OT: Kindle and other e-readers

[Lee]

I see what you did there

Anyway +1 for both the Kobo reader and Calibre.

I use a very cheap clip on led light with mine when needed.

Lee

[rbel]

I have been using a Kindle 3G keyboard version every day without exception since just after they were launched 2 years ago and no faults of any sort have occurred so far. I am sure that there must be failures, as with any electronic kit, but no-one amongst numerous friends and acquaintances who also have the early models have reported problems and the Kindles do crop up in conversation quite regularly.

-- rbel

[S Viemeister]

I have that, too - and am planning to get a 'proper' Kindle as well.

Much of the material on my Kindle app was either free or very low cost.

[Chris Wilson]

Mine's not quite that old but otherwise +1

[Mike Barnes]

rbel@?.?.invalid:

My Kindle stopped working and they replaced it without a quibble. They delivered a new one and asked me to return the old one, post-paid, in the same packaging. Short of them turning up on my doorstep they couldn't have been more helpful. Service that like earns respect.

[rbel]

I certainly read more books on my Kindle than I used to and I have expanded the scope of my reading. This is purely down to the convenience factor.

While the 'paperwhite' is the latest version to be launched in the UK, I don't think that it necessarily supersedes previous models, just adds to the range. It does not have the keyboard of my early 3G model, but it does have a different style of screen which will be of particular interest to those who like to read in bed, in that it has quite clever top lighting. IMHO it is probably the most interesting model since the 3G keyboard version, due to the whiter, higher res screen.

The Kindle Fire does not interest me as an ebook reader as it has a back lit screen and low battery life.

-- rbel

[Steve Firth]

John wrote: [snip]

It's good enough. But I think I would prefer the new paper white model with backlighting because that makes it easy to read in bed and not disturb the other 1/2.

No that's not true. The kindle can display a number of formats AZW, Mobi and PRC.

converters available?

Yes, Calibre is probably the best. Amazon offer a paid for service - mail a book and they will charge to put it on your Kindle in AZW format.

FWIW I have hundreds of books on my Kindle. Only a handful bought from Amazon. When you connect a Kindle to your PC you can drag and drop books onto the Kindle. Most of my reading is out of copyright and I download books in mobi format from Feedbooks for free.

Some books I had bought earlier in MS LIT format I converted with caliber to mobi and I'm fairly happy that I've been able to preserve books already bought.

[Andy Burns]

The problem with using any tablet and an e-reader app is you get an LCD screen glaring at you rather than an e-ink screen

[Bob Eager]

I have a miracle! A heavily used, two year old Kindle.

[Bob Eager]

Unless it's changed, they only convert PDF. And it's totally free if you opt for wi-fi delivery to the Kindle.

[Steve Firth]

Hmm they seemed to indicate that mobi, tiff and jpg would also be converted.

They could do with being clearer about that. I'm sure that the bumf with Kindle said there was a charge. Which is why I have ever used it.

[Steve Firth]

Generally people with an iQ higher than that of a root vegetable find the brightness control.

[Mike Barnes]

Not a problem for everybody. While she was Kindle-less, SWMBO used the iPad and rather liked it - especially in bed because no illumination was needed.

[stuart noble]

I quite like the Kobo and, as others have said, there's enough free stuff around to keep you going for a century or so. If you want the latest best seller stuff (which I don't), Pirate Bay. I thought the short stories of Maupassant would be nice. Didn't realise there were hundreds of the bloody things. A real book would have felt heavy

[Roger Mills]

AIUI, there's a charge for converted stuff received via 3G ('cos it costs Amazon) but not if you receive it over Wi-Fi (or receive it onto your PC and skirt it into Kindle via USB)

[Steve Firth]

Yeah, as I mentioned earlier I prefer Feedbooks. They have decent standards of typography and editorial control of the final work. I'm going to have to buy some books from them just to encourage them to keep going.

SciFi fans the Baen Free Book Library puts out a decent range of books with the agreement of well known authors or the estates of those authors. Straightforward download for Kindle (and other readers) from the site.

[Andy Champ]

My son has a Kindle, and really likes it. Several people at work do too

- it gives you a library in you hand at the weight of a thin paperback. That includes one (single!) bloke who has run out of stairs to overflow his books onto :)

No-one has pointed out the down side. You'd be happy leaving your book on your towel when you went for a swim. It's only worth a few quid, and not worth stealing. You can also read in the bath, knowing that if you doze off and drop it the down side is small (apart from replacing that book you bought in 1970 that's been out of print for 30 years).

A Kindle, on the other hand, is expensive enough to be worth stealing, and is really going to dislike water.

Andy

[ARW]

No use of a magic wand then?

[fred]

In article , John writes

I have a year old Kobo touch that I use offline (not internet or Wifi connected) and upload books via Calibre software on a PC. I'm very happy with it but they do have bugs, the biggest about at the time I was bought mine was that the advertised micro SD slot didn't work if you filled it past a certain capacity. Kobo forums were full of complaints but they didn't seem that bothered.

If you chose to use one that has a browser or buy books, be aware that everything you do on it is tracked through Google Analytics, all Kobo downloads are redirects through GA servers which may or may not bother you (or the missus).

Other half has a Kindle (non touch version) and I think the screen is a tad sharper making it easier to read in poor light or if you have less that 20-20 eyesight.

I do miss reading flysheets when choosing my next book so tend to only have a few in memory and choose on the PC with the help of flysheet type notes and upload immediately before reading. I've kept my book collection and do enjoy hard copy reading for a change.

I also agree with your opinions on the great ebook ripoff.

[Dave Liquorice]

Speech to text conversion?