Jeff’s Comments (group member since May 04, 2010)

Jeff’s comments from the Amazon Kindle group.

I guess I'll be the dissenting opinion on this one. I think I read slower on my Kindle. I was just thinking about this the other day actually. Maybe it's because I keep looking up all the words I don't know in the dictionary? :)

Actually I think it has something to do with not knowing how much is left of a chapter (I think the "tick marks" in the progress bar are useless). When I was reading DTBs I use to look ahead to see how many pages were left and if I was close to the end I would read a little faster to make it through and see what happened. With the Kindle that's harder (if not impossible) to do.

Also I tend to read my Kindle in places I would not have had a DTB, like taking it to the park when I take the kids to play or in the car when I'm waiting for someone. I never used to carry around DTBs (which was one reason I bought the Kindle) but I take my Kindle with me a lot more now (like in my laptop bag for work). But the problem is I'm finding I need almost complete quiet, and to not be mentally distracted watching the kids) to read quickly and comfortably.

Vanessa wrote: "Jeff wrote: "I was just in the bookstore the other day buying books for my wife and kids and while walking through the Science Fiction/Fantasy aisle I missed the thrill of just looking through the ..."
I do that too sometimes, but I use the Kindle app on my iPhone or the GoodReads app to either buy or mark them as "to-read". I guess I just enjoy the whole "get a new book off the shelf and take it home" process. But I don't have the room for them in my bookshelf so the Kindle is perfect for that.

I was just in the bookstore the other day buying books for my wife and kids and while walking through the Science Fiction/Fantasy aisle I missed the thrill of just looking through the shelves and finding books I'd never heard of (not that GoodReads hasn't given me enough ideas :). There's something about that impulse buy of a book on the shelf that I'm missing with the Kindle.

Probably the thing I dislike the most about reading on the Kindle is the sense of accomplishment I felt from seeing my "position" in the book. As the pages turned and I got closer I would get excited to finish the book and read more and more. Now with the Kindle I don't feel that anymore. I know there's the "progress bar" at the bottom of the screen, but it's just not the same for me.

So, the Amazon.com Help page for Kindle updates now says 2.5 will be rolling out "in a few weeks" and makes no mention of late May anymore. Sigh, I guess we have to wait a little longer.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custome...

Terri wrote: "On Amazon, they used to have a place where you could put in your zip code/city and they would try to connect you with someone who already owns a Kindle. Not sure if they still have that! I would ..."

They do. It's people who are willing to meet with you so you can see one in person. I would try Target first, but I'll tell you that I compared both the Nook and the Kindle (I have a friend who let me try out his Kindle before buying and I checked out the Nook in a B&N store) and I found that I liked the Kindle better. The slowness of the firmware (especially page turning) and the slow response times of the touch screens turned me off of the Nook. It's prettier than the Kindle, but I went with function over form. The biggest reason was that Amazon has a better selection of books that I would read so it was the library that ended up being the "dealbreaker" in the end.

Ultimately whatever you pick I think you'll be happy with. I spent months agonizing over whether I wanted an eReader at all, then over Nook vs. Kindle, and I wish I would have just bit the bullet earlier because now that I have it I love mine.

Aaron wrote: "Jeff wrote: "I find that I'm ending my reading session on the Kindle sooner than I would with a traditional book because I can't look ahead and see how many pages are in a chapter. I don't like to..."

What do the chapter markers look like when you're reading the book? How can I tell if the book I'm reading has them? (Sorry if that's a dumb question, I'm still new to the Kindle).

I find that I'm ending my reading session on the Kindle sooner than I would with a traditional book because I can't look ahead and see how many pages are in a chapter. I don't like to stop in the middle of a chapter/section personally. I wish there was a way to see that more easily (though I know it would not be easy for them to do).

Jeff wrote: "I wonder how difficult it would be for the admins of this site to add a "percentage complete" option in addition to the "current page" that exists for books on our currently reading shelf? It coul..."

Looks like it's on the "To Do List" for 2010 already:
- Add support to status updates for ebooks/audiobooks and other variable page formats

I wonder how difficult it would be for the admins of this site to add a "percentage complete" option in addition to the "current page" that exists for books on our currently reading shelf? It could be that if you don't fill out the page number you have to fill out the percentage and vice versa.

Anyone know how to suggest that?

I've found one thing I miss from traditional books vs. the Kindle. Page numbers. I know why they can't display page numbers (since you can change the font size and the words per line it could vary quite a bit). The percentage is an ok alternative, but I like to see the page numbers personally.

Ok, what was your Kindle doing on the floor? ;)

I just got mine last week and I'm super careful with it (to the point that I even grip it lightly while reading). I hope nothing happens to mine because I don't know if I could get another one right away and I didn't get the extended warranty.

Aaron wrote: "1. there is a software update coming that is bringing a way to organize books and file. It will be hear at the end of the month if not before.

2. there is a clock if you press the menu button at a..."

I just saw the info on the patch that's coming out. Looking forward to folders/categories!

As for the clock I would like something I can see all the time. Pressing the menu button is ok in a pinch, but I would like to just be able to glance up and see the time.

I know it's not Amazon's fault about the book selection, but it's the one thing that irks me the most about using an eReader. I hope Amazon can get the publishers on board and improve the selection even more in the near future. I don't want to buy an iPad to use as an eReader. I like eInk much better than the idea of reading for extended periods of time on a backlit screen.

I just got my Kindle last week and I've already got a "wish list" for Amazon:

1. Folders or tags or something to organize my books by. I only have one book that I've bought, but between technical PDFs for work, samples, and free books I've downloaded I'm already using two pages.
2. Clock in the "title bar" when reading a book.
3. More books! The selection is outstanding, but some of the books I want to read are not available and that irks me. I don't want to have to carry around my Kindle and a paperback! I bought this thing so I could use it exclusively to read books (though I did know that some might not be available)