# Slimmer, cheaper Amazon Kindle comes to the UK with internet access from just £109!



## editor (Jul 29, 2010)

This looks awesome. 

It's wafer thin, has a battery life of a month and can store 3,500 books - and you can sync books to your handset.

Eme's already registered her interest!









http://www.wirefresh.com/slimmer-cheaper-amazon-kindle-comes-to-the-uk-with-built-in-wi-fi3g

*typo corrected)


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## Crispy (Jul 29, 2010)

The wifi-only version costs £109, the wifi+3g version costs £149, according to a quick check of http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Graphite/dp/B002Y27P46/


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## revol68 (Jul 29, 2010)

Rather have a book, though it would be good for pdf essays and shit.


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## editor (Jul 29, 2010)

Crispy said:


> The wifi-only version costs £109, the wifi+3g version costs £149, according to a quick check of http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Graphite/dp/B002Y27P46/


Yes, that's explained in the link. I'll change the title to  "from" £109.

Either way it looks great value and should do well. It's really small and light has a good screen, you can download books on the move, has internet access and millions of free and paid books, with a one month battery life If I travelled/commuted a lot I'd definitely look at getting one.


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## Lazy Llama (Jul 29, 2010)

Read the OP and thought, "3,500 pages"? That's not much... 3-4 big books.
It's actually 3,500 *books*, which is a lot better.

Looks nice, long battery life for holidays etc too.


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## Crispy (Jul 29, 2010)

At that price, it'll sell very well I think


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## Lord Camomile (Jul 29, 2010)

It almost looks a little too thin, like it might get annoying to hold for any great length of time, you'd have to grip harder to keep it in your hand sorta thing.

Gotta say though, it is tempting, especially with all the free classics (though would have to take a look at just what that means  ). Do they have sales on ebooks and stuff? Don't wanna be forking out £10 for any other book I want to read.


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## editor (Jul 29, 2010)

Lord Camomile said:


> It almost looks a little too thin, like it might get annoying to hold for any great length of time, you'd have to grip harder to keep it in your hand sorta thing.


Not sure what you mean as it's no different to reading a mag or a small paperback. I love the fact that it's so thin and light. 

As for prices:





> Lowest Book Prices
> We check hundreds of prices every day to make sure our prices are the lowest of any e-bookstore in the UK. Compare our e-book prices - you'll like what you find.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-Reading-Display-Graphite-Globally/dp/B002LVUWFE/


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## Lord Camomile (Jul 29, 2010)

editor said:


> Not sure what you mean as it's no different to reading a mag or a small paperback. I love the fact that it's so thin and light.


Yeah, to be honest I'm not exactly sure what I mean either. It's just when I watched that video my immediate reaction was they way she was holding it would get uncomfortable after a while  Admittedly it's down in part to the 'marketing' way she's holding it, and people would probably not hold it like that in real life.

I guess it could just be that it's not the way I'm used to seeing someone read a 'book', but it looked awkward.

Would like to have a go though. At that price it looks very "Christmas present"


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## Winot (Jul 29, 2010)

Looks fantastic, and at a price which makes it worth trying* even if you're not sure you 'need' an e-book reader.

* if I didn't already have an iPad


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## Lord Camomile (Jul 29, 2010)

After an embarrassing amount of searching, I found a list of the free books here.

Some other stuff here too


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## netbob (Jul 29, 2010)

ordered.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 29, 2010)

£109 is a very good price, that's the kind of price point that will cause get your average joe picking one up.


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## el-ahrairah (Jul 29, 2010)

yeah, at that price i think i'd be game.


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## editor (Jul 29, 2010)

Winot said:


> Looks fantastic, and at a price which makes it worth trying* even if you're not sure you 'need' an e-book reader.
> 
> * if I didn't already have an iPad


The iPad's great at a lot of stuff, the Kindle is much better as an eReader and it's much lighter and much cheaper too. The fact that you can use the 3G connection anywhere in the world makes it a very tempting purchase too. 

Fuck, it's that cheap, I might just crack some time soon!


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## danny la rouge (Jul 29, 2010)

I'd rather have a book.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 29, 2010)

editor said:


> The iPad's great at a lot of stuff, the Kindle is much better as an eReader and it's much lighter and much cheaper too. The fact that you can use the 3G connection anywhere in the world makes it a very tempting purchase too.
> 
> Fuck, it's that cheap, I might just crack some time soon!


 
I'm very tempted by this! Very nice looking device...


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## Crispy (Jul 29, 2010)

Should be able to stick "evaluation" copies of books on it too, if you'r enot into the whole paying for things thing


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## editor (Jul 29, 2010)

danny la rouge said:


> I'd rather have a book.


Books are great, but for £100 you can carry around as many books as you could ever read in a lifetime in something that weighs less than a paperback. Add in a vast library of free books, internet access, web pages, blogs, PDFs, etc and you've got yourself an incredibly versatile gizmo.


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## yield (Jul 29, 2010)

danny la rouge said:


> I'd rather have a book.



Yes me too.

Also I'm wary after they deleted books off people's e-readers.

Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle
NyTimes 18/07/09


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## editor (Jul 29, 2010)

yield said:


> Also I'm wary after they deleted books off people's e-readers.
> 
> Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle
> NyTimes 18/07/09


 Err, that's because the company selling the books were found not to have the legal right to do so, and all customers were refunded with the option to download it again from another publisher.


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## yield (Jul 29, 2010)

editor said:


> Err, that's because the company selling the books were found not to have the legal right to do so, and all customers were refunded with the option to download it again from another publisher.



For sure.

It's more the remote deletion of content without people's consent I'm dubious about.


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## bmd (Jul 29, 2010)

Can you put your own pdfs on it?


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## Bob_the_lost (Jul 29, 2010)

The dimensions are about the same as my book and that's perfect. Great price.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 29, 2010)

Amazon are really pushing this in the right way, logging on to Amazon UK I got this screen:






Have to say the more I read the more tempted I am, love so much about this, great battery, notes, sharing via Twitter and Facebook, FREE 3g! Great price and form factor, think they may have just cracked it.


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## FridgeMagnet (Jul 29, 2010)

This looks like a good design and that is definitely a terrific price - that's less than what generic e-readers have been selling for.

The commercial e-book market is still awful though. They're still in the mindset that the music companies used to be in. You can get quite a few new publications but they are still vastly overpriced for what they are. I was looking at getting China Mieville's _Kraken_ on the iPad - it's £12 on iBooks and slightly cheaper but not much on Kindle (you can read Kindle books on iPad/iPhone btw). I could, and did, get the hardback from Amazon for less than that, which is DRM free and I can lend to people or sell on or give away, as opposed to simply having a licence to read something on one particular platform that's going to be useless in five years' time.

The tech is all about the public domain books and small/indie publishers (who charge reasonable prices) for me. If you want to publish a magazine of new writing, you can do it electronically, and people can read it on their phones or Kindles or computers without platform issues if you don't DRM it all.


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## editor (Jul 29, 2010)

I think this could well be the first mass market eReader. The pricing is spot on and the ability to subscribe to UK magazines and newspapers is interesting too.

Amazon are pitching it just right as well:


> With our screen there is no eye strain, and you can read it in the park, or on the beach. This is not a gadget that tries to do everything. We wanted to create something that lets people read books, and we are totally focused on that. People want to get lost in the words.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 29, 2010)

editor said:


> I think this could well be the first mass market eReader. The pricing is spot on and the ability to subscribe to UK magazines and newspapers is interesting too.
> 
> Amazon are pitching it just right as well:


 
Yep that's my thinking also, this is just spot on. It aggressively takes on the iPad in terms of it's usp, it's price and FREE 3G!


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## editor (Jul 29, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yep that's my thinking also, this is just spot on. It aggressively takes on the iPad in terms of it's usp, it's price and FREE 3G!


The fact that you can use the 3G when you're abroad is genius. 

I suspect a few people mulling over the iPad and are going to think twice about shelling out £400 when they can get one of these for nearly a quarter of the price.


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## FridgeMagnet (Jul 29, 2010)

They need to move the price of the Kindle way out of the range of the iPad to have it succeed - which is what they've done here, sensibly. What you need to do is have it seen as a different level of purchase, so that people don't compare the two. Any reader priced near iPad price, people are going to say "well I can read books on the iPad and it also does all this other stuff" - in general, while it might be nicer to read books on e-paper type devices, people are happy enough in practice reading books on their phones, let alone larger conventional screens.


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## starfish (Jul 29, 2010)

Got ms starfish a Kindle 2 at Christmas & she loves it. I would recommend them & i agree about no eye strain. They are just like reading a book. & the 3G is great, she downloaded her first book in a garage while i was filling up.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 29, 2010)

editor said:


> The fact that you can use the 3G when you're abroad is genius.
> 
> I suspect a few people mulling over the iPad and are going to think twice about shelling out £400 when they can get one of these for nearly a quarter of the price.


 
Yep the free 3G thing is a brilliant move. Now backed up with a great form factor and price point. Clever stuff from Amazon, be interesting to see where Sony go next with their eReaders..?


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## editor (Jul 30, 2010)

Interesting interview with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos here -  http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/29/jeff-bezos-kindle-charlie-rose/

I think he's got it nailed: 


> I would say something though like we’re trying to get out of the way. *We’re not trying to create an experience. *We want the author to create the experience. *You know, if you’re going to read Nabokov or Hemmingway or we want us creating the experience for. *That’s not our job. *Our job is to provide the convenience. *That you can get books in 60 seconds, that you can carry your whole library with you so that you don’t get hand strain, so the device doesn’t get hot in your hands, so that it doesn’t cause eye strain, so that the battery life lasts a month, so you never get battery anxiety..
> 
> Now people say why don’t you add a touch screen? *Well, the reason we don’t want a touch screen is if we’re going down that decision path, we say, okay, a touch screen and the current technology for touch screens — it’s called capacitive touch — it’s a layer that goes on top of that display.  It adds glare. *The first thing that you do when you add a touch display is that you add a little extra layer of glass or plastic and a little bit of glare. *So it’s very easy from an engineering point of view to add a touch screen but it’s not the right thing if you’re making no compromises and that’s our point of view on this. *We want a device that’s for uncompromised reading and guess what? *Our approach is working.”


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## London_Calling (Jul 30, 2010)

The weight is favourable when compared to paperbacks,  which I think is significant for some people, some books, and some reading circs. Mainly a comfort thing but such things matter.

Quick search says the average book is around 340 grams, this is 241-247grams.


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## Badger Kitten (Jul 30, 2010)

Ooh. I'm moving to a country next year which has a 110v electricity system and takes a 3 pin plug, but which can also take US 2-pin plugs, so US appliances will work. I wonder if it is out in the US yet and how much cheaper it will be. 

I was going to ship a lot of my books out there but it will cost me a fortune. I am very physically attached to having books and can't imagine living without them but maybe this would soften the blow of having to leave some behind.

Does anyone know what the Kindle is like in a hot and humid environment?


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## Kanda (Jul 30, 2010)

Badger Kitten said:


> Does anyone know what the Kindle is like in a hot and humid environment?


 
With it not being released yet, I'd guess not.


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## maldwyn (Jul 30, 2010)

The price is excellent - almost akin to the Gillette marketing model, the razor is free you pay for the blades. 

Compering it to the iPad is apple and oranges, and at the moment I prefer iBook's interface. Another draw back would be having yet another device to carry.

What would rock my socks is if I could take/connect a reader (apple/amazon/any) to my local library and download a loan for 3 weeks.


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## ovaltina (Jul 30, 2010)

this is excellent - i've GOT to have one for commuting and reading on the beach... also, you can apparently use it for gmail and google calender, and have it automatically download content like newspaper subscriptions or, i guess for free, rss feeds for your fav internet things. bargain at 140gbp.


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## Lo Siento. (Jul 30, 2010)

I must say, although I've never been remotely tempted by the idea of an ebook in the past that looks genuinely tempting ...


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## beesonthewhatnow (Jul 30, 2010)

I still think ebooks are vile things.


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## ovaltina (Jul 30, 2010)

actually.... when you compare this with paying a monthly fee or PAYG for a 3G internet dongle, this is clearly a much, much better deal. and the battery lasts for weeks!


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 30, 2010)

maldwyn said:


> The price is excellent - almost akin to the Gillette marketing model, the razor is free you pay for the blades.
> 
> Compering it to the iPad is apple and oranges, and at the moment I prefer iBook's interface. Another draw back would be having yet another device to carry.
> 
> What would rock my socks is if I could take/connect a reader (apple/amazon/any) to my local library and download a loan for 3 weeks.



Yeah I'd like the lend thing, I'd also - ideally - like the ability to lend a book to another Kindle user for say a two week loan (even if it means it's not on my machine for that period) too...



ovaltina said:


> this is excellent - i've GOT to have one for commuting and reading on the beach... also, you can apparently use it for gmail and google calender, and have it automatically download content like newspaper subscriptions or, i guess for free, rss feeds for your fav internet things. bargain at 140gbp.



I didn't know that about gmail! Given that email doesn't need a fancy web interface this is great. The newspaper thing is great also. The more I read the more I like the look of this thing. 

Can I just say one more time: FREE 3G!!


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## Crispy (Jul 30, 2010)

Can i just hazard a guess that the 'free' 3G will be for book downloads only, and that for unrestricted net access, you need wifi?


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## Lord Camomile (Jul 30, 2010)

Crispy said:


> Can i just hazard a guess that the 'free' 3G will be for book downloads only, and that for unrestricted net access, you need wifi?


Yeah, I was wondering just what "free 3G" would mean. Everyone was getting so excited I thought I must have misunderstood


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 30, 2010)

maldwyn said:


> The price is excellent - almost akin to the Gillette marketing model, the razor is free you pay for the blades.
> 
> Compering it to the iPad is apple and oranges, and at the moment I prefer iBook's interface. Another draw back would be having yet another device to carry.
> 
> What would rock my socks is if I could take/connect a reader (apple/amazon/any) to my local library and download a loan for 3 weeks.



Perhaps, not sure really as it's not entirely clear. It seems to imply that it accounts for newspaper downloads and wikipedia access too.



Crispy said:


> Can i just hazard a guess that the 'free' 3G will be for book downloads only, and that for unrestricted net access, you need wifi?


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## ovaltina (Jul 30, 2010)

Crispy said:


> Can i just hazard a guess that the 'free' 3G will be for book downloads only, and that for unrestricted net access, you need wifi?


 
Not according to this link http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9051519/Opinion_Amazon_Kindle_does_e_mail_and_more



> You can also surf the Web, but this "surfing" is also optimized for the greater good of enhancing your experience while reading books and periodicals: They point you at reference works and more things to read online.
> 
> The Kindle comes with a low-key, "experimental," largely nonconfigurable Web browser. Called Basic Web, the Kindle browser supports cookies, JavaScript and SSL, but doesn't support plug-ins like Flash or Shockwave, or even Java applets. It can't read XML pages, either.
> 
> ...



Here's somebody using google on the kindle 2... looks very limited and obv everything's mono, but it would be ok for everyday tasks


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## Lot 49 (Jul 30, 2010)

Crispy said:


> Can i just hazard a guess that the 'free' 3G will be for book downloads only, and that for unrestricted net access, you need wifi?


 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002LVUWFE/ref=cm_cd_asin_lnk

"Kindle's new web browser is based on WebKit to provide a better web browsing experience. Now it's easier than ever to find the information you're looking for right from your Kindle. *Experimental web browsing is free to use over 3G or Wi-Fi."*

Amazon are onto a winner here.


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## Lord Camomile (Jul 30, 2010)

I think I'm going to wait until Christmas, see how the dust settles on this one and check out other people's experiences. Definitely encouraging though


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## editor (Jul 30, 2010)

Eme's ordering one now! 

You can also listen to music and podcasts. 

“Transfer MP3 files to Kindle to play as background music while you read....You can quickly and easily transfer MP3 files via USB by connecting Kindle to your computer.” 
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-a...dle-Features-Hint-at-Future-Direction-702429/


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 30, 2010)

editor said:


> Eme's ordering one now!
> 
> You can also listen to music and podcasts.
> 
> ...



Heh I've a birthday coming up and have er been hinting very loudly.


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## kropotkin (Jul 30, 2010)

I'd only buy one if I could read my own epub files. I assume that is locked out so you have to go via amazon?


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## editor (Jul 30, 2010)

kropotkin said:


> I'd only buy one if I could read my own epub files. I assume that is locked out so you have to go via amazon?


You can convert 'em yourself for nowt:

http://calibre-ebook.com/
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/...-pdf-and-epub-on-amazon-kindle-2-with-savory/


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## Crispy (Jul 30, 2010)

kropotkin said:


> I'd only buy one if I could read my own epub files. I assume that is locked out so you have to go via amazon?


 
It's complicated


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## kropotkin (Jul 30, 2010)

Oooooh. I'll have a look then


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## Blagsta (Jul 30, 2010)

danny la rouge said:


> I'd rather have a book.


 
Me too. They don't need batteries and don't break if you drop them.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jul 30, 2010)

editor said:


> You can convert 'em yourself for nowt:
> 
> http://calibre-ebook.com/
> http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/...-pdf-and-epub-on-amazon-kindle-2-with-savory/


 
How hard is it to move books bought on iBooks over? Also, how easy is it to move books bought for the Kindle over to another device say a Sony reader?


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## editor (Jul 30, 2010)

Blagsta said:


> Me too. They don't need batteries and don't break if you drop them.


They also weigh a whole load more if you're going away for a few weeks if you've got a lot to read, can't refill themselves, and don't come with built in dictionaries.


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## LilMissHissyFit (Jul 30, 2010)

wow this is fantastic!!!! I just showed my youngest and he was thrilled, being severely dyslexic I have to read to him or buy audiobooks, he loves books but its just a huge hassle he cant face alot of the time... this could completely change his world

ETA, have just ordered the cheaper one. I cant see me downloading out and about alot but it will be an absolute godsend when were out and about and he needs occupying ( car etc)


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## ovaltina (Jul 30, 2010)

yield said:


> Yes me too.
> 
> Also I'm wary after they deleted books off people's e-readers.
> 
> ...


 
*whistles*

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/


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## yield (Jul 31, 2010)

ovaltina said:


> *whistles*
> 
> http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/





yield said:


> It's more the remote deletion of content without people's consent I'm dubious about.



I'm still dubious. Are you borrowing the books or magazines?



> In George Orwell’s “1984,” government censors erase all traces of news articles embarrassing to Big Brother by sending them down an incineration chute called the “memory hole.”



That is was George Orwell's books was funny though. 

If it'd been some obscure technical book I doubt it would've been newsworthy.


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## FridgeMagnet (Jul 31, 2010)

When you "buy" an e-book you are in fact buying a limited licence to read a particular work under certain circumstances which can usually be withdrawn arbitrarily. That's the problem.


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## yield (Jul 31, 2010)

FridgeMagnet said:


> When you "buy" an e-book you are in fact buying a limited licence to read a particular work under certain circumstances which can usually be withdrawn arbitrarily. That's the problem.


 
Thanks for explaining FM. That doesn't appeal to me.


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## Bob_the_lost (Jul 31, 2010)

Ah but my library now does ebooks. That's pretty ace.


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## paolo (Jul 31, 2010)

What is 'experimental' web browsing?


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## FridgeMagnet (Jul 31, 2010)

yield said:


> Thanks for explaining FM. That doesn't appeal to me.


 
Me neither. There are other avenues for reading books apart from buying them though.

Much like the iPod and other music players were based on their users breaching copyright - uh huh, everyone's paying for their 10,000 MP3s online yeah right - e-readers are only going to take off when you don't have to pay £10 for a book you can't even lend to anyone else or read on another device. The publishers aren't going to do that until they are comprehensively kicked in the arse, so that basically means widespread book-sharing.


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## editor (Aug 1, 2010)

FridgeMagnet said:


> When you "buy" an e-book you are in fact buying a limited licence to read a particular work under certain circumstances which can usually be withdrawn arbitrarily. That's the problem.


 
How many eBooks have been withdrawn off the Kindle platform to date?


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## bemused (Aug 1, 2010)

I've got the Kindle 2 and have had it about six months. Not sure their is anything there worth upgrading for, but the Kindle is a cracking piece of kit. I've honestly never missed a book. The feature to download the first chapter is great, the basic web browsing via. the 3G is sometimes handy and the ability to order a book wirelessly is brilliant. Just been on holiday with it and bought 3 books on the Amazon store no problems at all. I would suggest if anyone gets more than one a household they link the kindles to the same amazon account so you can share the books, the DRM is the only think I can gripe about.

