Kindle I just ordered a Kindle - am I gonna like it?

[Keen Punter 272]

Books are not cheaper. Even buying second hand, 20 ebooks read would pay for the cost of the Kindle I purchased (I pay about 160 baht per second hand book).

 

Ok, if I return them, I get 50% credit, so make that 40 books. Easily done in a few months.

Sorry when I mean books I mean books on Kindle are cheaper than the paper versions. Didn't explain myself properly.

[englishinsiam 15]

I use an ebook reader and the kindle app on my Galaxy S2. Then I only carry around one thing. The screen is big enough to read ebooks comfortably as the app resizes them to fit the screen perfectly.

 

If battery life is an issue just buy a new battery.

 

I have a 32gig as card in and could theoretically have many thousands of books too.

 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[Gary 4,119]

I have one of those small desk lamps on the headboard. It uses a 7 watt fluorescent bulb and is pretty directional. It doesn't bother my wife and provides plenty of light for my kindle.

 

I used to read paperbacks in bed but my old eyes now need reading glasses to read the print. The kindle is also much easier to hold in one hand not to mention turning the pages. My netbook and phone are all but useless outside in bright light. I don't have an iPad but my friend's iPad is useless in the sun. Battery life with his backlit screen is horrible especially with the brightness on maximum. I wouldn't trade my Kindle for an even swap if I had to read my books on an iPad.

[LasRobos 270]

Does the IPAD work for video chatting? Has it got an integrated web-cam and how do you position it?

 

I have the iPad2 and it works great for video chatting. It has a camera in the front so you just face the screen and talk. You probably do want to buy some kind of case that makes it easy to position the iPad in an upright position. In fact I just video chatted with Martin the other night and it was an iPad2 on his end.

 

I think all these devices are just great whether it is an iPad, Kindle, Nook or something else. They all have their pros and cons and you need to pick the one that works best for your intended uses. The iPad just works out great for me. Battery life is good at about 10 hours, I tend to read a lot where it is dark such as in a bed or airplane and it works great for that. It works great for web browsing. Typically I travel with a laptop and do quite a bit of writing of Emails and on a word processor. I also need to use Excel a bit. With the LogiTech bluetooth keyboard, the iPad is almost as convenient as a laptop although the Excel compatible spreadsheet for the iPad is not nearly as convenient and powerful as the real Excel. So I no longer travel with my laptop but just bring my iPad with LogiTech keyboard that doubles as a case.

 

One of the cons of the iPad is reading in the sunlight but I would never sit in sunlight to read anyway. One of the best investments I've ever made!

Edited April 26, 2012 by LasRobos

[VPI78 11,516]

Does the IPAD work for video chatting? Has it got an integrated web-cam and how do you position it?

 

The iPad is ideal for Skypeing. It has both a forward and reverse camera. So you get both a small screen of what the other side is seeing (normally you) and the greater portion of the screen is the other party.

[ozboy 31]

Adding a lot of books at once is a bad idea on a Kindle, they're prone to lock up. A hundred at a time works fine. Also, they index all the books, including all words bigger than "the", on mine that takes about an hour per hundred books and it will eat battery life while doing it, so it's best to leave it plugged in until it finishes.

 

If I have one moan about the Kindle, it's indexing. I don't want it, I don't use it, but I can't turn it off - and the index for an average book is about 50Kb. OK, so once indexing is done you can search for a word or phrase across all the loaded books, but as a leisure reader I don't need that. If I was using it for work or study yes, but that's not me - or I think most users.

 

Collections - you can make those on the Kindle itself, no software needed. Remember though that they aren't folders, more like an index of tags. A book can be in multiple collections, or none, and deleting a collection won't delete the books.

 

Series - hell, yes. I read mostly F&SF, the bulk of which is written in series - I did read some complicated royalties/publisher based reason for that, but I can't remember it now. Personally, now that I read exclusively on the Kindle, unless it's a series that I've been following, I only download completed series, then read them one after the other. I've just finished the Wild Cards series that's currently on 21 books, that took a few weeks.

 

 

What is a good site to get some of these free books from,I have just ordered a kindle and will need to get some books for it fairly quickly before i leave on holiday.

[Montydog 135]

What is a good site to get some of these free books from,I have just ordered a kindle and will need to get some books for it fairly quickly before i leave on holiday.

 

Just search the Amazon kindle book site loads of free ones.

[Fornicator 106]

I have the IPad2 and love it !!!!!! I don't read books but I do surf the web a lot. It's great not luging around my Mac.

[jacko 8,815]

The iPad is ideal for Skypeing. It has both a forward and reverse camera. So you get both a small screen of what the other side is seeing (normally you) and the greater portion of the screen is the other party.

the iPad is almost as convenient as a laptop

So why not have a laptop? These days they are pretty slim and light, the Samsung 9 series being a good example.

I don't wish to decry those who have bought IPADS (baaa...baaa....baaa...) but I still see a notebook as preferable, and have always had my reservations of the overpricing and proprietary nature of Apple. Maybe I need to change, but when I see this 'place-mat' I wonder where the 30,000 baht + is going?

