Do you have a Kindle or other e-book reader?

[Terri_A]

I'm contemplating getting one and am curious as to what others think about them that have had them. Can you get pretty much any book you've wanted? Do you find the download process easy to do? Do you enjoy reading off of it as much as you did an actual book? Do you feel it was worth the cost?

Thanks for any other additional thoughts!

[Gumbeaux]

I don't have one but I read an article a few days ago that discussed new competitors of the Kindle coming to market. I can't remember which newspaper it was. I'll try to remember and find the article for you.

This article talks about the second generation Kindle. It might be worth the wait.

[sneezles]

I spoke with a woman in an airport waiting area about her Kindle. She loves the thing says the downloads are quick and she doesn't miss the books at all. I had also read the link for the second generation that Gumbeaux linked to. If you are a voracious reader like me and either hate going to the library or your library never has the right books on the shelf then I'd say a Kindle is for you. I'm seriously considering one for my birthday because I've begun to have a serious issue with books piling up around here...

[Diane A.]

I have a Sony eBook. The download process is very easy. One of the features that I like is that it has three different print sizes to choose from. I also like the thinness; so easy to put in a purse or carry-on. The biggest reason it appealed to me was to be able to download so many books (instructions/info in box said up to 190!). When traveling, it is great. The only downside for me: I have a Mac and it's not Mac compatible. Fortunately my son has a Dell and use it to download and charge.
You can visit the Sony website, click on electronics, then eBook store to browse available books.
Diane

[amyvn]

I'm a pretty voracious reader and I really, really love my Kindle. I was getting really tired of taking responsibility for all of the used paperback books in the house, which were hard to sell or give away. And of course, the ones that I most wanted to get rid of were the hardest to unload. Anything really good generally got passed on to a friend, or earned a permanent spot on the bookshelf.

Downloading books is virtually instantaneous and can be done anywhere, and the books are cheaper than print editions. The place it really shines is when traveling - I can carry a virtually unlimited number of books without weighing down my bags, and can get a new book while the plane sits on the tarmac if I need to.

The only thing I miss is the ability to pass on books to friends and family, but that's a small thing compared to not dealing with the print editions.

Amy

[Gumbeaux]

My interest in an ebook stems from a desire to read in bed with the lights off and reading in a car at night. I also like the other features.

[beacooker]

My MIL got a Kindle for Christmas, and she loves it. She is very much not tech-savvy, but she hasn't had any problems using it or getting new books for it. The one thing that bugged me about it when I was looking at hers was not being able to tell where in the book you were. Has anyone else felt that way, and if so, did you get over it?

[Gecko]

We saw a demonstration on the Sony one at the airport and I thought it was great. I would love to get one. I would also like to see if get to the stage where you could pay a fee and download textbooks. It would make my kids bags so much lighter.

[blazedog]

I got my father a Kindle for Christmas a year ago and he loves it.

He particularly likes how easy it is to read in bed with it -- much easier to hold the Kindle than a book. There is also the ability to adjust the font size.

It's quite simple to download books anywhere in the US and you can also do it through the amazon site -- depends on how you like to find books.

It's particularly useful if you travel since you only have to take the Kindle -- or commute -- again the Kindle is much easier to carry than most books. You can also download newspapers and some magazines.

As to whether to hold off until the new version comes out, I guess that depends on when it's coming out and what the new features are.

I would opt for a Kindle over a SONY because of the huge support that amazon is putting into the machine in terms of its clout with book publishers. Kindle books are less expensive than their "real" counterparts and many of the classics are really inexpensive.

[Miss Giggles]

I've read e-books on my pdas and on pcs as PDFs but I prefer to read a regular paper book.

Its a little easier to read books on the Iphone because the screen is slightly bigger and you can zoom in and out and adjust it more than the previous versions of e-books.

I have not tried the Kindle though.

[Beth]

I would also like to see if get to the stage where you could pay a fee and download textbooks. It would make my kids bags so much lighter.