PS: The case is a must and for text books it's not very good.


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## bemused (Aug 1, 2010)

paolo999 said:


> What is 'experimental' web browsing?


 
You can browse some website i.e. BBC mobile via. the built in 3G card for free. It's very very basic but sometimes handy, in the US you can subscribe the RSS feed for a price which seems far more handy.


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## FridgeMagnet (Aug 1, 2010)

editor said:


> How many eBooks have been withdrawn off the Kindle platform to date?


 
I don't know. Probably not many - they want to sell books after all and there aren't that many publications on it anyway relatively speaking. The possibility does exist though and there are enough situations where lawyers have had books removed from sale after publication, particularly in this country.

That part isn't the main problem in any case, its more a general problem without DRMed media in that its just not under your control. Try to read it on another device or in an emulator or another program or whatever and you will find it very hard; it also can't be lent to other people or resold second hand, which is a significant point when you are paying the same or more for an ebook as a hardback. Just like DRMed music and video, I won't buy DRMed books, though the ideas of the medium, delivery mechanism and device are terrific. My iphone and iPad have loads of public domain and non DRMed works on them.


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## bemused (Aug 1, 2010)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Try to read it on another device or in an emulator or another program or whatever and you will find it very hard; it also can't be lent to other people or resold second hand, which is a significant point when you are paying the same or more for an ebook as a hardback.



I agree with you that DRM on Kindles is a bit of a pain for sharing books, however the Kilde software available for lots of devices means not only can you read all your purchases on almost any device but it also syncs what page your up to in each book. Any non DRM books you buy, or out of copyright works can been downloaded onto the Kindle. Most of the most popular books on Amazon's Kindle pages are free.


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## FridgeMagnet (Aug 1, 2010)

bemused said:


> I agree with you that DRM on Kindles is a bit of a pain for sharing books, however the Kilde software available for lots of devices means not only can you read all your purchases on almost any device but it also syncs what page your up to in each book. Any non DRM books you buy, or out of copyright works can been downloaded onto the Kindle. Most of the most popular books on Amazon's Kindle pages are free.


 
I have no problem with e readers or Kindles. I doubt I'd buy one because I already have an iphone and an iPad, but I'd happily buy one if I didn't, or recommend that somebody else did if they wanted to read books on the move - it sounds like a really good price for a good piece of kit. I just wouldn't buy any DRMed books for it, and would recommend that other people didn't either.


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## editor (Aug 1, 2010)

FridgeMagnet said:


> I don't know. Probably not many - they want to sell books after all and there aren't that many publications on it anyway relatively speaking. The possibility does exist though and there are enough situations where lawyers have had books removed from sale after publication, particularly in this country.
> 
> That part isn't the main problem in any case, its more a general problem without DRMed media in that its just not under your control. Try to read it on another device or in an emulator or another program or whatever and you will find it very hard; it also can't be lent to other people or resold second hand, which is a significant point when you are paying the same or more for an ebook as a hardback. Just like DRMed music and video, I won't buy DRMed books, though the ideas of the medium, delivery mechanism and device are terrific. My iphone and iPad have loads of public domain and non DRMed works on them.


Err, there's _hundreds of thousands _of public domain books available for the Kindle, and the content on your iPad and iPhone are equally at the mercy of Apple's policies - in fact, in some regards it's worse because Apple want to actively censor what material is available - witness the removal of three books in the iBooks top ten last week for purely puritanical reasons.

Apple have arbitrarily removed thousands of apps and refused thousands more. I can only think of *one* title being removed off the kindle and that was due to the publisher breaching copyright - and that book was immediately put back up on Amazon.


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## editor (Aug 1, 2010)

In fact, ALL of the top ten books in the Kindle  best-selling list are *free*, with the first commercial release appearing at #14 and only retailing for around £3.50.



> If you want to pick up one of the bestselling books for the Kindle, you don't have to save your spare dollars or even your pennies -- the 10 top Kindle bestsellers are free. To find a bestselling Kindle e-book that costs more than $0.00, you have to look to No. 14, Steig Larsson's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" -- a book that's spent more than 18 months in the top 100, and has the fairly low e-book price of $5.50.
> 
> http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2010/05/top-10-kindle-ebooks-all-free.html


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## FridgeMagnet (Aug 1, 2010)

I don't buy DRMed books or music off Apple either. Also Apple *can't* remove apps or content from a device after purchase, though they don't have to put them up for sale in the first place, just like everyone else.

I don't see what this has to do with Apple anyway.


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## Strumpet (Aug 1, 2010)

Ohhhhh minime and I like!! What a great price too! VERY tempted to add to my list of buys when my house sells. HMmm 

I do love the feel of real books though.


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## editor (Aug 1, 2010)

FridgeMagnet said:


> I don't buy DRMed books or music off Apple either. Also Apple *can't* remove apps or content from a device after purchase, though they don't have to put them up for sale in the first place, just like everyone else.
> 
> I don't see what this has to do with Apple anyway.


Well, you were the one mentioning your iPad and iPhone! Apple most definitely *can* remotely delete bought apps by the way, just like Amazon.  Steve Jobs confirmed it himself - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3358134/Apples-Jobs-confirms-iPhone-kill-switch.html


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## FridgeMagnet (Aug 1, 2010)

I stand corrected. I don't know whether that applies to books as well, though given that amazon do, it might well. (There appears to be no record of them having done either unless I'm mistaken.)

I mentioned the ipad purely in the context of having one meaning I wouldn't be likely to buy a Kindle. I don't need two e reading devices. It has nothing to do with DRM on books because they both have that.


----------



## grit (Aug 3, 2010)

editor said:


> Well, you were the one mentioning your iPad and iPhone! Apple most definitely *can* remotely delete bought apps by the way, just like Amazon.  Steve Jobs confirmed it himself - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3358134/Apples-Jobs-confirms-iPhone-kill-switch.html


 
So can google with Android.


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## editor (Aug 4, 2010)

Anecdotally,there sure seems to be a hell of a lot of interest in the Kindle if the page reads to the news stories on wirefresh are anything to go by.


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 4, 2010)

editor said:


> Anecdotally,there sure seems to be a hell of a lot of interest in the Kindle if the page reads to the news stories on wirefresh are anything to go by.


 
Along with the pre-orders selling out too. Great news, really hoping this hits the big time!


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## Shippou-Sensei (Aug 4, 2010)

y'know  at that price i really might get it

especially as  i could probably  turn my manga into PDFs and load them on


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## 1927 (Aug 6, 2010)

Has anybody used one of these, what are they like. I have ordered one for my old man for his birthday.

Does anyone have any idea how long the wait is currently for delivery?


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## maldwyn (Aug 6, 2010)

1927 said:


> Has anybody used one of these, what are they like ... Does anyone have any idea how long the wait is currently for delivery?


 
My understanding is the latest model isn't scheduled for release until later this month.


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## Bob_the_lost (Aug 6, 2010)

I've got one of the competition and they're great. They take a short while to get used to but most people who've seen mine liked it, the one person who didn't like it thought the screen was too dark.


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## bemused (Aug 6, 2010)

1927 said:


> Has anybody used one of these, what are they like. I have ordered one for my old man for his birthday.
> 
> Does anyone have any idea how long the wait is currently for delivery?


 
I ordered mine kindle 2 from the US and it took about three days, they gave me a UPS tracking number. If it's a new one it hasn't shipped yet.


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## 1927 (Aug 7, 2010)

bemused said:


> I ordered mine kindle 2 from the US and it took about three days, they gave me a UPS tracking number. If it's a new one it hasn't shipped yet.


 
All I can find out is that the new models are shipping from 27th August!


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## Bungle73 (Aug 7, 2010)

You want to know publishers only release DRMed books?  Because if they don't people will steel them that's why!  Someone even suggest that people steel books in this very thread!


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## purves grundy (Aug 10, 2010)

Bob Marley's Dad said:


> Can you put your own pdfs on it?


 
Was there an answer to this? Cos that's what I'd primarily use it for - I'm fed up of printing out PDFs, wastes so much fucking paper.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Aug 11, 2010)

Bungle73 said:


> You want to know publishers only release DRMed books?  Because if they don't people will steel them that's why!  Someone even suggest that people steel books in this very thread!


 
people still steal them

the DRM does really bother the thieves  it just bothers the end user of the legitimate purchase

that's not to say i hate all DRM  i think a balance can be struck .... i'm a fan of steam for instance  which has  light drm  and a great price point


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 11, 2010)

Wayhey! Just been given one as a birthday pressie! Role on 27th Aug!


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## editor (Aug 11, 2010)

Nice one!


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 11, 2010)

You should have seen my reaction when I opened the card!


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## purves grundy (Aug 12, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> You should have seen my reaction when I opened the card!


 
Let me know how well you can read PDFs on it, cos no one seems to know!


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## scifisam (Aug 12, 2010)

I can see this being something that would be a great gift, but that link with the top ten books has made me a bit wary:



> Most of the free books currently dominating the Kindle top 10 are mysteries, romances, thrillers and women's fiction; Christian fiction is doing very well.


.

'Free classics' is also not a big draw, since loads of out-of-copyright works are available on Guttenburg and other sites already - the Kindle having them is no big deal at all. Some are free on Project Guttenburg but paid on the Kindle - for example HG Wells' The Time Machine, also available as a free ebook on PG. 

Would you be able to read the latter ebook on a Kindle? If you can, that makes a big difference. 

Looking at the Amazon Kindle pages, it looks like their books are being sold at hardback prices - the hardback prices you actually encounter in shops, that is. That's not bad, but not great either. 

All the same, the price is far, far better than what's come before.


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## editor (Aug 12, 2010)

You can get HG Wells' The Time Machine for free on Amazon. 
http://ireaderreview.com/2009/11/11/kindle-store-very-best-public-domain-books/

The selling point isn't that they're free, but the convenience of the device itself, and the ability to download new books for free anywhere in the  world. Some of their top selling books are under £2, by the way - http://www.wirefresh.com/amazon-launches-uk-kindle-store-daily-newspapers-magazines-available/

purves - yes, it has improved PDF support:


> Improved PDF Reader
> Now with new dictionary lookup, notes and highlights, and support for password protected PDFs. Easily carry all of your documents on the go.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...mp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B002Y27P46


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 12, 2010)

purves grundy said:


> Let me know how well you can read PDFs on it, cos no one seems to know!


 
Will do. PDF's are a big reason I'd like one, I read a lot of reports for work and other projects each year, there's never enough time in the office, and on the train faffing about with a 150 page print out aint fun!


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## keithy (Aug 12, 2010)

i want one!


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## scifisam (Aug 12, 2010)

editor said:


> You can get HG Wells' The Time Machine for free on Amazon.
> http://ireaderreview.com/2009/11/11/kindle-store-very-best-public-domain-books/
> 
> The selling point isn't that they're free, but the convenience of the device itself, and the ability to download new books for free anywhere in the  world. Some of their top selling books are under £2, by the way - http://www.wirefresh.com/amazon-launches-uk-kindle-store-daily-newspapers-magazines-available/
> ...


 
Just so you know, the link to the top-selling books under 2 quid just takes you to an ad page, and the free copy of the Time Machine listed on that link isn't available in the UK.

The selling point isn't that classics are free, but it's mentioned as a, well, selling point. I looked through sci-fi, saw the Time Machine which I knew was out of print, clicked on it, and it cost money. They don't even have to pay for putting it into an e-reader format - yes, they'd need to adapt it for Kindle, but very little - it is cheeky of them to ask for money for it in any format. Downloading new books for free anywhere is surely no big deal when the books are already free. 

Sorry - I do like the the look of it and was originally going to post a 'want!' post, but then the book prices stopped me doing that.


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Aug 12, 2010)

There's free copies of the out of copyright works if you look for them. http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Aug 12, 2010)

scifisam said:


> Just so you know, the link to the top-selling books under 2 quid just takes you to an ad page, and the free copy of the Time Machine listed on that link isn't available in the UK.
> 
> The selling point isn't that classics are free, but it's mentioned as a, well, selling point. I looked through sci-fi, saw the Time Machine which I knew was out of print, clicked on it, and it cost money. They don't even have to pay for putting it into an e-reader format - yes, they'd need to adapt it for Kindle, but very little - it is cheeky of them to ask for money for it in any format. Downloading new books for free anywhere is surely no big deal when the books are already free.
> 
> Sorry - I do like the the look of it and was originally going to post a 'want!' post, but then the book prices stopped me doing that.


 
They can be very cheeky with paid editions of public domain books, making it very irritating to find free versions. Apple do the same with the iBooks shop (actually I hate the iBooks UI, Amazon's is significantly better, though I expect the former will improve with time, it's not been around long). The trick is often to search for "Project Gutenberg" as a publisher.



I was considering buying a textbook on Kindle today, but I didn't, in the end. Technical books get old very quickly and basically have no resale value, so that argument against ebooks doesn't apply in that case, and I do need a book on C#. I don't need it *instantly* though, and it's easier for me to have a paper copy on my desk to consult than an iPad copy, and the e-versions were not cheaper by any noticeable amount. Now if I could buy a book and have it update itself to the latest version when a new one was released, fair enough. Or if it was cheap. But neither of those are the case. (O'Reilly offer a 50% discount on ebook upgrades, but they offer a 40% discount on paper book upgrades too.)


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Aug 13, 2010)

I'm waiting for one that's dustproof, can take to the beach and can be dropped and isn't to expensive that if you lose it your less guttted. Not bothered wifi, 3g keyboard or anything like that, an sd slot will do fine.

Out of interest can you torrent ebooks now?


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 13, 2010)

G_S said:


> I'm waiting for one that's dustproof, can take to the beach and can be dropped and isn't to expensive that if you lose it your less guttted. Not bothered wifi, 3g keyboard or anything like that, an sd slot will do fine.
> 
> Out of interest can you torrent ebooks now?


 
I suspect you'll be waiting some time...


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Aug 13, 2010)

You can definitely torrent ebooks. You've been able to get books on torrents for ages now - mostly PDFs or something weird like plain text or .DOC, but I've seen things formatted for Palm readers in the past.


I confess to having torrented some classic out-of-print D&D modules recently  got me bang to rights copper.


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## lizzieloo (Aug 13, 2010)

Folk say they'd rather have a book, I used to think that until I got an ebook reader, I love it. 

Thing is once you are actually reading it doesn't matter, you're into the story/subject, it makes no difference at all.

('cept when you fall asleep reading the pages don't get scrunched up and the gizmo remembers where you were).


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## keithy (Aug 13, 2010)

It's not like once you have a Kindle your life will be devoid of the paper book for ever more 

I, personally, get sick of having crates and crates of books to traipse around every time I move house. I barely ever read all of them, so now I just take like 8 around with me (plus tons of art books that take up a fuckload of space). I have stopped reading as much because I don't want to clutter my tiny tiny home with more books


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## maldwyn (Aug 13, 2010)

Interesting article in the Guardian on a possible competitor, disappointed I liked the look of it.

Que e-reader killed before launch


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 13, 2010)

keithy said:


> It's not like once you have a Kindle your life will be devoid of the paper book for ever more
> 
> I, personally, get sick of having crates and crates of books to traipse around every time I move house. I barely ever read all of them, so now I just take like 8 around with me (plus tons of art books that take up a fuckload of space). I have stopped reading as much because I don't want to clutter my tiny tiny home with more books


 
I know what you mean, I've presently run out of space due the amount of books I've bought...


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## Sunray (Aug 24, 2010)

I just ordered one of the non-3g one purely out of curiosity to see if I could use it for work somehow as a third screen.


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## Bob_the_lost (Aug 24, 2010)

Sunray said:


> I just ordered one of the non-3g one purely out of curiosity to see if I could use it for work somehow as a third screen.


 
Wow, good luck with that


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## paolo (Aug 24, 2010)

Sunray said:


> I just ordered one of the non-3g one purely out of curiosity to see if I could use it for work somehow as a third screen.


 
For development work? Are you *mental* 

That's like adding cave paintings.


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## cliche guevara (Aug 24, 2010)

I confess to not having read the thread or link properly, but 3G without subscription or data charges? Hows that work then?


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 25, 2010)

cliche guevara said:


> I confess to not having read the thread or link properly, but 3G without subscription or data charges? Hows that work then?


 
Who cares it's free!


----------



## cliche guevara (Aug 25, 2010)

How do I tether to my laptop/phone/desktop/other device?


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## Sunray (Aug 25, 2010)

paolo999 said:


> For development work? Are you *mental*
> 
> That's like adding cave paintings.


 
Eh?  No its for reference material.  Computer reference books are often weighty tomes that don't have a search function.  I'd like the full MSDN reference to be in e-book format but I doubt MS would ever bother to do that. MSDN is currently about 2Gb in size on disk. MSDN magazine is available for free in PDF format.  That's a great start.


----------



## paolo (Aug 25, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Eh?  No its for reference material.  Computer reference books are often weighty tomes that don't have a search function.  I'd like the full MSDN reference to be in e-book format but I doubt MS would ever bother to do that. MSDN is currently about 2Gb in size on disk. MSDN magazine is available for free in PDF format.  That's a great start.


 
Yeah I can get that idea.

But (for me) the idea, on the iPad at least, fell down when the MS book I wanted wasn't available. I'm sure it'll all come together soon enough though.


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## editor (Aug 25, 2010)

cliche guevara said:


> How do I tether to my laptop/phone/desktop/other device?



The 3G is for downloading formatted newspapers/magazines, books, browsing catalogues and some light web surfing/Wikipedia etc. 

Its primary function is reading books. If you want to start tethering desktops and phones, get a netbook and a 3G dongle.


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## netbob (Aug 26, 2010)

I've been checking the status of my order about 5 times a day like some pathetic gurning consumerist. As of this morning it has changed to 'Not yet dispatched' and I should have it by the weekend.


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## Sunray (Aug 26, 2010)

Here is a useful article

http://packratstudios.com/index.php...-documents-including-pdf-doc-xls-chm-lit-etc/

This is just a toe in the water, its a pretty cheap device, so will see if its worth the bother.


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## Barking_Mad (Aug 26, 2010)

give me a book any day of the week. in fact anyone buying this gubbins should have their eyes gouged out.

Yours 

A. Ludite


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## editor (Aug 26, 2010)

Barking_Mad said:


> give me a book any day of the week. in fact anyone buying this gubbins should have their eyes gouged out.
> 
> Yours
> 
> A. Ludite


I bet you said the same about computers and mobile phones too. And probably radio too.


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## scalyboy (Aug 27, 2010)

purves grundy said:


> Was there an answer to this? Cos that's what I'd primarily use it for - I'm fed up of printing out PDFs, wastes so much fucking paper.


 
Me too, I'm tempted to buy one for this very purpose - not so interested in the actual e-Books. I keep finding journal articles and other stuff on the interwebs and am going through whole forests printing stuff out. I am a bit concerned about how much faff it will be to convert PDFs and Word docs - so if someone could give us their impressions when they've used theirs for a while, I'd be grateful - cheers!


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## netbob (Aug 27, 2010)

Seems like Amazon have royally fucked up their UK rollout: http://www.amazon.co.uk/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_pg_oldest?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx3IRFCNF3E5K2W&cdPage=1&cdSort=newest&cdThread=TxY3D3TA4WAB3O&displayType=tagsDetail which seems a bit odd for a company that is essentially a distribution network.


----------



## Sunray (Aug 27, 2010)

memespring said:


> Seems like Amazon have royally fucked up their UK rollout: http://www.amazon.co.uk/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_pg_oldest?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx3IRFCNF3E5K2W&cdPage=1&cdSort=newest&cdThread=TxY3D3TA4WAB3O&displayType=tagsDetail which seems a bit odd for a company that is essentially a distribution network.


 
I ordered it with an expected delivery of mid September.  If its any good I'll get my mum one for Xmas.


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## Kid_Eternity (Aug 27, 2010)

Mine's coming in the next couple days, special delivery apparently. Have bought my first book too, Terry Pratchett's latest, it will auto download next Thursday.


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## netbob (Aug 28, 2010)

Mine turned up today, here's a few random notes:

*Hardware*

It's a really nice size and weight, and has a ruberised back so it rests in your hand well with no accidental catching of buttons which are just out of the way enough.

The keyboard perfectly serviceable, doesn't get in the way, although I did find myself using the teeny-tiny enter key and the home key much more than the big button which seems a bit arse about face. They would probably be better merged together and made contextual.

I also don't really understand the 4 paddle buttons. I initially kept on assuming that left was 'back' and right 'forward', but there are infect two of each with the back button above the forward one on each side. That goes against the well known browse behaviour over just about every other bot of software on the planet, so is an odd design decision.  

