Kindle V Books. My verdict.

[Kestevan]

As an avid collector of books (proper ones, on paper preferably with hard covers) I'd love a Kindle...... but only if I can buy the hardback and get the kindle version for a significant discount, rather than having to pay full whack twice. Till that happens I'll not be bothering.

 

[Cycleops]

As an avid collector of books (proper ones, on paper preferably with hard covers) I'd love a Kindle...... but only if I can buy the hardback and get the kindle version for a significant discount, rather than having to pay full whack twice. Till that happens I'll not be bothering.

I think you'll find that's already happened. Most ebooks are significantly cheaper than the paper versions.

 

[Archie_tect]

Not on Amazon they aren't in my experience, but you'd expect them to be.

 

[Archie_tect]

Charity shops are the new libraries, sadly. our library is starting to really suffer from the relentless Northumberland County Council spending cuts: 35 million a year for the last 2 years and similar again this year.... it's awful to see the librarians losing their sparkle as the voluntary redundancies cut in and funding for new books and services is reduced year on year. The building maintenance has been stopped so it's a downward spiral of decline.

There'll be fund raising events at this rate to keep it open, then the government's regional funding policies will have hit their intended mark. It's relentless how the Conservatives have crippled local government in the NE and the other more remote parts of the UK.

 

[raleighnut]

I only like the comment NOT what is happening to our Library Service,

 

[akb]

My Kindle died at the weekend, had it a fair while. This is the second one to die on me so am thinking of getting a Nexus 7 instead unless someone can come up with a better alternative

I have the Nexus 5 phone and love it. Much better than any fruit related electronic product I have used.

I dont have a Kindle, and dont think I ever will do. I spend 8 hours a day on a PC, 1-2 hours in front of the TV in the evening and then usually read a book before going to bed to give my eyes a rest from electronic viewing.

 

[Yellow Fang]

What happened, did it explode? I had one of the first ones and it just went dead after six months.

Configuration control issues. The iTunes that was installed on my PC was wiped out along with windows. I installed iTunes on another laptop, but I always found it hard to match up what iTunes said was on my iPod with what was on actually my iPod. It usefully kept offering to resolve the inconsistency by wiping out my iPod. I got fed up with all this, so tried using the offerings for Linux, but they never worked properly neither. Plus I found they could not play the tracks bought off iTunes on the Linux versions of iTunes because of the format. I could still play the tracks recorded from my CDs because they were copied over as mp3. I had got rid of all my CDs by this time so my iPod was my only music device. Who uses iPods any more these days? Electronic media devices are always changing. Now I download YouTube videos to a Raspberry Pi. Also, I bought a record player for £40 on which I play my old 45s when drunk. For those reasons I don't trust e-readers.

 

[Dan B]

I have paper books from publishers that don't exist any more: do you really want to lay money on the odds that Amazon will still exist - and will still support downloads to your Kindle device - in forty years? Eighty years?

I do buy some stuff as ebooks, but it doesn't feel like I own it in any meaningful sense when my continued ability to access it is dependent on the continued good grace of some for-profit commercial entity

 

[hoopdriver]

I haven't found them to be cheaper. Sometimes (admittedly not often, but sometimes) I have even seen the Kindle editions books costing more. Try to buy Hemingway or Steinbeck on Amazon Kindle. Considering there are no printing costs or delivery costs, you would expect better prices.

 

[ufkacbln]

Imagine going to a book signing saying "Can you autograph my Kindle"

Almost did that!!!!!

I was an early user withte firs of the Sony PRS readers

I was shopping in Portsmouth when I came across a book launch.... and was asked if I was interested in buying a copy. I commented that I already had the booke electronically, much to the authors amazement as he did not know there was one!!!


We spent about ten minutes chatting and the conclusion was that he had no objections to teh format, exceptthey did not like the black and white rendering of the cover and maps... he offered to sign the reader for me, but i declined

 

[Cycleops]

I haven't found them to be cheaper. Sometimes (admittedly not often, but sometimes) I have even seen the Kindle editions books costing more. Try to buy Hemingway or Steinbeck on Amazon Kindle. Considering there are no printing costs or delivery costs, you would expect better prices.

Its more a question of what the market can stand. If Kobo started selling its books at a substantial discount then Amazon would have to think again. Far be it for me to suggest they fix the prices between them.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Got my Nexus, put the Kindle app on it, loaded some books onto it from my computer and away we go

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I haven't found them to be cheaper. Sometimes (admittedly not often, but sometimes) I have even seen the Kindle editions books costing more. Try to buy Hemingway or Steinbeck on Amazon Kindle. Considering there are no printing costs or delivery costs, you would expect better prices.

Stupidly electronic books attract VAT, whilst a hard copy doesn't

 

[raleighnut]

Stupidly electronic books attract VAT, whilst a hard copy doesn't

You pays yer money, you takes yer chance.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I read my Kindle Paperwhite maybe 2-3 hours a day - the battery lasts for weeks between charges.

My wife reads more than me and she doesn't charge hers very often either.

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Since I started reading Biggles books nearly 50 years ago I have been an avid reader and I have nothing but praise for the Kindle - it is compact, easy to view and you don't lose your page! It is also very light - I tend to read long books and they can be fairly heavy esp' when reading in bed - it can be awkward to get comfortable whilst holding them. The Kindle solves this problem.

i love the ability to cruise around the Kindle Store reading reviews, reading samples etc before making my purchase.

The books are very cheap (generally - there is the odd exception) and tbh I have only had a couple of books where poor proof-reading has been an issue.

I also love the wish list facility and the daily deals - the latter makes me read a broader spectrum of books than I usually would.

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The Kindle is also very cheap and very durable.

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Apart from coffee table books, illustrated books , first editions etc then I cannot see how the average paperback is any better in the 'real' than on the Kindle.

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As for the bricks and mortar shopping experience - In the average high street store the range of books is nowhere near the breadth of the Kindle Store and quite often I would troop on over to our local Waterstones and return dejected as I couldn't find either what I specifically wanted or something that took my fancy. That doesn't happen with my Kindle.

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My Kindle - I love it!