OT: Kimdle?

timestar

Anyone bought a Kindle, especially new version 3? Good, bad etc? Cheers.

fossyant

On order for my son - won't be able to play with it until his birthday in November though

Agent57

I've got a Kindle 3. Dunno why I bought it, 'cause I hardly read any books. It's OK to read from, but the page turns are still pretty slow.

The biggest annoyance I have is that the screen doesn't respond to me touching it. =(

thel33ter

I use an eBook app on my phone, but I would'nt bother getting a Kindle, the page turn is too slow, and it isn't very nice to hold. I do like getting all the old H.G Wells stuff for free though.

mroli

I've got a Kindle 3 and love it - got the wi=fi 3g one and really enjoy reading on it, have been doing the "free" trials on the paper and that has worked really well and also transfer work docs to it = which are often 300 pages+ and therefore don't have to lug massive files around.

I really like it. Also got the stupid £50 holder which is massively overpriced, but a good bit of kit with the inbuilt light.

Battery life is good - esp if you turn off the wifi.

Page refresh isn't as slow as people above have said.

Amazon shop works well (shock horror!) and prices are reasonable. My fav bit is downloading all the free out of copyright classics though - which mean you never need buy another book again if you don't want. First thing I bought was Fignon's autobiog and loved it and the Kindle...

I lke the eink as well.

lost_in_thought

I'm waiting excitedly for the Samsung Galaxy Tab...

luther

I've ordered one.... should be with me on 2nd October apparently.
I used the Kindle app on my Android so i already have some books in my library.

dhope

lost_in_thought wrote:

I'm waiting excitedly for the Samsung Galaxy Tab...

OLED iPad. Sorry, trolling.

I've heard only good things about the latest iteration of the Kindle. Best eBook reader about, assuming you're happy with it being 'only' an eBook reader. I think I'd get one if I were to go back to PT.

Gussio

Girl sitting next to me at work has one. This morning I have read the first chapter of Heart of Darkness. All for research purposes, of course. Quite like the Kindle, but not as much as I like a good old-fashioned paper book.

lost_in_thought

dhope wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

I'm waiting excitedly for the Samsung Galaxy Tab...

OLED iPad. Sorry, trolling.

In my e-book, android>iphone therefore android tablet>ipad.

Early november will also see the launch of a google tablet of some nature...

I have to say, I would probably no longer settle for 'just' an ebook reader, although if I did I'd still be waiting for a touchscreen kindle that didn't have that ugly keyboard.

mroli

Its not just an ebook reader though - it has wireless and 3G connectivity, a v clunky web browser (but better than a mobile phone one) and has a much longer battery life and the more friendly e-ink screen.

I had an option - kindle or ipad and at 1/4 of the price, a much more friendly size and no ongoing costs, the kindle was a no-brainer for me, especially as I have a net-book.

woodford2barbican

mroli wrote:

I've got a Kindle 3 and love it - got the wi=fi 3g one and really enjoy reading on it, have been doing the "free" trials on the paper and that has worked really well and also transfer work docs to it = which are often 300 pages+ and therefore don't have to lug massive files around.

I really like it. Also got the stupid £50 holder which is massively overpriced, but a good bit of kit with the inbuilt light.

Battery life is good - esp if you turn off the wifi.

Page refresh isn't as slow as people above have said.

Amazon shop works well (shock horror!) and prices are reasonable. My fav bit is downloading all the free out of copyright classics though - which mean you never need buy another book again if you don't want. First thing I bought was Fignon's autobiog and loved it and the Kindle...

I lke the eink as well.

+1 except I am only on the Kindle 2.

fossyant

Are there any limits on the 3g web browsing on the Kindle....? TBH it will mainly be used in the house !

jonginge

fossyant wrote:

Are there any limits on the 3g web browsing on the Kindle....? TBH it will mainly be used in the house !

There are terms and conditions. I had a quick scan and thought it was a bit vague.

You could just connect it to your house wifi, if you've got it.
My android phone can act as a wifi server so I could connect it to that

spasypaddy

lost_in_thought wrote:

I'm waiting excitedly for the Samsung Galaxy Tab...

at the price points its a bloody rip off. have a look at the archos 7o. £299 rrp with a 250gb hard drive. thats direct from archos. im sure it'll be cheaper from other places.

il_principe

Meh, I'm gonna wait for an iPad 2. Happily read books on my iPhone, but having played with an iPad I can see the attraction.

timestar

Most negatives on the Kindle seem to relate to the black on grey display, being tied to Amazon for your book purchases, and page turning. I know that on my laptop, reading anything longer than an inp depth article I find difficult and prefer a hard copy. Thanks for all the comments.

woodford2barbican

timestar wrote:

Most negatives on the Kindle seem to relate to the black on grey display, being tied to Amazon for your book purchases, and page turning. I know that on my laptop, reading anything longer than an inp depth article I find difficult and prefer a hard copy. Thanks for all the comments.

The black on grey is a selling point not a negative....its the whole e-ink thing innit.

