Kindle questions

[elgerber]

I know there have been numerous Kindle threads, I know most of you love yours, but I have a question. My dd, 14 in January, has suddenly shown a lot of interest in the Kindle. I didn't even know she knew what it was. She reads a ton of books, and sometimes is reading more than 1 at a time. My question is, do they offer a lot of books for someone her age? I saw the Twilight books, which she wants, and I saw Peter and the Starcatchers, another of her favorites. Also, do they ever offer any freebie books or sales on the books? I noticed the new Stephen King is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy cheaper than buying the book (not to mention a LOT lighter since the actual book is 1084 pages!).

Thanks!!!

 

[chirurgeon]

I don't have a 14 yo, I would suggest going on Amazon and just searching the books. They say they have over 300,000 books available for the Kindle. They have various categories for the books as well, so you can look at it that way. I love my Kindle.

Kim

 

[DisneyDayTripper]

Barnes and Noble is coming out with the Nook in a few days...but it is going to be insanely hard to get. With the Nook you can buy any book off Barnes & Noble's website that is an e-book. I looked through and looked for some uncommon authors and found all the books in e-book form so I'd imagine the Kindle would be the same way.

 

[elgerber]

Hmmm, now reading about the Nook. Do you think one is better than the other?

 

[RitaE]

I don't think anybody can really answer that until somebody sees an actual nook. Right now, B&N hasn't even supplied a working model to the major tech reviewers like Endgadget etc for a review.

But from the descriptions they are extremely similar. They each have the same eInk screen that you read from then they each branch out into the minor features to distinguish them. Kindle has Text to Speech, nook has that LCD navigation screen etc ... most of the enjoyment of an eReader comes from the books you put on it though, so if I was going to make a recommendation I'd say search through both of the websites and see which one has the most books that you think would interest her at the best prices.

Don't get distracted by all the free public domain books (Anne of Green Gables etc) on either site though - those are available for all brands of eReaders from numerous sources.

 

[DVCLiz]

I don't think anybody can really answer that until somebody sees an actual nook. Right now, B&N hasn't even supplied a working model to the major tech reviewers like Endgadget etc for a review.

But from the descriptions they are extremely similar. They each have the same eInk screen that you read from then they each branch out into the minor features to distinguish them. Kindle has Text to Speech, nook has that LCD navigation screen etc ... most of the enjoyment of an eReader comes from the books you put on it though, so if I was going to make a recommendation I'd say search through both of the websites and see which one has the most books that you think would interest her at the best prices.

Don't get distracted by all the free public domain books (Anne of Green Gables etc) on either site though - those are available for all brands of eReaders from numerous sources.

Well said, Rita!

I agree, don't get distracted by the minor differences. Barnes & Noble wants to get into the business of selling ebooks - if there were really that many technological differences to the format Amazon would have already had a newer Kindle model out to reflect them. OP, at this point I would order the Kindle 2 with the 6" screen for your daughter for Christmas. She will be thrilled and there will be tons of books for her to read. Don't forget, within a year or two she will be transitioning to adult books - most avid girl readers of her age will soon want to pick up the books they see their moms reading, at least my girls both did at that age - and they will be looking in the "Literary Fiction" or "Contemporary Fiction" areas where there are thousands of great books for them to read. Gone With the Wind, etc plus bestsellers like The Thirteenth Tale, The Secret Life of Bees, etc.

I think a Kindle and some Amazon giftcards is the best present you could ever get a reading child. I can't imagine how much it would have meant to me as a girl to have it.

Both of my girls have Kindles - I passed my K1 down to my then 14 year old and gave my 21 year old a K2 last year. They both love to read and love their Kindles!!!!

 

[legalsea]

I have owned a Kindle since they were introduced in December 2007. I still love it.

As for the nook: I read somewhere that in purchasing books you are limited to the Barnes and Noble store.


Interestingly, a year ago I bought (via Kindle wireless, of course) an ebook called "The Kindle 2 Cookbook" by David Emberson. In it the author noted that one may download free books, via the Kindle's Whispernet, from www.mobileread.com/mobiguide. He gives instructions on how to go on the website from your computer and download onto the Kindle.

However, the author even provided a link within the article. Hence, if you are reading said cookbook on your Kindle, you simply click on the link, which takes you wirelessly to the website, then click on the 'download' link, and the mobileread is downloaded on your Kindle. You then may search through tens of thousands of free (public domain) books, and download them for free.

You may also, of course, hook your Kindle up to your computer and go on various other websites and download free books (manybooks.com, Gutenburg (sic?) project.

I recommend to all to go to Amazon.com. Go to where the Kindle (any version) is being sold, scroll down the page and you will find a community forum discussing the Kindle. Lots of excellent advise.

 

[disneymarie]

Hmmm, now reading about the Nook. Do you think one is better than the other?

With Kindle you are limited to their inventory,

With other readers, there is no limits. DD has an app on her Itouch and has told me not to buy a reader, this is all she wants.

 

[DVCLiz]

I have owned a Kindle since they were introduced in December 2007. I still love it.

As for the nook: I read somewhere that in purchasing books you are limited to the Barnes and Noble store.


Interestingly, a year ago I bought (via Kindle wireless, of course) an ebook called "The Kindle 2 Cookbook" by David Emberson. In it the author noted that one may download free books, via the Kindle's Whispernet, from www.mobileread.com/mobiguide. He gives instructions on how to go on the website from your computer and download onto the Kindle.

