Kindle User please give feedback

[BethA]

I am considering buying a Kindle and would love to hear who loves it and who hates it and why-
do you use it a lot?
Is the 2 a lot better? And can you use it in the sun with out trouble seeing the screen and eye strain?

Thanks for any info you can offer. I know there are kindle users out there!

beth

 

[micki7337]

I just got mine last week and I've read more in the past week then I have in the past 5 years. I'm loving it. Can't say about being able to read in sunlight because I haven't had the opportunity to read outside. But I have read in the car, at the doctor's office, the dentist office and at work. The size and weight are perfect. I can make the text print larger when I don't have my reading classes nearby. I'm not crazy about the text to speech feature but only because it sounds so computerized. Maybe I could get used to it if I used it but probably not. I do prefer the woman's voice over the man's.

I had considered getting one back at Christmas by they were backordered so I decided that I would wait before making the investment. But last week was my birthday and when DH asked what I wanted, I was ready with the answer. It's usually within arms reach and I probably pick it up 8 or 10 times a day to read a few pages. I was an advid reader until I had my daughter 9 years ago and then just never found the time to get to the book store. And once I did buy some, I seemed to leave them in a pile in my bedroom. I guess you could say I just got lazy. I rarely carry a handbag so carrying a book was out of the question. But I do find myself going everywhere with my kindle. When I grab my keys, I take the kindle. Yesterday, I actually went to Starbucks and sat with my coffee and read - which was a first for me.

So far, kindle gets my !! Good luck with your decision!

 

[penguin087]

I got mine about 3 weeks ago. I like it. I call it my geek ipod. Its easy to use and the ease of down loading a book whereever you are is great! I dont think I'll ever completely give up real books though. The thing I dislike most about the Kindle is not being able to share books with other people once you've read it.

 

[EthansMom]

Love my Kindle 2!!!

Pros.... Very easy on the eyes (it's electronically-moveable ink); instant gratification of getting books right away; no book clutter; Kindle 2 fits in my purse; hitting "Next Page" makes reading faster than turning regular paper pages; Amazon's customer service is amazing about replacing a broken Kindle (my first had the screen just die after a few weeks of use).

Cons... You WILL spend more money on books (Kindle downloads are cheaper than paper but you'll be reading more); there is no backlight (because it's electronically-moveable ink not light packets like a t.v. or computer screen).

One thing I would recommend... take a look at the kinds of books you like reading (say, check on Amazon) to see if there is a wide availability in e-format. Some genres (romance, popular fiction, science fiction) seem to be embracing the electronic publishing more quickly than other formats (technical books, craft manuals, etc..).

 

[Pamlur]

We gave my 88-year-old mother a Kindle1 for Christmas. At that point, I just bought the one, to see if she would like it and be able to use it. She LOVES it! So, I ordered one for me and one for DH; that was at the point that they were back-ordered, and we ended up getting the Kindle2's. Neither of us are ever very far away from our Kindles. DH has major eye problems, and he loves the fact that he can make the print really big; he always loved to read, and when his vision messed up he really missed reading.

I have since bought my daughter one. My two teen-age grandchildren have the Kindle apps on their iPods, and when they get just a tad more responsible, I'll buy them Kindles. When the 7-year-old gets old enough, we'll have to start up a new account or hope that Amazon allows more than six users to an account by then.

I have always had a book with me, and we travel a lot. With my Kindle, I don't have to worry about how many books I'll need on a long flight, plus I don't have so much weight in my luggage.

As far as being in the sun, the print does lighten a little bit, but it doesn't get so light that it bothers me.

 

[WDWBarb]

I've had a Kindle 1 since Christmas of 2007. I can't think of a single "con." It's easy to read, easy to carry, easy to get the reading materials I want... No downsides whatsoever.

If I felt the Kindle 2 had enough improvements to warrant an upgrade, I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

But the Kindle is amazing. I started having eye problems just before I purchased my Kindle and I wouldn't be able to read "normal" books anymore without suffering great eyestrain. I just make the font larger in my Kindle and I'm good to go!

And think of the ecological impact of the Kindle - no trees cut down for paper, no resources needed to manufactuer and deliver books.

 

[The Princess]

I was just going to order one and my DH told me apple is coming out with one and I might want to wait and see what that ones like first. Does anyone know anything about it??

 

[DVCLiz]

I love my Kindle!! I have a Kindle 1 (since passed down to my 15 year old daughter), a Kindle 2 (since passed down to my 20 year old daughter), and a Kindle DX (for me!!) I love the process of downloading, I can read for hours without eyestrain, and I read on the beach (I was under an umbrella, but I still couldn't see the screen of my iPhone there) and the Kindle was great. I actually finished my book while I was out on the beach and downloaded the other one by the same author and started it immediately. Sweet!!!!

I do like the Apple app and I occasionally read on my iPhone if I am in line or something, but I can only do it for a few minutes before it makes my eyes start to feel funny. I can read for a long time on the Kindle, though!!!

One of my favorite things to do is read the Sunday NYT book section and then download the titles I find interesting. I probably have about 30 books lined up and waiting for me!!!

Love, love, love the Kindle!!

 

[BethA]

do you have to go online to amazon to buy the books?

I wonder what the apple version will be like.

I read a lot on vacation too and never take the right number of books. Have been stranded in an airport and forced to buy one there more than once. Sounds like everyone loves them. Do you get the extra warantee? Do you buy the covers etc right from amazon or is there a cheaper place

 

[EthansMom]

do you have to go online to amazon to buy the books?