The 3g worked out of the box and setting up Wifi was just a case of entering the details, with no annoying prods to join a network like there is on an iPhone.

Weirdly you can't use and be connected to a PC at the same time which is a bit odd if you are used to a smart phone.

*Reading*

Reading single pages is brilliant, even glancing at it from the side of your eye it is as readable as paper. It actually looks like those example mobile phones they used to have in shops with the interface stuck on a s a sticker. Although it is slightly off-white, I'd argue that is less so than an old paperback.

Reading is much more relaxing than on a phone or a computer screen and it feels very natural. When reading at a normal rate the 'page turn' is fast enough and low key enough to fade into the background. However if you are flicking though multiple pages, as I was with the manual, it does get a bit annoying (there is no equivalent to the action of flicking through the pages of a book).

When you are reading you can lookup words in the dictionary inline which is brilliant,although it needs wikipedia as per the iphone version to be totally killer. Most of the things I want to look up are people or places rather than just the meaning of words.

*Interface*

This is the only place it really lets itself down. Compared to an apple / google product the (non-reading UI, navigation etc) is very second rate. 

The interface switches from pagination to scrolling seemingly at random, meaning you have to leave to use the paddles of the 4-way navigation depending on the type of page you are looking at. Similarly, because there is both a 'Page back' button and a 'Back' you can easily find yourself getting lost especially when looking something up in the dictionary as 'Page back' takes you one page back in the dictionary, rather than back to the thing you were reading.

There is also some strange jargony language. e.g. if you search it says found at "Location 1211" what's that mean? I think it means "page dependent on font size". It also switches between a hand icon and underlining for selecting things and is inconsistent in how it delineates document types (PDFs are marked, magazines are not).

Within books the table of contents is hard to get to, especially annoying for magazines.

Finally, the browser is very cluncky, and hard to use with all the page refreshing that needs to go on when navigating a complex page. There is a great 'Article view' which strips out images and text, but it doesn't remember you selected it between page loads, so you have to load every page twice.

*Getting stuff on it*

The store is probably the one good bit of interface design. It's very simple to find and download books (although sneakily they don't list prices on the search results, only on the download page). 

I had already subscribed to the New Statesman via my laptop, and the latest edition automatically arrived after I turned it on.

I've set it up with Instapaper so things I save when browsing on my laptop get sent to my Kindle bundled up as a magazine. This is the killer function for me.

You can also send documents by email. I tried sending a word document to it and it arrived 30 seconds later formatting mostly intact (an image got moved a tiny bit). You can also drag documents (.pdf, .doc etc) directly onto it with no fuss. 

PDFs keep their format, but the text can be a bit small, so I'd rather it converted to kindle format or better still, give me a raw text / article mode option like with the web browser (again it's all a bit inconsistent).


----------



## purves grundy (Aug 31, 2010)

memespring said:


> PDFs keep their format, but the text can be a bit small, so I'd rather it converted to kindle format or better still, give me a raw text / article mode option like with the web browser (again it's all a bit inconsistent).


 
Hmmmmm....


----------



## 1927 (Aug 31, 2010)

I can't wait for mine to arrive nwo, although its not actually for me but a 70th bday pressie for my old man. I think I'll see how good it is and if its as good as sopme are saying then I might have to invest in one, and I dont actually read books, but can see that I might actually be persuaded to stsrt if they are that good!


----------



## Sunray (Aug 31, 2010)

1927 said:


> I can't wait for mine to arrive nwo, although its not actually for me but a 70th bday pressie for my old man. I think I'll see how good it is and if its as good as sopme are saying then I might have to invest in one, and I dont actually read books, but can see that I might actually be persuaded to stsrt if they are that good!


 
I do read book and just finished one that was heavy to be uncomfortable to read on the chest in bed.  I would say I prefer books but often, the sheer weight of them WRT to some of the computer books I have, a Kindle is actually a solution to those.


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## skyscraper101 (Sep 2, 2010)

Seems a bit strange that Amazon charge you more for a kindle version of a book than an actual physical copy. Was looking today at the new Dom Joly book 'The Dark Tourist' which is £7.79 delivered as a paperback, but £10.18 as a kindle download.

 Reminds me of MP3 downloads vs physical CDs. Why would you buy an MP3 album when its cheaper to own the physical product?


----------



## editor (Sep 2, 2010)

skyscraper101 said:


> Seems a bit strange that Amazon charge you more for a kindle version of a book than an actual physical copy. Was looking today at the new Dom Joly book 'The Dark Tourist' which is £7.79 delivered as a paperback, but £10.18 as a kindle download.
> 
> Reminds me of MP3 downloads vs physical CDs. Why would you buy an MP3 album when its cheaper to own the physical product?


Almost all Amazon eBooks books are cheaper than the hardback versions, but all publishers try and to sting you on brand new releases.


----------



## 1927 (Sep 3, 2010)

I can now confirm, having had a play with it last night, that the Kindle3 is indeed the absolute fucking bollocks!


----------



## skyscraper101 (Sep 3, 2010)

Heh.. since my last post Amazon have now dropped the price to be a whole 39p cheaper than the paperback.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 3, 2010)

skyscraper101 said:


> Seems a bit strange that Amazon charge you more for a kindle version of a book than an actual physical copy. Was looking today at the new Dom Joly book 'The Dark Tourist' which is £7.79 delivered as a paperback, but £10.18 as a kindle download.
> 
> Reminds me of MP3 downloads vs physical CDs. Why would you buy an MP3 album when its cheaper to own the physical product?


 
In the future will writers need publishers in the way they do now?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Sep 3, 2010)

Sunray said:


> In the future will writers need publishers in the way they do now?


 
Not in the same way - as in 'to publish' the book. But just like the record industry help secure promotion and tours to their artists, publishing houses will surely be useful partners to authors looking for advance living funds for writing as well as marketing spend and plugging fees.


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## Kid_Eternity (Sep 4, 2010)

Just got it! Setting up now, first impression is it's vert light! Very nice design and feels great in the hand.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 5, 2010)

Amazon have changed from Mid September to 'We don't know when we can sell you one, were going to email you when we're better placed to estimate.'

Slightly crazy thing to say.  I hope its not like next year or something.


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 6, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Amazon have changed from Mid September to 'We don't know when we can sell you one, were going to email you when we're better placed to estimate.'
> 
> Slightly crazy thing to say.  I hope its not like next year or something.


 
I've had mine on order for over a week and still haven't got a delivery date yet. I suppose I could cancel but is there anything else on the market to compare, price wise?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 6, 2010)

It's fucking sweeeet! Reading it on the train this morning, the thing literally does disappear in the hand as you get lost in the words. Can't imagine that happening with the iPad with it's back lit screen and fancy page turning animations, and the thing is so light, reading with one hand while is no problem...have tried getting PDFs on to it too, piece of piece, emailed the Kindle email they give you (lucky me got my firstname.lastname@kindle.com with no numbers etc!) and it shows up in moments on the Kindle. PDFs are variable some read ok, so far, others are a bit fiddly. 

Tried the experimental web browser, bit retro (reminded me of the early days of the web), not particularly useful for the most part although did use it ok with Twitter, and it's ok for things like wikipedia. Very happy with it so far...


----------



## Sunray (Sep 6, 2010)

Scaggs said:


> I've had mine on order for over a week and still haven't got a delivery date yet. I suppose I could cancel but is there anything else on the market to compare, price wise?


 
No nothing really like it for the price.  You will see that they haven't charged you for it yet.  Amazon are good at maintaining order queues so all isn't lost quite yet, its just a waiting game for now.  It will eventually turn up, stop thinking about it.

Given that they have had the Kindle full page ad at just about every entry point to Amazon for ages, its not surprising that there is a bit of demand.


----------



## editor (Sep 6, 2010)

Eme's delivery has been pushed back a week too.

I reckon demand for this thing is going to be *huge* right up to Christmas.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 6, 2010)

editor said:


> Eme's delivery has been pushed back a week too.
> 
> I reckon demand for this thing is going to be *huge* right up to Christmas.



She's gonna love it. And agreed, was speaking with a publisher today and they're launching an iPad app and iPhone app for their publication in October but following shortly after in November with a Kindle edition. If it's being taken that seriously by that type of person/organisation coupled with the long waits to get one I reckon Amazon have cracked it and made the 'iPod of eReaders' with the Kindle 3.


----------



## editor (Sep 6, 2010)

Yep - I think it's on course to become the iPod of books too. It's cheap, easy to use, has access to zillions of books and is decently designed bit of kit.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 6, 2010)

Ahh according to the website orders placed now will be despatched on or before the 20th of September.  Thats cool.


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## editor (Sep 6, 2010)

Oh, and just like the iPod led to people listening to more music, it's the same for ereaders too: 


> A study of 1,200 e-reader owners by Marketing and Research Resources Inc. found that 40% said they now read more than they did with print books. Of those surveyed, 58% said they read about the same as before while 2% said they read less than before. And 55% of the respondents in the May study, paid for by e-reader maker Sony Corp., thought they'd use the device to read even more books in the future.
> 
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703846604575448093175758872.html


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## Kid_Eternity (Sep 6, 2010)

editor said:


> Yep - I think it's on course to become the iPod of books too. It's cheap, easy to use, has access to zillions of books and is decently designed bit of kit.


 
It's lightness is a real factor, picking up the iPad I thought automatically there's no way I'd be reading books on the thing.


----------



## editor (Sep 6, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> It's lightness is a real factor, picking up the iPad I thought automatically there's no way I'd be reading books on the thing.


Yeah - it's too heavy, too big, too expensive and too attention-grabbing for reading a book on the tube or a bus, IMO.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 6, 2010)

editor said:


> Yeah - it's too heavy, too big, too expensive and too attention-grabbing for reading a book on the tube or a bus, IMO.


 
Yeah I'd agree, a work colleague looking at the Kindle today said it's cool also because you could chuck it in your rucksack and take it anywhere without fear of breaking it.


----------



## editor (Sep 6, 2010)

I think I might have to get one.


----------



## 1927 (Sep 7, 2010)

I was given a Despatch date of 8th September and it turned up first thing on the 2nd, so Amazon are probably giving a worst case scenario to people.


----------



## elevendayempire (Sep 9, 2010)

I've ordered mine, apparently it'll turn up around September 20th. I picked up the 3G one; IIRC they offer free 3G web access in some countries, which could be handy for checking e-mail when travelling.

My mum _hates_ the notion of the Kindle; she thinks it'll drive small bookstores and second-hand bookshops out of business.


----------



## editor (Sep 9, 2010)

elevendayempire said:


> My mum _hates_ the notion of the Kindle; she thinks it'll drive small bookstores and second-hand bookshops out of business.


That won't be the Kindle's fault: it'll be the fault of the people who no longer frequent their local bookshops, just like those people who moan about the death of independent record stores (yet never bought anything from them since 2008). 

Most of Kindle's customers (at first, at least) will be the sort already buying books online anyway, but there's no denying times-are-a changin'


----------



## Hassan I Sabha (Sep 9, 2010)

Could anyone who owns one of these let me know if you would be able to read one in a dark room and if they can be completely muted please.


----------



## editor (Sep 9, 2010)

Hassan I Sabha said:


> Could anyone who owns one of these let me know if you would be able to read one in a dark room and if they can be completely muted please.


They make no noise but read just the same as a paper book, so you'll need a light to read them in the dark, just as you would with a regular paperback.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 9, 2010)

I love the reaction you get when answering the question "What's battery life like?"


----------



## mwgdrwg (Sep 9, 2010)

Do you get a sleeve or something to protect the screen for when you chuck it in your bag?


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Sep 10, 2010)

mwgdrwg said:


> Do you get a sleeve or something to protect the screen for when you chuck it in your bag?


 
Not if it's like my sony, i've been doing that for a year now and it does have one scratch, i think. They're reasonably durable but don't drop them on concrete.


----------



## butchersapron (Sep 10, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I love the reaction you get when answering the question "What's battery life like?"


 
What books have you read my sweet?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 10, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> What books have you read my sweet?


 
At the moment I'm reading Media Control by Noam Chomsky, Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett, A Journey by Tony Blair and I've just started a sample of Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. Just finished the sample of Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky.

Since getting it my reading time has shot up, being able carry all my books with me fitting any reading mood I'm in has been fantastic. It's a great device!


----------



## toggle (Sep 10, 2010)

ordered one this afternoon. I'm getting the cover sent to e in a week, no edd on the bloody kindle though


----------



## Hocus Eye. (Sep 10, 2010)

Is the Kindle any good for people who can only read Large Print books, i.e. can you enlarge the print size? I am thinking of someone who has Macular Degeneration and needs a magnifying glass to read anything at all.

How difficult would it be to use by anyone who is a bit lacking in technology experience? Would it be possible for a third party to load it up with books and then have the final user simply find those books?


----------



## editor (Sep 10, 2010)

Hocus Eye. said:


> Is the Kindle any good for people who can only read Large Print books, i.e. can you enlarge the print size? ?


Yes. You can make the text massive.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 10, 2010)

Hocus Eye. said:


> Is the Kindle any good for people who can only read Large Print books, i.e. can you enlarge the print size? I am thinking of someone who has Macular Degeneration and needs a magnifying glass to read anything at all.
> 
> How difficult would it be to use by anyone who is a bit lacking in technology experience? Would it be possible for a third party to load it up with books and then have the final user simply find those books?


 
I'd say it's fairly easy to use for a non techy. Loading books on is very easy too...


----------



## madzone (Sep 14, 2010)

Hmmm....I'm quite temptede by this 

Can you use them in the dark?


----------



## editor (Sep 14, 2010)

madzone said:


> Hmmm....I'm quite temptede by this
> 
> Can you use them in the dark?


 Yes, but the display is the same as paper, so you'll need to have the light on or use an attachable light.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 14, 2010)

*drums fingers*

They are still taking orders but are saying 2-3 weeks from now.  I ordered on the 24th of August and I am still waiting for an estimate of when it will be delivered?  Oh well, I'll forget about it till it turns up.


----------



## trashpony (Sep 14, 2010)

Do people think it's worth getting a 3G one? Can you check emails etc on it? Or is that just a fairly useless add-on.

I think increasing the font size could be brilliant for my dad. Can you get magazines/papers on it as well as books?


----------



## madzone (Sep 14, 2010)

editor said:


> Yes, but the display is the same as paper, so you'll need to have the light on or use an attachable light.


 
When you say 'the light' do you mean in the room or does it have a backlight or something?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 14, 2010)

trashpony said:


> Do people think it's worth getting a 3G one? Can you check emails etc on it? Or is that just a fairly useless add-on.
> 
> I think increasing the font size could be brilliant for my dad. Can you get magazines/papers on it as well as books?



Depends on where you think you're going to use it. Personally I don't see the point of not having 3G as I take mine out and about and download samples a lot when travelling. Yeah you can do very basic surfing on it but it's the ability to get what you want book wise when you want that I like.

I know I've gushed relentlessly about it but it is such a cooooool device!


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 14, 2010)

madzone said:


> When you say 'the light' do you mean in the room or does it have a backlight or something?



The screen is very much like paper and needs an external light to be seen. There's no backlight. One thing it has over iDevices like the iPad is it's totally readable in direct sunlight, no glare or shifting the thing about to get a readable angle!


----------



## trashpony (Sep 14, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Depends on where you think you're going to use it. Personally I don't see the point of not having 3G as I take mine out and about and download samples a lot when travelling. Yeah you can do very basic surfing on it but it's the ability to get what you want book wise when you want that I like.
> 
> I know I've gushed relentlessly about it but it is such a cooooool device!


 
Oh no, I like the gushing 

I think the 3G might be a step too far for my dad but would be good for me. I have an itouch now and a work blackberry but am going to become self-employed in the next few months and being able to read my emails would be really useful. I don't want to upgrade my phone if the kindle will do the same job.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 14, 2010)

trashpony said:


> Oh no, I like the gushing
> 
> I think the 3G might be a step too far for my dad but would be good for me. I have an itouch now and a work blackberry but am going to become self-employed in the next few months and being able to read my emails would be really useful. I don't want to upgrade my phone if the kindle will do the same job.



I wouldn't get it for emailing, it's very basic and more a novelty tbh but it's very useful for reading documents (you get a kindle email address to send them to and they convert them and download them to your kindle) though. 

It is such a great device, one way I know a device is great for me is whether I can leave the house without it. I almost never go anywhere where there's travelling involved without it now, the opportunity to read anything that suits your mood where ever you are is fantastic.


----------



## editor (Sep 14, 2010)

trashpony said:


> Oh no, I like the gushing
> 
> I think the 3G might be a step too far for my dad but would be good for me. I have an itouch now and a work blackberry but am going to become self-employed in the next few months and being able to read my emails would be really useful. I don't want to upgrade my phone if the kindle will do the same job.


Unless you have Wi-Fi in the house, your dad won't be able to easily download new books, magazines etc from the comfort of his armchair.


----------



## madzone (Sep 14, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> The screen is very much like paper and needs an external light to be seen. There's no backlight. One thing it has over iDevices like the iPad is it's totally readable in direct sunlight, no glare or shifting the thing about to get a readable angle!


 
Hmmm...might not be for me then. I'll wait a bit.


----------



## trashpony (Sep 14, 2010)

editor said:


> Unless you have Wi-Fi in the house, your dad won't be able to easily download new books, magazines etc from the comfort of his armchair.


 
He does have wifi but the signal isn't brilliant (largely because he decided to put his modem in his office 

Hmm ... am a bit gutted it's not great for emails - I kind of want a multifunction thing rather than an expensive book (and I know that's what it is but it's all about what you need isn't it?)


----------



## editor (Sep 14, 2010)

trashpony said:


> He does have wifi but the signal isn't brilliant (largely because he decided to put his modem in his office
> 
> Hmm ... am a bit gutted it's not great for emails - I kind of want a multifunction thing rather than an expensive book (and I know that's what it is but it's all about what you need isn't it?)


Think of it as a brilliant book reader, with a few alright extras thrown in, rather than as a computer. Its beauty is in its simplicity.


----------



## editor (Sep 14, 2010)

madzone said:


> Hmmm...might not be for me then. I'll wait a bit.


 I think you'll be in for a long wait if you're hoping for a small, slim back-lit book reader with a screen that can be read  both in the dark and in bright sunlight, and still offer a one month battery life.


----------



## madzone (Sep 14, 2010)

editor said:


> I think you'll be in for a long wait if you're hoping for a small, slim back-lit book reader with a screen that can be read  both in the dark and in bright sunlight, and still offer a one month battery life.


 
I mean wait to see if I might be back in circumstances where I can't have the light on when I'm in bed.


----------



## editor (Sep 14, 2010)

madzone said:


> I mean wait to see if I might be back in circumstances where I can't have the light on when I'm in bed.


You could use those small, clip on lights, no?


----------



## madzone (Sep 14, 2010)

editor said:


> You could use those small, clip on lights, no?


 
I don't really like them. I suffer from visual stress and those clip on lights aren't very good for me. The main bonus for me (if I can't have the light on) would be not having to give bin bags of books away to charity after months gathering dust under my bed.

I'd still buy my art books though.


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 14, 2010)

I've got hundreds of ebooks in lots of different formats. When my 3g Kindle finally arrives will I just be able to plug it into the desktop via usb, then drop them into Kindle folders? Or will I need to convert them first? 

I did an ebook search on Amazon Kindle page for the author I'm reading at the moment (Ken Macleod) and there were no results. Will all books be available in time or will they only bother with best sellers?


----------



## elevendayempire (Sep 15, 2010)

I think you need to convert your files using Calibre.


----------



## Crispy (Sep 15, 2010)

trashpony said:


> He does have wifi but the signal isn't brilliant (largely because he decided to put his modem in his office
> 
> Hmm ... am a bit gutted it's not great for emails - I kind of want a multifunction thing rather than an expensive book (and I know that's what it is but it's all about what you need isn't it?)


 
you want a tablet then


----------



## crustychick (Sep 15, 2010)

this looks good - my boy has been making noises about wanting one for crimbo. do you have to buy the e-books from amazon? or can you put any old e-book on this baby?


----------



## editor (Sep 15, 2010)

madzone said:


> I don't really like them. I suffer from visual stress and those clip on lights aren't very good for me.


I'm not sure what that is, but wouldn't reading a bright, backlit screen in a dark room be as bad, if not worse?


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Sep 15, 2010)

Amazon for this one, if you want a bit more freedom check out the competition, Sony's range let you buy books anywhere and download books from some libraries (free loan for a couple of months).


