Kindle on a Cruise

[Treven]

I have the Sony 700 (upgraded from the 505), with an additional 8 gig card/chip that I bought for it. I paid $350 for it from B&H Photo in NY - I buy all of my electronics from them. I'm quite pleased with the 700, especially the touch screen; I only use the built in lights if I'm waiting for the local pubilc transportation at night - it does suck down the battery.

 

I think the unit has 512 mg built in memory; with the 8 gig, I can't imagine I'd go through the thousands of books I could store on it. I don't use any of the built in memory, I simply copy & paste from the particular web site directly to the chip.

 

There's a discussion going on at the mobile read forum site about whether Sony has discontinued the 700 or not; and if they have, if they're going to be coming out with a new version. It wouldn't surprise me as I've only had my 700 for two moonths.

[McDebbie]

We're going to take a little trip up to Boca tomorrow to visit the Sony store and check out both the reader and a camera I have my eye on. Already checked Amazon prices and will check B&H also before we go. So far Amazon is cheaper by $110 for both, wonder if the Sony Store will match the price? :D

[Manny's mom]

I love my Kindle 2. I've had it since March, and would never go back to lugging books on my trips. I can make the font big enough that I don't need my glasses. I'm leaving for the Black Sea July 31 and I can't wait to take my Kindle and sit on deck.

[SelectSys]

The Kindle is great on travel. One of the greatest benefits of the Kindle is that it has internet access built in as an "experimental" feature. I have used this to look up weather conditions, airline flight status, etc.

[2sunny]

OK, I am not too savvy with my Kindle and I have not had it too long. Are some of you saying I can 'download books' to it that are not from Amazon? If you are can you please tell me exactly how I can do this?

THANK YOU!!!!

[Treven]

We're going to take a little trip up to Boca tomorrow to visit the Sony store and check out both the reader and a camera I have my eye on. Already checked Amazon prices and will check B&H also before we go. So far Amazon is cheaper by $110 for both, wonder if the Sony Store will match the price? :D

I found B&H to be the cheapest. Granted I didn't do a lot of comparison shopping as I'm quite comfortable with B&H; I've always gotten good service from them.

[Bettyboop66]

I'm looking at buying one of the Kindles, not sure which one yet, and I have a few questions...Is is easy to read outside in the sun or is there a problem with having a glare? Also, do you have to buy all books from Amazon? How long does the battery last if you are just reading and not buying any books?

Thanks for the help.

[SFParrtHd]

I'm looking at buying one of the Kindles, not sure which one yet, and I have a few questions...Is is easy to read outside in the sun or is there a problem with having a glare? Also, do you have to buy all books from Amazon? How long does the battery last if you are just reading and not buying any books?

Thanks for the help.

 

Well, I am still "new" to the Kindle but, yes, you can read outside with NO glare whatsoever. The nice thing is that if you need reading glasses, you can make the font larger and just wear sunglasses. The battery will last you around 2 weeks if you keep the wireless off. I just turn it on to receive a paper for DH or to download a book. I am not sure if you can buy books from other sites. I have the Kindle 2 and really love it - didn't think I would, but I do.

[Wormy53]

I'm looking at buying one of the Kindles, not sure which one yet, and I have a few questions...Is is easy to read outside in the sun or is there a problem with having a glare? Also, do you have to buy all books from Amazon? How long does the battery last if you are just reading and not buying any books?

Thanks for the help.

 

As stated - NO GLARE. If you buy the Kindle2 you can use a site called Mobipocket Creator that has lots of free books. You just download to your computer and use your USB cord to put them into your Kindle. I haven't tried it yet, but nice to know it's there. Amazon has lots of free books. Go to Amazon and look under Kindle. There is all kinds of information and FAQ's and discussion groups that help with all the little ins & outs!:)

[McDebbie]

Got the Sony 505 yesterday and am a little unsure if I will keep it. The page flicker when you turn the page kind of turns me off. Will take it outside tomorrow to see how it does in the sun. And it was a LOT heavier than I expected, it's at least the weight of three regular paperbacks. A lot less bulky though. But the thought of downloading all my favorite books and getting rid of the hard copies is appealling. Some of those books are so old they are starting to smell funny. :eek: Of course I won't be getting rid of the books my grandparents inscribed and gave each other, I even have one from 1919 that someone gave my grandfather.

