Amazon Kindle

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tubby
Posts: 137
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:53 pm

Amazon Kindle

Post by tubby »

Hello all,

l am seeking opinions here pls, would you buy Amazon Kindle to help a reluctant reader to enjoy reading, or do you have one and how does it work, if am making any sense here. :?

Thanks
Lookinglass
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 11:04 pm

Re: Amazon Kindle

Post by Lookinglass »

Hi tubby

My husband has a kindle and won't put it down he absolutely loves it!
tiredmum
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:51 am

Re: Amazon Kindle

Post by tiredmum »

I have a kindle too and its "my best thing" :o
It got me back into reading again after a long time of starting books leaving them lying around then forgetting them or losing them. Ive read three books since chistmas, before the kindle i hadnt read three complete books in 3 years :oops:

However im not sure if its an adult thing and kids would prefer the actual pleasure of handling a book. Both my dd's enjoy reading but have not shown any interest in my kindle - how old is your dc?
tubby
Posts: 137
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:53 pm

Re: Amazon Kindle

Post by tubby »

Thanks for the replies. She is 10, she reads but not as much as she should if you understand me, picks a book and you have to nag her to read it, she enjoys using the internet, l don't know if that means anything oh dear, i would not want to spend over a £100 and for it to be gathering dust!! :(
yogkruti
Posts: 267
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:06 pm

Re: Amazon Kindle

Post by yogkruti »

I "tested" it out at the store but found the screen a bit too small, which makes you "turn the pages" frequently i.e hitting the button (and I don't consider myself a rapid reader!). The problem will be exacerbated for faster readers I guess.

Also did not like the plasticky feel plus the limitation on supported file types.

Unless they do EPUB (which is supported by council libraries) it won't get my custom.

The tech around the kindle is good though. They have made it easy to for you to spend money on books :-)

Gone are the days of sharing a book with friends (?)
pist
Posts: 120
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:08 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: Amazon Kindle

Post by pist »

Wait wait wait yogkruti...

Was thinking of getting one of these, but am dithering as I love real books and would probably end up buying double, at least of the ones I like!

Have never heard of EPUB would you be kind enough to explain how this works :?:

Do you know anything about other e-readers? (was partly considering the Kindle due to the free library of many classics available)

:D pist
yogkruti
Posts: 267
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:06 pm

Re: Amazon Kindle

Post by yogkruti »

Basically eBooks come in different formats. The standard format is the EPUB format and this is the one used by UK council libraries.

Amazon has its own - which only the Kindle reader can read.

To make it slightly complicated the ebooks can be DRM protected. This causes another lock-in to the reader.

By default Kindle s/w will not be able to read EPUB ebooks (DRM or non-DRM).

However there are readers out there which can read EPUB (Sony, nook etc).

Personally I would prefer a device which can read EPUB as well as Kindle - for eg: a Windows/ Android OS on a netbook/ tablet (like Galaxy tab)... which means I can read library books (EPUB) as well as books which I purchase from Amazon (i.e Kindle format).
guest201
Posts: 484
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2009 4:04 pm

Re: Amazon Kindle

Post by guest201 »

I heard a couple of weeks ago that a "supermarket"version e reader was goimg to be brought out, so it will be considerably cheaper, maybe this would be a solution for you, if your Child didnt like it at least you wouldnt have thrown away so much money.
turtleglos
Posts: 455
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:04 pm

Re: Amazon Kindle

Post by turtleglos »

Does anyone know what the kindle app for the ipod is like. As ds1 already has the ipod I thought this might be a cheaper option?
Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will think it is stupid.
yogkruti
Posts: 267
Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:06 pm

Re: Amazon Kindle

Post by yogkruti »

turtleglos wrote:Does anyone know what the kindle app for the ipod is like. As ds1 already has the ipod I thought this might be a cheaper option?
Yes, the Kindle Application is good.

Have seen it running on multiple platforms... iphone, ipad, android, windows etc.

The issue with smaller devices (like iphone and other smartphones, or even the Kindle 3 in my opinion) is they don't seem suitable for any extended reading OR any technical reading which involves looking at diagrams/pictures OR for relatively rapid readers (need to keep scrolling and can get irritating very soon!).

For iphones/smartphones it might still be OK for short reads i.e browsing news quickly while travelling or catching up with an "e-bookmarked" novel which you had been reading via your kindle app on your tablet/homepc/laptop etc. since the Kindle app allows you to "sync up" multiple devices - bear in mind though that there is a plethora of small print when it comes to where, what and how many times you can download the kindle e-book (which you purchased!) onto your devices - I won't even try explaining that! :shock:
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