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 15, 2010)

elevendayempire said:


> I think you need to convert your files using Calibre.


 
That looks great thanks


----------



## editor (Sep 16, 2010)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Amazon for this one, if you want a bit more freedom check out the competition, Sony's range let you buy books anywhere and download books from some libraries (free loan for a couple of months).


Battery life is only 2 weeks and there's no 3G or wi-fi version unless you pay more. It's got a touchscreen though. And you can get a pink one.

http://www.wirefresh.com/sony-slaps-its-pink-prs-350-ebook-reader-in-the-face-of-kindle/


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Sep 16, 2010)

The touchscreen always struck me as a gimmic. I've got a PRS505 and my other half's got a limited edition PRS300 (midnight blue - At last a decent colour that's not silver or black!). To be honest while 3G or wifi would no doubt be useful some of the time they aren't requirements for an e-reader. Two weeks is a bit pants compared to a button press model but it's still better than the Kindle is it not?

The kindle is great value but then you get shafted for the books. Kindle format and no e-Pub so no library loans. The other half's mum has already joined Surrey library (who do e-Pub loans and who don't care if you don't live in Surrey) for those and will probably be picking up a sony soon.

If however anyone actually makes a 10" e-reader with 3G i'm buying it and I don't give a shit how much it costs (must be less than an ipad).


----------



## skyscraper101 (Sep 16, 2010)

Kindle users. Is there some kind of dictionary so you can look up words while reading?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 16, 2010)

Bob_the_lost said:


> The touchscreen always struck me as a gimmic. I've got a PRS505 and my other half's got a limited edition PRS300 (midnight blue - At last a decent colour that's not silver or black!). To be honest while 3G or wifi would no doubt be useful some of the time they aren't requirements for an e-reader. Two weeks is a bit pants compared to a button press model but it's still better than the Kindle is it not?
> 
> If however anyone actually makes a 10" e-reader with 3G i'm buying it and I don't give a shit how much it costs (must be less than an ipad).



Kindle is up to a month battery, about two weeks with 3G on...I find having 3G very useful, don't want to be bound to syncing and faffing about with software (in my experience Sony have never really nailed any syncing software) on my laptop.



skyscraper101 said:


> Kindle users. Is there some kind of dictionary so you can look up words while reading?


 
Yup.


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Sep 16, 2010)

Yeah, the Sony software is still shit. Calibre is the only way to go. The only killer feature that Sony have is that, for a change, they are on the open side of DRM. That and the lack of that stupid bloody keyboard at the bottom of the reader...


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 16, 2010)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Yeah, the Sony software is still shit. Calibre is the only way to go. The only killer feature that Sony have is that, for a change, they are on the open side of DRM. That and the lack of that stupid bloody keyboard at the bottom of the reader...


 
Yeah that is odd given Sonys history with it. Personally I don't mind the keyboard, useful feature that doesn't add bulk to the Kindle 3.


----------



## Idaho (Sep 16, 2010)

Sony always seem to drop the ball with their software.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 18, 2010)

A surprise Saturday Delivery arrives and I have a Kindle. 

Downloaded a free book.  Looks ace.  Got it on charge and will see how it goes.


----------



## toggle (Sep 18, 2010)

madzone said:


> Hmmm...might not be for me then. I'll wait a bit.


 
i've ordered one, when i've got it, i'll let you have a play


----------



## editor (Sep 18, 2010)

Royal Mail 'lost' Eme's Kindle. She sh9ould now get it on Tuesday.


----------



## Badgers (Sep 18, 2010)

editor said:


> Royal Mail 'lost' Eme's Kindle. She sh9ould now get it on Tuesday.


 
Losers 

I played with one the other day. Really nice bit of kit, got some need to buy one.

Guy who showed me did a few hours work. Arrived at the office and his desk had Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Apple laptop, Netbook, Blackberry and a lot of wires. Seemed excessive but he let me mess about with his stuff.


----------



## JWH (Sep 18, 2010)

This looks great. It's a gamechanger for Anglophones living in non-Anglophone countries and for campers/cycletourists/backpackers who like to read but don't want to carry fifty kilos of books around.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 18, 2010)

Been reading Mysterious Island for a while to see what its like in general use and this nails an electronic book just about perfectly.  A touch screen might make it a bit easier to use but its not difficult and can be mastered in a few moments.  The documentation is pretty good.  The removal of the need to attach it to a computer is a master stroke from Amazon.  

Couple this with easy access to a load of free stuff and such a low price makes the device the 1st decent attempt at an e-book reader.

I much prefer the Sans Serif type face than its default, courier style font.    

People who need to buy large format print books can rejoice as this can display all the book lin a large font as the font size can be easily adjusted.  This feature means that page numbers are somewhat arbitrary and the location and percentage makes more sense although I suspect this will take some getting use to.


----------



## 1927 (Sep 19, 2010)

My father has just returned from Italy with his Kindle 3G and said that the internet performed superbly and was able to keep upo with what was happening in the world more than easily.


----------



## gorski (Sep 19, 2010)

Star Trek slowly coming to being... as it were...


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 19, 2010)

Mine should be here on the 27th

Busy changing all my ebooks to Kindle format. I also downloaded the Kindle for Android app for the wife's Galaxy S but the screen is much too small for me.


----------



## toggle (Sep 19, 2010)

Dear Amazon

thankyou so much for the kindle case that arrived friday, shame it isnt a lot of use without a fucking kindle to go in it.


----------



## 1927 (Sep 19, 2010)

toggle said:


> Dear Amazon
> 
> thankyou so much for the kindle case that arrived friday, shame it isnt a lot of use without a fucking kindle to go in it.


 
Dear Toggle

We are delighted to hear that you are pleased with your Kindle case, shame you didnt order a Kindle to go in it sooner !

Amazon


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 19, 2010)

Arf!


----------



## toggle (Sep 19, 2010)




----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 20, 2010)

the free 3g internet   made me take the leap


plus  i'm gonna load  all my light novels  and manga on it


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 21, 2010)

mine arrivef this morminig and its great so far. im even typimg this on it.


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 21, 2010)

Scaggs said:


> mine arrivef this morminig and its great so far. im even typimg this on it.


So we can take it that the keyboard sucks


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 21, 2010)

Lazy Llama said:


> So we can take it that the keyboard sucks


 
Funny that It looked fine on on the kindle, must be my eyes


----------



## toggle (Sep 21, 2010)

mine will be ready for delivery on the 29th


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 21, 2010)

Scaggs said:


> mine arrivef this morminig and its great so far. im even typimg this on it.


 
LOL! I can type a lot better on it than that. Not tried u75 on it though...Twitter worked ok with it.


----------



## editor (Sep 21, 2010)

Eme's just got hers. It looks ruddy fantastic.

Amazon must be shifting *millions* of these things.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 21, 2010)

editor said:


> Eme's just got hers. It looks ruddy fantastic.
> 
> Amazon must be shifting *millions* of these things.


 
My partner ordered hers within a few days of me getting mine, Amazon have a real hit on there hands, this will be the must have gift for Christmas at this rate! Now, if only they'd take a leaf out of the Nook and allow short term loans of books to other Kindle owners.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 21, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> My partner ordered hers within a few days of me getting mine, Amazon have a real hit on there hands, this will be the must have gift for Christmas at this rate! Now, if only they'd take a leaf out of the Nook and allow short term loans of books to other Kindle owners.


 
I don't think they'd ever get past the legal issues with that.  The first Kindle looked meh to me but this one is beginning to look interesting.  

I've never seen one of them working, though.  If it's more like reading paper than a screen I might be interested, otherwise not.


----------



## Crispy (Sep 21, 2010)

e-ink screens are like printed paper, but the paper is a light grey, not white. they're also very light - lighter than a paperback book.


----------



## editor (Sep 21, 2010)

When Eme got hers out of the box we both thought that there was a bit of paper with the instructions on covering the screen. Then we realised it _was_ the screen. 

It's _that_ good.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 21, 2010)

Assuming you're not on the payroll, that's very high praise. 

Do they sell them in normal shops so you can take a look at the magical e-ink or do you have to order them off the net?


----------



## 1927 (Sep 21, 2010)

editor said:


> When Eme got hers out of the box we both thought that there was a bit of paper with the instructions on covering the screen. Then we realised it _was_ the screen.
> 
> It's _that_ good.


 
I thought that too, was looking for the edge so I could peel it off!!

Love the way that that screen saver thingy is different everytime you put it to bed.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 21, 2010)

editor said:


> When Eme got hers out of the box we both thought that there was a bit of paper with the instructions on covering the screen. Then we realised it _was_ the screen.
> 
> It's _that_ good.


 
Heh yeah I went through that.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 21, 2010)

editor said:


> When Eme got hers out of the box we both thought that there was a bit of paper with the instructions on covering the screen. Then we realised it _was_ the screen.
> 
> It's _that_ good.



Yup, it really does look like a sticker.  Its also slightly unnerving to have a static display, it looks on all the time.  Like the touch that it puts itself to sleep with a pic of an old author.  

I am really loving this, its so light and simple to use.  Best gadget since iPhone 3G.

Not used it yet, but to remind people that Mobipocket Creator is free and will convert Word, text and PDF to Mobi files which the Kindle can read.

http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/ProductDetailsCreator.asp


----------



## toggle (Sep 21, 2010)

8ball said:


> Assuming you're not on the payroll, that's very high praise.
> 
> Do they sell them in normal shops so you can take a look at the magical e-ink or do you have to order them off the net?



you can have a look at the sony e-book readers in waterstones


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 21, 2010)

I just got a free 14 day subscription to the Independent but at £13 a month won't be continuing after the trial. Mp3 player works ok. 

Does anyone know if there's any free software to remove DRM on ebooks. (is it legal?) Wife would like to copy a chapter of a psychology book we downloaded from amazon into a Word document. I can't see a cut and past option, even on the PC version of Kindle.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 21, 2010)

toggle said:


> you can have a look at the sony e-book readers in waterstones


 
Kindles display is a bit darker.


----------



## cybertect (Sep 21, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Kindles display is a bit darker.



In a good way or a bad way?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 21, 2010)

cybertect said:


> In a good way or a bad way?


 
It's never been any issue at all for me.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 21, 2010)

cybertect said:


> In a good way or a bad way?



Its higher contrast than the Sony which is a good thing.


----------



## ChrisFilter (Sep 21, 2010)

Tempted by this (sold the iPad, buyer's remorse) but I'm powering through books with the Kindle app on iPhone at the moment. It'd just be an 'at home reading' supplement and I'm sure it's worth the extra dollar if I'm happy with the iPhone screen.

Plus, I have an eBook reader already.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 21, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> Tempted by this (sold the iPad, buyer's remorse) but I'm powering through books with the Kindle app on iPhone at the moment. It'd just be an 'at home reading' supplement and I'm sure it's worth the extra dollar if I'm happy with the iPhone screen.
> 
> Plus, I have an eBook reader already.


 
You sold the iPad?! Heh I didn't think it possible someone could own one and given it up given how magical is it's meant to be.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 21, 2010)

The Kindle has cheaper books and a much nicer screen than the iPhone.  I can't imagine reading a book on that dinky screen, no matter how good it is.


----------



## pootle (Sep 21, 2010)

This thread is making me want a Kindle now I've actually got time to read non-study books again!


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 21, 2010)

pootle said:


> This thread is making me want a Kindle now I've actually got time to read non-study books again!


 
Get one, you wont be disappointed.


----------



## editor (Sep 21, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> Tempted by this (sold the iPad, buyer's remorse) but I'm powering through books with the Kindle app on iPhone at the moment. It'd just be an 'at home reading' supplement and I'm sure it's worth the extra dollar if I'm happy with the iPhone screen.
> 
> Plus, I have an eBook reader already.


You sold your iPad already? Blimey!

Reading on the Kindle is much much nicer than reading on an iPhone/Android phone, the battery last for weeks and it's a far less distracting experience.


----------



## ChrisFilter (Sep 21, 2010)

Well, I got it refunded. 

I use kindle app on iPhone, so books are same price. 

I don't find it a problem reading on iPhone, which surprised me.  I just don't think I need any other device, as nice as the Kindle is.


----------



## editor (Sep 21, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> Well, I got it refunded.
> 
> I use kindle app on iPhone, so books are same price.
> 
> I don't find it a problem reading on iPhone, which surprised me.  I just don't think I need any other device, as nice as the Kindle is.


I guess the big difference is that on a Kindle it feels like you're reading a book, while on an iPhone it feels like you're reading it on a phone, if you get my drift.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 21, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> Well, I got it refunded.
> 
> I use kindle app on iPhone, so books are same price.
> 
> I don't find it a problem reading on iPhone, which surprised me.  I just don't think I need any other device, as nice as the Kindle is.



Eh? I've bought kindle books on my iPhone and they've been cheaper than the iBook store.


----------



## pootle (Sep 21, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Get one, you wont be disappointed.


 
I was always one of those "meh! So much nicer to own the actual book, rubbish to read a book off a screen blah blah blah" but I saw one in person/being used at the beginning of the summer and was *quite* converted by that alone, I have to say!


----------



## ChrisFilter (Sep 21, 2010)

Yes, ke, kindle is cheaper than iBook. I have the Kindle app so buy the cheaper books. 

I have an book reader already and love(d) it so I know they are nice. I just don't I find reading on them loads more pleasant then on my phone. 

I think it's the backlight. Keeps me awake. I nod off when reading usually.


----------



## elevendayempire (Sep 22, 2010)

Just took delivery of my 3G. I'd been forewarned about the display not being covered by a sticker, so I didn't get that shock (nice little bit of theatricality on Amazon's part, though). Took it out for a test run in the park - it really is amazing, reads just like a paper book, but it's lighter and you don't have to put up with the wind flapping the pages about.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Sep 22, 2010)

editor said:


> on a Kindle it feels like you're reading a book


 
Real books bend


----------



## Sunray (Sep 22, 2010)

They're way more flammable.


----------



## editor (Sep 22, 2010)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> Real books bend


They're also bigger, heavier and in the case of weighty textbooks books, really uncomfortable to hold open.

 I don't see this as an either/or situation. In some areas the Kindle is better, in other areas old books rule. Besides, anything that gets more people reading has to be a good thing, no?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 22, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> Yes, ke, kindle is cheaper than iBook. I have the Kindle app so buy the cheaper books.
> 
> I have an book reader already and love(d) it so I know they are nice. I just don't I find reading on them loads more pleasant then on my phone.
> 
> I think it's the backlight. Keeps me awake. I nod off when reading usually.


 
Ah you know I misread your post, teach me to skim read...


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 22, 2010)

elevendayempire said:


> Just took delivery of my 3G. I'd been forewarned about the display not being covered by a sticker, so I didn't get that shock (nice little bit of theatricality on Amazon's part, though). Took it out for a test run in the park - it really is amazing, reads just like a paper book, but it's lighter and you don't have to put up with the wind flapping the pages about.


 
Showed a colleague at work today, within seconds of holding it she had the look 'Want'.


----------



## elevendayempire (Sep 22, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Showed a colleague at work today, within seconds of holding it she had the look 'Want'.


Even my mum's starting to come around to the idea, after I showed her that you could change the text size...


----------



## editor (Sep 22, 2010)

elevendayempire said:


> Even my mum's starting to come around to the idea, after I showed her that you could change the text size...


That's a major part of its appeal - old folks and others with with poor eyesight don't have to order in special large-print books any more.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Sep 22, 2010)

I go to the library. The books 'feel' and look the part, there is no wasted shelf space and there are no costs.


----------



## pootle (Sep 23, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Showed a colleague at work today, within seconds of holding it she had the look 'Want'.


 
Saw/played with Kindle last night. Also had total WANT after about 3 seconds. The display is amazing! Feels really nice/comfortable to hold too.


----------



## Kanda (Sep 23, 2010)

I've just ordered one


----------



## editor (Sep 23, 2010)

Kanda said:


> I've just ordered one


I'm getting horribly tempted. What's the expected delivery time?

Amazon must be selling *millions* of these things - just about every one who plays with one ends up wanting one! I'm even thinking my Mum would would like one.


----------



## Kanda (Sep 23, 2010)

No delivery date yet. They 'reckon' about 1-2 weeks... 

I haven't even touched/seen one yet.


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

Kanda said:


> No delivery date yet. They 'reckon' about 1-2 weeks...
> 
> I haven't even touched/seen one yet.



What do _you _need one for?


----------



## Winot (Sep 23, 2010)

Ordered mine (well, my mum's - I can't see that I'd use it much) on 7 Sept. and it has just dispatched, which is in line with the original estimate.


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

I wonder if I can get the govt to buy me one


----------



## Sunray (Sep 23, 2010)

editor said:


> I'm getting horribly tempted. What's the expected delivery time?
> 
> Amazon must be selling *millions* of these things - just about every one who plays with one ends up wanting one! I'm even thinking my Mum would would like one.



Mine took three weeks.


----------



## Kanda (Sep 23, 2010)

madzone said:


> What do _you _need one for?


 
I'm going on holiday, sit around on a beach reading etc for a week, I don't want to have to carry any physical books.

Is that ok?


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

Kanda said:


> I'm going on holiday, sit around on a beach reading etc for a week, I don't want to have to carry any physical books.
> 
> Is that ok?



Sorry, that did sound a bit harsh. I just meant you've got that giant iphone thingy, I thought you had books on that.

But, you buy what you want. You have my permission 


'Holiday' is it?


----------



## Kanda (Sep 23, 2010)

You can get books on the iPad, not too great for the beach and sunlight though. Also, I don't want to take my iPad, or want to be contactable or be able to browse the web etc...


----------



## strung out (Sep 23, 2010)

you will be able to browse the web though


----------



## Kanda (Sep 23, 2010)

strung out said:


> you will be able to browse the web though


 
It's more about getting away from being able to respond to any work issues. I've always (9 yrs!) had to be contactable when on holiday, take a laptop etc.. fuck it this time.


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

I'm still a bit  about the internet bit. I'm tempted to get one when my student loan comes through but I don't know which one.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 23, 2010)

Apparently ebook sales are up to 8% compared to 3% this time last year and Amazon now sells more Kindles than they do hardback books.


----------



## pootle (Sep 23, 2010)

editor said:


> That's a major part of its appeal - old folks and others with with poor eyesight don't have to order in special large-print books any more.


 
One of my 1st questions last night was "can you make the font bigger"...I am *quite* old though


----------



## skyscraper101 (Sep 23, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Apparently ebook sales are up to 8% compared to 3% this time last year and Amazon now sells more Kindles than they do hardback books.


 
Wait.. what? Amazon are selling more kindles than they are BOOKS?! That is a fuckton of kindles being sold surely. Their book business is massive.


----------



## editor (Sep 23, 2010)

pootle said:


> One of my 1st questions last night was "can you make the font bigger"...I am *quite* old though


You can make the text _mahoosive._


----------



## Kanda (Sep 23, 2010)

skyscraper101 said:


> Wait.. what? Amazon are selling more kindles than they are BOOKS?! That is a fuckton of kindles being sold surely. Their book business is massive.


 
No, they sell more Kindle books than normal books.

http://www.gadgetvenue.com/amazon-kindle-ebooks-sell-hardcover-books-07201328/


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

Will someone please tell me which one to buy, please thank you.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Sep 23, 2010)

Kanda said:


> No, they sell more Kindle books than normal books.
> 
> http://www.gadgetvenue.com/amazon-kindle-ebooks-sell-hardcover-books-07201328/


 

Oh, that makes more sense.

Still, until the price of e-books comes down significantly I won't be jumping straight over to a kindle. I looked up some price comparisons the other day and there was only like 50p difference. I think there needs to be a bigger price incentive.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 23, 2010)

madzone said:


> Will someone please tell me which one to buy, please thank you.


 
Get the 3G one.


----------



## editor (Sep 23, 2010)

skyscraper101 said:


> Oh, that makes more sense.
> 
> Still, until the price of e-books comes down significantly I won't be jumping straight over to a kindle. I looked up some price comparisons the other day and there was only like 50p difference. I think there needs to be a bigger price incentive.


 A lot of books come with *much* bigger discounts than 50p!


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Get the 3G one.


 
How does it do it though? Is it like a mobile phone? I don't get signal in my house, see.


----------



## editor (Sep 23, 2010)

madzone said:


> How does it do it though? Is it like a mobile phone? I don't get signal in my house, see.


