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Benefits/cons of a kindle ebook reader
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Rebecca
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May 17, 2010 11:56AM
I love to read and have so many books lying around. A few of my family members have suggested that I get a kindle. At first, I said no because I really like having the book and curling up with it. But now Im kinda thinking about getting one. For those of you who have one, what are some benefits and cons of having one? I know its pretty expensive at first, but how much does it typically cost to buy the ebook? Thanks everyone!
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I love my kindle sooo much! At first I kinda missed buying actual books but it grew on me. the dictionary and the highlighter are really handy.
There is heaps of discussion in these recent threads here http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2... and here http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...HTH
hi RebeccaI've had my kindle for about a year and a half now and can't imagine what I did without it...I initially bought it to take on deployment with me because I couldn't afford to be carting bags of books around Iraq, so that was a benefit. I like that fact that I can have up to 1500 books at the tip of my fingers, especially since I seem to have a form of book ADD and can rarely read a book right through without getting distracted. You can also get books from lots of different sources - I personally use JasmineJade.com; Mybookstoreandmore; loose-id; bookstrand; you can also use fictionwise and baen books; and lots of freebies in public domain (classics published before 1923)
Cons right now - there is a new model, called the agency model going into effect which has driven up the cost of books, so if cost is important to you, it might not be worth it. additionally, Amazon and Penguin are still negotiating a new contract, so any books released after 1 April from Penguin or its imprints are not currently available.
I don't have a Kindle, but I use the Kindle reader on my iPhone. I thought I wouldn't like reading on the small screen, but it's really not bad -- you get used to it. I point that out because a lot of people think reading on an eReader is so different from reading a book, but I didn't find that at all. From what I understand, with the Kindle electronic ink technology, you still feel like you're looking at a book page. Even though I don't have an actual Kindle, I think I can point out some benefits of eReaders in general.One of the best things about it is that you never lose your place. Whether I read on my iPhone or my computer, or if I had a Kindle and read using that, Amazon knows how far I've read and always opens up whatever I'm reading where I left off. I can also set specific bookmarks and mark passages as important to me.
There's also the benefit of being able to have tons of books with you in one place. Rather than carrying a load of real books, you just have the single Kindle device.
And the best (and most dangerous for me) is that when you're done with a book, you can instantly have a new one. You don't have to hop in a car and go to a bookstore. You don't have to wait for the next one to get to you. You just pick it and it's there. LOVE that. Like I said, though, it can be dangerous because of course if you're buying more books, you're spending more money, lol. And, when I'm done with a book, I can remove it from my device, but then re-download it later if I want to.
For me, one of the main reasons I'm reading at all now is that I don't have to carry a book around. Or books, as it were.
The two Im trying to decide from is the Kindle and the Nook. What made you decide to buy the Kindle over the Nook (if it was available when you bought it)? I love the idea that I can have tons of books with me anywhere I go. I travel a lot and I bring several books with me. They tend to fill up my whole backpack.
How well does the dictionary work? I heard the one on the Nook is pretty much useless because its more like a pocket dictionary and doesn't have really weird words. I think that is one of the things I will enjoy because Im constantly finding words I dont know. I mean to look them up, but I never do because it would mean I would have to put my book down and get on my computer just to find out one word.
the nook wasn't available when I got my kindle, it only came out this past christmas...so really the only choices for me were kindle and the sony and the sony store didn't have a good variety of books that I wanted. if i'd had to chose between the nook and the kindle - i probably still would have gone with kindle - my friend got her dad a nook for christmas and he had a time getting it, getting it set up (which may have changed since the last update) - whereas I pulled my kindle out of the box, charged it and was using it within an hour...I've never really used the dictionary on the kindle, but I know a lot of people who do and love it...they also highlight favorite quotes and stuff from books
Shelleyrae wrote: "There is heaps of discussion in these recent threads here http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2... and here http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...HTH"
Thanks for posting those threads! They really helped. I think Im definitely going to get one now. The only people that didn't like them were the ones who used the library a lot or sold or shared their books a lot. I never use the library or sell my books because I like to keep them in case I want to reread them. I only have a few friends that I share with and we really have only shared a book or two because we all like keeping the book. Im actually trying to talk my friend into buying one too. If only I could decide between the Kindle and the Nook.
Can you find penguin ebooks somewhere else then use calibre?
My mom has a Kindle and it really rocks...the only con is the price of books. Yea they are cheaper than the bookstore but the library is free. I read to much to afford the books.
