Kindle Question

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I have a nook and love it, it was so much lighter in our carry on not lugging books on our last cruise.

Someone mentioned audio books, I have tried them and just do not like them, especially when you read a series like author Janet Evanovich and her Stphanie Plum series. The voices do not sound the least bit like I had alread had in my mind. The voice reading it is not mine, plus in many cases the audio books are more money than ebooks.

 

The reason you are not always finding some books in ebook format is because of the publisher not wanting to release it in this form. I personally know an author that I have read many of her books and she was able to get her first three books in ebooks but all the rest are tied up with the publisher and negotiations for the moneis they want to receive.

For those that have nook you can type in under search on your nook 0.00 it comes up with over 956,000 free books. I do not think Amazon offers any free books. I just downloaded a good James Petterson book for free :)

[macky2]

Another great feature of the Kindle is that you won't accidentally buy the same book twice. It's so disappointing to get home with a new book and settle in to read it and then find after reading a few pages that you have already read that book. With the Kindle if you try to buy a book that you have previously bought, a message will come up asking if you want to go ahead with your purchase.

 

Love, love, love my Kindle.

 

PS - there are tons of free books available for the Kindle. I find some of my favorite new authors by searching the free book lists.

[jbhcw]

I also love my Kindle..it is the perfect device if you're a reader and traveler:)

The one drawback that I've noticed is that I've been a library goer my entire life and just cannot break the habit:D Have to visit every few weeks..but I switch between Kindle books and library books and it works out just fine...Also there are some books I just don't want to pay the price they want for them..so I head to the library!

 

I also had way too many books..they were taking over the house and out buildings...we finally got most of the donated to Goodwill.

[GrammieK]

Amazon does offer free books for the Kindle. When you go to the Amazon Store on the Kindle there is a section called Free Kindle Dowloards (or something like that). Sometimes you can find a really good book there, not all of them though. The beauty of it is, when you download one you don't like you just delete it. I downloaded a number of very good books for free on my Kindle.

[Jemima]

We really like our Nook and it will go with us on our next cruise.

[uppitycats]

I really was hesitant to buy a Kindle at first. I'm a former schoolteacher and long time librarian, and I thought I'd miss having the "real book" in my hands....but once I saw the Kindle, I just fell in love. (I haven't seen the Nook...had I seen it first, I possibly would have swooned over it, instead! :o ) I have a leather cover for mine, so it has the "feel" of a book. And this is purely psychological, but just knowing that I have in my hands well over 100 books now, and counting.....gives me such a good feeling!!! :p

 

I can't find in the instructions anything about not turning it off, though! I certainly don't keep mine "tuned" to Amazon/Kindle store, but I do turn it off when I'm not reading, or anticipating reading in the next few hours. I've only had to charge it once since I got it a couple of months ago -- and that's after reading 20 books or so, buying 30 more, downloading the rest free, etc!

 

Somebody also said you can't get free books from Amazon -- that would be wrong. There are LOTS of free books there, everything from new releases offered free for the first time, to old classics, games, etc. LOTS of stuff. And lots of links to other sites where you can download free books. I don't like audio books, but I absolutely LOVE having the ability to carry around with me this device to the world of literature!

 

The one disadvantage I recall about the Kindle over the Nook -- many libraries are now set up so that, with the Nook, you can "borrow" books from the library through the Nook, and you can't do that with the Kindle. I understand that Amazon is trying to work that out -- I don't know any of the details -- but for now, you can't use the Kindle for that. And you can't buy books from Amazon for Nook (nor can you buy books from Barnes and Noble for the Kindle), so if you're a power shopper in either venue, you'd want to buy the e-reader that is compatible with that venue.

 

I don't understand how the ipad works, or an mp3 thingy (I don't even have a regular cell phone..luddite that I am, I still have a phone with a cord hanging out of the wall!!) so the Kindle is a huge step up for me..

 

and I am ever-so-glad I got it!

[LynnObie]

Thought I'd pass this along for anyone interested.... It is a web site has that lots of helpful info for Kindle users.

 

http://www.kindleiq.com/

 

Note the tabs at top for "Advanced Search", "Free Kindle Books", "Kindle Price Drops" and "New to Kindle"

 

You can sign to receive email notices advising of any free books as they are offered. I get an email from them almost daily & have tried out some new authors this way..... some of which, I will buy their other titles as a result of trying the free book.

[Randyk47]

My wife has the Sony and loves it. I got it for her for her business travel and cruising. Slowly but surely she's switched over and I see her using the Sony for the majority of her reading even at home. She still buys a few printed books but mostly those that are part of a series that she's already collected. The case for her Sony has the built in lighted reading light.

[waASPCrusier]

While I still try to decide on the reader I will purchase, I use the free iBook and Stanza readers on my iTouch. That being said here are a couple of good sites for comparison....just like cruise lines everybody has different favorite for different reasons.

 

http://ebookreadermatrix.com/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_readers

[Harry1954]

I use to carry 4-6 books with me an a cruise and also check out books from library. Bought the Kindle early this year and love it. No more lugging books .. just electronic ones. I even downloaded a couple books when we were in Honnigsvag .. the north most part of continental Norway. So, it really seems to work wherever there is coverage.