The 3G version works with both 3G and WiFi so it'll use whatever network is available. The beauty is that you can download books and content wherever you are - and in a ton of countries abroad too.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 23, 2010)

Kanda said:


> No, they sell more Kindle books than normal books.
> 
> http://www.gadgetvenue.com/amazon-kindle-ebooks-sell-hardcover-books-07201328/


 
Oops! Mistyped in my haste!


----------



## Sunray (Sep 23, 2010)

skyscraper101 said:


> Oh, that makes more sense.
> 
> Still, until the price of e-books comes down significantly I won't be jumping straight over to a kindle. I looked up some price comparisons the other day and there was only like 50p difference. I think there needs to be a bigger price incentive.


 
This is partly down to VAT on digital books for what ever reason that was introduced?

Additionally physically producing a book cost about 50p, its just we are conditioned to accept that a hefty hard back is worth the 20 quid you paid.  Obviously ebooks never go out of print and the copying is free.  So adjusting for that should happen, but might take a bit of time.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

plus free mobile internet....  slightly dodgy internet   but  still it's freee and  mobile


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 23, 2010)

madzone said:


> How does it do it though? Is it like a mobile phone? I don't get signal in my house, see.


 
No signal from all five networks? My O2 signal is terrible at mine but on my Kindle I get between four and five bars. I *think* it's over Vodafones network but don't quote me on that..!


----------



## skyscraper101 (Sep 23, 2010)

editor said:


> A lot of books come with *much* bigger discounts than 50p!


 
Sure, I'm just saying. Occasionally there is little difference which make me less willing to buy an e-book than a hard copy.

EG. The stig book 'Man In The White Suit' £10 hardcopy / £9 kindle

In fact, the paperback version, when released will be even cheaper than both at £5.99


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

editor said:


> The 3G version works with both 3G and WiFi so it'll use whatever network is available. The beauty is that you can download books and content wherever you are - and in a ton of countries abroad too.


 
I don't get any signal at my house.


----------



## Kanda (Sep 23, 2010)

madzone said:


> I don't get any signal at my house.


 
So it will use your WiFi. 

If you feel you may want to download books in a non-WiFi area, get the 3G one. Up to you.


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

Kanda said:


> So it will use your WiFi.
> 
> If you feel you may want to download books in a non-WiFi area, get the 3G one. Up to you.


 
Is that the only reason for getting the 3g then?


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 23, 2010)

I was tempted but most books on my Amazon wishlist aren't available on the Kindle, and the one that is is £3 more for the Kindle than for the paperback!

I think I'll wait....


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

that and the mobile internet

read sites while on the train type stuff


----------



## Crispy (Sep 23, 2010)

yes. 
and interenet/email wherever you are too (although it's not exactly an optimal web experience)


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

I use my phone when I'm out and about but it's not ideal. Would it be better than a phone?


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

dunno... i'll tell you sometime next week  what it's really like for browsing


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 23, 2010)

madzone said:


> I use my phone when I'm out and about but it's not ideal. Would it be better than a phone?


 
You know any urbanites in real life who have one? Doesn't look like you're going to be able to make your mind up via here unless you've experienced one first hand.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 23, 2010)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> dunno... i'll tell you sometime next week  what it's really like for browsing


 
It's not great, I wouldn't use it regularly at all but then having an iPhone I don't need to. It's ok for the basic mobile Twitter and Facebook sites but doesn't work very well with big or full blown sites. Haven't tried U75 on it though...


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> You know any urbanites in real life who have one? Doesn't look like you're going to be able to make your mind up via here unless you've experienced one first hand.


 
No, I don't.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 23, 2010)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> dunno... i'll tell you sometime next week  what it's really like for browsing



Its crap.  Its got an e-ink display so cant do flash/animation and doesn't really render pages that well either and its in grey scale.  Thats not what its designed to do.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

i was thinking of  it  as   90's internet


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 23, 2010)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> i was thinking of  it  as   90's internet


 
Yep, pretty much...


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

So, indulge a stupid person...

If I don't get a 3g one will I be able to download books via my home internet connection?


----------



## Crispy (Sep 23, 2010)

yes, the non-3G version is WiFi only, which means you can use it at home


----------



## toggle (Sep 23, 2010)

i get mine in 10 days


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yep, pretty much...


 
i know it boast  wiki support  but is it any good at it?  i was hoping  to  read  stuff like this
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Maria-sama_ga_Miteru:Volume1


----------



## elevendayempire (Sep 23, 2010)

skyscraper101 said:


> Sure, I'm just saying. Occasionally there is little difference which make me less willing to buy an e-book than a hard copy.
> 
> EG. The stig book 'Man In The White Suit' £10 hardcopy / £9 kindle
> 
> In fact, the paperback version, when released will be even cheaper than both at £5.99


They'll drop the price of the Kindle edition when the paperback comes out. I agree that the prices for Kindle books are a bit steep, considering. I suspect that prices will eventually drop to an acceptable level once e-readers become as widespread as mp3 players (and, as a result, e-book piracy becomes as widespread as music piracy).


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

I'm really wavering.  I don't know why the extra £40 is making me twitchy but it really is.


----------



## cliche guevara (Sep 23, 2010)

So I'm starting to seriously want one of these, obviously it's well worth the extra £40 for free 3G. How well do PDF's, and in particular, PDF magazines display? What other formats does it support?


----------



## toggle (Sep 23, 2010)

madzone said:


> I'm really wavering.  I don't know why the extra £40 is making me twitchy but it really is.


 
i've gone for the cheaper option. i can stick stuff on it at home and I know that a lot of the places i go to don't have a mobile phone signal, so it wouldn't be worth the extra.


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

toggle said:


> i've gone for the cheaper option. i can stick stuff on it at home and I know that a lot of the places i go to don't have a mobile phone signal, so it wouldn't be worth the extra.


 
Actually, that's a very good point.


----------



## toggle (Sep 23, 2010)

another thing is that im dreadful for impulse purchases. if i have to go home to download stuff then i will have to think before buying, that isn't a bad thing for me. 

think i've said this before, but mine arrives in 10 days. you can have a play with it


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

10 days though and then another 14 for mine to arrive. That's nearly a month


----------



## Sunray (Sep 23, 2010)

There are now lists of free books available on Amazon.

I see there is now a magic catalogue of free Gutenberg Press books in MOBI format for the kindle.  Need to download this and copy it across. Its in MOBI format.

I'm at work atm so will update when I have tried that.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 23, 2010)

Link?


----------



## editor (Sep 23, 2010)

madzone said:


> Actually, that's a very good point.


But you'll miss the 3G option if you go on holiday in the UK or abroad.


----------



## RubyBlue (Sep 23, 2010)

editor said:


> But you'll miss the 3G option if you go on holiday in the UK or abroad.


 
That - to me - is the important bit and the only reason I'm considering buying it.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 23, 2010)

editor said:


> But you'll miss the 3G option if you go on holiday in the UK or abroad.


 
 . . and have read all of the 35,000 books you downloaded before leaving . . .


----------



## toggle (Sep 23, 2010)

editor said:


> But you'll miss the 3G option if you go on holiday in the UK or abroad.


 
i'll just wait for everyone to start complaining that their kindle dosen't work when they holiday in cornwall. Can't get a 3g signal at home and i'm within spitting distance of truro.


----------



## editor (Sep 23, 2010)

8ball said:


> . . and have read all of the 35,000 books you downloaded before leaving . . .


...or want to download a new book that's been released, or want to look up something in Wikipedia, or want to get your newspaper subscription/magazine download...


----------



## editor (Sep 23, 2010)

toggle said:


> i'll just wait for everyone to start complaining that their kindle dosen't work when they holiday in cornwall. Can't get a 3g signal at home and i'm within spitting distance of truro.


My phone has worked in most of the built up areas around Cornwall. What network are you on?


----------



## toggle (Sep 23, 2010)

editor said:


> My phone has worked in most of the built up areas around Cornwall. What network are you on?


 
I'll ask the lad when he gets off his Wii. he is the one that seems to need internet access on his phone constantly.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 23, 2010)

editor said:


> ...or want to download a new book that's been released, or want to look up something in Wikipedia, or want to get your newspaper subscription/magazine download...


 
You seriously need to chill out.  You'll never get through any books with that kind of attention span.

How much does the net connection cost (as in per Mb)?


----------



## strung out (Sep 23, 2010)

nothing


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

nada


----------



## strung out (Sep 23, 2010)

zip


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

zilch


----------



## strung out (Sep 23, 2010)

diddly squat


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

not a single dime


----------



## editor (Sep 23, 2010)

8ball said:


> You seriously need to chill out.  You'll never get through any books with that kind of attention span.
> 
> How much does the net connection cost (as in per Mb)?


Why would someone wanting to look up a detail about a book in Wikipedia require 'chilling out"?

Oh, and the answer is nuppence.


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

toggle said:


> i'll just wait for everyone to start complaining that their kindle dosen't work when they holiday in cornwall. Can't get a 3g signal at home and i'm within spitting distance of truro.


 
Innit 

I rarely go on holiday and it's been years since I've been abroad.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 23, 2010)

strung out said:


> nothing


 


Shippou-Sensei said:


> nada


 


strung out said:


> zip


 


Shippou-Sensei said:


> zilch


 


strung out said:


> diddly squat


 


Shippou-Sensei said:


> not a single dime


 
Really?  For a roaming mobile net connection? 







editor said:


> Why would someone wanting to look up a detail about a book in Wikipedia require 'chilling out"?



Pfft! Wait til you get home - you're on _holiday_! 



editor said:


> Oh, and the answer is nuppence.


 
So amazon are paying for all this?


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

yes!!!

which is why i forked out the extra cash


free  mobile (shitty) internet


----------



## madzone (Sep 23, 2010)

It says 'experimental' though doesn't it?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 23, 2010)

Yup free 3g almost anywhere in the world! 

Seriously, everyone that is reading and posting yet still deciding on here about getting one just get the damn thing! You WONT regret it.


----------



## 8ball (Sep 23, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> YSeriously, everyone that is reading and posting yet still deciding on here about getting one just get the damn thing! You WONT regret it.


 
Well, maybe when they turn off the free internets but there's still the wi-fi...


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 23, 2010)

i wish i had ordered mine a while back now

uni is starting   and  i have  a shit  load of readings  etc    i can load em all on to my kindle .....

and use it  as an mp3 player...


----------



## Random One (Sep 23, 2010)

Mine's on the way!!! That's right bitches


----------



## toggle (Sep 23, 2010)

and boy gave me an answer, he can get some signal in a lot of places, but unless it is close to a transmitter, it won't be good enough for internet access. 

There are still a lot of places without any mobile access, like round 2 sheds way. he sin't that isolated, a few miles out from my college.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 23, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Link?


 
http://freekindlebooks.org/


----------



## Sunray (Sep 23, 2010)

Ok I've downloaded the Project Gutenberg magic catalogue and there are more books on there than I could ever read in a life time.  I've been paging left for a few minutes and I'm still not past 1% of the list.

You can just click on one and it will download a book and it appears in the home screen and you can read it.  

That turns it up a notch an a half.


----------



## rich! (Sep 23, 2010)

Has anyone noticed the denial-of-service attack yet? Email a kindle owner large PDFs on their non-free email address when they are out of the country. 20p a megabyte...

*checks*

actually, you have to authorise the "from" address, so that's not quite so bad....


----------



## Bungle73 (Sep 23, 2010)

Sunray said:


> This is partly down to VAT on digital books for what ever reason that was introduced?


I suspect that it was never really "introduced" as such, but that ebooks aren't eligible for zero VAT because they aren't "real" books.


----------



## rich! (Sep 23, 2010)

Charles Stross makes some interesting points in his blog about pricing of ebooks. Manufacturing costs of books are actually low (as in, marginal cost to print another few thousand) - but the setup cost to get a decently produced text is pretty high (that whole 'editting' thing).


----------



## RubyBlue (Sep 24, 2010)

I've ordered the 3G version for myself and the non 3G for my mate - can't wait until Christmas   Does it come with all the cables as looking at the Amazon site they're selling the USB and power connector separately but I assume they also come with the package?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 24, 2010)

RubyBlue said:


> I've ordered the 3G version for myself and the non 3G for my mate - can't wait until Christmas   Does it come with all the cables as looking at the Amazon site they're selling the USB and power connector separately but I assume they also come with the package?


 
Yup it's in the box, like the iPhone the power cable doubles as a USB cable.


----------



## editor (Sep 24, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yup it's in the box, like the iPhone the power cable doubles as a USB cable.


Uses a standard microUSB socket too so you can share the charger with a lot of phones (e.g. HTC Desire/legend).


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 24, 2010)

editor said:


> Uses a standard microUSB socket too so you can share the charger with a lot of phones (e.g. HTC Desire/legend).


 
Yup noticed that too. Useful.


----------



## RubyBlue (Sep 24, 2010)

Ta Kid_Eternity / Ed - I can't wait - my mate doesn't use Urban but when I showed him this thread he was convinced


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 24, 2010)

Wow, Random One got the email yesterday saying it was dispatched and now it's in her hands (lots of 'this is soooo cool!' comments)!


----------



## 8ball (Sep 24, 2010)

It does sound cool, but I have such a big stack of unread books as it is...


----------



## toggle (Sep 24, 2010)

erm.

mine is on it's way apparently. a lot sooner than expected


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 24, 2010)

mine is being prepared for delivery  with an initial estimate of 2nd oct for delivery

shouldn't have picked super saver


----------



## Winot (Sep 24, 2010)

Have mine - hardware is extraordinary although choice of books predictably limited.  Guess that'll improve in time.

Does anyone know how to stop the irritating flicker to white on black when turning the page?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 25, 2010)

Winot said:


> Have mine - hardware is extraordinary although choice of books predictably limited.  Guess that'll improve in time.
> 
> Does anyone know how to stop the irritating flicker to white on black when turning the page?


 
Lol that's the page refresh you can't stop that.


----------



## editor (Sep 25, 2010)

Oh yes! Scrabble for the Kindle!

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/35854/amazon-kindle-ebook-scrabble-game


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 25, 2010)

Bloody hell!


----------



## Sunray (Sep 25, 2010)

Winot said:


> Have mine - hardware is extraordinary although choice of books predictably limited.  Guess that'll improve in time.
> 
> Does anyone know how to stop the irritating flicker to white on black when turning the page?


 
Its an e-ink display, the flicker is a feature of those displays and its hardly annoying.    Have you downloaded that Project Gutenberg Magic Catalogue I listed just a few posts back?  Thats got 30,000 books for free.


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 25, 2010)

editor said:


> Oh yes! Scrabble for the Kindle!
> 
> http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/35854/amazon-kindle-ebook-scrabble-game


 
That looks good but it doesn't seem to be available on the UK Amazon site yet though.


----------



## Radar (Sep 27, 2010)

Never mind, play minesweeper whilst you wait 

alt-shift-M

This is one tasty bit of kit !


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Sep 28, 2010)

Bah, my trusty sony is borked. Leant on the screen and broke it (dead area top right corner). Time to check the travel insurance terms and conditions.


----------



## RubyBlue (Sep 28, 2010)

Did any of you buy a cover for your kindle?  I ordered the steel blue one but feel a bit bad about spending the extra money  I guess it's needed to protect it?


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Sep 28, 2010)

As someone who's just broken their e-reader: No you don't.

I've been carrying mine around and generally treating it like a paperback for a year now, until I leant on the screen it took it all in it's stride without any problems or covers... Just don't lean on it.


----------



## Sunray (Sep 28, 2010)

What does it look like when it breaks, post a picture!


----------



## toggle (Sep 28, 2010)

got mine and i' rather happy.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 28, 2010)

RubyBlue said:


> Did any of you buy a cover for your kindle?  I ordered the steel blue one but feel a bit bad about spending the extra money  I guess it's needed to protect it?


 
Yup bought a case straight away, didn't like the idea of the screen getting fucked up...


----------



## Sunray (Sep 28, 2010)

I got the stripy BUILT neoprene cover, nice and squishy reversible and quite cool looking.


----------



## Radar (Sep 28, 2010)

Cheapo bag designed for an archos, £5.75 all in.

You have to remove it to use it, but as a protective bag to carry the thing around in its fine.

10% discount code on order (quote comeback)


----------



## toggle (Sep 28, 2010)

hah,, my converted docs just appeared on my kindle.

i really like this thing


----------



## Radar (Sep 28, 2010)

Yeah, I found a dodgy copy of Stevens Vols 1 & 2 in chm format, used calibre to kick it into mobi format and just drag and dropped them over. Well handy, and Pdf looke good too, (shame links don't work in them)

It does piss me off that publishers continue to screw you over by charging full whack for the ebook version, especially when you already own the actual book.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 28, 2010)

ohhh aparently images in a folder   will be read as  pages


that's my manga sorted then (or i can change it into pdf)


----------



## toggle (Sep 28, 2010)

i do like the plug/cable combi as well.


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 28, 2010)

RubyBlue said:


> Did any of you buy a cover for your kindle?  I ordered the steel blue one but feel a bit bad about spending the extra money  I guess it's needed to protect it?


 
I've ordered this hemp case.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003ZUXVSK/ref=oss_product


----------



## Radar (Sep 29, 2010)

Ooh, that looks nice. Let us know how it is in the flesh


----------



## Scaggs (Sep 29, 2010)

Radar said:


> Ooh, that looks nice. Let us know how it is in the flesh


 
It's not in stock yet but I'll tell you when it arrives.


----------



## bmd (Sep 29, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yup free 3g almost anywhere in the world!
> 
> Seriously, everyone that is reading and posting yet still deciding on here about getting one just get the damn thing! You WONT regret it.


 
Or get an Android phone and turn on the wireless tether and not bother with 3G on any other device ever again?


----------



## cliche guevara (Sep 30, 2010)

Bob Marley's Dad said:


> Or get an Android phone and turn on the wireless tether and not bother with 3G on any other device ever again?


 
Not much use abroad where you'll pay around a fiver per mb.


----------



## bmd (Sep 30, 2010)

cliche guevara said:


> Not much use abroad where you'll pay around a fiver per mb.


 
Good point. Not such a problem for me though as I was last abroad on a school trip in year 7, the very dim and distant past.


----------



## Cid (Sep 30, 2010)

How good is note taking/cataloguing notes?

Also I presume with the ability to read PDFs some of the publisher costs are negated (on books no longer covered by copyright of course).


----------



## Sunray (Sep 30, 2010)

To put a note in at a bit of text, you move the cursor to where you want to add a note and start typing. The keyboard is OK but not for huge passages.

Dunno about cataloguing notes, look at the manual.


----------



## Kanda (Sep 30, 2010)

Mines been dispatched!


----------



## krtek a houby (Sep 30, 2010)

I love books, the smell, the feel of them. I like seeing them on my shelves. But I'm rapidly running out of space. This kindle device is becoming increasingly attractive but am I being swayed by the herd? Do I need it? It's expensive, don't come with a protective cover and I spend between 50p and £3 for my books in general - will downloads be that cheap?

I read a lot in the bathtub, too. I guess you can't do it with this...


----------



## toggle (Sep 30, 2010)

jer said:


> I love books, the smell, the feel of them. I like seeing them on my shelves. But I'm rapidly running out of space. This kindle device is becoming increasingly attractive but am I being swayed by the herd? Do I need it? It's expensive, don't come with a protective cover and I spend between 50p and £3 for my books in general - will downloads be that cheap?
> 
> I read a lot in the bathtub, too. I guess you can't do it with this...



depends what sort of stuff you read.

lots of free downloads. lots more expensive than the used book price, vat on kindle books dosen't help.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 30, 2010)

posting from my motherfucking kindle

aww yeaahh


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 30, 2010)

double posting from my motherfucking kindle

aww shit


----------



## Sunray (Sep 30, 2010)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> ohhh aparently images in a folder   will be read as  pages
> 
> 
> that's my manga sorted then (or i can change it into pdf)



Remember its only got 4Gb so lots of those in hi-res will hammer it.

I've not used my Kindle to browse the web.  Its just not suited for it, my iPhone does that.  Its excels as a reading device though.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 30, 2010)

i'll wack the size down  

plus it is monocrome... 

i'll see  how  it goes

the real problem i have is that i don't have  a micro usb cable


----------



## Radar (Oct 1, 2010)

micro usb cable, I use this one with my pre and kindle

And you should have got one with your kindle anyhow (the charger cable)


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 1, 2010)

actually  i hadn't noticed the  usb cable  was built into the plug  as i am an idiot

the news is it's  fairly good at manga...  certainly  the bolder stuff...

and it does cbz nativly  which  is  fucking great


----------



## Kanda (Oct 1, 2010)

Arrived early! Whoop! Liking it so far


----------



## Kanda (Oct 2, 2010)

Hmm... how buggy is it???!!

