Kevin's Watch

I just wanted to start a thread in praise of this nice little device. Maybe it has it's faults, and yet it doesn't take long before you realize you're doing all your reading on your Kindle.

I find the e-Ink screen very easy on the eyes, which I appreciate. Staring at a LCD screen too long is eye-straining. Also, the resolution is so good it does look just like printed text.

Some other things I'll share.

I jailbreaked my Kindle. Because I really didn't like the "screensavers" that were built in, and there was no way to change them. (Who wants to look at a picture of Emily Dickenson?) Someone had worked out how to jailbreak a Kindle, just so you can change the screensaver, because everyone hates them so much. So I did it.

I have a collection of Donaldson-related screensavers now. I'll have to show you guys some of them --- they are very sharp! Other people have posted theirs on the web.

I also fixed my Kindle with packing tape once. It was a big scandal at the time: Kindle 3s were crashing and hanging when you attached the non-lighted cover. Something to do with static charge forming on the outside of the cover and then dissipating through the contact points where the cover attaches, these contact points also being the means by which the Kindle powers the lighted covers. Amazon has withdrawn the non-lighted covers, and they rebated me the price of the lighted cover (which had no issues). However, the lighted cover is awful - its very thick and heavy. So I just used some tape to insulate the contact points - problem solved.

Love my Kindle, despite all of this. Or maybe because all of this.

Some of my kindle screensavers. Click the thumbnails for full size. Heck, download them to your kindle, too.

Awesome. I'm thinking about getting a Kindle, but am still on the fence. My Sony Reader still works just fine. And I downloaded the Kindle app for the iPhone. In fact, I just finished reading my first whole book on the iPhone last night. It was kind of a weird experience, constantly flipping pages...

sorus and i and some other guildies had a big conversation last night about kindles. i'm kinda addicted to mine! hey wayfriend, i'm the geek who likes the pic of emily dickenson!

our guild daddy drayec is totally Mr. Kindle! he was telling me that you can actually convert books in other formats (like paperbacks or hard backs,etc) to your kindle for free!

So it was you!

Yes, I think Amazon offers a conversion service. I never used it.

I prefer to use calibre. It's freeware, supports a lot of different kinds of conversions, and lets you tweak out your conversions as well. Like, if you've ever had to tweak an MP3 file to fix the name or the album image, well, you can do the same kind of things to ebooks: fix titles, change the cover picture, generate a TOC, etc. In fact, you're not too far wrong to think of calibre as iTunes for e-books.

In fact, you can convert any book to MOBI format, any service or any software, and you're kindle can read it.

yes and i love john steinbeck and the page from the book of kells and virginia wolff!

I have the Nook and I'm able to read on my iPhone with the Nook app.

I love having access to all my books at all times!

The part about being able to check books out from the library may be a tipping point for me. I will have to do some research on that and see what limitations there are.

Two things I like about the Kindle.

Since I'm getting older, the adjustable fonts.

Second, when the wifi's off, it lasts for a month without having to recharge.

Call me old fashioned if you like, but you just can beat the feel of turning the page of a REAL book.

I looked at the kindle, but decided on an iPad instead. It does way more and the interface is really good. iBooks with icloud is a really nice combination. And iBooks also has a store with a wide range of free and for purchase books, but you can get your content from anywhere, not just their store. I just can't imagine paying for a kindle that doesn't do much. Though, the new kindle fire has net access and a browser, it still looks like a poor experience next to an iPad. They are subsidising the price because they are tying you into their stores making the fire just a point of purchase vehicle (all apps tie into buying content from amazon and you are pre-registered, etc.).

The charge time of the old kindle is probably a plus if you never plug in your device, but I never found the 10-15 hours charge time to be a problem on the iPad since I'm always near a plug and just pop it there over night.

In my county, I can download books from the library system. They've set it up for e-readers. I haven't tried it yet so I'm not sure how it works but since I have a library card, I received an email about it a year ago.

Ananda wrote:I looked at the kindle, but decided on an iPad instead. It does way more and the interface is really good. iBooks with icloud is a really nice combination.

I bought an iPad a couple of weeks ago, but I have no intention of using the iBooks feature. I'm only using it for a couple of magazine apps (The Economist and Atlantic). To me it seems a little heavy for a e-reader. I bought it as a replacement for my macbook and as such use it mostly for browsing on the web and light typing. I was thinking of ordering the Kindle Fire, but decided that from the looks of it it wouldn't be enough to do the typing part.

