Questions about Kindle

[Freyja]

The Kindle (and all similar devices) seem absolutely brilliant. However, I´ve never really looked closely into the specifics, especially since I come from a tiny country which has almost no e-books in my language. Of course I do read English, however, I enjoy holding a book in my hand

DH reads a lot of English books, mainly in connection with his job. Lots of business books etc.

How is it, are almost all books that are published today available as e-books?
How long does the battery of the Kindle last?

I thought maybe the Kindle would be a great birthday present for him, since it really is quite a hassle to purchase these books overseas, have them shipped to Iceland (which most webshops don´t do) and pay taxes and other fees when they finally arrive.

 

[shortbun]

My kindle battery lasts several days unless I just sit around reading all day and then I have to charge every other day. I love holding a book too but the Kindle IS 'brilliant', as you say. I went on vacation in June for two weeks. I normally take between 10 and 20 books(I don't read them all but my mood changes regarding what I want to read). This year, I took my Kindle and had a big space to fill in the car because I only had a few magazines and my Kindle.

 

[Freyja]

Sounds perfect! Thanks

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I love my Kindle and i have found it has a large selection of books but I'm from the US and I know different countries have different selections depending on publishing contracts. I would look into how big the ebook store is for your country before purchasing one.

 

[Freyja]

I love my Kindle and i have found it has a large selection of books but I'm from the US and I know different countries have different selections depending on publishing contracts. I would look into how big the ebook store is for your country before purchasing one.

Aha! So you mean I might not be able to purchase all US books?

 

[amid chaos]

I would call KINDLE customer service (not amazon customer serivce) before purchasing. I'd ask what services are available for my country and the availability of books.

 

[phorsenuf]

My kindle battery lasts several days unless I just sit around reading all day and then I have to charge every other day. I love holding a book too but the Kindle IS 'brilliant', as you say. I went on vacation in June for two weeks. I normally take between 10 and 20 books(I don't read them all but my mood changes regarding what I want to read). This year, I took my Kindle and had a big space to fill in the car because I only had a few magazines and my Kindle.

Your battery only lasts a few days? Mine lasts a few weeks between charges.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I got my Kindle for Mother's Day and have only charged it 3 times. Now, I'm not a real avid reader, but I read it for about an hour 3 or 4 times a week on the cardio machines. Then occasionally for 30-45 minutes before bed or during my dd's gymnastics class. Even when I read non-stop on the plane for a few hours, it doesn't lose much of it's charge.

I love my Kindle. I have a nice leather (or maybe it's just leather-feel?) cover for it, that opens to the side like a book, so it "feels" close enough to a real book for me. But it's just so nice to be able to keep more than one book in a small space and get a new book on it in minutes without leaving the house. Most of all, it's pure heaven to prop it up on the cardio machine and it just stays "open" to the correct page, no matter how close to the beginning or end you are, or how hard the fan is blowing on it.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Your battery only lasts a few days? Mine lasts a few weeks between charges.

If you turn off the wireless when not in use, the battery lasts weeks. With the wireless on, it depends on signal strength. The wireless adapter will eat up the battery as it continues to try to maintain a weak wireless signal.

 

[golfgal]

On the "what are you reading" thread, many from the UK report that they can't get the "free" books that we get here in the US. I would certainly check out your Amazon site that you use in Iceland (not the US one) to see what is available. You can search just "Kindle Books" and you should be able to see how many they have. YOu can also try searching "0.00 Kindle Books" on the Amazon site-it's kind of clunky to search on that site for free books-but you will get an idea of what is there.

Then you can search through the paid titles. Also, check out sights like "Pixels of Ink" and see if anything on those are available to you. If you find a good selection, then a Kindle is worth buying.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

If you turn off the wireless when not in use, the battery lasts weeks. With the wireless on, it depends on signal strength. The wireless adapter will eat up the battery as it continues to try to maintain a weak wireless signal.

They could also have an earlier model. I have a K2 and the battery only lasts about a week with the wireless turned off. If the wireless is on I get about a day or two.

 

[Freyja]

Thanks everyone!

 

[NHdisneylover]

Aha! So you mean I might not be able to purchase all US books?

I have never not been able to get something available in the US here in Germany Sometimes I have to pay VAT to download something or a small (1 Euro or less) charge to download a "free" book (but not always--I have no idea why it is only sometimes on both of those).
I adore my kindle and am not sure how I ever lived without it

They could also have an earlier model. I have a K2 and the battery only lasts about a week with the wireless turned off. If the wireless is on I get about a day or two.

Mine is a gen 2 and the battery lasts 3-4 weeks without the wireless on and with moderate use. DD's lasts about as long and she reads ALL THE TIME!

 

[HoneyPooh]

Your battery only lasts a few days? Mine lasts a few weeks between charges.

My battery lasts longer if I turn the wifi off. If I leave it on I have to recharge every couple of days if I am reading a lot. If I remember to turn it off I can go for a couple of weeks without a recharge.

 

[golfgal]

Don't forget to check out the Barnes and Noble site too-the Nook may, or may not, be a better option depending on book availability in your area.

 

[World Showcaser]

I want to put a plug in for the Kindle. I think it's amazing and I too live outside of the US. One of my favourite bonus features is being able to browse the internet and check e-mail and that kind of thing. It's a nice perk.

 

[Lanshark]

I love to read and resisted the Kindle for a long time. I have shelves of books at home and those who know me well typically give me books as presents.

I absolutely love my Kindle. Since I got mine, my cousin bought one and I purchased another one for my husband. EBooks are not inexpensive. It is a total luxury for someone who loves to read. My battery lasts about a week. If you turn the wireless off it lasts longer.

 

[daisax]

Not sure why anybody would leave the wireless on at all -- it's easy enough to turn on if you are downloading something. Otherwise, leave it off and save the battery!

Customer service is awesome -- had a problem with my mom's (which was a gift). Called them, they overnighted her a new one, and sent me a label to send the old one back. Didn't need to return the first one first! (I was surprised and the woman joked "we know where you live!" And, obviously, they had my credit card information from the purchase!)

 

[Spoodleink]

I love to read and resisted the Kindle for a long time. I have shelves of books at home and those who know me well typically give me books as presents.

I absolutely love my Kindle. Since I got mine, my cousin bought one and I purchased another one for my husband. EBooks are not inexpensive. It is a total luxury for someone who loves to read. My battery lasts about a week. If you turn the wireless off it lasts longer.

People can give e books as gifts through Amazon. You can either give a specific book or just an amazon gift card. My husband let some of my friends know he was giving me a kindle as a birthday gift and several of them gave me e books, some of my faves they know I read over and over, or amazon gift cards.

 

[geffric]

A Nook owner here..

I looked at both and really wanted a Kindle Touch.. but as of today kindle only comes with lots of buttons. Nook is a touch screen.. so i went with a Nook..

BTW my nephew in singapore bought a kindle and he downloads books all the time..