I've been following this thread since the beginning in September, and I remember that, back then, I usually got more of the "what is that?" type of question. I'm one that would always extol the virtues to a Kindle stranger.

Has anyone else noticed that, now that the holidays are approaching and there is so much advertising and competition going on, the questions are starting to be more like "do you like your Kindle?" and "how do you think the Kindle compares to the e-reader made by ___?" It seems like people are more aware of what they are and now are more likely to want to know how they are.

Gary.....Thank you. That's exactly what I needed. I very much appreciate the time you took to respond to me.

I've often been asked about my Kindle when I read it in public. I'm in college so I tend to read it between classes, waiting for a late professor or when there's just nothing going on in a class. I've had both students and professors ask me about it. One professor thought it was so cool and asked me to show the entire class. Two others were thinking off getting one and kept asking me questions about it, I felt like an Amazon salesman. I've had a couple students think it was totally awesome and a couple that stared at me like I had three heads asking "Why would you want something like that?" =D

Jamaie wrote: "I need some help with a question & hoping since this group is about the Kindle, you all can help me. I need to know the date the Kindle2 went down in price by $100? Was it a gradual progression o..."

The Kindle 2 has had 2 price reductions since its release.

The Kindle 2 was first released on 2/24/2009 for $359.
The price was dropped to $299 on 7/8/2009.
The price was dropped to $259 on 10/7/2009.

I've seen a number of TV commercials for Kindle which are cute but really lacking as commercials.

It doesn't really explain "what" a Kindle is, what it does, how it does it, and why you need it.

I think the people reading on a Kindle in public and explaining it to others with kibitzers looking on are probably selling the thing -- and the TV commercial is telling their friends and relatives what to give them for the holidays.

I want a Kindle. But the commercial doesn't move me at all.

Anyone had a different impression from the commercials? (or maybe you didn't realize the commercial you were watching was actually for a Kindle?)

On the Kindle buy-page there's a link to the "coverage area" that is actually a coverage area of the wireless phone carrier they use.

An "upgrade" to the Kindle hardware won't help until they switch wireless carriers -- but I don't know any carrier that has total coverage in the USA.

Meanwhile, Kindle will download books only in major metro areas or along the Interstates between them where people want phone service.

I need some help with a question & hoping since this group is about the Kindle, you all can help me. I need to know the date the Kindle2 went down in price by $100? Was it a gradual progression of the price going down? If you don't know the exact date(s), the month is fine, too. I'm actually referring to the Kindle2 to be exact. Thanks.

Books are going through the same growing pains as music. Many authors and publishers (and musicians) want to control their audience's experience. They want the audience to read (or hear) their words (or music) exactly how they intend it to be read (or heard). So they resist the "digital revolution."

As traditional forms of media go by the wayside, it's difficult for an artist to present their product in such a way that it portrays exactly what they want it to portray every time, but still make it widely available in the latest and greatest formats. Certainly, we who read eBbooks or listen to digital music do miss out on part of the experience. Anything from a CD's liner notes to the instructions to muggle postal workers on the box Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows pre-orders were shipped in.

Certainly there is a financial aspect to this as well, but I think others have covered that thoroughly.

Oh, and no, I don't use a cover for my Kindle. Perhaps I just like living on the edge; I have no case on my iPhone either. To me, a cover detracts from the quality of my experience and the convenience of operation.

Ralph:

I guess I wasn't clear. I suspect the reason publishers are delaying the ebook version to well after the paper version is that they feel threatened by ebook sales that are rising while at the same time paper sales are dropping fast.

From my point of view, delaying the ebook version is a big mistake because as pointed out, people will just get it from the library or borrow from a friend.

But what that new strategy shows us is that the bean counters are very disturbed and don't know what to do.

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
jacquelinelichtenberg.com

Connie wrote: "Jacqueline wrote: "Apparently the "reading in public" thing is making an impression, especially the part about demonstrating how it works to other people - in public.

This item just flashed by m..."

