UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion
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Crappy e-reader features
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Yes I would definitely agree. Of course I'm still using my KK which has virtually no features, but I don't use any it does have anyway (note amking, I think? and a dictionary?) It's a flipping book and I want to read it. Simple
I disagree. Some of the features that are being ranted about can be turned off in the options such as popular highlights. Turn it off if it bothers you. Simple.I don't have any issues reading my Kindle Paperwhite. It's very easy to tap to forward a page and that's the only place my thumb needs to be to move forward in a book. Never had a problem with any of the gestures - how hard is it to keep your fingers and thumbs away from the very top and bottom sections if you're reading?
Bookmarks - if you don't like the feature, don't use it! I use bookmarks occasionally to temporarily mark where I am in a book if I want to skip forwards or backwards to read another section and then easily get back to where I was. This is more useful in non-fiction books.
Why the rant over the "Rate this Book" feature. If you don't like it, (again) don't use it. Just skip right by. I cannot see how it is annoying at all.
The features are there for those people who want to use them. Not everyone will make use of all the features. Most of them can either be disabled in the settings or easily ignored.
I could go on and on dissecting this blog post but I really have better things to do with my time.
I agree with wanting a waterproof Kindle. That would be highly useful but for now you can buy simple sleeves that do the job.
We've already had text to speech Kindles in the past. The robotic sounding voices were hilarious. Audio books are perfect if people get on better with listening to a book rather than reading one.
Most of this post just sounds like someone was having a bad day and decided to take it out on a Kindle.
My - he wasn't having a good day, was he?As Marie said, most superfluous features can be safely bypassed by not using them. Other annoying features can be turned off.
Admittedly I don't use a branded kindle any more because I managed to drop mine and kill it. But I do happily use the kindle app on iphone and ipad and it works just fine.
I did get briefly annoyed with Microsoft Outlook which decided that it was going to move some of my unread emails to a new "clutter" folder that it had created.
Apparently Microsoft (in their wisdom) has decided that we all need help with our inboxes. So it started reading our emails and deciding which ones we wouldn't want to read. It moved all of those to a "clutter" folder. That annoyed me because it was a change that I hadn't asked for.
But it took me all of two minutes to find the right menu option to turn the darned thing off. Problem solved.
I read on a kindle fire. I love its features. I can pop in here in seconds and see what you're all up to. It has a fantastic text-to-speech which is brilliant for editing. I can see my emails popping in so I know what my kids are talking about. I can instantly Google sonething I want to check on.Can't do any of that with a book.
I rather like the idea of a book e-reader, must say.I wonder if we'll see it in our lifetime.
As already said - if the features annoy you then don't use them. I do prefer my kindle (basic kindle, kindle fire or kindle app on ipad) to a book for the majority of reading because of the advantages over books -
being able to adjust text size
looking up words
looking up locations on google maps (useful for my reading challenge)
having a large selection of books to read without having to carry a heavy weight
being able to get the next book in a series straight away by clicking through to Amazon
The only place I don't read on my kindle and resort to my paperback collection is in the bath - but I'm happy to do that and am not particularly bothered about having a waterproof kindle.
Paper books don't react well to being dropped in the bath either.But they are cheaper to replace (assuming it wasn't an illuminated medieval manuscript or a rare signed first edition . . .)
Yes, I once dropped a library book in the bath. I felt awful about that and paid for them to get a new copy in as it was ruined. I've always liked reading in the bath or anywhere relaxing really. I no longer take paper books in the bath but I'll take magazines or my Kindle in a waterproof case.I love my Kindle but I still like to have paper books as well. I find it easier to flick through a paper recipe book for inspiration although recipe books on Kindle are often easier to search by typing in key words. Reference books with tons of glossy pictures are better suited to paper editions although you can enlarge photos on an iPad or Kindle Fire.
I'm not sentimental about paper books though. I don't miss the smells of old books (yuck) or the yellowing pages. It's certainly easier to hold a Kindle than a big heavy hardback and much easier to read in bed late at night with having a light built in.