I wonder what the apple ersion will be like.

I read a lot on vacation too and nvere take the right number of books. Have been stranded in an airport and forced to buy one there more than once. Sounds like everyone loves them. Do you get the extra warantee? Do you buy the covers etc right from amazon or is there a cheaper place

I buy a lot of my books direct from Amazon, but there are plenty of other options. Some publishers are now publishing electronic versions that you can download direct from their websites. When I buy from those sources, I download an HTML copy, save it to my computer, and then email the HTML to my Kindle. Amazon charges $0.15 per HTML conversion, but it only takes about 5 minutes.

 

[BethA]

do you have to go online to amazon to buy the books?

I wonder what the apple ersion will be like.

I read a lot on vacation too and nvere take the right number of books. Have been stranded in an airport and forced to buy one there more than once. Sounds like everyone loves them. Do you get the extra warantee? Do you buy the covers etc right from amazon or is there a cheaper place

 

[DVCLiz]

I got the extra warranty for both my Kindle 2 and my Kindle DX. I also bought the nice leather covers from M Edge. They are more expensive than the Amazon cover but they are so pretty - and I have heard of people cracking their Kindle case by using the Amazon cover, so that was a no-go for me. I think I paid $44.95 for each cover. I have one in a bright blue and one in red - both leather and both lovely!!

 

[Nette]

DH and I got our Kindles on Tuesday! So far, I have to say I'm loving mine. It's so easy to just take along... I had finished my first eBook in a LONG time (used to read eBooks on my Palm) on my iPhone right before the kindle arrived on our doorstep. I also downloaded the iPhone/Pod app for my DD7 and one of her summer reading books. She reads it on her iPod, but today before her gymnastics class, she was reading on my kindle.

My only real complaint is that there are not many kids books for kindle. And I'm not talking picture books but young chapter books.

 

[RitaE]

I've had one since Mother's day.
The only bad thing I can think of is there is no folder system on the Kindle to organize my books. Why this is not present totally confounds me as file management has been present in computerized operating systems for decades. I'm up to about 170 books on there now, so finding what I'm looking for gets to be a huge PITA.

Reading in the sun is quite easy as it uses e-ink technology, not a backlight like a notebook computer. I have spent hours this summer on my back deck reading. However the flip side of that is I need a booklight to read in bed at night.

The Apple product that is soon to be released from what I understand is a Tablet PC - not a dedicated ebook reader.

I bought my leather cover from Oberon.

Oh one other Con, it is nearly impossible to take the thing out in public to someplace like Starbucks or the park and just read, without people stopping by and asking to see it.

 

[yoopermom]

I love, love, love my kindle 2, but I spent almost as much "dressing" it as buying it I have a decalgirl skin, oberon cover, and borsabella bag! I'm "cheap" and still get my new bestsellers from the library, but there are TONS of books available for the kindle that are either free or just a few dollars. Go to kindleboards (dot) com for tons more info. Yes, there will always be a bigger,better version, but DF loves his Kindle 1 and I love my Kindle 2 still.

And I agree, it's always an attention getter in public!

Terri

 

[Ephany]

I love, love, love my kindle 2, but I spent almost as much "dressing" it as buying it I have a decalgirl skin, oberon cover, and borsabella bag! I'm "cheap" and still get my new bestsellers from the library, but there are TONS of books available for the kindle that are either free or just a few dollars. Go to kindleboards (dot) com for tons more info. Yes, there will always be a bigger,better version, but DF loves his Kindle 1 and I love my Kindle 2 still.

And I agree, it's always an attention getter in public!

Terri

This! I too have my oberon, my decal girl skin and my borsa bella bag and spend way too much time on the kindle boards. I also found out tonight that I have enabled 2 kindle purchases (my boss and her DH), as well as my DH. Amazon should have a refer a friend program! There are lots of different covers available; spend some time on the kindle boards and check out their reviews section. There's also threads showing free/cheap books and discussions on other e-readers. My only complaint is that some authors (J.K. Rowling for one) won't put their works out in ebook format, but the selection is definitely expanding. If you're a reader, it's well worth it in my (biased) opinion.

 

[yoopermom]

How funny, ephany, that we're both on both boards frequently! I'm yoopermom over there, too, don't post much, just lurk

Went to a parade today where I had to get there hours early to hold spots (not at WDW unfortunately) and gladly spent my time reading my Kindle!

Terri

 

[DVCLiz]

DH and I got our Kindles on Tuesday! So far, I have to say I'm loving mine. It's so easy to just take along... I had finished my first eBook in a LONG time (used to read eBooks on my Palm) on my iPhone right before the kindle arrived on our doorstep. I also downloaded the iPhone/Pod app for my DD7 and one of her summer reading books. She reads it on her iPod, but today before her gymnastics class, she was reading on my kindle.

My only real complaint is that there are not many kids books for kindle. And I'm not talking picture books but young chapter books.

Gosh, I thought there were a lot of children's books - I am slowly replacing a lot of my classic children's books - paperbacks I've held onto over the years - wiht the Kindle edition. All of Beverly Cleary, etc. Do you need younger than that? My Father's Dragon is on Kindle - I bought it because it was such a favorite of ours when my children were small.

There are tons of great choices for older children, though.

 

[RitaE]

too funny. I just d/l the Anne of Green Gables series onto mine from manybooks.net for free. I'm not sure I'll read through them again, but give me Anne with an E over an American Girl marketing onslaught any day of the week.

 

[tigger 12]

I have the Sony e-reader and LOVE IT!!!!!!