Doesn't come back from sleep reliably, if left for a while just hangs. It was randomly rebooting itself last night too when just left on the table.... keep having to hard reset it.


----------



## toggle (Oct 2, 2010)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> actually  i hadn't noticed the  usb cable  was built into the plug  as i am an idiot



took me a day to notice. 

but in't it cute


----------



## toggle (Oct 2, 2010)

Kanda said:


> Hmm... how buggy is it???!!
> 
> Doesn't come back from sleep reliably, if left for a while just hangs. It was randomly rebooting itself last night too when just left on the table.... keep having to hard reset it.


 
not had any problems.

the pdf conversion is hicky though.

anyone able to recommend something more reliable?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Oct 2, 2010)

Weird ive had mine a month and no probs, PDF conversion has been fine too..!


----------



## toggle (Oct 2, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Weird ive had mine a month and no probs, PDF conversion has been fine too..!


 
a lot of the pdf docs are coming back with the pages in random orders, it particularly can't cope with 2 columns of text on a page. I just get an unreadably small text, that is sideways and taking up just the top corner of the screen. 

the only pdf conversion that are usable are those which are just like an image of a paperback book page

it alo converted one pdf book into several hundred pages of numbers and symbols

and told me that one .doc was unconvetable because it wasn't pdf doc or html. 

the pdf handling is the main reason i got the thing.


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 2, 2010)

That is the reason i won't be then.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 2, 2010)

pdf conversion?

i just  load the pdf on and it  works well enough


----------



## editor (Oct 2, 2010)

Kanda said:


> Hmm... how buggy is it???!!
> 
> Doesn't come back from sleep reliably, if left for a while just hangs. It was randomly rebooting itself last night too when just left on the table.... keep having to hard reset it.


Sounds like you've got a duff one. Does it do it when wi-fi is turned on and off?


----------



## toggle (Oct 2, 2010)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> pdf conversion?
> 
> i just  load the pdf on and it  works well enough


 
not unless ti's just a straight up page. the ones with columns aren't easy to read


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 2, 2010)

it's a bit small yes..  but the i just turn it on to landscape

it's the same problem with the manga it's quite small text...


----------



## Sunray (Oct 3, 2010)

Kanda said:


> Hmm... how buggy is it???!!
> 
> Doesn't come back from sleep reliably, if left for a while just hangs. It was randomly rebooting itself last night too when just left on the table.... keep having to hard reset it.


 
Mine has never done that and I am nearly finishing Mysterious Island by Jules Verne.


----------



## Sunray (Oct 3, 2010)

PDF conversion might be better with MOBI pocket creator.  I've mentioned it a few times, its free.


----------



## purves grundy (Oct 3, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> That is the reason i won't be then.


 
I'm of the same opinion... bugger.


----------



## toggle (Oct 3, 2010)

Sunray said:


> PDF conversion might be better with MOBI pocket creator.  I've mentioned it a few times, its free.


 
i'll give it a shuftie later.

pdf>doc would be fine as well. I can then shift the text about that is in thr wrong order. conversion of word docs works like magic


----------



## toggle (Oct 3, 2010)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> it's a bit small yes..  but the i just turn it on to landscape
> 
> it's the same problem with the manga it's quite small text...


 
still too small to read on landscape. t


----------



## Sunray (Oct 4, 2010)

People seem to be getting a little over excited about what this is, its just a book with a couple of bells and whistles but in essence its still just a book.

Its not a tablet device, or web browser although it can its a bit shit at it, or even much good at anything else, its a one trick pony but that pony is very good at that trick.  Easily the most one dimensional gadget I own.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 4, 2010)

yep

although i do hope they add a tiny bit more of an interface to the mp3 player

i find the web browser is alright  for  getting bit's of info  i still havn't tried it with  online  translations...

though i'll probably download those and convert them


----------



## Scaggs (Oct 4, 2010)

The dictionary feature is really handy, especially for the Will Self book I downloaded.


----------



## Sunray (Oct 4, 2010)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> yep
> 
> although i do hope they add a tiny bit more of an *interface to the mp3 player*
> 
> ...


 
Get an iPhone.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 4, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Get an iPhone.



never!

seriously  the kindle is all i need for on the go an iphone  or indeed any smart phone is way above what i need and would  be a complete waste of money...   and the built in mp3 player is  fine  90% of the time  but   having a list of files like you have with the books  would  be really nice  just so you knew what you had on it


----------



## Scaggs (Oct 4, 2010)

I can't stand Apple stuff. I won't even have QuickTime installed on the PC (slows the system down). I've had a couple of Cowon media players so have never felt the need to get an ipod. The wife has a Sumsung android phone and she's happy with that. Fuck Apple.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 4, 2010)

it's not that it's apple (though i would probably go for andriod)  it's just  it's  not what i want...  the price of the device  and a contract  for  what i would use it  for make it   very uneconomical


----------



## Sunray (Oct 4, 2010)

I can't understand why people would read a book while listening to music, I saw someone doing it the other day.  When I am engrossed I can't hear much anyway but getting to that point I need non-musical random background noise.


----------



## elevendayempire (Oct 4, 2010)

Scaggs said:


> I've ordered this hemp case.
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003ZUXVSK/ref=oss_product


 That's rather gorgeous. I went and got one of the Amazon ones with a built-in light, but it doesn't half add to the weight of the thing. Might pick up an alternative...


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Oct 4, 2010)

Sunray said:


> I can't understand why people would read a book while listening to music, I saw someone doing it the other day.  When I am engrossed I can't hear much anyway but getting to that point I need non-musical random background noise.



Yep I'm the same, can't see the point of it. A good read is a good read and everything else just melts away. I love the Kindle, really happy with mine and like the fact that it does one thing and thing very well. I don't want tons of gimmicks or distractions while reading a book. If I get an iPad it'd be for everything other than reading on it...


----------



## elevendayempire (Oct 4, 2010)

jer said:


> I read a lot in the bathtub, too. I guess you can't do it with this...


Ahem.


----------



## Scaggs (Oct 4, 2010)

elevendayempire said:


> That's rather gorgeous. I went and got one of the Amazon ones with a built-in light, but it doesn't half add to the weight of the thing. Might pick up an alternative...


 
The one's with the light are about £50 aren't they? Does the power for the light come off the Kindle? My order for the hemp case has been delayed. It's like waiting for the Kindle itself.


----------



## elevendayempire (Oct 4, 2010)

Scaggs said:


> The one's with the light are about £50 aren't they? Does the power for the light come off the Kindle?


Yup, it connects through those two little slots on the left-hand side of the Kindle.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 4, 2010)

i listen to the music while walking then read when sitting down

it means  on my way to uni   when walking to and from train stations  i have the kindle in my pocket  playing music  and   when i  stit down on the train i pause the music  and read something...  (well actually sometime i read and listen to music as well)

it's a nice bonus which means i don't have to bring my music player

in fact i've stopped taking my laptop to uni  as  i barley used it


----------



## RubyBlue (Oct 8, 2010)

Mine arrived couple days ago - had a couple of problems when it stopped working - it needed a system upgrade and when I first rang them they didn't do it properly so although it was fixed in the short term it cut out again - the upgrade worked the 2nd time I called and the guy stayed on the phone till it was certain it was sorted and I had the 3.0.2 version rather than the 3.0.1 - free phone helpline so I didn't mind.  I love it


----------



## bmd (Oct 8, 2010)

I found this quite a thought provoking read.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 9, 2010)

I've just gone to order one as I'm reading lots more since I moved to the UAE and books are dead pricey here, but they won't deliver this country. I was thinking of ordering one to my folks place and getting them to post it on, but before I do so I wanted to check a few things.

Does it matter where you are in the world when it comes to downloading books?
When it comes to PDFs can you just drop them on the memory card and put it in the device if you don't have wifi? 
Is there anything to stop you ordering books from Amazon.com if they are cheaper then .co.uk?

Thanks


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 9, 2010)

Also what's the score with "evaluation" copies of books?


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Oct 9, 2010)

Easier to get than legit ones, formatting can be iffy but it's dead easy to find them.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 9, 2010)

Sweet, I should have used Google. 

Had to order it to my UK address and have it posted out as Amazon won't post to the UAE. I've already found enough reading matter to sort me out for the next 7 months.


----------



## toggle (Oct 10, 2010)

I've started selling off a lot of my books. buying the ones I want to read again when they get to kindle will probably cost less than the storage unit for my books. 25 years worth of  sf/fantasy books is hard to let go of though.


----------



## Poi E (Oct 11, 2010)

fantastic device, waiting for mine after using a mate's one. Print for novels will be a minority interest in 10 years. Price of 12 novels books and you can buy the thing. 143 e books sold for every hardback according to Amazon (prob a bit of PR but still..) Great for students; all their textbooks in one place.

Will be interesting to watch Kindle develop. Colour screen next, improved browsing, multimedia support...


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 11, 2010)

I don't buy new books. Why would i get one of these? Sell it to me someone.


----------



## Crispy (Oct 11, 2010)

You can get pirated books too


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 11, 2010)

But what if the books i want aren't pirated? I'm very wary of the pdf stuff mentioned above as well. (This isn't a rush thing btw no need to sell it to me right now, got till xmas )


----------



## toggle (Oct 11, 2010)

the pdf books usually come out pretty well, eiher as pdf or through conversion. it's the journal articles i'm having issues with.

culturesharingteam is a good place to look to see if there are online sources of the books you like


----------



## Bungle73 (Oct 11, 2010)

Poi E said:


> fantastic device, waiting for mine after using a mate's one. Print for novels will be a minority interest in 10 years. Price of 12 novels books and you can buy the thing. 143 e books sold for every hardback according to Amazon (prob a bit of PR but still..) Great for students; all their textbooks in one place.
> 
> Will be interesting to watch Kindle develop. Colour screen next, improved browsing, multimedia support...


If you want all that just get an iPad. There's no chance of any of that with an e-ink a screen, at least with current technology. 



Crispy said:


> You can get pirated books too


Yeah, let's screw over authors.


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 11, 2010)

Journal articles are a huge chunk of what i read... 

It looks..big...as well, i know that's because i'm used to reading off my ipod touch but it just looks humongous to me.


----------



## Crispy (Oct 11, 2010)

Bungle73 said:


> If you want all that just get an iPad. There's no chance of any of that with an e-ink a screen, at least with current technology.
> 
> 
> Yeah, let's screw over authors.


 
Wasn't encouraging it, but he said he doesn't buy new books, which is just as author-screwing tbf.


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 11, 2010)

No ones getting the money either way - new books i can get from free from the publishers, old books i buy 2nd hand - it's this second lot that i suspect i won't be able to get.


----------



## toggle (Oct 11, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> Journal articles are a huge chunk of what i read...
> 
> It looks..big...as well, i know that's because i'm used to reading off my ipod touch but it just looks humongous to me.


 
suggest you see if you can get a look at one.


----------



## Sunray (Oct 11, 2010)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> it's not that it's apple (though i would probably go for andriod)  it's just  it's  not what i want...  the price of the device  and a contract  for  what i would use it  for make it   very uneconomical



Keep seeing this comment at the top of the page.

When does economics ever come into gadget buying?  I don't have an iPhone 4 because it was cheap as chips.


----------



## Sunray (Oct 11, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> No ones getting the money either way - new books i can get from free from the publishers, old books i buy 2nd hand - it's this second lot that i suspect i won't be able to get.



Yep, but that would imply that books will not continue.  This is technology taking in one hand and giving in another.  What you lose in resell-ability, you gain in portability.  

Its not big, its smaller than most hard backs. Perhaps a little bigger than a standard paper back but very likely a lot lighter.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Oct 11, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Keep seeing this comment at the top of the page.
> 
> When does economics ever come into gadget buying?  I don't have an iPhone 4 because it was cheap as chips.


I don't have an iPhone 4 precisely because it's not cheap as chips. My phone makes calls, and sends texts, and all the other fancy gubbins an iPhone can do aren't worth the expense. It's not an ideological stance, I just can't afford/justify the price.

Same with the Kindle, and in a similar vein the Wii - it does one thing, and for people who are only looking something to do that one thing why pay more for something else. I think you could buy almost three Kindles for the same price as an iPad (or even an iPhone) - why pay all that extra for things you don't really want?


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 12, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Yep, but that would imply that books will not continue.  This is technology taking in one hand and giving in another.  What you lose in resell-ability, you gain in portability.
> 
> Its not big, its smaller than most hard backs. Perhaps a little bigger than a standard paper back but very likely a lot lighter.


 Well old books aren't going to continue - and i like reading them. There's nothing to tip me over the edge here. 3g - not needed, wifi, not needed (for me)

Size wise, yep need to get one in hand.


----------



## editor (Oct 12, 2010)

Sunray said:


> When does economics ever come into gadget buying?


For most people, an awful lot of the time. I'd like a Leica camera, but can never afford one. I'd like a top of the range laptop too, but can't afford one. 

Not that many people can afford iPads and iPhone 4s, you know, so folks get along with other, more affordable, tech. The Kindle is great because it does one thing very well and is keenly priced.


----------



## Sunray (Oct 12, 2010)

Its impossible to justify having an iPhone 4. There are literally millions of things that people couldn't justify owning, but that doesn't stop them owning them.  

Hence my point, to bring economics into the fold when you are talking about gadgets, is a totally meaningless thing to do, its uneconomic to buy them no matter how much they cost, because chances are they ain't gonna make you money.


----------



## Sunray (Oct 12, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> Well old books aren't going to continue - and i like reading them. There's nothing to tip me over the edge here. 3g - not needed, wifi, not needed (for me)
> 
> Size wise, yep need to get one in hand.



Wifi is needed to get the books onto the device easily. 

This gives old books a new lease of life.  If someone can be bothered to scan and OCR it. This is what the Project Gutenburg is doing.  30,000 out of copyright and print books for your free download and perusal.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Oct 12, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Its impossible to justify having an iPhone 4. There are literally millions of things that people couldn't justify owning, but that doesn't stop them owning them.
> 
> Hence my point, to bring economics into the fold when you are talking about gadgets, is a totally meaningless thing to do, its uneconomic to buy them no matter how much they cost, because chances are they ain't gonna make you money.


But different economic situations inform just how 'uneconomic' you can be. I can't afford an iPad, I can afford a Kindle - economics.


----------



## toggle (Oct 12, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Wifi is needed to get the books onto the device easily.
> 
> This gives old books a new lease of life.  If someone can be bothered to scan and OCR it. This is what the Project Gutenburg is doing.  30,000 out of copyright and print books for your free download and perusal.


 
the wifi is a luxury that is not strictly necessary. it is included to encourage impulse buying from the store. most of what i've put on my kindle went in through usb. 

i wouldn't boher with 3g when the signal round here is iffier than an ifffy hing


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 12, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Wifi is needed to get the books onto the device easily.
> 
> This gives old books a new lease of life.  If someone can be bothered to scan and OCR it. This is what the Project Gutenburg is doing.  30,000 out of copyright and print books for your free download and perusal.


 
They all pre-1900 though. That's the copyright thing.

The books i read aren't in that group, they've mostly post-war and all def under copyright and so on.

I know that sounds like i'm whining, i'm honestly not though, if it's not going to work for me then it's not. In fact, i think i answered my original question in that line above. These books aren't going to appear. I need to see one 'in hand' to see it works as a better option for the stuff i've got.

(didn't mean to sound so moany)


----------



## toggle (Oct 12, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> They all pre-1900 though. That's the copyright thing.
> 
> The books i read aren't in that group, they've mostly post-war and all def under copyright and so on.
> 
> ...


 
if i lived any closer, i'd let you play with mine.


----------



## editor (Oct 12, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> They all pre-1900 though. That's the copyright thing.
> 
> The books i read aren't in that group, they've mostly post-war and all def under copyright and so on.
> 
> ...


FYI: different countries have different time spans on copyright expiry, so it's possible to freely download, for example, George Orwell books from Australia.



> Copyright Warning
> Under Australian copyright laws, copyright in literary works of authors, who died before 1955, has expired. These works are now within the ‘public domain’ in Australia and this is why the University is able to reproduce such works on this site. HOWEVER, works may remain copyrighted in other countries. If copyright in the work still subsists in the country from which you are accessing this website, it will be illegal for you to download the work. It is your responsibility to check the applicable copyright laws in your country.
> 
> In particular, the works of George Orwell are still under copyright in the United States and the European Union, and therefore users in those countries should not download these works.
> ...


----------



## Sunray (Oct 12, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> They all pre-1900 though. That's the copyright thing.
> 
> The books i read aren't in that group, they've mostly post-war and all def under copyright and so on.
> 
> I know that sounds like i'm whining, i'm honestly not though, if it's not going to work for me then it's not. In fact, i think i answered my original question in that line above. These books aren't going to appear.



Um, that is possible but the great thing about digitising them is that they can be stored and the internet means they can be view forever in perfect condition.

I think its a great addition to actual paper.

Copyright can vary, generally pre 1923 but can be contemporary if the author or owner of the copyright puts it into the public domain.


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 12, 2010)

All up for digitising, been at it for years, but with all the will in the world, no one is going to digitise what i want read. I shouldn't have made _content_ an issue really. I want a nice pdf reader basically. That's all i'm after.


----------



## Sunray (Oct 12, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> All up for digitising, been at it for years, but with all the will in the world, no one is going to digitise what i want read. I shouldn't have made _content_ an issue really. I want a nice pdf reader basically. That's all i'm after.


 
It may or may not suite your needs.


----------



## toggle (Oct 12, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> All up for digitising, been at it for years, but with all the will in the world, no one is going to digitise what i want read. I shouldn't have made _content_ an issue really. I want a nice pdf reader basically. That's all i'm after.


 
a lot seems to be too dependent on what the pdf files look like. i'm still learning what mine will play nice with


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 12, 2010)

toggle said:


> a lot seems to be too dependent on what the pdf files look like. i'm still learning what mine will play nice with


 
Please let me know how you get on toggle, you could swing this...


----------



## toggle (Oct 12, 2010)

butchersapron said:


> Please let me know how you get on toggle.


 
so far, anyhting that is just a straight single page of text is looking alright as pdf, sometimes a tad small, but i can turn it sideways to get bigger, and coming up well converted. columns are iffy on conversion, columns and pictures and it can't even keep the page order.


----------



## butchersapron (Oct 12, 2010)

toggle said:


> so far, anyhting that is just a straight single page of text is looking alright as pdf, sometimes a tad small, but i can turn it sideways to get bigger, and coming up well converted. columns are iffy on conversion, columns and pictures and it can't even keep the page order.


 
Ta..ooh blimey. I think i may to think about this.


----------



## toggle (Oct 12, 2010)

oh yes.

pdf of a photocopied document that wasn't quite straight on he photocopier and I'm still trying to work out what it's done. 

need to find a better file of he trew law of free monarchies.


----------



## Radar (Oct 12, 2010)

Anyone rooted their kindle yet ?


----------



## elevendayempire (Oct 12, 2010)

Oh my God, now it has Zork.


----------



## Sunray (Oct 12, 2010)

Keyboard is a bit twee for that.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 12, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Keep seeing this comment at the top of the page.
> 
> When does economics ever come into gadget buying?  I don't have an iPhone 4 because it was cheap as chips.


 
it does for me    i really  can't justify the  contract  price of an iphone   it's  the same as buying  a new kindle twice a year  with enough cash left over to buy a few books

gadject arn't just for the rich


----------



## Poi E (Oct 12, 2010)

Bungle73 said:


> If you want all that just get an iPad. There's no chance of any of that with an e-ink a screen, at least with current technology.
> 
> .


 
iPAd is heavy, screen is not that hot for extended reading, not great outdoors. And expensive. Fujitsu has been working on colour e-screens and they will be around in a year or two. All I'm saying is that the basic proposition for Kindle is great and the natural step would be to enhance browsing capabilities and MM support. As you say just the screen holding this functionality back.


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## Bungle73 (Oct 12, 2010)

Poi E said:


> iPAd is heavy, screen is not that hot for extended reading, not great outdoors. And expensive. Fujitsu has been working on colour e-screens and they will be around in a year or two. All I'm saying is that the basic proposition for Kindle is great and the natural step would be to enhance browsing capabilities and MM support. As you say just the screen holding this functionality back.


 
Did it occur to you that if they added those functions to the Kindle it would make it heavier too?  Also atm the Kindle only uses power when you turn the page so a charge lasts an age, if you started having video on it the battery would drain much faster.  Colour e-ink screens may be coming, but will they refresh fast enough for video?

