being the only current drawback I can see, if it actually does impact me such that I don’t use the Fire to read, it is still a better-than-decently priced pad, and with the new $79 option (hardware is clearly not where Amazon sees its money being made) for a Kindle available, I can always save my pennies if I feel the need to revert.

So yeah, I’m looking forward to the Fire.
 
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RobRoy said:
I’m not convinced the extra 6 ounces is significant (8.5oz on the 3G+WiFi versus 14.6 of the Fire) to holding it, compared with any given hardback.
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Compared with a hardback, no, the weight doesn't make a big difference. Compared with a Kindle - or my Nook Touch - the difference is pretty huge. It's particularly noticeable since the usual way to hold a heavy hardback is with both hands, while the usual way to hold a Kindle/Nook or a tablet is with one hand.

Again, I've handled the Nook Color (about an ounce heavier than the Fire) for extended periods and it's obviously doable, but one would definitely be able to hold a Kindle/Nook with one hand a lot longer than a Kindle Fire/Nook Color.

All that said, I think the Fire is pretty neat. If I didn't already have my rooted Nook Color, I'd probably have already ordered one. :)
 
I usually keep the wireless turned off but I got an email saying an updated version of Dance with Dragons (with all the typos fixed) was available so I confirmed I wanted it and turned the wireless on - and immediately got an update of the software too.
 
Babbylonian said:
Compared with a hardback, no, the weight doesn't make a big difference. Compared with a Kindle - or my Nook Touch - the difference is pretty huge. It's particularly noticeable since the usual way to hold a heavy hardback is with both hands, while the usual way to hold a Kindle/Nook or a tablet is with one hand.
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Ahhh, I see your confusion. I'm not comparing with how others read their Kindle, I'm explaining why I don't find the Fire's weight to be prohibitive to me. I did not intend an argument for the Fire's weight in comparison with everyone elses' eReader. When I bought my Kindle, I immediately put it in an Oberon leather cover, because I wanted to protect it and I it to look like a book (success). The Oberon cover allows for reasonably comfortable one-handed reading, but I often find myself using both hands as I would with a hardback. So, "the usual way" is not applicable to me, and neither is the weight argument against the Fire. :)
 
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So, I read books on my Kindle, as well as the Kindle Reader on my Android phone. There's an option to sync a book, so you can pick up on one device where you left off on the other. But, the book I'm currently reading is one my wife previously read. So, it always wants to sync to the last page that she read on the book, which, of course is the very last page. Is there a way to "reset" a particular ebook so that it doesn't take into account previous reads on a book when syncing to the last page read?
 
ZirconBlue said:
So, I read books on my Kindle, as well as the Kindle Reader on my Android phone. There's an option to sync a book, so you can pick up on one device where you left off on the other. But, the book I'm currently reading is one my wife previously read. So, it always wants to sync to the last page that she read on the book, which, of course is the very last page. Is there a way to "reset" a particular ebook so that it doesn't take into account previous reads on a book when syncing to the last page read?
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I don't sync, but does this help?
 
roger said:
Looks like the Fire will support Netflix, Pandora, etc.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1628440&highlight
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GOOD! The Netflix was the one I worried about.

Here is a question; Would any of you be interested in an app for OSX that let you have a second virtual display that you could put an iTunes movie window into and which would be mirrored to the tablet in real time? (Obviously only over fast WiFi.)

If so, how much would that be worth to you in the Kindle Fire app store?

I know the display APIs on OSX pretty well, and I bet I could write that driver.
 
BenBurch said:
GOOD! The Netflix was the one I worried about.

Here is a question; Would any of you be interested in an app for OSX that let you have a second virtual display that you could put an iTunes movie window into and which would be mirrored to the tablet in real time? (Obviously only over fast WiFi.)

If so, how much would that be worth to you in the Kindle Fire app store?

I know the display APIs on OSX pretty well, and I bet I could write that driver.
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Ummm . . . it's like you're trying to ask me something, I just can't understand anything you've just said. :(
 
Just got my second kindle after I gave my first one to my mother who is enjoying it immensely. I decided to stick with the third generation model. I got myself a tablet with the kindle app and just wasn't happy with the reading experience in it...heavy, not very outdoor sunlight friendly and after the kindle...atrocious battery life. Now I am happy again.
 
I just published my first book, for Amazon Kindle! I'm not sure if one is allowed to self-promote here by posting the link, but if you're interested it's called 21 Days to a Marathon.
 
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