[Bettyboop66]

Thanks for the answers,

Wormy53...the site that you mentioned does it also work for the Kindle or just the Kindle2?

Thanks again for the help

[nancyjo95]

I love my Sony 505. I got it for $149 because someone had purchased it at Br***stone at the airport and decided that they didn't like it. They couldn't sell it as new, even though the box hadn't been opened.

 

I download books for the local county library as a PDF. I can have up to 10 at a time, just like the regular books. When the two weeks are up, they show up as expired on the Sony. It also tells me how many days I have left before they are expired. And if I decide I don't like a book, I can return it without leaving the house. They don't have every book, but enough to keep me busy for a long time.

 

And if there is something I REALLY HAVE to read, I can purchase it from Sony. So it's a win-win. I have probably only spent about $20 purchasing books, since I have found so many to read at the library.

[jerseygirl3]

Okay, I've been on the fence about ordering a Kindle. When Amazon emailed me the other day alerting me to the fact that they had lowered the price to $299, my DH said, "order it." He knows how much I love to read and all the books I lug around on cruises. So I've ordered it, I got an email saying it's shipped, and I think I'll have it tomorrow. Just in time to take to the beach this weekend! My brother has the DX and it's quite a bit more expensive...I believe he paid $459. I'll be using mine primarily for reading books, so the Kindle 2 is just fine for me.

 

I can't wait! I'm so excited!

 

Jo-Ann

[Treven]

Okay, I've been on the fence about ordering a Kindle. When Amazon emailed me the other day alerting me to the fact that they had lowered the price to $299, my DH said, "order it." He knows how much I love to read and all the books I lug around on cruises. So I've ordered it, I got an email saying it's shipped, and I think I'll have it tomorrow. Just in time to take to the beach this weekend! My brother has the DX and it's quite a bit more expensive...I believe he paid $459. I'll be using mine primarily for reading books, so the Kindle 2 is just fine for me.

 

I can't wait! I'm so excited!

 

Jo-Ann

Congradulations!! I'm sure you'll like it. I have the Sony 700 and I'm so used to it that I've gone back to my office to retrieve it when I'd gotten home and realized my reader was still on my desk.

[Wormy53]

Thanks for the answers,

Wormy53...the site that you mentioned does it also work for the Kindle or just the Kindle2?

Thanks again for the help

 

Wouldn't swear to it, but I read from someone that you had to convert the files of Kindle1 to pdf so that it could read them. Just looked at the mobipocket site and it is an Amazon company. It showed them having only 40,000 titles and Amazon has over 300,000 and getting more all the time! All these publishers need to come up with the times!!!:)

[SFParrtHd]

Okay, I've been on the fence about ordering a Kindle. When Amazon emailed me the other day alerting me to the fact that they had lowered the price to $299, my DH said, "order it." He knows how much I love to read and all the books I lug around on cruises. So I've ordered it, I got an email saying it's shipped, and I think I'll have it tomorrow. Just in time to take to the beach this weekend! My brother has the DX and it's quite a bit more expensive...I believe he paid $459. I'll be using mine primarily for reading books, so the Kindle 2 is just fine for me.

 

I can't wait! I'm so excited!

 

Jo-Ann

 

Congrats Jo-Ann - I know you will love it. Did you get a cover for it? You got a great price, my DH paid the original $ for it for me :o I am now reading "The Help" on it - I find I read faster and don't skip stuff like I used to. Enjoy! Dona

[Benita]

I ordered the Kindle on July 2 and the price went down by $60 by the time I received it. I called Amazon today and they said they would put a credit of $60 on the AMEX card that I used for purchasing the Kindle. They are offering the credit to everybody who bought the Kindle 2 after June 15.

