Kindle and other readers

[hipower]

My wife is talking about getting me a reader of some sort.

 

Comments about any of them would be appreciated. Quality, ease of downloads, availability of authors, ease of reading, visibility of material on screen, and just anything you can tell me about.

 

Thanks.

[hammerdrop99]

If you are using it strictly for reading books, you can't go wrong with the Kindle Paperwhite. Very affordable, great backlit screen and excellent battery life. I use mine daily and only have to charge it about every two weeks.

[Cherokee Slim]

I have 8 Kindles.  I've gifted them to my wife, and every child and grandchild, even the 6 year old.  We don't buy paper books anymore, they are all downloaded.  I even use whatever version of the Bible I need and study books, including Spanish on mine.  We check our email, surf the internet and have apps for everything we need.  I have EPBFI so my downloads are on the Kindle almost instantly.  Even online shopping, mostly at Amazon, is quick and easy.  After 2 years the battery on my wife's Kindle started going bad so I ordered a new one and 10 minutes after I got it I easily installed it.  My battery is 3 years old and still isn't a problem.  We have had zero problems.  Content for children can be controlled.  The only thing I don't like is that I can't tell which of the 8 Kindles on my account downloaded or bought something.  Trust & parental oversite generally takes care of that.

Cherokee Slim

[Erik88]

I bought a kindle on amazon due $20. It's great. The only issue is that the screen does not light up on the cheap ones so can't read in the dark. Also, I had to buy a charger. It only comes with the cord

[Schadenfreude]

Can you view Internet forums on them?

[Cherokee Slim]

Can you view Internet forums on them?

Yes. And check into whatever username/password bank, credit card or whatever.  Email as well.

[Glock30]

I use a Kindle Fire HD a lot at home... great for browsing, reading, and Angry Birds :)

[Chris]

Kindle Paperwhite  +1. Just about the only way I read books now... great battery life, good memory... absolutely no complaints.

I'll usually charge mine up before a trip and it's rare that I have to recharge it unless the trip is longer than a week.

My wife uses the kindle fire and loves it... she reads, surfs and switches back and forth between the written version and the audible version of the book.

Battery life isn't as good, but it's a full featured tablet as opposed to the dedicated reader. 

[10-Ring]

MY wife has a Kindle Fire.  I don't like it because it mandatorily shows you advertisements when you use it.  If I'm needing to access the internet to look something up or whatever I don't want to have to view an advertisement.

[JPS]

I was in the book business for many years, and have owned or tried virtually every e-reader and tablet ever available. (I still have my Rocket Book, the first dedicated e-reader made.. It's a nice paperweight now.)

 

When considering a reader, its important to pay attention to more than just the hardware - the nicest reader in the world is useless if what you want to read can't be found or is not available in the right format.. Some sites (like Barnes and Noble/Books-a-Million) have plenty of titles available for their readers (e.g. Nook), but the shopping experience leaves a lot to be desired, and it's hard to find titles unless they're on a best-seller list of some type.

 

I own/use the Kindle Paperwhite, and absolutely love it. Amazon carries virtually everything available for e-books, the Kindle store is well-organized and easy to shop, and their prices are typically at or below those of the competition. Amazon also does a great job making recommendations based on what I've purchased or looked at on-line, and I really like that.. If you don't, spend a little extra and buy the model 'without special offers'.

 

The reader itself is for me just the right size, shape, and weight. It's popular enough that there are covers, chargers etc. available for very little on places like e-bay. (Never buy accessories from the reader manufacturer - you can always find better options.) The screen is easy to read in daylight, and it has a backlight that enables you to read in low-light or in the dark. (No backlight is a deal breaker for me.) I read 1-2 hours most nights, and usually charge my battery overnight every couple of weeks or so. I don't recall ever running it completely down.

 

I like a dedicated e-reader. If you MUST view internet forums or web pages, or want to read things like magazines, stick to a Fire or tablet, but I think you loose the immersive effects of reading a good book with those, and I keep a tablet around for that.

 

I'm betting you'll love using a reader!  I've been a voracious reader all my life, and I rarely pick up a printed book any more.

[TSprint1]

Kindle Paper White. Best screen, of any kind, I have seen for readability. Bright sun, total darkness, etc. Very simple, intuitive controls also.

[npgunner]

MY wife has a Kindle Fire. I don't like it because it mandatorily shows you advertisements when you use it. If I'm needing to access the internet to look something up or whatever I don't want to have to view an advertisement.

Many of the Kindles come standard with the ad feature (even just the reader versions have this). When purchasing through Amazon there is an option to purchase "without special offers" which removes the mandatory ads, however, last I checked that increased the price of the device by at least a $100. If you have one with special offers you can also pay the additional money after purchase through your amazon account and they will be removed.

I have a standard Kindle and wife has a fire. I don't care for the fire but I don't need it for all the fancy web surfing and games (I have a iPhone for that). I do wish I had gotten the paper white with the backlight as the standard Kindle is unreadable at night without the lamp. I'll +1 all the above on battery life and etc. I couldn't be happier. I haven't tried any other readers though so there's that. I should also say I purchased mine (a 2013 model) right after they released the 2014's and they had a coupon for $60 bucks off so I paid a grand total of $9 bucks for mine, so my expectations were low to start with.

[R1100R]

Love my Kindle Fire HD. Use it often througout the day.

[Glock30]

Many of the Kindles come standard with the ad feature (even just the reader versions have this). When purchasing through Amazon there is an option to purchase "without special offers" which removes the mandatory ads, however, last I checked that increased the price of the device by at least a $100. If you have one with special offers you can also pay the additional money after purchase through your amazon account and they will be removed.

