E books / Kindle / Sony Reader

[deneng]

Do let me know as I am thinking of getting one for my mum for her birthday but I need to know how easy it is for someone with very little technical savvy...well apart from pressing all the buttons and then ringing me claiming she did nothing!!!! she once managed to get her ipod and mobile into japanese..apparently it just did it, she didn't touch anything!!

 

Ok Pickle will do. I havent much technical savvy either and often phone Michelle because I got myself in a mess with my phone or computer.

 

If I can manage it ok then your Mum should be able to.

[lexiepiper]

I've decided to get a Kindle with the money I always get for xmas I'm really looking forward to it!

[deneng]

Ok I have my Kindle. Michelle charged it up for me and registered it on my previously set up account with Amazon, showed me how to download books and I was away.

 

I used it last night for my reading in bed and I love it. Can change text size with ease. Its lightweight to hold and very easy to read in all types of light.

 

If you are thinking of buying one...go for it, I don't think you will regret it.

 

I invested in a case to keep it clean and scratch free and would recommend this, but they are much cheaper elsewhere than on Amazon.

 

Believe me if I can use it anyone can.

Edited October 24, 2010 by deneng

[Mac]

You know, the ends of my fingers are raw - raw I tell you! - from being dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Maybe I'll get one for my birthday and not shove it immediately under the bed...

 

I'm like Buck Rogers, me!

[pickle]

I decided not to get one for my mum in the end but its still in the basket on Amazon and I might treat myself for my birthday

[caribsa89]

I'm kinda a ebook junkie, I own 4 (3 Sony Readers and 1 Kindle). At one point I had 5 but I sold the extra Kindle on ebay.

[lexiepiper]

For those who have Kindles, what do you think of them? Are they worth getting?

[aviv chadash]

For those who have Kindles, what do you think of them? Are they worth getting?

 

I would recommend one. There convenient, and you can have a number of books with you without worrying about carrying them, and you won't get them ruined. There's also little extras like built in dictionariess, and a cool search function where you can search the book. You can highlight bits, make notes, and see what other people have highlighted. Though I think there's something to be said for owning a book.

[Donna]

I have a Sony PRS-505 reader, which is one of the original ones. I heard about it a few yeaars before it was released, waited all that time, purchased one when it was around £250 and within 6 months, there were new ones flooding the market *bangs head on desk*.

 

However, I love my e-reader. For me, it's additional to actual books, I couldn't replace paper copies. I am going to find it useful when I head off on holiday for 3 weeks next year.

 

For work I tested out a number of e-readers including the Kindle.

 

I would love an iPad, but I can't afford one!

[Maureen]

I would recommend one. There convenient, and you can have a number of books with you without worrying about carrying them, and you won't get them ruined. There's also little extras like built in dictionariess, and a cool search function where you can search the book. You can highlight bits, make notes, and see what other people have highlighted. Though I think there's something to be said for owning a book.

 

 

I definately agree! I have just gotten a kindle and it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[Donna]

I definately agree! I have just gotten a kindle and it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

Still debating whether to ask Santa for a Kindle

 

I have tried one previously for work purposes, but I can't remember if they support normal PDFs :/

[Kylie]

I was reading about Kindles today and they can view PDFs.

[Donna]

I was reading about Kindles today and they can view PDFs.

 

Thanks, Kylie

 

It's looking more and more likely, I'll be asking Santa for one!

[Karsa Orlong]

I had to buy one to give to my mum so she can give it back to me at Christmas

[Donna]

I had to buy one to give to my mum so she can give it back to me at Christmas

 

That's probably what I'll end up doing.

[Michelle]

It would appear that there has been some changes with prices for the kindle e-books. As far as I understand, Amazon set their own prices, but some of the bigger publishers are now doing so, and the prices are higher. So it might be worth taking at look at which books are available at which prices before you decide.

[Karsa Orlong]

It would appear that there has been some changes with prices for the kindle e-books. As far as I understand, Amazon set their own prices, but some of the bigger publishers are now doing so, and the prices are higher. So it might be worth taking at look at which books are available at which prices before you decide.

