Kindle and other e-book owners, I'd like your opinions.

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Kindle and other e-book owners, I'd like your opinions.

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Started 1 year ago by Netleigh
Latest reply from pkilmain
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Netleigh
Member

I've been thinking about getting a Kindle, as I can see many useful aspects to it. My major pros and cons are listed below and I'm edging closer to getting one, even though dh will say 'Another gadget!'.

However has anyone who has got one found that they dislike the change from reading on paper?

Pros
I'll be able to take lots of books on holiday and they won't weigh a ton.
I will release qute a decent amount of bookshelf space by having the classics that I reread free on the kindle.
Once I've cleared the 'to be read' book mountain then I'll get part of that space back, I expect I'll still have some paper copies from friends and also from the library.

Cons
Locked into Amazon.
It will require replacing from time to time.

Posted 1 year ago #
lucy1965
Member

I love my Nook Classic (and hug it and pet it and call it George -- well, actually her name's Kaylee *grin*); I've also rooted it (shhhhh!) and put in a microSD card to up the storage. Because of my vision problems, I had slowly stopped reading, and this gave it back to me.

Posted 1 year ago #
mugwump
Member

I also have a Nook classic. It's great for traveling. I still read mostly paper books at home (from the library). I like the Nook because I have access to two online libraries and I can check out books using Adobe Digital Editions. I can pull up any number of off-copyright books from the web in epub format(I live in the US, so that's anything older than about 70 years). I have had it six months and only bought two books for it (I'm cheap). Coming home from Norway last fall, the charge lasted a little more than 26 hours (much less than advertised), long enough to read a very long Victorian novel, which just about lasted me the trip.

Kindle is better for new books which you are willing to pay for because there are more books available. Last I heard, there was no borrowing capability.

Posted 1 year ago #
lgmost
Member

What I really concern is privacy problem, may be I just think too much. But I'm afraid that my spending / reading habit will be exposed.

Although someone wouldn't think those habits related to privacy, there is risk that some companies may analyze your habit for promotion. Promotion phone calls or emails are irritating.

To extend the problem, if some companies work together for promotion events or one company buy another company, I'm not sure how would they deal with the personal information. After they collect your personal information, they can roughly describle who you are, you like eat what, how often you read, what kinds of books/ movies you like, etc.

Normally, if I can afford, I buy books physically.

Posted 1 year ago #
happymonkey
Member

LOVE my Kindle! I didn't think I'd be able to give up the "book feel" while reading, but, surprisingly, I find that I sometimes prefer to use the Kindle rather than reading a dead tree book. The text size can be changed to suit your mood (for example, I've sometimes enlarged the print when I had a headache, which makes it easier to read) and all your listed 'Pros' are right on target.

In addition to purchasing books, there's an amazing amount of free stuff available -- Project Gutenberg is awesome, to name one. Amazon also has free books available.

As to the issue with privacy and personal information being collected, that's an issue any time you buy online. Also occurs every time you sign up for newsletters, online forums, etc., unless you use an alias. I do most of my shopping/purchasing online, so the marketers already know where to find me. :) That's an unfortunate by-product of the times we live in. Even the grocery store tracks your spending if you sign up for a store loyalty card or discount program.

Posted 1 year ago #
lgmost
Member

happymonkey: ~yes you're right, my personal information has left in many places already LOL.

I seldom join membership or use credit card ><

Posted 1 year ago #
ninakk
Member

My e-reader is new still but it's easy to use and I like it a lot. I'm on my third book and have already tried using bookmarks, which works fine. I've also downloaded a couple of books from Project Gutenberg and everything went smoothly. I couldn't dream of getting tied to a package that is exclusive or however I should put it diplomatically and so ended up choosing the Cybook Orizon by Bookeen instead. I'm trying to figure out everything about the nasty DRM and hopefully will find a way around that righteousness at some point.

For those concerned by data collection online, I highly recommend the Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer add-on Ghostery.

Also try checking these threads out, there's some good stuff in them! http://unclutterer.com/discuss/tags/e-reader

Posted 1 year ago #
kllycat
Member

I love, love, love my Kindle. I did have a Cybook Opus before that, and while I liked it because it was Chartreuse green (yes, I'm shallow) and quite lightweight, it was SO hard to download books onto it. That's what I love about the Kindle. Amazon, like Apple, has understood that if you make things easy, people like it. A lot. ePub and Android are both superior technologies in a lot of ways, but you will have my iPhone and Kindle over my dead, cold body.

Also- you can lend and borrow Kindle books. My best friend has a Kindle and we swap books all the time. It's only for a period of two weeks though, and the owner can't read it while the other person is reading it, but that's like a paper book too.

Posted 1 year ago #
pkilmain
Member

I have a kindle app on my iPad and I love reading on it. Google now has a reader as well; their books are about the same process Amazon's. I opted for the iPad so I could have access to books for reading especially wholes traveling and with 3G access I don't have to have a laptop fwor Internet access (like now while I'm at a quilt retreat where there is no wireless, but cell phones - and thus my iPad - work fine). At home I still read paper books, mostly from the library.

Posted 1 year ago #
irishbell
Member

I thought I might miss the feeling of holding a book and turning the pages. I have not missed it! It's light, highly portable and the changing text size is immensely important to me! I still read paper books- but I am still very hapy I got my Kindle.