I quite like some of the features he doesn't, but as others have said, the annoying ones are easy to switch off. Interestingly, I've always read my kindle in the bath - I've never dropped a paperback in the bath (although bookmarks are a different matter entirely!!), and over 5 years later, haven't dropped the kindle in it either. Did manage to drop the phone in the bath last year though, never fully recovered. I am slightly struggling with the touchscreen on the Paperwhite though, I do keep getting the wrong part of the page.
I like both paper books and Kindle but as Marie and others have said, you don't have to use the features and I don't. I like the Kindle Keyboard because of the text to speech which is really useful for editing. And it's good to be able to have a whole library of books when on holiday that you can dip into depending on what you want to read.
I read on the voyage, fire, iPad, laptop and phone, I have no problem with any of them. I still have natural history books in book form but usually buy them kindle as well to take out into the field with me on my phone. I still love a new book but can't read it in bed as it's too heavy. Like everyone says if you don't like the features then turn them off, I don't use many of them myself, some folk just like to moan about everything, they don't seem happy unless they are complaining about something or other, very sad really.
Hi! I read this discussion because I have a kindle fire (which I love) but it is incredibly hard to charge since it is broken and glares. I have been debating between a Kindle Paper white and a Nook Glowlight Plus. I am looking for something where it tells you the definition of a word, light, and scratch and glare resistant ( I also like the idea of waterproof in which the Nook is). I prefer reading from a device because on a book sometimes it is hard to turn a page, it can be heavy, and is hard to read on long car rides (especially at night). Please tell me your thoughts on Kindle Paperwhite and Nook Glowlight Plus. Thanks!!
What a miserable rant! I use half the features he rants about (particularly the progress bit, I use that loads). The other half I've turned off. Why bother using something you seem to hate so much? I do like the idea of a book style ebook though, definitely.
The feature I find really useful is the "look up character in book" feature. If a character hasn't been mentioned for a while - sometimes senior moments take pride of place - so I find this feature does a reprise of the character for me.
I have one of each on the go and decided to take my paperback to the hairdresser today, wasn't easy to read and made my bag really heavy.
I disagreed with most of what he ranted about.I use my old KK when I'm running on my treadmill. I put the text to speech on with the volume down to nothing and it turns the pages for me.
I don't often bookmark, but it's good for if you need to look at the contents or if you are confused about a character and then do a search for where you've come across them before.
Portrait is infinitesimally better than landscape for reading.
I like knowing if there's lots or not much left to read.
I always rate my book when I've finished. I don't need and hour or two to ponder whether to give it a 4 or 5 star rating.
In Germany the most popular e-reader is the Tolino, which has been waterproof for some time.I agree on the touchscreen bit, though. I hate having all those smudges on my iPhone, for example. But for reading I use a Kindle Keyboard, which has button on both sides to turn pages.
I love thouse buttons so much that I bought a back-up KK on ebay just in case mine ever breaks, so I can continue without having to get a touchscreen one!
Kat wrote: "In Germany the most popular e-reader is the Tolino, which has been waterproof for some time.I agree on the touchscreen bit, though. I hate having all those smudges on my iPhone, for example. But ..."
Funnily enough I've not noticed any fingerprints on the paperwhite, possibly due to the matt screen
Kat wrote: "In Germany the most popular e-reader is the Tolino, which has been waterproof for some time.I agree on the touchscreen bit, though. I hate having all those smudges on my iPhone, for example. But ..."
There is an up-to-date version of the Kindle Fire that they've put the buttons back onto.
That's the one - I couldn't remember what it was called ;-)
Kat wrote: "In Germany the most popular e-reader is the Tolino, which has been waterproof for some time.I agree on the touchscreen bit, though. I hate having all those smudges on my iPhone, for example. But ..."
I love the KK too and also got another 2nd hand one on ebay as a spare.
I have some older kindles and a paperwhite for these simple devices my partner has replaced the batteries, repaired connectors and sorted out permanently freezing by reprogramming them via the subminiature USB socket used to also charge. Apart from those technical issues it is easy to disable undesirable features just remember to be light handed and not drop them in water! If you're in that habit get a scuba diver's silicon bag I use them when I'm out on the open water I can read on a choppy trip then.
https://litreactor.com/columns/9-crap...
Do you agree? Disagree?
What would you change?