My kids have classroom sets of most of their texts so that they bring the one checked out to them home at the beginning of the year and return it at the end, but don't have to carry it daily. Texas is also moving to requiring publishers to put the texts online, so they have online access to books also. That's even easier than having to buy a Kindle for them.

[Miss Giggles]

Some college textbooks are going to pdf only, which makes sense since 1) most students are required to have laptops now and 2) saves money on printing the books

[blazedog]

Some college textbooks are going to pdf only, which makes sense since 1) most students are required to have laptops now and 2) saves money on printing the books

My father told me an acquaintance is getting a Kindle for this reason. Evidently the books in Kindle form are significantly less expensive.

There was a report on the Kindle 2.0 -- some of the features seem quite cool like the text to speech option and the more "instinctive" controls.

[applecrisp]

A news update just popped up from Verizon/MSN on my homepage while surfing the BB. It said that Amazon will be coming out with a slimmer Kindle on 2/24.

[Beth]

I'm glad my texts were not on a tiny screen. I like reading a page better and I liked being able to highlight, clip or other wise mark passages or pages as well as easily flip back and forth between pages. I like the idea, and I think I'd be fine with a book I would just read through once and be done with or maybe even cookbooks, where I can flip through a section or part of the index and find some ideas or a favorite easily enough, but I don't think I'd like it for textbooks.

[tea4one]

I would like one but the only downside for me is the fact that it doesn't have a color screen and the books (generally cookbooks and other reference books) that I own and buy wouldn't have the photos from the books in it. Although, with or without the photos it sure would be nice to get rid of the clutter of the books I am surrounded by right now.

[Beth]

Oh yes, a color screen would be important for cookbooks. I can't imagine something like Hello Cupcake in B/W.

[Gumbeaux]

Here's the scoop on the new Kindle. It's nice to know that people that are waiting on the first generation Kindle to be delivered will automatically be upgraded to the new Kindle. I love how thin it is but there's still no color screen.

[bobmark226]

A news update just popped up from Verizon/MSN on my homepage while surfing the BB. It said that Amazon will be coming out with a slimmer Kindle on 2/24.

There's been considerable, detailed coverage on this today, when it was announced. Good lead article here and a couple additional links on the side:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/te...kindle.html?hp

I'm sure it won't surprise anyone that I have zero interest in this now. As I age, this could certainly change when convenience becomes more of a factor, and I'm certainly not at odds with the idea, not in the least. I have a great library system, but more, I love the feel of a book in my hands, having some incredible beautifully designed and printed dust jacket to run my hand over for a book I'm especially loving, the feel of good paper, etc. Even that moment when you close a satisfying book will be gone!

Much as we all know to be true even of food, any time something becomes more convenient, something is lost. To some extent, digitalizing books removes the whole aesthetic factor, much as digital cameras, for all their positive qualities, have done a great deal to cheapen photography, and iPods, for all their wonderful qualities, have gotten people to accept substantially lesser sound quality. (Hey, I still miss LP covers, too! )

For me, the positive side of this is that most publishers feel that sales will support a badly sagging publishing industry and thus support the printed product. Also, if the convenience and price factor get people to read more, better yet!

Bob

[Gumbeaux]

I found the article that I read but couldn't remember where I read it.

[Couperine]

beacooker - I have a Kindle and I adore it; at the bottom of the page you are reading is a line of dots. The dots in the line get bigger as you read through the book so you are able to gauge about how far into the book you are.

I think it's easier to read than a paperback - you can do it one handed, and I do appreciate the lack of paperback clutter in my house. Now only Amazon and I know if I've been on a Nora Roberts mind-candy jag.

[sfarler]

The Kindle is really intriguing me. I posted this question to Bob on another thread a few weeks ago, but he must not have seen it.

I'm thinking of purchasing a Kindle and was curious about how good the speaker is. Have you tried that function yet?

I've always enjoyed books on tape in my car but my library quit carrying them and now only has cd's. The cd player in my car doesn't work too well and I can only listen when it's cool in the morning. What's up with that, I don't know.