Edit:  I'm willing to bet it's the large battery that makes the iPad heavier, which it needs to produce power for all the power-hungry functions.


----------



## YouSir (Oct 14, 2010)

Probably been answered before but long thread so hopefully someone won't mind answering it again. The biggest appeal with the Kindle is that I could download a lot of stuff for free, stuff I already own, stuff that's out of print etc but from a quick glance there seems to be a random mix of file types for these things, so how well does the Kindle deal with random file types? Will everything that's an ebook, regardless of the format, read alright or will certain things not work well/properly? Will I have to go through Amazon to be certain that what I get works with the reader? I know it supports lots of different formats, just wondering whether that's a hassle free process or if some things won't look as good, or be as readable.


----------



## toggle (Oct 14, 2010)

you can see a list of stuff that will work with kindle and the kindle conversion thing they provide. there are other programs that convert between formats that you can use yourself.


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## YouSir (Oct 14, 2010)

toggle said:


> you can see a list of stuff that will work with kindle and the kindle conversion thing they provide. there are other programs that convert between formats that you can use yourself.


 
Ah cool, as long as there's a converter (which I just Googled) it's fine, just wanted to make sure that my enthusiasm over the hidden bounties of eBooks on Bittorrent wasn't going to be swept away when I realised that the Kindle wouldn't load anything.

On a side note, are they for sale on the high street at all? Google doesn't come up with anything but I'm sure I've seen them in some bookshops and I hate waiting for new gadgets when I order online.


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## toggle (Oct 14, 2010)

YouSir said:


> Ah cool, as long as there's a converter (which I just Googled) it's fine, just wanted to make sure that my enthusiasm over the hidden bounties of eBooks on Bittorrent wasn't going to be swept away when I realised that the Kindle wouldn't load anything.
> 
> On a side note, are they for sale on the high street at all? Google doesn't come up with anything but I'm sure I've seen them in some bookshops and I hate waiting for new gadgets when I order online.


 sonys are in waerstones. kindle is Amazon only


----------



## Strumpet (Oct 14, 2010)

Minime wants one for Xmas and I don't blame her. I want one too! 

great thread with fab advice, ta


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## Poi E (Oct 14, 2010)

Bungle73 said:


> Did it occur to you that if they added those functions to the Kindle it would make it heavier too?  Also atm the Kindle only uses power when you turn the page so a charge lasts an age, if you started having video on it the battery would drain much faster.  Colour e-ink screens may be coming, but will they refresh fast enough for video?
> 
> Edit:  I'm willing to bet it's the large battery that makes the iPad heavier, which it needs to produce power for all the power-hungry functions.



Give it a couple of generations and the size and refresh rate won't be an issue, I'll wager. Enhancing web browsing & colour screen is a pretty natural step and one mentioned by Amazon for the next generation so you can view flash on web pages etc. It's not trying to be a multi-media tablet like the iPad but they have learnt from iPods/iTunes in that the way to succeed with a device is to provide that seamless device>store facility. And at a great price.


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 14, 2010)

The new Kindle singles thing sounds interesting...however a Spotify style all you can read sub would be nicer...


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## spacemonkey (Oct 15, 2010)

Went to a casino last night for a friends birthday and won £110 playing roulette, just ordered my new kindle. It made sense.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 15, 2010)

just noted an intresting feture   when  reaching about a quater battery charge  the kindle (gracefully) stops mp3 playback to preserve batterylife... i don't know if it also turns off wifi/mobile as i had already switched that off

kinda cool  given the lengh of time  it can keep going as a ebook  on a quater batterycharge   it means  you won't accedentally   burn out your battery  doing mp3s


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## Sunray (Oct 15, 2010)

I've only charged mine once, when I got it.  I'm three books in and 1/3 charge, got at least another book in it yet.


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## Kanda (Oct 18, 2010)

My battery only just lasted a week away, wifi off all the time too...


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## Sunray (Oct 18, 2010)

Do you use it for MP3's?


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## toggle (Oct 18, 2010)

mine lasts a bit over a week, i do use it a lot though. but i only turned the wifi on for about an hour or so of that to get some docs downloaded.


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## Bob_the_lost (Oct 18, 2010)

MP3s will obliterate your battery. My sony had a 750mah battery and you'd get a day and a bit out of it before it'd run out of juice. Instead of 2-4 weeks (depending on use)


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## Kanda (Oct 19, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Do you use it for MP3's?


 
Nope. Just books


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## XR75 (Oct 20, 2010)

So what does it do that a hacked PSP or Nintendo DS doesn't


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## Crispy (Oct 20, 2010)

XR75 said:


> So what does it do that a hacked PSP or Nintendo DS doesn't


 
The battery lasts weeks. You can read it outside. It's cheaper.

It's an electronic book, not a multi-purpose machine.


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## Bungle73 (Oct 22, 2010)

XR75 said:


> So what does it do that a hacked PSP or Nintendo DS doesn't


 
They're completely different products. You're comparing apples and oranges.


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## Lord Camomile (Oct 22, 2010)

Apples.


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## RubyBlue (Oct 23, 2010)

ok, I'm going to sound thick - I didn't realise, until I read it here, that the Kindle has MP3 - I haven't figured it out - how?


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## editor (Oct 23, 2010)

14-Day Lending Coming to Kindle “Later This Year” - http://mashable.com/2010/10/22/kindle-lending/

RB: the Kindle has small speakers/earphone socket and you just drag over any MP3 files you want to put on the device. I wouldn't recommend it as a primary MP3 player though.


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 23, 2010)

Lending?? Nice!!!


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## nuffsaid (Oct 29, 2010)

Bungle73 said:


> They're completely different products. You're comparing apples and oranges.


 
Apple selling fruit now?


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## Sunray (Oct 30, 2010)

RubyBlue said:


> ok, I'm going to sound thick - I didn't realise, until I read it here, that the Kindle has MP3 - I haven't figured it out - how?


 
The user guide is a book on the device?


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## Corax (Oct 30, 2010)

I don't get the point of these things.

If you're reading on a kindle or whatever, how can other people see what you're reading and be impressed by how intellectual and high-brow you are?


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## Bob_the_lost (Oct 30, 2010)

Corax said:


> I don't get the point of these things.
> 
> If you're reading on a kindle or whatever, how can other people see what you're reading and be impressed by how intellectual and high-brow you are?


 
Merely owning one demonstrates that you are far more up to date and forward thinking than the peasants looking on in awe.


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## editor (Oct 30, 2010)

Corax said:


> I don't get the point of these things.
> 
> If you're reading on a kindle or whatever, how can other people see what you're reading and be impressed by how intellectual and high-brow you are?


Print out the cover of an _intellectual, high brow_ book and stick it on your kindle.


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## YouSir (Oct 30, 2010)

RubyBlue said:


> ok, I'm going to sound thick - I didn't realise, until I read it here, that the Kindle has MP3 - I haven't figured it out - how?


 
Home - Menu - Experimental - Play MP3. Haven't used the MP3 function yet so I've no idea just how 'experimental' it is.


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## Corax (Oct 30, 2010)

editor said:


> Print out the cover of an _intellectual, high brow_ book and stick it on your kindle.


 
But that would just be _silly_.


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## trashpony (Oct 30, 2010)

Corax said:


> I don't get the point of these things.
> 
> If you're reading on a kindle or whatever, how can other people see what you're reading and be impressed by how intellectual and high-brow you are?


 
Surely they can tell that just by looking at you?


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## editor (Oct 30, 2010)

You could stick one of these groovy covers on it:







http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&x=0...er kindle cover&url=search-alias=digital-text


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 30, 2010)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Merely owning one demonstrates that you are far more up to date and forward thinking than the peasants looking on in awe.


 
Heh every time I'm on the tube reading mine without exception every book reader peers over at me and does one or two more looks.


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## Corax (Nov 1, 2010)

trashpony said:


> Surely they can tell that just by looking at you?


 
A good point, but I sometimes forget to wear my scarf, fedora and monocle.


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## Radar (Nov 1, 2010)

editor said:


> You could stick one of these groovy covers on it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


2nd gen only, won't work with the latest one.


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## kalmatthew (Nov 3, 2010)

Can anyone who has one tell me if wispersync works for books that you put on yourself in .mobi or other formats or just for books from the kindle store


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 3, 2010)

No idea...I've just convinced another friend to get one! That's two people who've bought one due to my promotion, another two who are interested too.


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## marty21 (Nov 3, 2010)

my sister is getting me one for Christmas - what a lovely sister!


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## kalmatthew (Nov 3, 2010)

I defiantly want an e-book reader but wispersync is currently the only thing that is making me think it should be a kindle rather than anything else.  If the sync doesn't work for non Amazon books then I will probably go Sony for ePub support


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## RubyBlue (Nov 5, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Heh every time I'm on the tube reading mine without exception every book reader peers over at me and does one or two more looks.


 
heh - that's true and I hate it - I've started to read 'proper' books as I hate folk looking 

Saying that - I love my kindle but you still can't beat the good old library


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## kropotkin (Nov 8, 2010)

First colour eink reader to be released in china: http://i.engadget.com/2010/11/08/hanvon-to-be-first-with-color-e-ink-reader-sizes-it-at-10-inche/


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## IMR (Nov 9, 2010)

I like the look of the Kindle, black-and-white illustrations appear really attractive on it too. It'd be good if you could make drawings with it using a stylus, like an Etch-a-Sketch.


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## Bungle73 (Nov 9, 2010)

IMR said:


> I like the look of the Kindle, black-and-white illustrations appear really attractive on it too. It'd be good if you could make drawings with it using a stylus, like an Etch-a-Sketch.


Etch-a-Sketch didn't use a stylus.


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## IMR (Nov 9, 2010)

Use your imagination and visualise one that did use a stylus, instead of those two knob things.


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## Sunray (Nov 9, 2010)

kropotkin said:


> First colour eink reader to be released in china: http://i.engadget.com/2010/11/08/hanvon-to-be-first-with-color-e-ink-reader-sizes-it-at-10-inche/


 
This, a bit like the iPad, is technology for technology sake just to get a foot hold into uncharted territory. Never desired colour books once I passed the age of 8 years old apart from the odd comic.  

I suppose once we are all using them, we will be buying magazines on them, but until the time they are available in that form, the kindle is good enough.


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## Bungle73 (Nov 9, 2010)

Sunray said:


> This, a bit like the iPad, is technology for technology sake just to get a foot hold into uncharted territory. Never desired colour books once I passed the age of 8 years old apart from the odd comic.
> 
> I suppose once we are all using them, we will be buying magazines on them, but until the time they are available in that form, the kindle is good enough.


 
I have lots of non-fiction (generally history) books with colour photographs and illustrations in them so I could find interest in an e-reader with a colour screen.


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## cliche guevara (Nov 9, 2010)

Sunray said:


> This, a bit like the iPad, is technology for technology sake just to get a foot hold into uncharted territory. Never desired colour books once I passed the age of 8 years old apart from the odd comic.
> 
> I suppose once we are all using them, we will be buying magazines on them, but until the time they are available in that form, the kindle is good enough.


 
Can't the Kindle already handle magazines? As .pdf files?


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## Sunray (Nov 9, 2010)

It does but you'd be losing a lot without the impact of all the colour and fancy mark up that they do with the limited screen size.

I can see a proliferation of screen sizes and colour gamuts which will cause publishing houses mucho pain until something is made that can do it exactly like ink on a page and weighing next to nothing.


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## crustychick (Nov 10, 2010)

kalmatthew said:


> I defiantly want an e-book reader but wispersync is currently the only thing that is making me think it should be a kindle rather than anything else.  If the sync doesn't work for non Amazon books then I will probably go Sony for ePub support



what's winpersync? why would that affect your e-reader choice. I ask because my fella wants an e-reader for xmas but I'm not sure if the kindle will do everything he wants/needs...


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## kalmatthew (Nov 10, 2010)

crustychick said:


> what's winpersync? why would that affect your e-reader choice. I ask because my fella wants an e-reader for xmas but I'm not sure if the kindle will do everything he wants/needs...


 that should be whispersync, its used to sync what page of a book you are on acroos multiple devices (such as a phone running a kindle app), given the way I read the fact that I could pick up a book on my phone from the same places as I was on my kindle.


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## crustychick (Nov 11, 2010)

aha - cool, thanks, good to know... but I guess we still don't have the answer! I am so unversed in the way of e-readers...


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 11, 2010)

Just got back from a week away with friends, two more people interested in the Kindle, one mildy the other probably going to get one due to me and the other halfs gushing about it. Saying the words 'One month battery life' is like a fucking magic spell!


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## Bob_the_lost (Nov 11, 2010)

Just ordered a kindle which should turn up tomorrow, i'll tell you how it works out Kal. Might do a bit of a comparison between kindle and PRS505 / PRS300...


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## Scaggs (Nov 12, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Just got back from a week away with friends, two more people interested in the Kindle, one mildy the other probably going to get one due to me and the other halfs gushing about it. Saying the words 'One month battery life' is like a fucking magic spell!


 
I had to charge mine up the other day and it took me ages to find the lead (use it that little). 

I'm really pleased with the case too (for those who asked)


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## Bob_the_lost (Nov 12, 2010)

Right, first thoughts:

The screen refresh is notably quicker than on my old PRS505 but the build quality is lower. There's a slight bit of give in the plastic case in places, almost imperceptible and not something you'd notice unless you'd used a Sony reader before, the buttons are much lighter but again feel more flimsy. Given it's the same volume as my old Sony and the same weight it would have been nice to have the milled Alu body.

The web broswer is very very limited, chose your sites well as it's laggy, doesn't get recognised as a mobile browser (so it views all up pages) and all told a bit of a novelty at the moment.

The kindle store is annoying to browse from the device, you've got search and that's about it, very crude and not using the interface to it's max.

Screen is typical e-ink, fantastic. The dictionary is american english at the moment and the screen savers have a tendancy to pop up with authors I wouldn't touch with a barge pole but overall it's a more than acceptable replacement for my Sony. Including a mains to usb converter is a very nice touch, if you're using the reader away from a computer and want to use the mp3 player you have to have one available, it's nice that they include it. More later once i've sobered up.


----------



## crustychick (Nov 17, 2010)

ooh, good review Bob - am definitely interested in which you think would be best for a newbie e-reader user - a Sony or a Kindle... this is my current dilemma...


----------



## Kanda (Nov 17, 2010)

My replacement for my constantly crashing one turns up tomorrow.


----------



## spacemonkey (Nov 17, 2010)

Still loving mine. Took it away with me for the weekend and realised I really need a case. Found a Ford Manual case lying around (you know the thing that comes with the car to hold all your documents) and fits it absolutely perfectly!


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 17, 2010)

crustychick said:


> ooh, good review Bob - am definitely interested in which you think would be best for a newbie e-reader user - a Sony or a Kindle... this is my current dilemma...


 
I'd go with the Kindle. The comments about build quality aren't really relevant ime, I don't want something laden with metal as it being light it part of the point. Also, I'm not intending to chuck the thing about!


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Nov 17, 2010)

hey hey

I am knackered now so I will read this thread tomorrow, but, I have a question that I can't find the answer to on Amazon UK.

At the mo' I have an ipod touch and a Win7 laptop.
I have downloaded the Kindle app to the ipod touch.

I am having trouble registering the device
but
I also want to be able to read the same ebook on my laptop
is this possible? Do they let you register 2 devices for the same books?

Should I buy a kindle I'd want to be able to read the ebooks on my laptop and/or on my kindle too

Is this a goer or what?


I used to read (free, admittedly) ebooks on my Palm TX and then sometimes on my laptop as well - so I want the same with the ipod touch/kindle


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 17, 2010)

Yep. It's buy once then read on multiple devices. Because you have an account you just log in and it downloads to whatever device you're using.


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## Sunray (Nov 17, 2010)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Right, first thoughts:
> 
> .....
> Screen is typical e-ink, fantastic. The dictionary is american english at the moment and the* screen savers have a tendancy to pop up with authors I wouldn't touch with a barge pole* but overall ....



They are some of the great Authors in the English language?

What do you read, Tellytubbies?


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Nov 17, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yep. It's buy once then read on multiple devices. Because you have an account you just log in and it downloads to whatever device you're using.



Ah right, so I long on with ipod and when I go to Amazon all my books get downloaded and then the same (using the same account) with my laptop?
kewl


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## Bob_the_lost (Nov 18, 2010)

crustychick said:


> ooh, good review Bob - am definitely interested in which you think would be best for a newbie e-reader user - a Sony or a Kindle... this is my current dilemma...


 
The sonys can't compete on price at the moment. The cheapest Sony is more than the 3G kindle (don't bother imo, unless you're going to buy stuff online away from home the 3G isn't worth it, browser isn't up to snuff).

The only reason to get a sony is that you want the touch screen or you want a smaller format.

RE: K_E's point, my kindle is only about 5g different from my old Sony with it's metal body. Heavier is very bad and if you're going to be reading on it you really do want as light as possible but Sony had done wonders on that front, Amazon less so. The interface on both is so easy it's comical so there's no worry on that front.

Sunray: Some of the crap i read is on a level with them yes but i've never gotten into Emilie Bronte or Jane Austen or Stienbeck. They aren't my cup of tea and i'd prefer being able to change them to other great authors who's work i do enjoy, or La la.

A bit more testing, the e-ink refresh speed is the same on the kindle as the last gen Sony, but there is a very discernable lag from pressing the button to the page turning on the PRS300 compared to the kindle. The page refresh takes the same time but the sony takes longer to react.


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## Winot (Nov 18, 2010)

Throbbing Angel said:


> Ah right, so I long on with ipod and when I go to Amazon all my books get downloaded and then the same (using the same account) with my laptop?
> kewl


 
Yes, and if you read on one devide then open the book on another device it knows the page you got to.


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## Throbbing Angel (Nov 18, 2010)

Winot said:


> Yes, and if you read on one devide then open the book on another device it knows the page you got to.



fuckin' hell
really!?!

smarticus

I have downloaded Kindle apps to my lappy and ipod touch already - and a few free books - but I didn't know it did that

I am assuming that reading offline (on the ipod, on a us, in a cafe etc) will cock that up?


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 18, 2010)

Not sure think it just syncs when it finds a signal.


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## Kanda (Nov 18, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Not sure think it just syncs when it finds a signal.


 
Yes, it does. I read on Kindle, iPhone and iPad... all sync seamlessly.


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## crustychick (Nov 18, 2010)

what about using a 3G Kindle abroad - does that work?


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## Kanda (Nov 18, 2010)

crustychick said:


> what about using a 3G Kindle abroad - does that work?


 
Yup. I was laying on the beach in Crete, finished a book, downloaded another in about a minute.

The Q&A on the website gives you all this info btw...


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## crustychick (Nov 18, 2010)

Kanda said:


> The Q&A on the website gives you all this info btw...



 there are other websites? on the internet? that give information? well, I'll be....


----------



## crustychick (Nov 18, 2010)

Kanda said:


> Yup. I was laying on the beach in Crete, finished a book, downloaded another in about a minute.


cool - good to know


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 18, 2010)

crustychick said:


> what about using a 3G Kindle abroad - does that work?


 
Yep downloaded tons of stuff while over in Spain last week with no probs...


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## elevendayempire (Nov 19, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Yep downloaded tons of stuff while over in Spain last week with no probs...


Been meaning to ask - can you use the 3G to check e-mail abroad? I've heard conflicting reports...


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## Kanda (Nov 19, 2010)

elevendayempire said:


> Been meaning to ask - can you use the 3G to check e-mail abroad? I've heard conflicting reports...


 
I used it for gmail from the beach.


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## Bungle73 (Nov 19, 2010)

Kanda said:


> I used it for gmail from the beach.


Yeah, but that's web mail. I'm pretty sure he's talking about POP mail.


----------



## Kanda (Nov 19, 2010)

Bungle73 said:


> Yeah, but that's web mail. I'm pretty sure he's talking about POP mail.


 
There's not an email client on it so the answer would be no. Obviously.


----------



## elevendayempire (Nov 22, 2010)

Kanda said:


> There's not an email client on it so the answer would be no. Obviously.


Er, I meant Gmail...


----------



## Orang Utan (Nov 22, 2010)

just bought one of these


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 22, 2010)

Nice one!


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## Bungle73 (Nov 22, 2010)

elevendayempire said:


> Er, I meant Gmail...


 
It's got a (limited) web browser.  Why wouldn't you be able to access GMail abroad if you can access it here?


