Another Kindle question about ease of use

[Juliegirl1]

I am seriously considering buying a 3G Kindle for my father for Christmas. He is a shut in (he can't drive) and has Parkinson's disease but loves to read. I can only make it over to his house on the weekends and thought that perhaps a Kindle might make it easier for him to get books.

My concern is that Dad continuously screws up his computer - I don't know what he does or how he does it but about once a month he messes up his computer so bad that it doesn't work until my uncle, who is a computer expert, comes over to fix it. He is only supposed to use it to read his email and check his bank balance so I don't really know how he can mess it up so badly. I am afraid that Dad will do something major to screw up the Kindle. Can anyone reassure me about this purchase and let me know if it is easy to navigate purchasing books on the 3G?

From what I have read the 3G doesn't require hooking up to wifi or the computer but can download books on it's own. I just need to make sure that he would not have too many choices to make or that the Kindle is easy to work. Alternatively, how is the customer service on the Kindle?

 

[Nette]

I don't think there is anyway for him to screw up the OS on the kindle. It might be kind of hard to browse books on the kindle though, because the interface is kind of choppy and slow... I always find books I want to read on amazon's website via my computer and send the sample to my kindle.

I think that would be an amazing gift for someone homebound who loves to read!

 

[Darcy03231]

If your Dad borrows books from the library you might want to consider a Nook or Sony instead. Both are library compatible while the Kindle isn't.

For some people this is a big deal, and for others it isn't. I was going to get the Kindle until I found out about the library. It was a deal breaker for me as I borrow 95% of my books.

 

[momsully]

My dad also has Parkinsons and his kindle came yesterday! I did not get the 3G for him, only the wifi but he loves it. He says he will never use most of the features but he does like it for reading. I actually tied his kindle to my amazon account so I can buy him books from home and he just has to upload them. He has ten on there already so what you could do is help him get books on the weekend, then just turn off the 3G (which saves the battery) for the week until you get there again.

 

[Juliegirl1]

. I actually tied his kindle to my amazon account so I can buy him books from home and he just has to upload them. He has ten on there already so what you could do is help him get books on the weekend, then just turn off the 3G (which saves the battery) for the week until you get there again.

Now that's a great idea! That way I would definitely be sure he wasn't overspending since he is on a budget. He likes to reread books so buying them probably makes more sense rather than checking them out of the library. Also I know sometimes it takes him more than two weeks to get through a book depending on how long or involved it is.

Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[Juliegirl1]

I just thought of another question - if I also buy a Kindle can we have one Amazon account and just change method of payment as we make purchases but share books? That way he can pay for his books and I can pay for my books but he could read mine and vice versa?

 

[momsully]

I just thought of another question - if I also buy a Kindle can we have one Amazon account and just change method of payment as we make purchases but share books? That way he can pay for his books and I can pay for my books but he could read mine and vice versa?

They actually are all tied to one credit card account but what my dad is doing is buying me an Amazon gift card once a month to pay for the books he purchases.

 

[badblackpug]

My mother is 74 and also an avid reader. We bought her a Kindle for mothers day 2009. She uses it constantly. It is very easy to use and she never has a problem. You can tie 2 kindles to one credit card acct. You will name your kindle (ie: Mary's Kindle) when you go on amazon.com and download off the site it will ask you which device you would like to download to, or you can download directly from the kindle. My mother mostly just downloads from the kindle. Unfortunately, there is no way to "share" books. You can also download and subscribe to some magazines and newspapers on kindle

I have to say that this is one of the best gifts we have ever given my mother. She is never without it. I can't even imagine how many books she has in her library. She reads 2-3 books a week. Actually, she is reading it right now. (she lives with us)

 

[momsully]

Unfortunately, there is no way to "share" books.

As long as the kindles are on the same account you can share the books. We have three kindles on our account and my mom and I are reading the same book right now.

 

[JamesMom]

I just thought of another question - if I also buy a Kindle can we have one Amazon account and just change method of payment as we make purchases but share books? That way he can pay for his books and I can pay for my books but he could read mine and vice versa?

All purchases from the Kindle are paid by your 'one-click' settings' and cannot be changed via the Kindle - only from logging into Amazon on-line.

This is what my mother-in-law and I do. If I use the computer to buy books, I'll switch to my credit card on her account (one-click and then return to her card when done). If I make a purchase straight from the Kindle, then I pay her back (usually paypal).

And , yes, since both of our Kindles are on the same Amazon account - we can share our books.

 

[tink2dw]

I saw a Kindle ad on tv $139.00!!

 

[Juliegirl1]

Awesome - thanks everyone for your input. I think I am going to get him the 3G for Christmas.

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

My dad also has Parkinsons and his kindle came yesterday! I did not get the 3G for him, only the wifi but he loves it. He says he will never use most of the features but he does like it for reading. I actually tied his kindle to my amazon account so I can buy him books from home and he just has to upload them. He has ten on there already so what you could do is help him get books on the weekend, then just turn off the 3G (which saves the battery) for the week until you get there again.

This is a GREAT idea!!!!!!!

I saw a Kindle ad on tv $139.00!!

Yup, its wi fi, check out amazon.com
I my kindle!!!