However, the author even provided a link within the article. Hence, if you are reading said cookbook on your Kindle, you simply click on the link, which takes you wirelessly to the website, then click on the 'download' link, and the mobileread is downloaded on your Kindle. You then may search through tens of thousands of free (public domain) books, and download them for free.

You may also, of course, hook your Kindle up to your computer and go on various other websites and download free books (manybooks.com, Gutenburg (sic?) project.

I recommend to all to go to Amazon.com. Go to where the Kindle (any version) is being sold, scroll down the page and you will find a community forum discussing the Kindle. Lots of excellent advise.

legalsea, I think the limitation you are referring to is the wifi that the Nook also has - it has been written that that wifi will only work inside a B&N store. The AT&T connectivity - similar to the Sprint network we use with Kindle - will work wherever there is coverage.

Although I also read something this morning that said the wifi would be broadened to work in any wifi spot later on, so who knows? Anyway, wifi is not a deal breaker for me as the Sprint coverage is great where I live. If I had to put up with AT&T again (no longer my cell phone provider due to so many dropped calls) I would be happy to get that wifi just in case.

 

[tiggger1]

where did it say that the wii fi is only limited to the store? the website says
"Sample eBooks for free just about anywhere you are, on us. Browse eBooks, magazines and newspapers on AT&T's 3G Wireless Network or on Wi-Fi. And every Barnes & Noble has free Wi-Fi, so you can connect at lightning-fast speeds

 

[tiggger1]

the only thing I do not like about the nook is that you cannot purchase ebooks with gift cards....even though the store is promoting it....

 

[RitaE]

With Kindle you are limited to their inventory,

With other readers, there is no limits. DD has an app on her Itouch and has told me not to buy a reader, this is all she wants.

No - you are not limited to Amazon inventory with the Kindle. There are several places to buy and obtain books.

And there are limits with every brand of eReader. DRM and various file formats are pretty much universal.

 

[RitaE]

where did it say that the wii fi is only limited to the store? the website says
"Sample eBooks for free just about anywhere you are, on us. Browse eBooks, magazines and newspapers on AT&T's 3G Wireless Network or on Wi-Fi. And every Barnes & Noble has free Wi-Fi, so you can connect at lightning-fast speeds

Tigger1 - the nook will reportedly connect over any unencrypted wi-fi signal - however it will only connect to the Barnes and Noble internet storefront. This was mistakenly reported after the initial press conference and many people are still hearing it. That is where the confusion comes in. It is not that it will only connect in B&N, it is that it will only connect to B&N.

There is no other provided internet capability with it .. ie no web browser, no checking email etc. It is a nice feature for those who live or travel in places where cell access is iffy, but it doesn't have the internet capabilities of the Kindle. Given that it is an Android OS, I imagine a web browser will be added eventually.

 

[disneymarie]

No - you are not limited to Amazon inventory with the Kindle. There are several places to buy and obtain books.

And there are limits with every brand of eReader. DRM and various file formats are pretty much universal.

Today show I think had them, and it had Kindle reader books only, stock. Nothing about Amazon limited.

But, the Sony reader supported that you could get free books from library and other sources.

 

[RitaE]

Today show I think had them, and it had Kindle reader books only, stock. Nothing about Amazon limited.

But, the Sony reader supported that you could get free books from library another sources.

I personally have purchased books for my Kindle from mybookstoreandmore.com, diesel-books.com, and fictionwise.com, and mobipocket.com. They are all sitting on my Kindle right now in readable form. As for the public domain books I have used manybooks.net and project gutenberg. I've also downloaded Kindle formatted books from mobileread.com ... and those are just a few of the non-Amazon places.

All in all though, Amazon almost always has the lowest price on eBooks so unless it is a book I can't find on Amazon I rarely search other websites.

Sony readers definitely work the best with the Library Overdrive system. You can get the library eBooks onto the other readers (including the Kindle) but it takes some tech-y type work that the average user wouldn't want to mess with.

 

[EthansMom]

One thing to consider with a Kindle: With your Kindle, you have "one-click" ordering where your credit card that is tied to the Kindle for purchases is on file and the only thing someone has to do to purchase the book is search for the book and hit "buy". For a teen, I'd make sure they couldn't make purchases like that... just not enough impulse control that I'd want them to have access to my credit card for any and all book purchases. There may be a way to turn off that feature that I'm not aware of, though.

 

[RitaE]

There are a couple of ways around that EthansMom.

I'm not sure how B&N will be handling their direct order process but I imagine they will also devise a way to control purchasing.

 

[elgerber]

One thing to consider with a Kindle: With your Kindle, you have "one-click" ordering where your credit card that is tied to the Kindle for purchases is on file and the only thing someone has to do to purchase the book is search for the book and hit "buy". For a teen, I'd make sure they couldn't make purchases like that... just not enough impulse control that I'd want them to have access to my credit card for any and all book purchases. There may be a way to turn off that feature that I'm not aware of, though.

I am not terribly concerned about that for dd, she has had that same access with her Itunes and is very responsible there.

Thanks for all the info so far. I am not sure if she will be getting one or not, but it gives me something to think about.

Is the Sony one any good? I have heard buying books isn't as convenient as it is on the Kindle?