Phantasm wrote:Call me old fashioned if you like, but you just can beat the feel of turning the page of a REAL book.

I said that same thing last November......and then my wife bought me a Kindle for Christmas. I was fairly sceptical but found very quickly that I LOVE IT!!! Being able to download the next book in a series... the inexpensive books from new authors that might never have seen print otherwise. I cant say enough good things about it. As with others.. I dont charge mine all the time and I get 3 to 4 weeks out of a charge if I leave the wireless off.

I have the Kindle app for PC, which I got to try out the experience. I used to hate reading pdfs of books, even books I loved, but the Kindle app makes it tolerable, even enjoyable. Next time I'm stateside I might buy a Kindle... I could fit several boxloads of books onto one... and there are no public libraries in this unbelievably backwards country.

iPad vs Kindle is no comparison. But, as I have found I don't want to do much more than read e-Books, I am quite happy with my choice.

I never liked reading books on a desktop or laptop. I suppose that sometimes it can be that or nothing. But it's definitely my least favorite choice.

But don't get me going on my feelings about storing one's books in the Cloud. That's letting Big Brother know way too much about me.

Phantasm wrote:Call me old fashioned if you like, but you just can beat the feel of turning the page of a REAL book.

I felt exactly like that...then I got a Kindle.

I just finished The Crippled God and A Dance With Dragons on the Kindle, now partway through Kay's Under Heaven. Completely addicted to the Kindle. Fantastic device.

I've been saying that I'll get an iPad when the netbook dies, but truthfully, I may get the iPad to replace both the netbook and the laptop I'm using now (which is really more like a desktop because the battery is completely dead ). But I would still probably keep an e-reader.

Damelon, an indie author I know said he was shocked at the number of his friends who have an iPad but who never read books on it -- so you are in good company. Seems like lots of people think of the iPad as a computer, not as an e-reader.

aliantha wrote:Awesome. I'm thinking about getting a Kindle, but am still on the fence. My Sony Reader still works just fine. And I downloaded the Kindle app for the iPhone. In fact, I just finished reading my first whole book on the iPhone last night. It was kind of a weird experience, constantly flipping pages...

Reading a whole book on an iPhone I think would drive me batty.

Ananda wrote:I looked at the kindle, but decided on an iPad instead. It does way more and the interface is really good. iBooks with icloud is a really nice combination. And iBooks also has a store with a wide range of free and for purchase books, but you can get your content from anywhere, not just their store. I just can't imagine paying for a kindle that doesn't do much. Though, the new kindle fire has net access and a browser, it still looks like a poor experience next to an iPad. They are subsidising the price because they are tying you into their stores making the fire just a point of purchase vehicle (all apps tie into buying content from amazon and you are pre-registered, etc.).

The charge time of the old kindle is probably a plus if you never plug in your device, but I never found the 10-15 hours charge time to be a problem on the iPad since I'm always near a plug and just pop it there over night.

I have the Kindle app on my iPad and I have iBooks on my iPad and I have free eBooks on my iPad. It's nice when traveling, but I don't really see it as a substitute for a Kindle or similar e-reader. For one thing, you can't read the iPad in bright light because of it's reflective screen. The Kindle seems to be much easier on the eyes for any kind of serious reading, but I haven't bought one cause I had the iPad first and I don't really want to invest in another electronic device right now.

aliantha wrote:I've been saying that I'll get an iPad when the netbook dies, but truthfully, I may get the iPad to replace both the netbook and the laptop I'm using now (which is really more like a desktop because the battery is completely dead ). But I would still probably keep an e-reader.

Damelon, an indie author I know said he was shocked at the number of his friends who have an iPad but who never read books on it -- so you are in good company. Seems like lots of people think of the iPad as a computer, not as an e-reader.

That's cause it's not strictly an e-reader. I honestly do more websurfing and checking email on it than reading books. Also, I use it to work on when I'm in transit, I have Pages and Numbers and Keynote on it. I read lots of articles from magazines on the web, read the news, and so forth. And I use maps and use it to listen to music from my iTunes library. And play videos from Youtube. And play games. Lots of games