I have a standard Kindle and wife has a fire. I don't care for the fire but I don't need it for all the fancy web surfing and games (I have a iPhone for that). I do wish I had gotten the paper white with the backlight as the standard Kindle is unreadable at night without the lamp. I'll +1 all the above on battery life and etc. I couldn't be happier. I haven't tried any other readers though so there's that. I should also say I purchased mine (a 2013 model) right after they released the 2014's and they had a coupon for $60 bucks off so I paid a grand total of $9 bucks for mine, so my expectations were low to start with.

 

When I bought my non-ad Fire HD, I think it was only another $20 to do it that way. Sounds like the ad revenue isn't what they expected it to be. ;)

[Murgatroy]

I bought my wife a regular Kindle and she never used it, she claimed that she preferred her analog books.

 

I bought the daughter a Kindle Fire and I can't keep it away from the wife...

 

 

 

 

There is something to note, the Kindle is a reader, the Fire is a tablet. Some folks aren't distinguishing the difference. The base Kindle will be black and white only. It may have other features than just a reader, but at the end of the day, it is a reader. The Fire is a tablet, it has nearly all the features of a basic computer and is in color. At the end of the day it is a gateway to Amazon and will sell you whatever you want. Oh, and you can read or play games on it.

 

 

If I wanted a reader, the Kindle is great.

 

If I wanted a tablet, the Kindle Fire is excellent at it's price point, although as a full tablet it leaves a little to be desired.

[Schadenfreude]

I believe that you can buy the no-ad version - of course it cost more

[Oh Shoot]

Being always years behind any trend, I just use Kindle app on my laptop. Price can't be beat. ;)

 

Also though, the Luddite attraction of cheap real books from thrift stores and McKays is hard to break. :)

 

- OS

Edited November 12, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[GlockSpock]

My vote would as well be for the Kindle Paperwhite. It is by far the best "E-Reader" for the money. I would like to try the Kindle Voyage, but it is a bit pricier.

 

I would also vote that regardless of the method, you make your purchases via Amazon Kindle. Windows/Mac and iOS/Android and more, your books will be accessible from nearly everywhere! That beats buying them from the Google Play Store or Apple's Books.

 

The apps are, of course, free.

 

For reading, I would vote that you stick with an "E-Reader" vs an actual tablet. The "E-Readers" are cheaper, lighter, and more durable. If you took your $80-$120 "E-Reader" to the river and dropped it in the water and it was gone forever, you wouldn't feel as bad as if it were your $400 iPad that does all the tricks. For simple, worry free reader, E-Readers cannot be beat! But since you are buying your books from Amazon's Kindle Store, you can access your books on an iPad or computer in the future if you so desire.

[tnguy]

I will, 2nd (5th, 6th?) for the Paperwhite. Note that you don't have to get your books from Amazon and there are many free options at, for example, Project Gutenberg and Baen Books.

 

Kindle doesn't do epub but there are programs that can convert between the formats.

 

There are some reasons you might want to go for an older version of the Kindle. The Touch does Text-to-speech and audio books. Neither of these are options on the Paperwhite due to lack of audio hardware.

 

I would not even consider the Fire as the advantages of e-ink (battery life and readability) are just so huge.

Edited November 12, 2014 by tnguy

[Sam1]

My wife is talking about getting me a reader of some sort.

 

Comments about any of them would be appreciated. Quality, ease of downloads, availability of authors, ease of reading, visibility of material on screen, and just anything you can tell me about.

 

Thanks.

 

I use a Kobo Glo because it was cheap and had the best screen light.  Some of those readers have irregularities on the screen because the light doesn't go evenly across it, you'll see it brighter in some spots and dimmer in others.  There may be better models out now, but I won't be upgrading until this one breaks.

 

<edit>  this one does all the regular formats and works on a drag and drop method as well so you don't need to install any extra software on the computer to transfer files.

Edited November 12, 2014 by Sam1

[hipower]

I use a Kindle Fire HD a lot at home... great for browsing, reading, and Angry Birds :)

 

Can I shoot the Angry Birds?

[hipower]

Thank you guys. Great comments.

 

I'm trying to digest them and see if it all makes sense to this old codger. As I've stated many times in the past, I'm not real savvy with tech devices, virtually not at all actually.

 

But I'm finding that more and more of the books being released are are e-book format only. I can foresee a time, hopefully in the far distant future, that paper forms will be obsolete.

 

I really want only the reading options, as I really prefer the tactile sensations of a printed book in my hands. I'm just old school in many ways.

 

So I guess I'll go looking this weekend, and see the various available models.

 

From your comments, looks like the Paperwhite model is in the lead at the moment. When I get caught up, making dinner for the breadwinner in the family right now; I'll try and answer directly to some of the comments that made an impression.

 

Keep them coming. I might actually learn something from you guys tonight.

Edited November 13, 2014 by hipower

[jwinter]

An added bonus are free kindle books from Amazon. You can get a lot of the classics for free. Sometimes new authors release books for free just to try them out. My wife has the older standard kindle and likes it. I have heard that the back lit readers can be a little hard on the eyes for longer periods of time but the paper white looks like it is the best of both worlds.

[tnguy]

Not only the free books but I have been reading a bunch of the science fiction collections they have going at the moment. $1 for 12 hours+ of reading can't be beat (Though some of the stories are better written than others, of course).

[hipower]

Can you view Internet forums on them?

 

 

Yes. And check into whatever username/password bank, credit card or whatever.  Email as well.

 

This would be the Kindle Fire and up version? Not the PaperWhite?