 

My two complaints: a) the prices have recently risen to where it is only $1 cheaper than the paperback for some of the more popular writers ... no production cost, so it seems as though we are being taken advantage of .. but I will still buy them for convenience - and they know it.

b) unlike paperback books, I can not turn them over to friends to read .. only to kindles within my account. This is more of an unreasonable issue when one pays basically the cost of a book for the electronic version - I hope that changes over time.

 

harry

[Rainbow Bridge]

I bought a Sony with a leather cover so that I could change the orientation from portrait to landscape. That means that I can attach my "Itty-Bitty" book light to the leather cover from the side and it is positioned right over the screen, just as it is with a "real" book. I use AC current at home for the light and a battery pack (4 C batteries last about two weeks and I read a lot at night) when we travel.

 

I was one of those that liked the feel of a real book, would never want an e-reader......I was so wrong:o:o:o! I love my Sony!!!!

 

Gena

[Avista]

I have had a Nook since Feb 2010. What I like about it is I can get e-books from the library. I don't believe the Kindle is able to get library books. This really saves me a lot of money. Once you get an e-reader, you will probably be reading a lot more. Of my books, about 2/3 are library books and 1/3 I buy. I bought Bob Woodward's Obama's Wars and am reading that now, but have 2 library books ready to go.

 

My local library does not have E-books yet. They say they are coming. The Free Library of Philadelphia has a nice selection of books. This is where I borrow my books. If you live out of state the card is $15, but it is a good investment for me.

[Live4cruises]

Thank you, everyone, for the great feedback. I'm planning to order my Kindle this week. DH maintains that he wants the feel of a "real" book, but maybe he'll come around too.

 

Particular thanks to those of you who pointed out that two people may share books on the same account, and to GrammieK for the suggestion of oberondesign.com. I had about decided to order one of Amazon's covers, but was disappointed that they weren't more artistic. The Oberon covers are spectacular, and I will enjoy the difficult decision of picking the perfect one.

 

CruiseCritic folks are the best!

[GrammieK]

My pleasure - glad I could help. I have the roof of heaven cover (oberon.com) in blue. It is so detailed. I love it. My friend has the butterfly in purple. another beauty!

Good luck choosing (you can't choose wrong - they are all so beautiful) and enjoy!

Kathie

[510picker]

Based on the feedback everyone has posted, I ordered a Kindle for my wife tonight. She has been talking about getting one and gone back and forth, so I decided to just buy it. I figured I could try hers out and if I like it, she can buy one for me!

[davidgilead]

I've got a nook and love it. No one has mentioned that you can "lend" a book to any other nook user. The only restriction is that not all books are lend-able. Look for the "lend-me" logo when you download a book.

[Candy]

I would LOVE to be able to use a Kindle-type book reader outdoors at the pool or on my balcony, but I must wear polarized lenses for the glare. I've had trouble using my digital camera in full sun, and I wonder if anyone has a problem reading with polarized sunglasses.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I cannot answer for the Kindle but I have used my nook outside by our pool wearing polarized glasses with no problems at all. That was one of the selling points was being able to read in out in full sun light.

[luvmysox1]

Thank you for the info on these beautiful cases. I know what I'm buying myself for Christmas.

[Liv4cruzin]

RE: Kindle on the plane

 

This summer I was using my Kindle for the first time on a flight (happened to be CO). When the FA came through checking for electronic devices in use, I stopped her to ask the question. If I had my wireless disabled, could I continue to read during takeoff? She said that was fine. A few mins. later she came back; & said that after consulting the Capt., she was told that the device had to be turned completely off. As was mentioned earlier....."if it has an on/off switch, it has to be turned OFF".

 

THAT would be the only negative I've experienced w/ a Kindle.

[maxout]

We love our Kindles and now the have "Kindle for PC" free software that will allow you to access and read any previously purchased (or free) content on your PC/laptop/netbook.

[sparky-elpaso]

RE: Kindle on the plane

 

This summer I was using my Kindle for the first time on a flight (happened to be CO). When the FA came through checking for electronic devices in use, I stopped her to ask the question. If I had my wireless disabled, could I continue to read during takeoff? She said that was fine. A few mins. later she came back; & said that after consulting the Capt., she was told that the device had to be turned completely off. As was mentioned earlier....."if it has an on/off switch, it has to be turned OFF".

 

THAT would be the only negative I've experienced w/ a Kindle.

 

Thanks for the info. We'll be flying on Friday and I'll be taking my Nook so now I have to remember to turn it off after I get on the plane.

[mahlerlover]

Which is better - Nook or Kindle? We leave on the 24th and would like to get one before we sail.

[Mcscotty]

I must confess I'd never heard of a Kindle! Now that I've 'googled' it, I wish I'd read this post a couple weeks ago as I quite fancy one! Less than 7 days ' til departure so too late now.

 

A technology website here rates it equal with the Sony but notes for the future it thinks the Kindle etc will die off with the arrival of the iPad - any comments?

 

Obvious negatives against iPad are price and battery life, any others?

 

I'm not clear if for audio, do you need to purchase an audio book (expensive) or if the technology on the Kindle 'reads' the regular book download?

[Aruba]

It's not entirely clear to me what the difference is between the $139 Kindle and the $189 Kindle (apart from $50)...