Posted 1 year ago #
nws2002
Member

I love my Kindle, and it really does look like paper with zero eyestrain. It is easy to get new books directly from amazon, but there are many places you can download books from and use the USB cable. I can even get books from my local library with a little work and format conversion.

You can loan Kindle books to other Kindle users now. This is not available for every title though, I think it depends on the publisher.

Amazon's privacy policy is pretty strict, and they won't sell your info to third parties. You do get the occasional emails, but you can opt-out of those too. Amazon does use the items you've purchased to suggest new items, and I'm sure they use that data to suggest things to others as well.

Posted 1 year ago #
lucy1965
Member

@kllycat I have had this discussion with my husband numerous times. Not everyone wants to tinker with their tech: they want to open the box, charge it up, and get on with things. I have my Nook in part because I was one of those kids who was always taking apart things that she shouldn't, and with a little bit of poking it makes a fun little Android tablet. But there's more than enough room in the world for both!

(Not that I'm not tapping my feet waiting for the latest version of the ADB to be available for the Nook, so's I can help with the tinkering necessary to get the Kindle Reader Android software to run on Kaylee, nooooo . . . .)

Posted 1 year ago #
Jeri Dansky
Member

I use iBooks on my iPad. I'm surprised at how much I like it. (I still like paper books, too.)

It will certainly be wonderful when traveling - being able to have a lot of books with me, taking up much less space (and weight) than in the past. I can even have my guidebooks on the iPad! (Lonely Planet sells single chapters, which is very nice; sometimes all I need is a single chapter.)

I also like the iPad is more than just an eBook reader.

Posted 1 year ago #
Vivace
Member

I can't speak to the Amazon limitations, but I just upgraded my Sony Reader. I still love it, in fact I think I love it a little more now. XD If you're worried about whether you'll be comfortable reading on the screen, you might see if someone you know has one you can borrow for a day or two.

It's definitely cut down on the number of paper books I have around - I even download library books now. Instead of carrying two thick paperbacks with me (my current book and another book in case I finish the current one) I can now carry just the slim reader.

And in case you're wondering, I upgraded because I like the new features, not because there was anything wrong with the old one. I know people still happily using ebooks from 2007 or 2008, sometimes preferring them to the newer models. :D I don't think replacement is any more of an issue than it would be with your phone or your gameboy. (If you have a gameboy. Maybe you don't. But I like to upgrade mine every few years for the newer games.)

Posted 1 year ago #
JayEff
Member

nws2002, your opinion (which may be correct) about library books for the Kindle is different from what I have been told, so I am curious. Have you actually borrowed an electronic book from the library for the Kindle?

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

we travel a fair bit and we both love to read.
we always used to end up with luggage that was 50% books.
cutting down radically on luggage alone, was worth adding another gadget.
add the factors of radically slowing the book creep in the home and being able to unload the classics and it made the kindle virtually irresistable to me.
i am in australia and of the e readers, the kindle was the best for us...already fervent amazon book buyers.

Posted 1 year ago #
lottielot
Member

I got a Kindle a month or so ago. It's very easy to use, very easy to download books from Amazon. However, I don't particularly enjoy the reading experience compared with a real book, I think only because I'm used to reading 2 pages with a reasonable number of words and then turning the page. I read extremely fast, so end up spending the whole time turning the page, it gets annoying after a while and breaks my sense of concentration. The actual reading itself is great though, very clear text and you can change the size, orientation etc. I find it invaluable for downloading my research papers to read for uni though, which is the main reason I bought it. My Sony kept crashing and eventually died, it was actually better and slightly bigger screen but the downloading of books was dire beyond belief on the Sony.
The best thing for me is: my dh has started buying less books (which he refuses to ever get rid of), and my ds1 enjoys using the Kindle. Then again, he's been reading books on his iPod Touch, so he's clearly not picky! And for holidays it's fantastic, not having to lug 10 books around every trip is great :)

Posted 1 year ago #
mklitt
Member

I do not know about replacing a Kindle. They seem to last well and the books are compatible on all versions.

I suggest buying the cover with a light sold by Amazon. It is comfortable to hold and protects the book as well as adding a much needed light for reading in bed - especially since motel rooms rarely have adequate light.

I just gave away the complete Dickens - freeing 4 feet of shelf space - and replaced them for $5.00 on my Kindle.

One pro not noted is that all books weigh the same on Kindle, which is important for people with hand and wrist problems. Also if you have eye problems, as I do, the Kindle is very easy to read and uniform. You can increase the font size if necessary.

I do a blog on free classic books for Kindle. These are mostly pre-copyright.

Posted 1 year ago #
Netleigh
Member

Sold!

Thanks for all the advice and ninakk for the list of previous threads.

I think I've decided now... Kindle it is as I already get a lot of books from Amazon and I think the ease of use is what I want first. Much as an iPad would be a good 'toy' to have I think the size of the kindle wins and I don't need all the other functionality so much. I go cold turkey from the internet for a week on holiday but I cant go for a week without a book supply!

Igmost, as Amazon already know my reading preferences I'm not too worried about them knowing my kindle reading.

Posted 1 year ago #
shinymary
Member

Kindles are great, but they do not necessarily work with library ebook systems. If you plan on using your library's services, please have a conversation with a library staff person who helps patrons with ebooks.

Posted 1 year ago #

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