[kaiser71 30]

The lack of eye strain is really drawing me towards getting one. Anyone know: Can you turn it sideways for viewing wider page setups? Is the touch more enjoyable to use? How is the experience viewing larger page setups, like textbook size?

[LasRobos 270]

So why not have a laptop? These days they are pretty slim and light, the Samsung 9 series being a good example.

 

Because for my uses the iPad2 is generally superior. It is still significantly smaller than a small laptop and much easier to carry around. I can use the iPad to read books much easier than a laptop. I prefer the iPad for surfing the internet and reading and responding to Emails. The iPad is better for video texting as well. The only place for me where the laptop has a strong advantage is the features of Excel versus an Excel compatible spreadsheet available on iPad. Unless for some reason I am going to be doing a ton of analysis on a spreadsheet I would take an iPad with me on a trip every time versus a laptop.

[Gary 4,119]

The lack of eye strain is really drawing me towards getting one. Anyone know: Can you turn it sideways for viewing wider page setups? Is the touch more enjoyable to use? How is the experience viewing larger page setups, like textbook size?

 

There are eight text sizes available plus different fonts. There are also some additional settings. You can rotate the screen in any direction you like. I had about a thousand different books on mine and found it too hard to navigate and keep track of them so I now put less than fifty on it at a time. Actually I put them on by author so It's easy to remember which ones I read. I then then delete them after I read them. I use Calibre to load the books.

[VPI78 11,516]

 

So why not have a laptop? These days they are pretty slim and light, the Samsung 9 series being a good example.

I don't wish to decry those who have bought IPADS (baaa...baaa....baaa...) but I still see a notebook as preferable, and have always had my reservations of the overpricing and proprietary nature of Apple. Maybe I need to change, but when I see this 'place-mat' I wonder where the 30,000 baht + is going?

 

For me it is a matter of a better tool for some jobs. I have a small farm in Isaan (yeah I know it is really the wife who owns the land, yada yada yada). I could use the pickup truck to haul farm produce from the fields or I can do it with the tractor and trailer. The laptop is like the truck; more versatile and the Kubota a more specialized tool that excels at certain tasks but would suck at having to do all the truck does like drive from Isaan to Bangkok.

[Big_Brian 179]

What is a good site to get some of these free books from,I have just ordered a kindle and will need to get some books for it fairly quickly before i leave on holiday.

Wherever you download free movies from.

 

The lack of eye strain is really drawing me towards getting one. Anyone know: Can you turn it sideways for viewing wider page setups? Is the touch more enjoyable to use? How is the experience viewing larger page setups, like textbook size?

You seem to be thinking of it as looking at a picture of a book. It's more like increasing font size on a word processor like MS Word, or when typing here, change the font size and the text just flows on to the next line automatically, no horizontal scrolling is needed. This is actually the reason that page numbers are meaningless in an ebook - change the font size and you change the number of pages.

[Montydog 135]

 

 

. This is actually the reason that page numbers are meaningless in an ebook - change the font size and you change the number of pages.

 

The Kindle doesn’t give page numbers for the reason you set out, but rather a % of book read.

[jacko 8,815]

For me it is a matter of a better tool for some jobs. I have a small farm in Isaan (yeah I know it is really the wife who owns the land, yada yada yada). I could use the pickup truck to haul farm produce from the fields or I can do it with the tractor and trailer. The laptop is like the truck; more versatile and the Kubota a more specialized tool that excels at certain tasks but would suck at having to do all the truck does like drive from Isaan to Bangkok.

Aha, but your analogy suggests buying both...... you haven't grasped how tight I really am!

 

I have no desire to walk around town like a prat carrying an IPAD everywhere..... I can do everything at home. And on the rare occasions I travel, well a laptop isn't exactly a big problem to carry.

 

I am in the market for something and wanted peoples opinions, although those with rose-Apple tinted glasses need not apply!

 

At the moment I see a laptop can do everything an IPad can and a lot more, plus software is more widely available and cheaper, true or not?

 

For example, I want to use something like Skype or Yahoo messenger for a video chat, is the software to do that already on an IPAD, or have they hooked me into now spending a lot paying for more software? It's bad enough with a notebook, most are sold here with only Dos OS, so I know I will be adding 7000+ baht to load on Windows 7 and Office.

Edited April 28, 2012 by jacko

[VPI78 11,516]

You can Skype on either a laptop or Ipad without buying any software . Skype will keep trying to sell you an upgrade package but you do not need it for Skype-to-Skype calls.

 

Like you I resisted buying a tablet for a long time. My laptop was like a Swiss army knife. But one day while knocking around bruising my knuckles trying to change out the alternator in my truck with a crescent wrench (spanner); I realized my life would be easier with a few more wrenches better suited for specific tasks. The Ipad has been like that; unlike the laptop no more waiting for the damn thing to boot. With the magnetic cover the Ipad starts immediately. Applets similarly load instantly.

 

Tablets are the future whether you are an android or Apple fanatic. But hey some still use a slide rule instead of a calculator.

[jacko 8,815]

You can Skype on either a laptop or Ipad without buying any software . Skype will keep trying to sell you an upgrade package but you do not need it for Skype-to-Skype calls.