That's crap. I'm not going to pay $30 for a hardcover, just because I have to wait for the ebook. The only book I wouldn't want to wait for is a highly anticipated book like Harry Potter, but even then I might just borrow it from a friend until I can get the ebook.

Jacqueline wrote: "Apparently the "reading in public" thing is making an impression, especially the part about demonstrating how it works to other people - in public.

This item just flashed by me on Twitter:
RT @Pub..."

I just saw an article in the New York Times the other day about how publishers want to hold the release date for e-books. What these publishers don't understand is that they are going to lose out on the "impulse" buying of ebook readers. I'm not going to go out and buy a hard cover just because they don't release the book in ebook format. If anything I will go to my library's webpage and put a hold on the book, just like I did for Stephen King's "Under the Dome." Now they won't even get my $9.99.

I have a Noreve cover. I wouldn't go "outdoors" without one. If I'm at home, sitting in the easy chair or couch, I like to take it out of the cover. When I read in bed, I use the cover because it holds my Might Brite light.

Jacqueline wrote: "Apparently the "reading in public" thing is making an impression, especially the part about demonstrating how it works to other people - in public.

This item just flashed by me on Twitter:
RT @Pub..."

Publishers and Agents are just pissed that no one is going to pay more than $10 for a digital file. Why should we pay more than that? We don't get a physical copy of the book so they don't spend any money to produce or store these books.

Apparently the "reading in public" thing is making an impression, especially the part about demonstrating how it works to other people - in public.

This item just flashed by me on Twitter:
RT @PublishingSpy: Amazon sucks up to literary agents http://bit.ly/42nmns (via Crain's NY) http://ow.ly/160O3u

The Crain's NY article (that's the actual title) is about how Amazon wined and dined some author's AGENTS because they're upset about how popular Kindle is.

I'm glad I've got 3 books available on Kindle now! Amazon expects over a million units sold for the Holiday gift season.

I have a very flexible mint green colored protecter that strictly covers the back & goes around the white part of the front of the Kindle2. I bought this on Amazon. I have not taken my Kindle2 out of the house yet...so no need for a jacket covering quite yet.

I've always used a cover. And I also bought the M edge cover - makes the K1 look like a journal or daytimer. I found that the cover that came with the K1 didn't hold it well & it would pop the battery cover off. The M edge cover fits it more snuggly.

I used to use the plain cover for K1, but I stopped a couple of months ago because it kept popping the battery cover off when it was in my bag. I got just as many questions then as I do now.

I just have the basic amazon cover on my kindle 2. I always end up folding it over so you can still see that it.

I have an Oberon Designs Tree of Life cover ... people tend to notice that first. I have often been asked if it's a journal, which then leads me into singing the praises of my Kindle 1.

Hmmm..I'm curious, do many of you have a cover on it? I've read mine a few times in public, and no one has asked about it at all. I'm wondering if it's because I have a M-Edge jacket on it, and it looks like a notebook?

When I was in Hawaii reading at the pool, people kept stopping and gawking. One couple actually asked to hold it. My friends wanted to know if I was being paid by amazon. I am a tech geek so I don't mind... to a point!

At the dr's off recently I ended up reading in the exam room waiting for her. When she saw it she had to know all about it - asked a lot of questions. For the most part I don't mind sharing a little - like others have said before me, the more Kindles out there the more books are published for Kindle.

Oh, that bothers me when people give away a book! Just because I have it in my hands, does not mean I read it. Especially now with a Kindle. Sheesh.

I don't mind showing my friends or family. It's funny to see what they will pick to look at though. One friend went right for the Amazon User's Guide and read while we were taking him home.

I've never had my reading interrupted, though I have caught someone staring once. I stopped myself to talk to her because, well, it was my new toy and I wanted to show it off. I've demoed to a couple of friends who have mentioned interest, but they did not know I had one in my bag when they brought it up.