Page turning is slower than a book, but once you are in the rhythm of the ebook it is not an issue.

davis

Got one, love it.

After a minute or two you simply forget that it's a "device"... it's just reading That single fact is absent in everything else that I've seen.

I bought it at least partially for reading technical docs (some PDFs), and it's pretty good at that. The PDF support is reasonable, although I suppose I'd prefer a larger screen for the A4 pages.

I'm going travelling soon, and I've got a couple of Lonely Planet guides on there -- it's a lot lighter and thinner.

The page turn could be a little faster, but it's fine. E-ink really does read better than lots of other screens, especially after 8 hours, or in sunlight.

The web browser is acceptable, but not great for "idle" browsing.

spasypaddy

blackberry playbook was announced yesterday. it looks unbelievably good.

rml380z

Still waiting to be convinced that any of these eBooks are better than printed books.

lost_in_thought

rml380z wrote:

Still waiting to be convinced that any of these eBooks are better than printed books.

They're not, they're just easier to carry. If I go for a 7-day holiday in the sun, I'll need about 6 books, or 1 ereader thingy that can carry hundreds.

dhope

rml380z wrote:

Still waiting to be convinced that any of these eBooks are better than printed books.

They have much better endings.

rml380z

lost_in_thought wrote:

rml380z wrote:

Still waiting to be convinced that any of these eBooks are better than printed books.

They're not, they're just easier to carry. If I go for a 7-day holiday in the sun, I'll need about 6 books, or 1 ereader thingy that can carry hundreds.

I've heard this argument before, but I don't buy it.
I'd happily take a book to the beach, get sand all over it, leave it lying around when I go swimming, but I wouldn't do that with a Kindle.

lost_in_thought

rml380z wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

rml380z wrote:

Still waiting to be convinced that any of these eBooks are better than printed books.

They're not, they're just easier to carry. If I go for a 7-day holiday in the sun, I'll need about 6 books, or 1 ereader thingy that can carry hundreds.

I've heard this argument before, but I don't buy it.
I'd happily take a book to the beach, get sand all over it, leave it lying around when I go swimming, but I wouldn't do that with a Kindle.

Fair point! I am not a fan of sand so tend to sit by a pool.

I took the tube in this morning, and saw a guy reading what was clearly a new-gen kindle, and was sat next to a lady reading an old one.

I have to say, the new one looks very impressive indeed. For starters, it's tiny!

The page turns are also much faster, and it looks really light. Also, the keyboard is really small.

I want one now...

Herbie The Dog

rml380z wrote:

Still waiting to be convinced that any of these eBooks are better than printed books.

I've heard a similar arguments before:

Still waiting to be convinced that CDs are better than vinyl.
Still waiting to be convinced that MP3s are better than CDs.

I only really read comics...sorry graphic novels...which will only be any good in all their paper glory!

colint

I've had a couple of weeks now and it's fantastic. Page turning isn't slow, maybe that was a problem with the old model. 3G works well, great on the train yesterday when I could order a new book and be reading it in a couple of minutes.

mroli

I think its horses for courses isn't it. Unlike a particular adherent of any technology, I'm not fussed at trying to convert anyone and I was pretty sceptical of early ereaders and I love books.

However, I read a lot, we don't have space in our house, with 3g and wireless, the Kindle does what I want it to do and I am well happy with it. In an ideal world, if paperbacks and the daily paper miraculously appeared when i wanted them and then filed themselves away into very little space, then I'd read physical books. But in the same way I move from vinyl to tapes to CDs to MiniDiscs (oops) and now slowly to digital, moving to electronic books is a next step. For me.

Kieran_Burns

lost_in_thought wrote:

rml380z wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

rml380z wrote:

Still waiting to be convinced that any of these eBooks are better than printed books.

They're not, they're just easier to carry. If I go for a 7-day holiday in the sun, I'll need about 6 books, or 1 ereader thingy that can carry hundreds.

I've heard this argument before, but I don't buy it.
I'd happily take a book to the beach, get sand all over it, leave it lying around when I go swimming, but I wouldn't do that with a Kindle.

Fair point! I am not a fan of sand so tend to sit by a pool.

I took the tube in this morning, and saw a guy reading what was clearly a new-gen kindle, and was sat next to a lady reading an old one.

I have to say, the new one looks very impressive indeed. For starters, it's tiny!

The page turns are also much faster, and it looks really light. Also, the keyboard is really small.

I want one now...

A guy in the office brought his new kindle in - I want one as well now.

Raphe

I’ve had mine for a few weeks now and I’m impressed. The cases on Amazon are overpriced but I do think you need some sort of one, It feels a bit delicate because it is so thin.

The prices for the books are reasonable and they are quick to buy and download, even using 3G.

Quite a lot of people have told me they would not have one because they like a “real” book, smell of paper and all that, which while I understand I think it misses the point. For me it supplements paper books rather than replaces and solves the storage problem.

jonginge

Ah, dammit. I want one too. Now!

*ponders, searching for a reason to buy... lightbulb moment*
Removing some of the books from my abode would free up some space for more bike stuff.