should I get a kindle?

John_P

Just toying with getting one.

I've got an old ipad 1 that gets occasional use and an iphone - a year or so ago I briefly tried reading on them but didn't give it much of a chance as I like books.

Is the kindle a lot better?  There seem to be a few variations - Fire, HDX, paperwhite - any thoughts on them?

Grunfeld

Massive personal preference -- I can't stand the ones which are like computer screens but I love, absolutely love the e ink kindle.  I've not tried a paperwhite one; simply using a standard one and find it perfect.

Lixarto

Yes - I have the original, so can't comment on the new ones, but as it isn't backlit it doesn't fatigue the eyes.

Highly recommended, from a luddite book lover like me.

Oh, and Project Gutenberg has all those out of copyright classics for free

Fill yer boots.

Jalapeno

iPad is pretty heavy for a book reader compared to a Kindle - especially the non-Fire ones.

Lixarto

 A science-type guy did some science and discovered that every time you put a new "book" onto a Kindle, it gets heavier by one "very small weight measure."

(So mine is about 500 things heavier)

You may be able to tell I am not a scientist, but I did like that.

PolarityMan

Yes, everyone should own one

monquixote

Kindles are two totally different things. 

The E-Book readers are superb devices for reading books and not lot a lot else. I love mine.

The Fire range are regular tablet PCs restricted to Amazon's walled garden so I'd avoid and get an iPad/Nexus instead if that is what you are looking for. 

John_P

monquixote said:

Kindles are two totally different things. 

The E-Book readers are superb devices for reading books and not lot a lot else. I love mine.

The Fire range are regular tablet PCs restricted to Amazon's walled garden so I'd avoid and get an iPad/Nexus instead if that is what you are looking for. 

Thanks for that - the project gutenburg site that Lixarto kindly suggested has some steps for using their files on a fire - step 1 "Don't buy a Kindle Fire"   

So I just need to decide if I can live with using the ipad or which version of the basic kindle I want.  

EricTheWeary

MrsTheweary is rarely far from her kindle. She sat on the first one and smashed the screen but amazon did a deal on a replacement and now she has one you can have backlit if you want.
The big advantage for her over a book is she can change the font size and read without her glasses.

paulk

If you just want a book reader then, in my opinion, a dedicated device beats an iPad. Lying by the pool on holiday on a lounger and holding your 'book' in one hand....well, that's not been too great for me with an iPad. I have a Kindle and an iPad and the Kindle gets a LOT of use.

bertie

*cough* as new  £40 posted  *cough*

Emp_Fab

Of all the non-essential toys I've bought over the years, my Kindle surprised me the most.  I was never an avid reader and bought mine on a whim to have something to take on holiday with.  It has turned out to be the best £60-odd I've ever spent.  Make sure you get a good quality case for it.  I cherish mine.  Also... get a free programme called Calibre for your PC to manage your book libraries.

chillidoggy

With a Kindle, does that mean you can't read books that you bought for 20p down the charity shop on it? If so, I'm not getting one.

fatherjack

chillidoggy said:

With a Kindle, does that mean you can't read books that you bought for 20p down the charity shop on it? If so, I'm not getting one.

Well, a Kindle reads E-books, so it could probably manage a copy of Geoffrey Boycott's autobiography.

holnrew

I havent seen books for 20p in charity shops for years.

dogload

Yeah- definitely worth getting a Kindle. 

My other half asked me did I want one and I was 'Noooo! I prefer books!' But she got me one anyway, and it is brilliant.

You can take a massive pile of books on holiday and they all fit into your back pocket. And if you nod off whilst reading it doesn't wake you up when it topples onto your chest.

crunchman

I've got a Kindle but if I was doing it again I'd get a Kobo one.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/oct/22/amazon-wipes-customers-kindle-deletes-account

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/oct/21/amazon-forces-publishers-pay-vat-ebook

Amazon use their own proprietary ebook format that contains all kinds of DRM.  Pretty much every other reader supports the standard EPUB format.

These days I try to source epub books from other sites and use Calibre to manage my library and put them on my Kindle.  That way I'm not supporting the crooks at Amazon.

strumjoughlamps

crunchman said:

I've got a Kindle but if I was doing it again I'd get a Kobo one.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/oct/22/amazon-wipes-customers-kindle-deletes-account

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/oct/21/amazon-forces-publishers-pay-vat-ebook

Amazon use their own proprietary ebook format that contains all kinds of DRM.  Pretty much every other reader supports the standard EPUB format.

These days I try to source epub books from other sites and use Calibre to manage my library and put them on my Kindle.  That way I'm not supporting the crooks at Amazon.

Calibre sorts that out for you though,superb ebook management software..we have 2 kindles and an iriver story(which i prefer) in the house and it takes no effort to put an amazon purchased book onto it.

Lixarto

holnrew said:

I havent seen books for 20p in charity shops for years.

This year I've been doing some work with a charity called Healthy Planet (whose website appears to be down at the minute) - they support a chain of shops called Books For Free, which ... well, you can guess the rest.

A wholly worthwhile endeavour IMO

crunchman

I know Calibre can put Amazon stuff onto other devices, but I'd rather not give my money to Amazon if I can help it.

Their Luxembourg VAT scam is really bad.  And to make it worse, if the publisher sells direct at a cheaper price they will stop selling their ebook on Amazon.  Given their near monopoly that is a complete abuse.

John_P

Thanks chaps, I'm persuaded and you've answered my second question about how I would deal with non amazon ebooks I just need to decide if the paper white backlit type versions are worth the extra.