I try not to demonstrate anymore. I ride the bus to work and one day on my way home this girl got on and asked me what my Kindle was. I bookmarked my page and showed her the index of all the books I had etc. When she noticed that I had the book "19 Minutes" by Jody Piccoult she proceeded to tell me the whole book, including the ending. So I just tell people it's a Kindle and leave it at that!!!

I always bookmark my place before handing over my Kindle. That way I can get back without too much trouble. I also have the problem of my husband reading a book on my Kindle if I leave it laying in the living room, so bookmarks are a total must do item.

I started doing that too. My mother-in-law kept flipping through my book.

Abigail wrote: "I haven't seen a large one yet, but the regular v2 is so lightweight compared to v1, that I imagine it is a little like a v1 just with a larger screen. The weird thing about v2 is how flat it is. T..."

I've seen the larger version - one of my coworkers bought it for her Dad and brought it in to show me before she handed it over to him. It is very, very cool. I think it would be absolutely excellent for college students - its size is perfect for reading textbooks. And the way it moves over to landscape mode is fascinating. (She bought it for her Dad because he's an avid newspaper and magazine reader and had been wondering aloud if the Kindle would be a good opttion for him. FYI - he absolutely adores it.)

As for the feel of it - I'll stick to my smaller version. Its absolutely flat, just like the K2, and weighs next to nothing - without the case. Once you put the case on, it FEELS like a textbook. Way to heavy. For those that want their readers to be the size of a magazine with the heft of a book, it's perfect, tho.

Regarding reading in public - I love being asked about it. I just make sure that I move to the home page before I let them look at the screen.... :)

I was in line Tuesday, for 3 hours, waiting to get the H1N1 vaccine. Of course, I was reading my Kindle. A lot of people were looking over my shoulder and said "What's that?". Of course, I had to demonstrate it. That was fun. The long line wasn't.

I had a flight last week and the woman in the seat next to me had the Kindle, version 1 (I have version 2). We spent the first 5 minutes checking out the differences between the two before we settled down to reading.

Oh do you have lots of vampire erotica too?

The Braille inquiry is funny and yet a Braille edition of kindle would be such a great idea, if at all possible. I take my kindle2 everywhere and I like it so much that I would love for someone to ask about it. Lol, I suppose that's why I don't get many inquiries. I've only had 2 while in flight, and those were both by Sony electronic book owners wishing they had purchased the kindle. I just figure that the people I've come across don't really enjoy reading enough to care.

Trust me, based on my Kindle Reading List, you have absolutely nothing to worry about!

Haha...now I'm thinking about the content on mine and what that says about me. I can see the looks on people's faces now...

I recently went to an anniversary party, A friend of a friend approached me and said he and his wife were both thinking of buying electronic books, they were undecided on which brand to purchase. They had heard I have A Kindle, and I love it. I answered their questions, and let them see Lilly (yes, I named my Kindle Lilly). I failed to realize, the content of your Kindle, is a window into your personality. I have some of the classics, “Wuthering Heights” ,“Anna Karenina” , “The Raven”, “The Cask of Amontillado” and the like. I also have a few books in the series “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” along with other things like “The Cemetery Book” and “Song of Kali”. They loved the Kindle, and decided to purchase one for each of them, but, they never didn’t ask me, “Have you read any good books lately?”

Lul...

Ditto, I hate that! If you're going to interrupt my reading and put me on the spot to demo the darn thing, it's downright rude to basically call me an idiot for owning one. A snooty girl at work kept rolling her eyes whenever someone gushed over my Kindle, saying "You're a lemming, it's a frivolous luxury item and complete waste of money, it will be obsolete in a year!". I said to her, "Well it's worth it to me, I've already paid for it with what I've saved in free and lower-priced books, not to mention all the dead trees and storage space I've saved. And frankly, I don't have to defend myself to you. You don't hear me criticizing how you spend your child support on a $300 handbag or pair of shoes, so I'd really appreciate it if you bitched about me behind my back, like a lady." [insert saccharin smile here:]

Pfft. Twit.

