Kindle

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Jan! Post.

[Jan]

For those wondering what SmileOfTheShadow is talking about, I got an Amazon Kindle 2 as a gift the other day and so far I'm loving it a lot. A lot of times when you get a new gadget and the coolness factor wears off quickly when it's not as easy to use as promised but that's definitely not the case here. I've found it very well designed and I'm already just reading, not constantly aware that I'm reading on my clever gadget.

My plan is to load it up with lots of my 'old friend' books, the ones I re-read at least once a year so no matter what I'll always have something I want to read with me. The only irritation I've run across so far is that, even with over 170,000 books available in Kindle format, there are a lot that I want that haven't been converted yet. I'm sure that'll change with time, though. I gather that downloading newspapers and blogs is a big think with the Kindle but that's no attraction for me.

People are fascinated by it, too. I must have had 10 people come up to ask me about it this weekend and I think I had the entire restaurant I was at Saturday talking about it. That's encouraging because when I found out I was getting it, the people I worked with reacted with "Yeah...I think I read a book once." It's nice to find out that there are still people who love books as well as tech toys.

Jan

[*Starstuff*]

Congratulations, Jan!

I would love to have a Kindle as well, but they are not sold outside the US and content is also only available in the US. (No, those people probably never heard the word 'globalization'.)

How is reading on the Kindle in broad daylight or even in bright sunlight? Is it still comfortable, or comparable to a book?

Can you load content on it that is not from Amazon? I thought I read that it is not possible. And what about backing up your purchased books? Can you transfer the files to a computer and burn them on a DVD or move them to another drive for safekeeping?

Anyway, enjoy your new toy and happy reading. BTW, I love the expression "old friends books"; it's good to know I am not the only person around who re-reads certain books over and over

[Jan]

I've read it in pretty bright sunlight and it's fine so far.

Sorry to hear that it's not available outside of the States yet. I'm sure it'll come. I think this is the first E-Reader that's really caught on very well.

I haven't explored nearly as many features as I'm sure I will, I just wanted to read! No, I don't think you can download non-Amazon content yet, at least not books. Blogs, newspapers and magazines seem to be popular, though. One thing I may make use of is being able to have personal documents converted to Kindle and downloaded. Another nice thing is that once I buy a Kindle book I don't actually have to store it in the Kindle, I can have it stored on Amazon and retrieve it when I want to.

BTW, I love the expression "old friends books"; it's good to know I am not the only person around who re-reads certain books over and over

Oh, heavens, no, you're not alone! There are just some books that are the ones you pick up when you're not in the mood to deal with new characters or that you just want to snuggle in with and hang out with for a while. Some of them, like B5, you can find new things in them each time.

Jan

[Spoo Junky]

I have quite a few books that I love and have re-read several (sometimes many) times. It's usually the ones that after I've read the first time, when it comes to the end, I feel like I'm in withdrawal because I've become so engrossed in the story or characters.

Are the Kindle books expensive? There are a few audio books I wanted to get, but when I saw the price I said, "Forget it!".

[Jan]

Are the Kindle books expensive? There are a few audio books I wanted to get, but when I saw the price I said, "Forget it!".

They're cheaper than a paperback, the ones I bought were all between $5 and $6 each. It's probably a good thing that not all my old faves are available yet or I'd bankrupt myself quickly!

Jan

[David Panzer]

Manybooks.net has books from Project Gutenberg in the Kindle format. There's no cost to download, since all the books at Project Gutenberg have entered the public domain.

[Jan]

Wow, that's excellent, thanks for the information!

Jan

[*Starstuff*]

Jan, thanks for the information. And just to let you know: Some of the books coming from the Gutenberg Project are also available through Amazon, for no cost, of course. You can find them if you sort the Kindle books by price; they are the ones that don't cost anything

And I was surprised when I first discovered that the e-books are much, much cheaper (some by $20) than the paperbacks. Here in Germany, they are currently pushing the Sony E-Reader (that needs extra software which only runs on Win, not on Macs). But they have not lowered the prices of the books. So, in effect, I'd pay the same for a virtual copy as I would for a printed book that takes so much more energy and resources to be created and sold.

That is a reason why I think the Kindle concept is superior to the current Sony concept, despite the fact that the Sony reader can handle more formats.

I really hope we'll have the Kindle by christmas this year. Then I'd know what I would put under the christmas tree for myself

[Mike Detlefsen]

Baen books has a number of SF and Fantasy ebooks available for the Kindle. No DRM, either. Many of them free.

Mike

[Jan]

Excellent, Mike, thanks!

Hmm...I think it's Baen that publishes Spider Robinson...

Jan

[OmahaStar]

Excellent, Mike, thanks!

Hmm...I think it's Baen that publishes Spider Robinson...

Jan

Yeah, but who likes insects?




*hiding*

[Jan]

Yeah, but who likes insects?




*hiding*

And so you should! Spiders aren't insects, they're arachnids.

Sheesh...buy you books, send you to school and you don't learn a damned thing...

Jan

[SmileOfTheShadow]

At Jan's glowing recommendation...I think I'm going to get a kindle. Especially that there's free public domain content for books. That's awesome!

My big irritation so far of books that I didn't find that I want on there for sure:
Atlas Shrugged.

I'm sure it'll be on there at some point

[glindros]

Oh, the pain of being an early adopter of technology. Sorry Jan.

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-DX-Amazons-Wireless-Generation/dp/B0015TCML0/ref=amb_link_84277971_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=0PGCX2HGB4YKV1Z8GC22&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=476565871&pf_rd_i=507846