kindle 2!

avidknifeusersf

avidknifeusersf

Joined
Mar 12, 2007
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Any readers out there, who dont have an ebook, I highly recomend the kindle 2.

At $350 the price is a little steep, and IMO ebooks are still a couple years away from being ipods--despite some hype to the contrary.

I saw a cartoon comparing it to the Hitchhikers Guide. I think thats apt. You can access the internet, download books real time, and I get the newspaper on it every day. I fly on average once a month and I love being able to take one small book with me.

I have a dictionary, a bible, a cookbook, and a ton of really crappy pulpy books on mine so far. Its small and light and has a screen akin to an etch-a-sketch. No eye strain from heavy reading.

It doesn't come with a case or light which it should have... although I dont bring around a reading light for my books either...

I'd like the next one to have a bigger screen, be extra tough (like a book), maybe a touch screen (if they can get rid of the glare problem) and color would be great for magazines and such.

Just wanted to let you guys know what its all about, since people have been making the rounds touting the kindle non stop lately.

I cant stress enough how cool it is. I got through my book while waiting for my car to be fixed the otherday... I hopped into the E-Store via the Kindle and downloaded a new one right on the spot...
 
I have one of these too. Be careful of the screen, it might be fragile and scratch easily. That said, I really like mine. It's what I've been waiting for in an ebook reader for all these years.
 
Guess this isnt such a popular item here at Bladeforums.

Absintheur: It was 9.99 for hardbacks and $5-8.00 for paperbacks.

Lately some new releases have been $14.00 =(. People are 'boycotting' protesting, etc.
A lot of people use free websites like torrent. I havent tried that yet...

Bulgron: You have the best avatar on all of BF if I havent already told you... I keep mine in the patagonia case so it should be good to go. I also have a drybag on order for the beach and bathtub and such...
 
I would buy one of these if Amazon would just offer the option of an ebook with physical book purchase. For example a couple bucks extra downloadable immediately while the book ships. For the most part, I like to keep physical books on the shelf. I have no doubt that I would buy some books only in digital version, but I want to have the option without effectively buying two books at full price. That's not even to bring up the whole idea of loaning and borrowing great books from friends, or even selling them; I never sell books, but it is a major consideration for a lot of people that are heavy readers and finance new purchases with their old ones just like knife addicts.

I thought they were going to go that route when the first kindle came out, as Amazon had started to offer digital copy versions of books for a couple bucks extra w/purchase of a physical book. Once I bought a tiling book and wanted to get some info immediately; I paid the extra few bucks, got the info I needed and the book arrived in the mail a week later, it was great.

Bezos I think is not going to go that route though, he's been fairly clear in his desire to make the Kindle a separate business model and eventually a replacement for physical books. I must admit it makes a lot of sense to cut out the paper and distribution methods of physical books, especially for Amazon and some of the publishers. One of the problems of the long tail idea for small publishers is that it is so expensive to keep books in print or print a small run in the first place, and something like the Kindle goes a long way to fixing that.

Also Bezos was on Charlie Rose the other day saying that color e-paper exists in the lab but is a few years off. He was vague about it, and I would venture a rough guess that if he publicly states that color e-paper is 4-5 years off, the reality is that a competing product will come out in 2-3 years.
 
Absintheur said:
What is the average cost per book?
Click to expand...

Really hard to say. There are plenty of free books. Amazon has a whole section of free books, plus you can grab stuff off of Project Gutenberg and read it on your Kindle. A lot of genre fiction seems to run $6 - $8 per title, unless it's a new release of a popular book in which case I've seen it as high as $15 - $16. Nonfiction seems to run $10 - $20, but I haven't really surveyed the market yet.

You can also buy books from other publishers (anyone shipping unencrypted mobipocket books), so your costs there are determined by the publisher that you're dealing with.
 
I'm excited for a color, flexible, 81/2 by 11 version for papers and magazines that could concievably be around in 4 or 5 years.

The Whispernet is really the best feature... I've read it could account for as much as $100.00 of the unit.

The e-ink is neat... since its not backlit theres no eye strain...

I use mine exclusively for those pulpy novels I'm embarassed to be seen with. That I probably wont be sharing with others. That take up too much room on my bookshelf. (I have a small apt.) I would love them to get rid of the DRM so you could e-share like you can with a real book.

Someone is coming out a with color screen later this year... no network connectivity, for around $1000.00
 
sirahren said:
The Whispernet is really the best feature... I've read it could account for as much as $100.00 of the unit.
Click to expand...

Whispernet is neat in concept, but I find that in my house anyway it takes a long time to download a book over it. I wish they'd built the thing so that I get books that I buy off of Amazon onto my Kindle via the USB cable. (I can get all other material onto my Kindle via the USB cable, so why not Amazon-purchased content?)

sirahren said:
The e-ink is neat... since its not backlit theres no eye strain...
Click to expand...