I tend to ignore people when reading, not intentionally, I just get into the book. But I don't demo the Kindle unless asked...I hate getting that...oh, that's so expensive, I have to have a book in my hand, I could never do that, etc., etc., remarks.

I take my Kindle to work with me so I can read on my lunch hour. I have had two encounter with two co-workers. Nothing strange about how they reacted. They were impressed and curious about it though.

Mary, that story is hilarious.

I'm with you Kristina, I get cranky when strangers interrupt my reading. I suppose I'm just the antisocial sort, because I so DO NOT appreciate strangers striking up small-talk convos with me in public, Kindle-in-hand or not. Alas, I'm not a total beyotch or anything, so I can't bring myself to be mean and frosty as I want to be, or say "UGH! Leave me alone!" (I just scream it in my head. Poor Sookie would get an earful if she ever bumped into me in a waiting room LOL!)

So yeah, I begrudgingly do my share of Kindle 2 show-and-tell (but I draw the line at allowing strangers to handle it, what's to stop them from running off with it? No way!) My favorite by far was this old gal in the doc's waiting room yesterday, who (after asking for and witnessing my little demo) said, "OH my, that would be just wonderful for my granddaughter, she's blind you know."

WTF?

So after about 10 seconds of staring blankly at her, I remembered the speech feature (never use it myself, always forget to point it out) and said something like, "oh.. um.. well yeah, I suppose, it does have this spiffy speech/audio thing..." and went on to demo that (hadn't brought it up prior to that, so was scratching my head over the blind thing), and she said, "well yeah, but I meant the braille thing.."

WTF?

She was referring to the keyboard, which I tried to explain was only a regular qwerty keyboard, for typing notes and browsing and whatever else you can do with it. And she goes, "well yes, but it's BRAILLE" and reached over to run her fingers over the little key bumps.

Um. Okay...

At that point, her equally ancient husband gave me a pained apologetic look over her head then rolled his eyes and went back to his newspaper, as if to say "welcome to my world."

Thank goodness they called my name at that moment, because I was truly at a loss of what to say. ;)

I haven't seen a large one yet, but the regular v2 is so lightweight compared to v1, that I imagine it is a little like a v1 just with a larger screen. The weird thing about v2 is how flat it is. The v1 is wedge shaped and fits perfectly in my left hand. So I don't know.

so, Abigail, or anyone else: which is easier to read from the original or the larger kindle?
thanks

I was reading mine in the waiting room at the dentist office last week and ended up passing it around and having a convo with 5 other people! The receptionist said it was the liveliest conversation she'd ever seen there :D In a way I liked it, but in a way I was annoyed because I was in the middle of a very racy scene (ha!)

Abigail wrote: "Very true Sharon. I encourage anyone I do talk to about it to think about getting one. Especially now, when people are upgrading from v1 to v2 and you can get a v1 for as little a hundred dollars s..."

Great idea! I don't think I would use all the bells and whistles on the K2 so am happy with the K1.

Very true Sharon. I encourage anyone I do talk to about it to think about getting one. Especially now, when people are upgrading from v1 to v2 and you can get a v1 for as little a hundred dollars sometimes. My husband has barely taken the time to mess with mine, and he is thinking about getting one for himself. We'll have a fiction and a non-fiction kindle. Lol...

I really don't mind showing people my Kindle when I'm in public.......more Kindle readers = more Kindle books available!

I guess I fall into the cranky category because I get tired of people asking me about it all the time! I told my husband that my only complaint about the Kindle is that I have to do show-and-tell when I'm trying to read. I certainly understand their curiosity and it's good for them to have a chance to see a Kindle if they are thinking about purchasing one, but still...leave me alone, I'm reading :-)

I read my Kindle in public all the time. I often get people asking about it and wanting to see it. I was reading it in my English 202 class and the prof asked me to show it to the entire class =P

I am guilty of gawking at someone who was reading a Kindle on the train. It was the first time I had seen one in person, and it was bigger than I had expected. Several others were not so subtly staring at it also, though noone bothered the reader to demonstrate.