 

Like you I resisted buying a tablet for a long time. My laptop was like a Swiss army knife. But one day while knocking around bruising my knuckles trying to change out the alternator in my truck with a crescent wrench (spanner); I realized my life would be easier with a few more wrenches better suited for specific tasks. The Ipad has been like that; unlike the laptop no more waiting for the damn thing to boot. With the magnetic cover the Ipad starts immediately. Applets similarly load instantly.

 

Tablets are the future whether you are an android or Apple fanatic. But hey some still use a slide rule instead of a calculator.

Sorry I have diverted this thread but perhaps we had finished discussing the Kindle.

My aversion is a little more with Apple, deep seated from years ago, and my self protective attitude of not following the crowd.

(I think I installed Quicktime once and was furious that it seemed to have taken over my computer and I struggled to get it off)

You made a good point, Android, perhaps a Samsung tablet would be better? I have always like their stuff.

 

Can I load something to an IPAd that would work with yahoo messenger at the other end?

 

These tablets (I just read a review of the Samsung Gal 10.1 which sounds good..) are all overpriced though.

Edited April 28, 2012 by jacko

[kaiser71 30]

There are eight text sizes available plus different fonts. There are also some additional settings. You can rotate the screen in any direction you like..

You seem to be thinking of it as looking at a picture of a book. It's more like increasing font size on a word processor like MS Word, or when typing here, change the font size and the text just flows on to the next line automatically, no horizontal scrolling is needed. This is actually the reason that page numbers are meaningless in an ebook - change the font size and you change the number of pages.

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I was thinking of it as a small tablet with the e ink feature.

[Gary 4,119]

I too refuse to follow the Apple lemmings. No way will I pay an Apple premium price. I have my Kindle and the e-ink display is better and sharper than a printed page. I have my cheap 10 inch netbook that takes a memory card, has WiFi, a decent keyboard and I know of nothing an iPad can do better except to be more expensive, fragile and needing an expensive case to protect it.

 

I have progressed further than Jacko because I do depend on my phone to check email and have a good camera in my pocket. My smart phone is no longer very smart. I don't allow it to sync things that I'd rather do manually and I don't use any of the social networks. I did have to root the phone and install an application that will not allow it to connect to the Internet by itself. The phone and SMS messages work but the Internet data is shut off until I toggle it on.

 

The Motorola Defy Plus can be purchased from invadeIT here in Thailand for 9,500 baht. It is an Android phone and I use maybe a half dozen Android applications. In addition to doing what the 28,000 baht iPhone will do, it is water and shock resistant with a Gorilla glass no scratch screen. As much as I dislike touch screens, I must admit the the swype typing is amazing.

 

Checking my battery with my normal usage shows it has been running 140 hours and still has 39 percent battery left. Having to charge a normal smart phone every day and pay for an unlimited account sucks. All smart phone applications still work, BUT, only when I want them to.

[brotherbuzz 3,206]

You made a good point, Android, perhaps a Samsung tablet would be better? I have always like their stuff.

I really like the Galaxy 10.1. Thin, light and the screen is outstanding and responsive. They're releasing the Tab 2 in a few weeks with a lower price and have added an SD slot that was sadly lacking on the first one.

 

And yes, there is a Messenger app available.

[jacko 8,815]

I really like the Galaxy 10.1. Thin, light and the screen is outstanding and responsive. They're releasing the Tab 2 in a few weeks with a lower price and have added an SD slot that was sadly lacking on the first one.

 

And yes, there is a Messenger app available.

That was another thought, these tablets are so popular I believe they command too high a price, about the same as a lower end Notebook.

When you say 'available' do you mean free?

[9cisco999 107]

I do like the Kindle experience however one day it just wouldn't start. I only had the green light and the screen shots of past authors on the screen. The only recommendation of the Kindle support center was to hold down the start lever which accomplished nothing. I then learned since I bought it in the USA, I couldn't get a replacement sent to LOS where I was living. I was told there was no place to get it repaired in Thailand but I didn't look further into that. I did get a replacement sent to a friend in the USA but have also since that time added an iPad2 for a backup.

 

The newspaper presentation on the Kindle isn't at all representative of a real newspaper as it is on the iPad. Instead, it's in an essay format as a series of articles. I like reading newspapers .

 

The Kindle has a much better viewing screen in sunlight than does the iPad, but overall the iPad resolution absolutely rocks. It's a "tablet" with unimaginable features. I bought the case for the Kindle that has a built in reading lamp attached to it so I don't have to disturb others while I read. That works well.

 

The battery life on the Kindle has impressed me but so has that of the iPad which is stuffed up with loads of apps.

 

And the books I bought on the Kindle were still available for download for the replacement I received.

[brotherbuzz 3,206]

When you say 'available' do you mean free?

It's free. Skype, Messenger, Mail and the like are all free, as are lot's of games, applications etc. You can browse the Android Market (now Google Play) and get an idea of what's out there.

[BigDUSA 71]

My wife owns the Kindle Fire and loves it. Unfortunately it went belly up the other day. Amazon had a new replacement in her hands within 2 days. No hassle return.