[McDebbie]

I download books for the local county library as a PDF. I can have up to 10 at a time, just like the regular books. When the two weeks are up, they show up as expired on the Sony. It also tells me how many days I have left before they are expired. And if I decide I don't like a book, I can return it without leaving the house. They don't have every book, but enough to keep me busy for a long time.

Wow, that's good to know, will have to check out my library.

[cruisienewbie]

I have the Kindle App downloaded on my iPod Touch and absolutely loved using it on a vacation in May. Didn't have to worry about carrying extra weight in my checked luggage or carry-on.

 

Did you find it hard to read on your iPod Touch? I have an iPhone and was debating between using it and buying the Kindle.

[jerseygirl3]

Congrats Jo-Ann - I know you will love it. Did you get a cover for it? You got a great price, my DH paid the original $ for it for me :o I am now reading "The Help" on it - I find I read faster and don't skip stuff like I used to. Enjoy! Dona

,

 

Yup, I ordered the cover for it at the same time I ordered the Kindle. I got the original Amazon Kindle cover. I considered the pink one made by the other company, but I figured if DH ever borrowed my Kindle (of course, he'd have to pry it out of my greedy, little hands), he may feel weird with a pink cover. So I got the standard black cover. My brother said it hs a magnetic closure, and he's had no problems with it openeing.

[mrobinson]

This was been a good post for me. On our cruise last fall - we sat next to a person who had her Kindle. It looked great. The only thing holding me back was that I get almost all of my books at the library. I read a lot and very fast and just put the latest books on reservation list at the library. If I am buying books it usually is at the used bookstore for paperbacks for my trips. It is not uncommon for me to bring 15 paperback books for a week cruise. I only buy new books that I will want to reread multiple times (Diana Gabaldan series, Twighlight, Harry Potter).

 

So the reason I've held off buying the Kindle is because I don't spend much on books. However the space/wieight of books in suitcase has gotten ridiculous. I usually take 1-2 cruises a year and also fly a few other times a year for vacation or business.

 

So I think I won't make the break even point of purchasing a Kindle but it will be worth on saving space in suitcases.

 

Any thoughts?

[rimau]

mrobinson, I am with you all the way. They look really cool and I love the idea, but am not sure that using it on the occasional trip makes it worthwhile. Very expensive way to save space.

[Treven]

I don't use my reader (another brand) just on trips. I have mine with me where ever I go; waiting for public transportatioin, going out to eat, at work over lunch, waiting for an apoointment, etc. I go out to eat by myself so I don't have to worry that a spouse or significant other might get upset that I'm sitting there reading instead of paying attention to them.

 

I've found that in some restaurants the waiter can often pace the courses as if there was a couple - sharing chit chat with each other - instead of a single person. Fortunately there are several restaurants within walking distance of my apartment, and the waitstaff all know that I'm there alone and they don't drag the courses out.

So, I'm sitting there reading. I've often times had people stop & ask questions about my reader.

[dobiemom]

Did you find it hard to read on your iPod Touch? I have an iPhone and was debating between using it and buying the Kindle.

I have an iPod Touch and got the Kindle application first and love it. No, it's not hard to read. The last upgrade they added landscape view, a white font on a black page (instead of just a black font on a white page) and sepia which is kind of brownish.

 

Then from reading these threads (there's a couple about Kindles) I found out about Sony eReader, and iTunes has a free application for that too. I like the eReader because you can highlight text; add notes; change the font, line spacing, margins, and justification; and has dictionary support. The best thing is the auto-scroll so you don't even have to turn the pages (or you can turn pages by swiping or tapping, just like the Kindle application).

 

I like both since I can read in bed without a light so I don't disturb DH while he's sleeping. I'm not sure which I like better since I just got eReader. But since the apps are free, just get both and try them (both have several free books), and then see if you want to spend $$ on a Kindle.

[SFParrtHd]

mrobinson, I am with you all the way. They look really cool and I love the idea, but am not sure that using it on the occasional trip makes it worthwhile. Very expensive way to save space.

 

OT - so nice to see someone from ABQ! We travel there several times a year to visit our son and daughter in law. Just love it there :) (and of course all the casinos ;))