Kindle V Books. My verdict.

[MarkF]

2 Kindles and 1 Kindle Fire in our house, they all live in a cupboard until August, holiday time, when they prove useful to us.

 

[hoopdriver]

I

I have both too, the Kindle gives a more paper book like experience. The app is equally good. The only trouble is the battery drain on the iPad.

True. Books, real books, never run out of juice

 

[Cycleops]

True. Books, real books, never run out of juice

But they do run out of cupboard space!

This could run forever.

 

[raleighnut]

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

 

[Cycleops]

Not impossible. Wonder if anyone has done it.

 

[Roadhump]

I have the Kindle app on my mobile but the battery on my phone is pretty useless so other than short train journeys I don't really bother with it.

The battery on my Kindle is much better and lasts between 2 to 4 weeks depending on how much I use it and whether I leave the Wi-fi on. Two and a half years old now and never had a problem with it......not sure whether I should have said that, probably asking for trouble!!

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Lots of people on their second ones... ?

I'm on my 4th paper version of the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

 

[Archie_tect]

Have you finished it yet?

 

[Yellow Fang]

One advantage of an e-reader is that if I wanted to buy a copy of an old, obscure book, like Varney the Vampire, it would cost me about £0.01 as an e-book or about £30 as a paperback.

A disadvantage is that I enjoy looking around bookshops. I nearly always see something I would like to read. Thanfully, I have some willpower or I would have a five year backlog of books on my shelves. You wouldn't get that if all there was were ebooks.

I don't trust them anyway. I was burned by my experience of my iPod.

 

[raleighnut]

I'm on my 4th paper version of the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

The Book People recently had the entire series ( all 5 of the trilogy) plus the Dirk Gently books on offer for less than a tenner,

 

[ufkacbln]

Depending on the Kinde (Fire series not "basic or Paperwhite) the local library can come to you

There is an app called "Overdrive" that allows you to borrow ebooks from your local library service

This is the Hampshire library version

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Overdrive is also available stand alone for smartphones

 

[Cycleops]

I don't trust them anyway. I was burned by my experience of my iPod.

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

 

[byegad]

I love my Kindle. As an avid reader packing for a two week holiday saw my case filled with 9 or 10 books*. Now I take a couple of hundred for the weight of a small paperback.

* I read very quickly, having taught myself to speed read while I was studying. Even now 45 years after I started speed reading my 'cruising reading speed' leaves my wife behind if she tries to read over my shoulder.

I still buy some 'real' books. Usually those I want to read over and over again, or reference books where the ability to put in a real bookmark easily found at a glance wins over portability.

 

[hoopdriver]

Another drawback to e-books is the quality of the editing, layout, proofreading etc. This is often lacking in a big way, even in e-books from big publishers who charge top price for them. Sloppiness that would never have been tolerated in the days of print is now becoming routine