Kindle Question

[mamaofami]

mamaofami:

 

Look at Lynnobie's entry #106 in this thread.

 

Thank you !

 

Peaches, that must have been so interesting. My book club just finished Little Bee which was also a great book. Now we're reading Olive Kitteridge and as I mentioned before the print in the book was too small for me so I downloaded it to the kindle.

[2-4-cruisin]

You are most welcome, Carol. I'm sure you will love it, especially when packing for your next flight on an airline that charges for luggage! :)

 

 

For quite a while after becoming a Kindle user and before some publishers / authors started the price gouging (definitely not all do... at least not yet) I could buy a new release available in hard back for around $14-$16 at Costco & never higher than $9.99 for the digital Kindle edition at Amazon. Now the greedy ones are charging closer to $15 for the Kindle version! :eek: I have made a personal decision to boycott any author's books that are priced this way. After making this decision, I find that I still have more books available than I can read. Although probably unrealistic of me, I hope that enough Kindle owners will make the same decision as me to cause these publishers / authors to rethink their pricing. Even if that doesn't happen, I can live with waiting for those books to come down in price after they are no longer so new. Please forgive my rant... This just happens to be a BIG pet peeve of mine. :)

 

I've also decided not to spend more than $9.99 for e-books. I love my Kindle!

[Divi]

We have just received our Kindle, the WIFI version. This is an early birthday present for my husband and I have already decided that I would like one for my birthday in January.

Now for the probably stupid question - if our next Kindle purchase is the 3G version, using the same account, how do we share books if we have access to cell phone service but not to WIFI?

When you purchase a book, is it automatically archived to all devices on the account?

By the way, Best Buy in Canada, only seems to carry the Sony e-reader.

Our closest Staples store said they would be getting covers next month.

This thread has been terrific!

Thanks,

Deen

[surfclam2003]

We have just received our Kindle, the WIFI version. This is an early birthday present for my husband and I have already decided that I would like one for my birthday in January.

Now for the probably stupid question - if our next Kindle purchase is the 3G version, using the same account, how do we share books if we have access to cell phone service but not to WIFI?

When you purchase a book, is it automatically archived to all devices on the account?

By the way, Best Buy in Canada, only seems to carry the Sony e-reader.

Our closest Staples store said they would be getting covers next month.

This thread has been terrific!

Thanks,

Deen

 

just got my mom a K 3G and we share the same account. I just went on to my acct with A and downloaded books to her kindle. Nor sure if the 350 books in my archive shows on hers (hope not since she is 75 and doesn't need to read certain books :eek:)

 

Love the kindle - we were driving the other day and I went into my archive and downloaded books while on the road (mine is a K2 so it automatically came with the 3G)

 

Saves alot of space in my luggage.

[Linda&Vern]

I was 10 seconds away from clicking the purchase button on Amazon's Kindle website when I called my local Best Buy yesterday. They had just received a shipment of Kindle 3G. They said they would hold one for me as they never stay on the shelf very long. I ran over - touched - liked - and bought it! Played with it all night. Loving it! :D

[Calebo]

Surfclam,

Did you have to register your mom's Kindle before downloading books to it? My daughter is thinking of getting a Kindle, and we do read alot of the same books.

[annde]

My experience with my second Kindle says it all:

I bought my first Kindle ($350) the first day it came out, even before the cover on Newsweek. I was given my second Kindle last Christmas. I have been experiencing white lines across the face of the print. Called today for tech support, amazon is sending me a new one!

I LOVE MY KINDLE. I do not leave home without it!

Annde

[Cinder Again]

Be really sure to register any new kindles on the same amazon account, otherwise,you can't share books. That seems obvious, but a little detail couples can miss if they aren't careful.

 

You can move materials from one to the other by hooking your kindle up to the computer as well, if your wireless or 3 g isn't getting a great signal.

 

Interestingly, my kindle gets a good signal here at my home, where my iphone doesn't. That said, I love the fact that I can read from my book, on my iphone if I don't have my kindle handy, and then they sync again when I pick the kindle back up...really a great service!

[Divi]

Be really sure to register any new kindles on the same amazon account, otherwise,you can't share books. That seems obvious, but a little detail couples can miss if they aren't careful.

 

You can move materials from one to the other by hooking your kindle up to the computer as well, if your wireless or 3 g isn't getting a great signal.

