Kindles and such like

[Bluebell72]

I'm thinking of buying some kind of ebook device - what does anyone suggest?

I do a lot of reading, and for our big trip each year we go away for a month, and spend a lot of time on trains, coaches, sat in waiting rooms etc, so I take a lot of books.
I'm giddy to think of how much other stuff I would be able to get in my rucksack this year without the weight and volume of 10+ books, though I would take a couple of spares in case of techno muck up.

If you have one of these Kindle things, would you recommend them, or as they are quite new, would you recommend I wait til they come down in price?

 

[phil_hg_uk]

I have a kindle and I love it

 

[steve52]

i have the 3g kindle and alsolove my kindle

 

[Dan B]

Are they safe to read in the bath?

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Yes it would be safe as they run on batteries, however you would break it if you get water on it

 

[swee'pea99]

I've seen quite a lot of discussion along these lines and I've yet to encounter anyone who doesn't love their Kindle. Here are some of the reasons why...

They're really good to read, by which I mean the screens are fantastic (a unique technology, I believe) - very readable in any light, including direct sunlight

You can change the font size in about 5 seconds (excellent if you find yourself in dim lighting)

You can download the entire works of Sherlock Holmes for free (and pretty much anything else that's out of copyright)

They go for a full month on one recharge

They're very easy to read one-handed, leaving another free for a pint

They come with a built-in dictionary, so if you're not sure of a word, you can just move the cursor down to get an instant pop-up definition

There are many more, but these do it for me. I wouldn't bother waiting for the price to come - I very much doubt it will. Buy one now - you'll not regret it.

Don't drop it in the bath...

 

[phil_hg_uk]

You can get waterproof covers. They work really well, apparently.

I am sure you can, but I wouldnt want to trust my pride and joy to one just incase.

Anyway I like to read my kindle as nature intended

 

[goo_mason]

I use a plastic ZipLok bag to encase my Kindle when I read it in the bath.

Better safe than sorry!

Lik everyone else, I can't praise the Kindle highly enough. I know a number of people who converted after seeing people reading them on the bus in direct sunlight; they thought the text would be impossible to see, like it is on a mobile or touch-screen device. How wrong they were

 

[dodgy]

And if you have a Kindle, install Calibre I have my PC set to turn on at 07:00 every morning and grab a copy of the Guardian website, Calibre then recognises 'news' content, and sends it to my Kindle free of charge. It's great being on holiday and having your content delivered like that. So it's not just for books

 

[marinyork]

Before getting a kindle I would check that the sort of material you want to view on it is available and is a price you are willing to pay (free in some cases) in kindle and the many other formats.

 

[dragon72]

I like mine very much, but don't love it. I have the 3G version.
I have been disappointed by how many books I have tried to purchase but which are not available in Kindle format.
Also, the web browser on it is frustratingly clunky and temperamental.
But, hell, I'm nitpicking. It's a very good invention overall.

 

[ianrauk]

I use a plastic ZipLok bag to encase my Kindle when I read it in the bath.

Better safe than sorry!

Lik everyone else, I can't praise the Kindle highly enough. I know a number of people who converted after seeing people reading them on the bus in direct sunlight; they thought the text would be impossible to see, like it is on a mobile or touch-screen device. How wrong they were

I am one of those, though have yet to purchase one. It's on my list of wants.

 

[scots_lass]

I bought my Kindle at Christmas and love it. I have read over 40 books since then, most of them either free or less than £1.20 each. Have only bought 3 full-price books. Lots of new authors and if you keep a look out, lots of book bargains as well. Wouldn't be without it now.

 

[Dan B]

most of them either free or less than £1.20 each. Have only bought 3 full-price books.

As someone who wants his favourite authors to carry on writing - and who wants to discover more favourite authors - I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Were it purely a technical question I'd have got myself a Kindle probably years ago, but I'm altogether not sure I want to add to Amazon's purchasing clout by allying myself with their 'channel' in this way. And that's not an anti-Amazon thing, it's an anti-monopolies-in-general thing.


http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/01/amazon-macmillan-an-outsiders.html

 

[swee'pea99]

Seems to me anything that encourages people to read more has ultimately to be good for people who make their living writing.