But anyway, I was hoping the Kindle could be the answer and I could just turn on the Kindle with the speaker on as I drive.

Can anyone recommend it for that function?

[Gumbeaux]

I've always enjoyed books on tape in my car but my library quit carrying them and now only has cd's. The cd player in my car doesn't work too well and I can only listen when it's cool in the morning. What's up with that, I don't know.

But anyway, I was hoping the Kindle could be the answer and I could just turn on the Kindle with the speaker on as I drive.

IMHO, I think it would be far cheaper and you would have far greater functionality and sound if you had a new CD player installed in your car.

There is also a fight going on over text-to-speech on the Kindle.

[blazedog]

I agree with gumbeaux as getting a Kindle SOLELY to replace books on tape makes no functional sense. The "speaking voice" is the kind of voice one gets when a computer reads something -- I'm not sure I could stand it for long periods of time.

You might be better off with an iPOD which you could play through the tape deck of your car with a $20 convertor and listen to books on tape that way.

Kindle is fabulous but its best use is for people who want to read books and find the specific functionality of the Kindle to be perfect for that - whether it's because they commute, like the large size, the ability to hold something lighter in bed etc.

[bobmark226]

The Kindle is really intriguing me. I posted this question to Bob on another thread a few weeks ago, but he must not have seen it.

I'm thinking of purchasing a Kindle and was curious about how good the speaker is. Have you tried that function yet?

I've always enjoyed books on tape in my car but my library quit carrying them and now only has cd's. The cd player in my car doesn't work too well and I can only listen when it's cool in the morning. What's up with that, I don't know.

But anyway, I was hoping the Kindle could be the answer and I could just turn on the Kindle with the speaker on as I drive.

Can anyone recommend it for that function?

I'm sorry, Sue, because I'm SURE I answered your post at length, and looking now, the answer isn't there. It must have been during The Troubles.

No, I absolutely do not recommend it for this, not only because of the computerized and often awkward voice, but because it doesn't output enough volume to be freestanding in your car. You would need to find a way to jack it into your car player and if you used a headset, you would need one with a volume control.

In fact, I'm sure I answered your post because I dragged out a headset to try it that way, along with trying out the computerized voice (choice of male or female! ) so I could give you a thorough response.

Bob

[williams94086]

beacooker - I have a Kindle and I adore it; at the bottom of the page you are reading is a line of dots. The dots in the line get bigger as you read through the book so you are able to gauge about how far into the book you are.

Ahhh, this is exactly what I was wondering about! I wondered if it would have a feature that allowed you to gauge how far along you were. I like knowing that I'm making progress and am happy when my inch of reading becomes a half inch, then a quarter inch etc.

I'll have to add Kindle to my Christmas list (it's good to get such things in the works early)

[bobmark226]

Ahhh, this is exactly what I was wondering about! I wondered if it would have a feature that allowed you to gauge how far along you were. I like knowing that I'm making progress and am happy when my inch of reading becomes a half inch, then a quarter inch etc.

The Kindle2 also shows the percentage of the book read, which is a bit more meaningful than a bar to me. Also, you don't have pages, you have "locations." The total locations for the book are shown along with the location you're at.

Bob

[sfarler]

Thanks Gumbeaux, Blazedog and Bob.

That is the answer I thought I might get. So, I won't be buying a Kindle for the speaker function, but I sure like the thought of having a light weight book to read in bed. (My DD gave me Wally Lamb's latest book for my birthday and I could hardly hold it to read in bed at night.) And also to be able to 'pack' several books for vacation in such a small package.

Thanks again for the responses.

[LakeMartinGal]

Our Sony Reader should arrive today! Since we hardly ever travel, and are always at our computers, we decided on this reader. DH wants to reduce the amount of money I spend on books, and we're hoping to both be able to use it, as we read at different times.

[cherylopal]

I often go back and reread passages or look something up even in fiction- is that easy to do on these readers??