Rebecca wrote: "Can you find penguin ebooks somewhere else then use calibre?"You can find Penguin ebooks at B&N, but B&N has DRM protection. Penguin has some eBook formats... they say that the book is encrypted and you can't print it, so I'm going to guess that there's DRM on that as well. And since Calibre won't convert DRM-ed files, that's a no-go unless you figure out how to remove the DRM.
I love my Kindle. It's so handy but I have to be careful because it is so easy to buy books. I have to stop myself sometimes from buying the next book in a series (even though I really want to) and wait until I have some extra money. Some people say they buy a gift card with the amt. of money they are willing to spend on books a month and when they run out of money on the card they stop, until the next month when they refill the card. But, I do love being able to get a book whenever & wherever I want without having to run out to a store (who may not have it at all).Most books are under $10. All bestsellers are $9.99 but that will probably change soon with the new model going into effect. We'll have to see how it affects it. I, so far, haven't paid over $10 for a book. Most, I've gotten for $7 or under. Amazon is great for having books for free or just a couple of bucks. I've found a bunch of new authors this way. I have a bad habit of sticking with the same authors and this has really expanded my horizons. Of course, not all authors are great but I've found quite a few.
I love the dictionary. I was reading a book last week that had a lot of words that I wasn't totally sure of the meaning of and it was so helpful. I love the highlight function as well. You can highlight certain passages and easily go back and find those sections. You can even bookmark particular pages for quick/easy recall.
As said above, you never need to worry about losing your spot. It remembers. I get so accustomed to clicking the next page button that when I do read a "real" book I find myself trying to click to change the page...LOL.
I still use the library for books/authors I'm not sure that I will want to keep and re-read. But like you I keep most of my books to re-read so the Kindle is great for me. Sounds like it would be right up your alley.
I have the Sony Ereader and love it. However, I just saw on another blog that the Kindle doesnt give page numbers. Mine does, but I don't know about the Nook. Just a thought.
just to throw a monkeywrench in the kindle vs nook discussion, let me tell ya i heavily debated ALL ereaders for the past 8 months or so, played with some kindles, and ultimately ended up with an ipad. that way, i don't have to choose between amazon, apple, or b&n's bookstores - i can comparison shop and buy books from whoever i want. also, the ipad (or a small, lightweight netbook for that matter) is a device that i can do more stuff with beyond just books, for about the same money.eink is a necessity for some people, but the eyestrain thing is overhyped as a problem. i have a good friend who can't read stuff on a computer screen for more than an hour at a sitting without developing very sore eyes and an unpleasant headache; i can stare at the computer for hours at work with no ill effects at all. download a free ebook from google, gutenberg, or amazon, and read it on your regular computer screen. if you're ok with your eyes afterwards, you're fine for whatever format you like.
Shae wrote: "I have the Sony Ereader and love it. However, I just saw on another blog that the Kindle doesnt give page numbers. Mine does, but I don't know about the Nook. Just a thought."You are right, there are no page numbers on Kindle, but there is a "location". The kindle gives you how many locations a book has, so you are able to come back to that location and gauge how far you have gone. It is similar to page numbers.
Michelle wrote: "just to throw a monkeywrench in the kindle vs nook discussion, let me tell ya i heavily debated ALL ereaders for the past 8 months or so, played with some kindles, and ultimately ended up with an i..."I am on the computer at work all day with no eyestrain. But I do notice then with my iPhone if I stare or read on it too long I start to feel nauseaous -- not sure if this is the same thing. I wish I didn't.
Heather in FL wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Can you find penguin ebooks somewhere else then use calibre?"You can find Penguin ebooks at B&N, but B&N has DRM protection. Penguin has some eBook formats... they say that the bo..."
And then the removal of DRM is illegal. The issue of formats is a problem -- in terms of being able to read a book from one store on another's reader. Right now Random House books are not in the iBookstore because Random House refuses to do the agency thing. I do think Penguin and Amazon will straighten this out, it has been about 7 weeks so far. I am guessing there will be a solution in several months at the most.
But I have never found (with the exception of the recent Penguin releases) that a book is available somewhere else cheaper than at Amazon. So have never wanted to purchase an ebook somewhere else.
One thing about the Kindle is that it doesn't read ADE or ePub, so if your public library has a significant number of books that you want to check out in this format (not many libraries do, mine does though) then you should think about that. When I was making my decision, I decided that this was not important and I do think I made the right decision for me. If I want to check something out from the library, I just do it in paper format. But before I made this decision, I looked at overdrive.com and found the two libraries I am a member of to determine what books they had available in these formats. Something to think about.