 

Interestingly, my kindle gets a good signal here at my home, where my iphone doesn't. That said, I love the fact that I can read from my book, on my iphone if I don't have my kindle handy, and then they sync again when I pick the kindle back up...really a great service!

 

Thanks Kathi.

That's the information my husband was looking for.

Deen

[al50]

Last week I arrived back on the Westerdam from Athens. My experiences with the Kindle were very good but not perfect. I read about 10 books on the trip... really enjoyed and kept the luggage costs down. But I was a little disappointed in the coverage.

 

I subscribe to a couple of newspapers and enrolled in the international coverage, about $5.00 extra a week. This worked fine as long as we were near shore. But, there was no coverage on the ship's 3G network for the kindle. So no free internet away from land either. Going through news withdrawals in the 7 day trip across the Atlantic, I used the ship's internet service and read a lot. At the best on the ship's internet there was at least 4 minutes to download a newspaper-- sometimes 8 or 9 minutes with an issue that had lots of photos. This made it really expensive for one newspaper issue. Cost = subscription cost + ship's internet cost.

 

But I still love my Kindle :)... just not when were out of site of land.

 

Al

[Julia_B]

Secondly, Sony uses more formats, such ePubl. Kindle does not. While you can download books from other e-reader sites, if they are in PDF format, you can forget about changing the font. I downloaded a non-Kimble version of Alice in Wonderland (one that had the drawings). I had to use the PDF version, and the type is so small that it is uncomfortable reading it.

 

You can convert epub books (and most other format of ebooks) with the following free program so you can still use your kindle to read them. (note best output for kindle is the MOBI format)

 

http://calibre-ebook.com/

[Calebo]

I watched the Calibre demo and it seems easy to use. I am wondering if there are more choices for books which are not classics. I use amazon.com ( as I have a Kindle) all the time and download some of the free books, but am looking for other sources.

Any recomendations?

TIA

[Jemima]

My Nook worked great on our recent cruise. I didn't see many e-readers on the cruise. Most that I saw were Kindles, but I do think the Nook is the best choice.

[Mary Ellen]

I would suggest that anyone looking for an E-book reader check out the Dec (2010) issue of Consumer Reports. They tested 14 different models. Of the regular size models, the 2 Kindles topped the testing at 72 and 68 points. Nooks were 3 & 4 at 56 and 53 points. The Kobo was tied for last at 40 points. Read the article and decide what will work best for your needs. :)

[heidik]

My kindle is stuck!!!! I bought a new kindle, just turned it on after flying to FLL for my cruise tomorrow morning and it is not working!!! The start-up screen picture is half erased and none of the buttons are working!!! I am so upset -- please please please tell me there are a ton of books on the Westerdam that I will be able to read - including paperbacks. This rots.:(

[Mary Ellen]

My kindle is stuck!!!! I bought a new kindle, just turned it on after flying to FLL for my cruise tomorrow morning and it is not working!!! The start-up screen picture is half erased and none of the buttons are working!!! I am so upset -- please please please tell me there are a ton of books on the Westerdam that I will be able to read - including paperbacks. This rots.:(

From your other post:

I had a similar problem with my Kindle (completely stuck). Try holding it on the off position for at least 80 seconds and the whole thing should completely reload. It worked for me.

I had this happen once. Turning it off like this worked for me too. Never had a re-occurrence.

[judynorth]

My kindle is stuck!!!! I bought a new kindle, just turned it on after flying to FLL for my cruise tomorrow morning and it is not working!!! The start-up screen picture is half erased and none of the buttons are working!!! I am so upset -- please please please tell me there are a ton of books on the Westerdam that I will be able to read - including paperbacks. This rots.:(

 

Call tech support for help! Now! You might just need to reset (reboot) the device and all will be well.

[mrintegra]

I love everything about my Kindle and it's reasonably priced at $140 and is great for my college. The only thing I don't like is the web browser but it's not a biggie at all since I usually have my iPhone or MacBook.

[10DogMom]

I'm so glad this thread reared it's head again! I won a Kindle back in June (from a business convention - so I actually got something out of it besides the free drinks) but hadn't done a dang thing with it. I had NEVER thought I would get one because I do so love my books in my hands.