Agreed. However, I know some people complain about it because they like to read in bed with the lights off, and the lack of back-lighting is apparently a real deal killer for them. Me, I spend my entire working life staring at a back-lit monitor, and so I don't want to do anymore of that than necessary when I'm not at work.

sirahren said:
I use mine exclusively for those pulpy novels I'm embarassed to be seen with. That I probably wont be sharing with others. That take up too much room on my bookshelf. (I have a small apt.) I would love them to get rid of the DRM so you could e-share like you can with a real book.
Click to expand...

I don't like DRM either. I'm about to re-purchase some Dresden Files novels that I bought for e-reader, but now can't transfer to the Kindle. (I like the Dresden Files -- guilty pleasure -- and I could only find 4 out of the 9 on e-reader, but I can get all 9 on the Kindle. Call me obsessive, but I really want the entire collection.)

As for "exclusively used" I actually will happily read non-fiction, history, political books, etc on the Kindle if I can get it. Paper is highly overrated. I also like reference material (dictionaries, thesauruses, programming API reference material) on readers like the Kindle due to it's ability to search text for material. Way faster than flipping through pages.

sirahren said:
Someone is coming out a with color screen later this year... no network connectivity, for around $1000.00
Click to expand...

The only reason why I would want color is if I was into magazines. I'm not, so black and white is OK by me. Besides, black and white is probably going to always offer the best battery life.
 
Im sure with the Itunes store going DRM free, and the user backlash from several DRM companies going under and taking many peoples libraries down with them, DRM for Ebooks will go out the door rather soon. Several authors have spoken out and are releasing their books DRM. the momentum against DRM is growing.
I'd love a Hitchhickers guide, or a kindle, maybe some day.
 
I've thought about getting one, but in the end I think I love books too much. There's something about holding a book that you don't get from reading text on a screen.

That said, if the Kindle was a bit smaller and actually a bit thicker, I may be more interested (it doesn't seem all that sturdy). And I'd like it to be backlit. I spent way too much time 20 years ago contorting my body into strange and erotic positions just to get enough light to see the screen on the original Game Boy.
 
I would be interested in one if it was a 3rd of the price, and had some improvements.

At $350 it is a huge rip off. You can get a laptop for that or a little more.
 
Thanks for posting. I've been looking at these but ultimately decided against them until 2 HUGE criteria are met. First, a really good text to voice feature. Nothing even remotely robotic. We're talking revolutionary here. Dunno how far off that is. Secondly, this new Kindle seems like it was rushed to market. Looks a lot like version "1.1" to me. There needs to be color screen, backlight function, rugged and flexable design. This "updated" model falls way short of what it COULD have been.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that you're happy with it and I'm glad you purchased it. Folks like you are financing the model that folks like me are waiting for. That's important. :cool:

The day you see me at a bus stop or a doctor's office without a paperback novel, you'll know Amazon finally hit this particular nail on the head. :D
 
Looks like a nice device but I have some serious problems with e-books the way they are done right now. With the digital rights management crap you can't sell, give, or lend an e-book to anyone. Once you buy it, it's yours forever. They want everyone to pay full price for everything and totally eliminate any second hand market since they don't get paid again for used books.

Another thing is most e-books are the same price as their analog counterparts. A lot of books these days are in that "big paperback" format (whatever it's called) and sell for $14, which is a big ripoff and I refuse to buy them. The e-books are the same price. So I just won't buy either.

Thanks but no thanks. I'll stick with $5-7 dead tree paperbacks. Support your local used book store.
 
A lot of books these days are in that "big paperback" format *snip*
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Trade edition paperback, I think. Total ripoff. Falls apart like a paperback, but with HC price.

I'm kind of wishy-washy on the whole ebook idea, still. DRM burns my ass no matter what format it's applied to. Libraries haven't put the printing presses out of business yet, have they? The libraries here in town check out books, magazines, vhs, dvd, (you used to be able to check out printed art and statuary, too. Hope they bring that back.) Internet access is free, and within the last year or two, they added video game consoles for the after-school set.

Yet when citizens take care of themselves independently in the same regard, it's "piracy". Strange. . .

As an aside; did you ever notice what an evil word they chose to describe this act? Theft is mundane, but piracy, well, that's scary, uncivilized, and brutal. Unless you're a pirate, of course;)

Aaarrrrgggghhh. . .
 