Yes, there's a whole announcement/thread about it on Amazon, here:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_ecf_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx3IRFCNF3E5K2W&cdThread=TxDO7PSRZ3YTZD

 

Amazon are 'naming and shaming' the publishers that do this by putting "price set by publisher" on the product page, as you can see here:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Surface-Detail/dp/B00462RVHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM&qid=1290510489&sr=1-1

[lexiepiper]

Sheesh, I rarely pay £10 for a hardback, let alone for an ebook!

[willoyd]

I have had my Kindle for a couple of months now, and love it. I'm very much a lover of hard copy books, but find this compliments them well. I've used it a lot for commuting and travelling - going to Venice a couple of weekends ago loaded up with reading material (Donna Leon amongst them!), plus guide book and eating guide to Venice, it really paid off, as we both travelled with just a small rucksack each.

 

As to prices: I think what the publishers have done is silly and in the long term self-defeating, as the music companies found to their cost, but most of my reading has been of books unaffected by them, not least in that I read a fair number of classics, and they are very cheap, even free (not just on Amazon: try Project Gutenberg et al). Given how straightforward it is to strip the DRMs off a file, I can envisage pirate copy circulation increasing rapidly, especially as there are more restrictions on ebooks than on hardcopies in terms of circulating to others.

[Ooshie]

I had set my face firmly against ebooks, but after noticing a comment from someone on another forum, I am beginning to think about ebooks for what I would expect to be a one-time read, which would free up my shelves for the series/authors/nice editions that I collect. What willoyd has said has also made me think it could be good for trying a classic cheap/free before I invest in a nice edition. (Yes, The Magic Mountain, I'm thinking of you - three attempts over several years and I'm still not more than a quarter of the way through!)

 

I'm only thinking about it, though, don't rush me, it takes me a long, long time to make a decision...

[Donna]

It would appear that there has been some changes with prices for the kindle e-books. As far as I understand, Amazon set their own prices, but some of the bigger publishers are now doing so, and the prices are higher. So it might be worth taking at look at which books are available at which prices before you decide.

 

That has just put me off asking for one. I don't want to pay £10 for an e-book when you don't really have a physical copy to handle.

 

When I first brought my Sony reader the beauty of e-books was the price - slightly cheaper than paper copies.

 

I think it's going to put people off trying readers to be honest.

[Karsa Orlong]

In general, the prices of ebooks for the Sony Readers are more expensive than the Kindle versions, even with this price hike - which only affects some Kindle versions, far from all - at the moment, anyway.

 

For instance, the Kindle version of Lee Child's latest (Worth Dying For) is £6.64, whereas Waterstones want £13.58 for the equivalent ePub version. That's an extreme, but you see what I'm getting at.

 

Don't let it put you off altogether

[Donna]

In general, the prices of ebooks for the Sony Readers are more expensive than the Kindle versions, even with this price hike - which only affects some Kindle versions, far from all - at the moment, anyway.

 

For instance, the Kindle version of Lee Child's latest (Worth Dying For) is £6.64, whereas Waterstones want £13.58 for the equivalent ePub version. That's an extreme, but you see what I'm getting at.

 

Don't let it put you off altogether

 

I won't I'm still going to ask for a Kindle, I think.

 

I'm a reviewer so I tend to get all of my e-books free. I think I've only ever purchased one for my Sony reader.

[Ophelia]

I think Father Christmas may be bringing me a Kindle this year. Trouble is, I'm a bit of a technophobe and, after looking on the Amazon website regarding these gadgets, I don't know whether I'd be able to use the thing. I don't know what WiFi is so I don't suppose we have it and, as for 3G - the other method of downloading - don't think we have that either. Does anyone know if you can just download the stuff using a computer and a USB cable? (One good thing about these little devices is that you can have audiobooks on them, apparently, and I do still love being read to even at my age!)

[Michelle]

WiFi is wireless internet, which you may or may not have. However, it is possible to buy the kindle books in amazon, then transfer them via the included USB lead.