 

However, once I had it I had to admit it would be great for our 2 week vacation, since that would involve too many books just for the plane trip. But seeing this thread made me actually dig the darn thing out and start downloading. Thank goodness I like Jane Austen - I think I got all of the free ones available. But WOW - Lee Child's new one is out on Kindle! Much as I hate giving Amazon any money (I only buy there as a last resort because they sell dog fighting videos and stand on their 5th Amendment rights to do so), I had to buy that. Something to look forward to on the cruise!

 

Wait, that sounded bad. I am looking forward to EVERYTHING on this cruise... Ah, crap, I can't think of some other way to put it. But you all know what I meant. :rolleyes:

[LynnObie]

mamaofami:

Look at Lynnobie's entry #106 in this thread.

 

So, buy a 3G Kindle & have free e-mail access & web browsing capabilities (albeit a little cumbersome) anywhere the 3g network is available, including at sea? Can this be true? We are planning a 56 day HAL cruise & our main concern was staying in touch with home. This would solve our problem! Is there another option for free e-mail (the web browsing would just be a bonus)? If so, what would it be? If not, why doesn't everyone who travels have one of these devices? Sounds too good to be true.

 

After reading bra1child's post on the previous page, I checked out the Kindle 3 user guide for web browsing then tried it with my wife's new K3. It is definitely doable and with practice wouldn't be too bad but not my go-to e-mail device when better "free" options were available using a PC. Once you get using the screen orientation & cursor controls down, using the Kindle keyboard is still a little awkward, IMHO. What appeals to me was the poster mentioning being able to use the 3G feature on her cruise without having to buy internet time or pay cell charges. I am now considering a 3G + Wi-Fi Kindle 3 which is $50 more than my wife's Wi-Fi only version cost with the thought of taking it on our cruises for occasional web browsing & e-mail in additon to reading books. BTW, I LOVE my iPod Touch with Kindle software for reading books! When I first heard of reading books on an iPod, I dismissed the idea.... thinking who would want to read on the 3.5" screen? Well, once I actually tried it, I quickly changed my mind. The backlit screen & adjustable font size makes reading a pleasure.... YMMV.:)

Click here for Kindle 3 User Guide PDF you can read and save. I believe the section on Web Browsing begins on page 117.

Update.... Although I really like my Kindle, I wanted to update this thread to make others aware of my recent experience. Be aware that you can no longer use the Kindle 3G feature at sea for free internet/email access. We just returned from the Nov 7-21 Zaandam Circle Hawaii cruise. It seems that either Cellular @ Seas and/or Amazon has discovered & plugged the apparent loophole that formerly allowed free access to their cell service by the Kindle 3G while at sea. While I could use the 3G service just fine in port where land-based cell towers were obviously available, the 3G no longer works at sea as earlier reports by others mentioned they had done for web browsing and checking email. I got a 3G Kindle for my birthday based largely on those earlier reports by others & am somewhat disappointed that the 3G function no longer works at sea. On the other hand, I love using the Kindle for reading & playing available word games whether at sea or not.

 

I have used the Kindle web browsing feature for web based email as well as going to various other web sites while in port or at home. Once you get used to how it works, it is ok if you have the patience the put up with the somewhat quirky way it works along with using the Kindle's tiny keyboard. It works ok in a pinch, but not my 1st choice of connecting to the internet. I still think the Kindle is the best e-reader I've seen and really enjoy using it for reading books or playing available word games.

[LynnObie]

Thought I'd sharethis link to a new cover I found at Amazon that won't ship yet for a couple of weeks but it appeals to me for 2 reasons: 1)The design has a leather "frame" around the Kindle that will protect the Kindle when I use the book clip on our exercise bikes as my gym, and 2)it will cost under $25 delivered. Zoom in on the item detail pic's to better see what I described. Of course, there are lots of different cases available as I'm sure you've noticed.

 

When you get the cover, please let us know how you like it. I'm curious about how that stand will work and how heavy the cover is.

Mamaofami & anyone else interested.... Reporting back on the cover with stand which just arrived 2 days before our Nov 7-21 Zaandam cruise. My wife & I both like the case/cover. It is lighter weight than the Amazon book style cover which my wifer really likes because of her arthritic hands. The stand is adjustable for various angles & I really like using it in some cases to rest the kindle on a table while reading. The stand feature just offers one more option. The case came with a 12 volt car adaptor for charging the Kindle. A good value & glad we ordered this case/cover.