I'm totally ready to buy one of these, except for the cost of the books. Considering how much cheaper it is to "publish" an e-book when compared to cutting down trees, pulping them, making paper, printing books, shipping books, etc.... it should be cheaper to buy them. Same thing pissed me off when CDs came out. They're cheaper to make than cassette tapes, but they charged more for them. :mad:

E-book readers are really close to the iPod tipping point... just a little cheaper, and the publishing industry is going to start heading the way of the big music producers.

What I would really like to see would be a "trade in a book" feature where you could trade in a hard copy of a book for a discount on buying the e-book.:thumbup:
 
bulgron said:
Whispernet is neat in concept, but I find that in my house anyway it takes a long time to download a book over it. .....
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Bulgron, do you find that it works faster in other places other than your house? What zipcode do you live in or closest intersection if you don't mind? I just want to check your coverage.

Just interested in your experience since I've done work on the Kindle and Kindle2 hardware.

--Chris
 
Saunterer said:
Bulgron, do you find that it works faster in other places other than your house? What zipcode do you live in or closest intersection if you don't mind? I just want to check your coverage.

Just interested in your experience since I've done work on the Kindle and Kindle2 hardware.

--Chris
Click to expand...

I know my own home seems to be right on the borderline of the "green" and "white" zones. You should be able to check your coverage here:

http://www.showmycoverage.com/mycoverage.jsp?id=A102ZON


I'd really be tempted by one of these if the price were more reasonable.
 
You have to google it, but they have an Oprah coupon for $50 dollars off. (I didnt find out till after my order.)

I live in LA so my connection is very good... And while my laptop and pda are better at a lot of things, I also pay a rather large connectivity fee for both of them.

A neat light built in would be cool. The Sony E-reader has one, but apparently the readability suffers greatly because of increased glare on the screen-- As it is I have a lot of lighting around my bed from reading paperbacks. Since I live in LA I mostly drive everwhere, if I got to take the subway places I could see the necessity of a built in light. M-Edge is coming out with their new booklight which I may pick up. (Its very thin.)

The color screen would be neat for the magazines I've subscribed to on it, and eventually for Comic Books and such... In 3 or 4 years I'll be able to read Penthouse on it... ;)

I'm excited for Turn Coat in early April!

I thought I'd miss paper books--not so much. Its amazing how quickly I get absorbed into the story and forget all about the medium. In someways its nicer cause you can turn pages with one hand. Once you sit down to read, it becomes very comfortable to hold.

It really is Kindle 1.5 and should have been kindle 1.0. The screen should be a little larger.

As far as I've seen, the e-book is always cheaper than the hardcover and mostly cheaper than the paper back. I've never seen it more than. They really should get it to be always cheaper.

This certainly isnt a device for everyone. I'm an impatient reader. I read 2 or 3 books at a time and usually the fiction books over one or two days and have an OCD to finish them, so for me, I love being able to not have to truck 2 or 3 books all over the place... Like an udiophile and his ipod. I spend time at my girlfriends place un planned and have to entertain myself, so again with the kindle I know a fun read is always close by.
 
I'm planning to buy a good ebook reader in the next day or two. I've been researching as much as possible on the Web for comparative reviews between Kindle and the Sony reader. I have no need of automatic downloads nor do I need a touch screen. I leaning heavily towards the last generation Sony reader without the touch screen. Unfortunately, I can't hold any of them before I buy. Anyone have an pros or cons for either reader?

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
I'm planning to buy a good ebook reader in the next day or two. I've been researching as much as possible on the Web for comparative reviews between Kindle and the Sony reader. I have no need of automatic downloads nor do I need a touch screen. I leaning heavily towards the last generation Sony reader without the touch screen. Unfortunately, I can't hold any of them before I buy. Anyone have an pros or cons for either reader?

Stitchawl
Click to expand...

I have the SR505 Sony reader and I have been very happy with it, probably the best gift I ever got. I dont need to download newspapers or books on the fly so the Kindle is overkill for me as I virtually always have internet access on my laptop in the evenings when I catch up on the days news, if I even bother. I travel a great deal and spend a lot of time away from home so any electronic book is a great help to me since I dont need to lug around a bunch of books. I have even loaded technical manuals in PDF format so that I can access the information when I need it and that has been quite useful.

If I am really critical of the Sony, the processor is kind of slow so there is a slight delay in turning pages or accessing menus but its not a big deal. The new Sony reader is much faster but I am not going to pay $400 just to turn pages faster. However, the new one has a slightly bigger screen which I really like.

I have not used either Kindle but I did my research and the Sony fits my personal needs better. It feels really solid, I love the look of it and I expect at least a couple of years additional use out of it. Battery life is excellent, I charged it when I left home a week ago, have almost finished one novel of about 600 pages and the battery is down to 3/4. That was a priority for me and I am very satisfied with the performance.
 
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