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## Orang Utan (Nov 24, 2010)

i'm loving this - i now have a vast collection of victorian novels to read on the beach.
this is slightly worrying though:
http://www.theawl.com/2010/11/i-finally-got-a-kindle-and-i-love-it-but-i-am-scared-of-fascism


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## elevendayempire (Nov 24, 2010)

Bungle73 said:


> It's got a (limited) web browser.  Why wouldn't you be able to access GMail abroad if you can access it here?


Because I've heard conflicting reports as to whether web browsing is enabled over 3G when abroad; I'd heard that you could access the Amazon store through the Kindle's own interface, but the browser itself was disabled.


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## RubyBlue (Nov 24, 2010)

A lot of books - particularly new ones - are still expensive - same or even slightly more then buying in 'book form' - I know it's the publisher who sets the prices but in those cases I would still rather buy the book then give it to a charity shop after for someone else to enjoy.


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## Orang Utan (Nov 24, 2010)

i like buying books too, but i'm travelling for 5 months, maybe longer, so can't carry a massive bag of books with me.


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## RubyBlue (Nov 25, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> i like buying books too, but i'm travelling for 5 months, maybe longer, so can't carry a massive bag of books with me.


 
Ah, that's why I bought mine also - fantastically useful for that - good luck with your travels.


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## Orang Utan (Nov 25, 2010)

i'm finding i'm reading at a much more rapid rate with a kindle. anyone else find this? not sure why!


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 25, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> i'm finding i'm reading at a much more rapid rate with a kindle. anyone else find this? not sure why!


 
Yep me too, I'm reading more regularly than I have in nearly a decade, reading faster per page too, literally gorging on books since getting one.


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## Orang Utan (Nov 25, 2010)

i think this may be my favourite ever electronic purchase!


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 25, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> i think this may be my favourite ever electronic purchase!


 
Heh it's deffo one of my best, I rarely leave the house without it now if I'm going to be sat on a bus or train anywhere...


----------



## kropotkin (Nov 25, 2010)

Get mine tomorrow or Monday. Can't wait for it, especially instapaper and torrenting textbooks. It'll pay for itself in a year.


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## spacemonkey (Nov 26, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> i like buying books too, but i'm travelling for 5 months, maybe longer, so can't carry a massive bag of books with me.


 
God I wish I had a kindle when I went travelling. I around 50-100 of books while I was away. The bookshops in Thailand are really quite expensive, or you have to trade 15 books to get 1 back. So you just end up reading any old shit you can get your hands on.


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## The Octagon (Nov 26, 2010)

Just ordered one of these for my dad for Christmas, hopefully someone will do the same for me


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Nov 26, 2010)

i went through a stage or really liking it  but  ii've taken a break from it for a bit

it's  best for  stuff you get  involved with   like a novel... it's not really that  good  for  reference books  (for me anyhow)
i'd probably like it  better for manga if  i spent some time  to prepare  volumes of manga... at the moment i have to load em in chapter by chapter  which  leads to having to go back to the menu to select  a new chapter  every few min   and  often the files are  out of order  so you have to  go through the list to find it

i need  to  load  more novels on it... i really enjoyed reading  the  barsoom stuff on it


----------



## Scaggs (Nov 26, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> i'm finding i'm reading at a much more rapid rate with a kindle. anyone else find this? not sure why!


 
Same for me. I think, in my case it's because I can zoom the text larger. My eyesight is getting shittier every day and I don't have time for opticians.


----------



## ChrisFilter (Nov 26, 2010)

Still perfectly happy reading books on the Kindle app on the iPhone. I have an older ebook reader as well, kindle size, but I find it a bit big to carry around whereas I always have my phone on me anyway.


----------



## Me76 (Nov 27, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> Still perfectly happy reading books on the Kindle app on the iPhone. I have an older ebook reader as well, kindle size, but I find it a bit big to carry around whereas I always have my phone on me anyway.


 
I do this too. Although I prefer the iBooks app but books are cheaper on Kindle. 

I find I read quicker too. I think it has something to do with not necessarily knowing how much you have left so I don't tend to slow down to make it last longer like I would with a book.


----------



## Strumpet (Nov 30, 2010)

Strumpet said:


> Minime wants one for Xmas and I don't blame her. I want one too!
> 
> great thread with fab advice, ta


 
I haz 2 Kindles!!!!!!! I have been naughty and opened mine before Xmas. Well, it is from me  I fukn LOVE it. Omg. Have to hide it from minime as she won't get hers til just before we go away for Xmas n NY (she can read it on our travels then)
Amazing gizmo. Technology fukn rocks. 

Just ordered screen protetors and 2 very nice covers for us n all


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Nov 30, 2010)

Top trivia: You can freeze your Sony e-reader overnight. It won't work in the morninig but if you take it out to defrost (I don't recomend the microwave) it'll work again in a few hours...


----------



## Winot (Nov 30, 2010)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Top trivia: You can freeze your Sony e-reader overnight. It won't work in the morninig but if you take it out to defrost (I don't recomend the microwave) it'll work again in a few hours...


 
Good to know.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Nov 30, 2010)

Woop, after being sent to Dubai and then back to the UK, mine has finally arrived! 

Thought it had a sticker on the screen out the box, was amazed to see that was actually the display!!!


----------



## netbob (Nov 30, 2010)

elevendayempire said:


> Been meaning to ask - can you use the 3G to check e-mail abroad? I've heard conflicting reports...



Yes. But it isnt very fast / easy to use. m.gmail.com is slightly better.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Nov 30, 2010)

Just signed up to a free trial of a newspaper. Much more appealing to read the news on my bed rather then on my PC!


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Nov 30, 2010)

I see what people mean about PDFs, most work, but it seems nice to convert them first. Text files actually seem to work better. Been using Caliber for converting epub and pdf files, but it seems to mess up pdfs where the text is set into two coloums.  

I think I've now got enough reading matter for the next 6 months! 

What screen protectors have people got? I assume, you really don't want a gloss one. The invisible shields look good, but I can see them being a right pain to apply. Anyone tried one?


----------



## Orang Utan (Nov 30, 2010)

i didn't think about getting one. maybe i should.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Nov 30, 2010)

Get one, you wont regret it!


----------



## Orang Utan (Nov 30, 2010)

i'm not much good at applying them so they stay on. is there a knack to it? my iphone one started peeling off instantly.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Nov 30, 2010)

Practice makes perfect.


----------



## Scaggs (Nov 30, 2010)

I can't get screen protectors to stick either. I wouldn't bother with one for my kindle though. Inever actually touch the screen and I've got a case to protect it when I'm traveling.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Nov 30, 2010)

Scaggs said:


> I can't get screen protectors to stick either. I wouldn't bother with one for my kindle though. Inever actually touch the screen and I've got a case to protect it when I'm traveling.


 
That's basically the same for me but I appreciate why other people might want to have one, think it's almost instinct at this point with all the big screened devices around to want to protect them...


----------



## spacemonkey (Nov 30, 2010)

G_S said:


> Thought it had a sticker on the screen out the box, was amazed to see that was actually the display!!!



I thought that!


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Nov 30, 2010)

I'm liking calibre a lot, sort of like itunes for your kindle, although admittedly not as polished. Great for sorting out the metadata of stuff you've downloaded and converting it into Kinddle format, then syncing it.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Nov 30, 2010)

Keep banging on about it, but found another very cool feature in calibre...it will download RSS feeds from up to 300 different new feeds and convert them into an ebook for you. Downloads them daily like a podcast and you don't have to pay for them like you would if you got them from Amazon!


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## Sunray (Dec 1, 2010)

G_S said:


> I see what people mean about PDFs, most work, but it seems nice to convert them first. Text files actually seem to work better. Been using Caliber for converting epub and pdf files, but it seems to mess up pdfs where the text is set into two coloums.
> 
> I think I've now got enough reading matter for the next 6 months!
> 
> What screen protectors have people got? I assume, you really don't want a gloss one. The invisible shields look good, but I can see them being a right pain to apply. Anyone tried one?


 
Didn't see the point of a shield, its not like a phone in your pocket.   I just got a Built neoprene case.


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## Kanda (Dec 1, 2010)

I got this case: 







Excellent for reading in bed


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 1, 2010)

Sunray said:


> Didn't see the point of a shield, its not like a phone in your pocket.   I just got a Built neoprene case.


 
Cos I'm clumsy and everything electronic and mobile ends up looking battered before to long.

Have got a neoprene case already, which I ordered at the same time.


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## elevendayempire (Dec 1, 2010)

Kanda said:


> I got this case:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Me too - though it is quite heavy.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 1, 2010)

how is it heavy? 
i got one too - essential i thought


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## Paulie Tandoori (Dec 1, 2010)

Kanda said:


> Excellent for reading in bed


So are books and you don't need some daft device to read them either.


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## Kanda (Dec 1, 2010)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> So are books and you don't need some daft device to read them either.


 
You have night vision?

No, you need a light, that can annoy a partner at times...


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## Paulie Tandoori (Dec 1, 2010)

Kanda said:


> You have night vision?
> 
> No, you need a light, that can annoy a partner at times...


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## Orang Utan (Dec 1, 2010)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> So are books and you don't need some daft device to read them either.


 
it's hardly daft. in fact it's eminently sensible.


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## beesonthewhatnow (Dec 1, 2010)

Kanda said:


> You have night vision?
> 
> No, you need a light, that can annoy a partner at times...


 
But you need light to read one of these, no?


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## Orang Utan (Dec 1, 2010)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> But you need light to read one of these, no?


 you need a light to read either. but books don't come with a small light that comes out of the corner of the book and focusses on the book, rather than casting light everywhere like, say, a lamp.


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 1, 2010)

Kanda said:


> I got this case:
> 
> 
> Excellent for reading in bed



Is that really all that? Considered it myself but couldn't bring myself to spend 50 quid on a case...


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 1, 2010)

Kanda said:


> You have night vision?
> 
> No, you need a light, that can annoy a partner at times...


 
Or you have a partner who's reading her Kindle while you read yours.


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## Paulie Tandoori (Dec 1, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> it's hardly daft. in fact it's eminently sensible.


it's not, it's daft. i buy a book, i have it always. i buy a kindle, i buy it, but i never own the content. daft. boy's toys.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 1, 2010)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> it's not, it's daft. i buy a book, i have it always. i buy a kindle, i buy it, but i never own the content. daft. boy's toys.


 
Most of the books on mine haven't come from Amazon!


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## Paulie Tandoori (Dec 1, 2010)

G_S said:


> Most of the books on mine haven't come from Amazon!


book pixies?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 1, 2010)

You can download them from the net and keep a copy on your hard drive, as well as using the Amazon store. Torrents, cough.


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 1, 2010)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> it's not, it's daft. i buy a book, i have it always. i buy a kindle, i buy it, but i never own the content. daft. boy's toys.


 
I buy a book read it, it sits there gathering dust and taking up space or I get rid of it, I buy a kindle book I read it it takes up no space and gathers no dust.


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## Paulie Tandoori (Dec 1, 2010)

G_S said:


> You can download them from the net and keep a copy on your hard drive, as well as using the Amazon store. Torrents, cough.


you ain't seen me right...

*taps nose conspiratorially*


----------



## Paulie Tandoori (Dec 1, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I buy a book read it, it sits there gathering dust and taking up space or I get rid of it, I buy a kindle book I read it it takes up no space and gathers no dust.


still doesn't get read tho does it? 

books are  even if they do gather dust.


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## RubyBlue (Dec 1, 2010)

G_S said:


> You can download them from the net and keep a copy on your hard drive, as well as using the Amazon store. Torrents, cough.



I'm obviously not getting the best out of my kindle  how do I do this?   eta I think I know - just didn't realise...-


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## Orang Utan (Dec 1, 2010)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> it's not, it's daft. i buy a book, i have it always. i buy a kindle, i buy it, but i never own the content. daft. boy's toys.


 
i'm looking at it as a travel thing. i still love books but i they're not practical for long journeys.
e-readers are also very useful in other ways that books are not.
handy for disabled people too. hopefully some more user friendly versions will be out soon.


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## RubyBlue (Dec 1, 2010)

ok silly question but how do you transfer downloads to adobe?  Then to your kindle?  


ETA - I've done it - gosh - didn't realise is was so simple


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 1, 2010)

i dunno - you don't need to transfer anything to adobe. you just download the file then drag and drop into the device. no intermediary program needed.


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## RubyBlue (Dec 1, 2010)

Ta - I did it - I didn't know you could - wow - I'm even more happier with my kindle now


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 1, 2010)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> still doesn't get read tho does it?
> 
> books are  even if they do gather dust.


 
For you. I couldn't give a shit about building some big collection to sit there doing nothing other to make me look like I've got a big collection of bound paper. I read a book, absorb what's in it and move on. In this day and age who the hell has space for shelves and shelves of books?!


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## RubyBlue (Dec 1, 2010)

My downloads are small print can y-anyone tell me how to increase the font size?


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## Orang Utan (Dec 1, 2010)

Aa button


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## RubyBlue (Dec 1, 2010)

ta


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> i dunno - you don't need to transfer anything to adobe. you just download the file then drag and drop into the device. no intermediary program needed.



I find they look a little better if you transfer the format first, text just seems to look a little better.


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## editor (Dec 2, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I buy a book read it, it sits there gathering dust and taking up space or I get rid of it, I buy a kindle book I read it it takes up no space and gathers no dust.


If I was going on holiday and had loads of books to read, I'd rather take a light and small kindle than have to fill bag full of heavy hardbacks and paperbacks. I don't really care if I "own" the book. So long as I can read it whenever I want, that's good enough for me.


----------



## ovaltina (Dec 2, 2010)

Some of the books on the Kindle store that used to be $0.00 are now $2.00


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## Orang Utan (Dec 2, 2010)

G_S said:


> I find they look a little better if you transfer the format first, text just seems to look a little better.


 
transfer it to what? mine looks fine.


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 2, 2010)

ovaltina said:


> Some of the books on the Kindle store that used to be $0.00 are now $2.00


 
lots of free, out of copyright books here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> transfer it to what? mine looks fine.



Mobi files. PDFs look fine, but saves having to zoom in and the like.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 2, 2010)

they're already mobi files aren't they?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

No, slightly different file format.


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 2, 2010)

the gutenburg ones are all mobis - can't say i've noticed any difference between those and the ones you buy off amazon.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

That's cos they are similar. I assumed RubyBlue was talking about PDF files, which work, but sometimes aren't scaled right.


----------



## toggle (Dec 2, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> i dunno - you don't need to transfer anything to adobe. you just download the file then drag and drop into the device. no intermediary program needed.


i eail stuff all the time. when i drag and drop, it messes up the ordering system on the kindle so stuff i ust looked at goes to p28 instead of the front


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

I got loads of George Orwell from the link the ed gave. Reading The Road to Wigan Pier, which I've been meaning to for years.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 2, 2010)

G_S said:


> I got loads of George Orwell from the link the ed gave. Reading The Road to Wigan Pier, which I've been meaning to for years.


 
Orwells essays are almost if not better than his books...


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 2, 2010)

editor said:


> If I was going on holiday and had loads of books to read, I'd rather take a light and small kindle than have to fill bag full of heavy hardbacks and paperbacks. I don't really care if I "own" the book. So long as I can read it whenever I want, that's good enough for me.


 
Indeed.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

TBH I feel like own books more with the Kindle, the number of paperbacks I've lent or just lost over the years, which I wish I still had are huge. I've been having loads of fun downloading them all, backed up across a couple of hard disks, they certainly feel more secure then anything physical. It would be nice to get a waterproof case for it though as I miss being able to read in the bath.

The thing I don't get about it is an email client would have have been far more useful then a browser. Would be nice if they add one, although not essential I guess as I have my phone.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Orwells essays are almost if not better than his books...


 
Really? I downloaded them as well, so will have a look next!


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 2, 2010)

G_S said:


> TBH I feel like own books more with the Kindle, the number of paperbacks I've lent or just lost over the years, which I wish I still had are huge. I've been having loads of fun downloading them all, backed up across a couple of hard disks, they certainly feel more secure then anything physical. It would be nice to get a waterproof case for it though as I miss being able to read in the bath.
> 
> The thing I don't get about it is an email client would have have been far more useful then a browser. Would be nice if they add one, although not essential I guess as I have my phone.


 
Indeed.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

Result. Aquapac make one. I trust their gear as I've used it for phones in the past!


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 2, 2010)

G_S said:


> Result. Aquapac make one. I trust their gear as I've used it for phones in the past!


 
Aha! Tempting...


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

Weirdly I've just downloaded an ebook that's got a link every few pages which takes me to an orkut sign in.


----------



## crustychick (Dec 2, 2010)

so, here's the burning question at the moment... for a case, which is best - book style, or flip style?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

crustychick said:


> so, here's the burning question at the moment... for a case, which is best - book style, or flip style?


 
I'm quite liking the neoprene sleeve I got! Keeps it nice and light weight when I'm using it.


----------



## crustychick (Dec 2, 2010)

nooo, don't want a neprene sleeve.... i want a case, but... book-style or flip-style?!?! it's a dilemma.... I'm buying the boy a flip style one, and I have my eye on a book style one, but what if I prefer his flip style when it comes!!! *sigh* is so tough...


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 2, 2010)

Get his and see how much you like it?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 3, 2010)

Anyone know how to add books straight to a folder when transferring files, without having to do it on the device?


----------



## Bungle73 (Dec 3, 2010)

G_S said:


> TBH I feel like own books more with the Kindle, the number of paperbacks I've lent or just lost over the years, which I wish I still had are huge. I've been having loads of fun downloading them all, backed up across a couple of hard disks, they certainly feel more secure then anything physical. It would be nice to get a waterproof case for it though as I miss being able to read in the bath.
> 
> The thing I don't get about it is an email client would have have been far more useful then a browser. Would be nice if they add one, although not essential I guess as I have my phone.


 
Can't you access your email on it through your mail provider's website?


----------



## grit (Dec 4, 2010)

I have someone from Ireland wanting me to buy this for them, is there any sort of region locking?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 4, 2010)

grit said:


> I have someone from Ireland wanting me to buy this for them, is there any sort of region locking?


 
No.


----------



## grit (Dec 4, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> No.


 
Thanks, is it possible to walk in and buy one off the shelf or is it online only?


----------



## Sunray (Dec 4, 2010)

No and yes.


----------



## grit (Dec 5, 2010)

Sunray said:


> No and yes.


 
Cant find anywhere other than John Lewis for offline sales, any ideas where else could stock it?


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 5, 2010)

grit said:


> Cant find anywhere other than John Lewis for offline sales, any ideas where else could stock it?


 you could give amazon a go


----------



## grit (Dec 5, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> you could give amazon a go


 
Is that supposed to be a joke?


----------



## strung out (Dec 5, 2010)

you can only get kindles from john lewis or online as far as i know.


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 5, 2010)

grit said:


> Is that supposed to be a joke?


no, amazon make it, so best buy it from them innit


----------



## grit (Dec 5, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> no, amazon make it, so best buy it from them innit


 
I'm specifically looking to buy it offline in a shop, innit.


----------



## Bungle73 (Dec 5, 2010)

grit said:


> I'm specifically looking to buy it offline in a shop, innit.


 
Why don't you want to buy it online?


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 5, 2010)

grit said:


> I'm specifically looking to buy it offline in a shop, innit.


 
how odd. amazon is a mail order company.


----------



## strung out (Dec 5, 2010)

you can also buy it in john lewis though.


----------



## UserNamed (Dec 5, 2010)

grit said:


> I'm specifically looking to buy it offline in a shop, innit.


 
counterfeit bank notes?


----------



## grit (Dec 5, 2010)

grit said:


> I'm specifically looking to buy it offline in a shop, innit.


 
Timing, I cant wait for it to be delivered I'm leaving the country for a bit


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 5, 2010)

Bungle73 said:


> Can't you access your email on it through your mail provider's website?


 
Yes, but a mail client would be much nicer.


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Dec 5, 2010)

grit said:


> Timing, I cant wait for it to be delivered I'm leaving the country for a bit


 
Next day shipping, if you sign up for the "prime" service it'll go out next day business class, free. Then go into your settings and set it to "do not pay for years' subscription" and you're laughing.


----------



## grit (Dec 5, 2010)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Next day shipping, if you sign up for the "prime" service it'll go out next day business class, free. Then go into your settings and set it to "do not pay for years' subscription" and you're laughing.


 
Just did that, thanks for the tip mate.


----------



## Sunray (Dec 6, 2010)

I am surprised that John Lewis have them, given their tight integration to Amazon, it comes pre set up to your Amazon account that you ordered it from.


----------



## editor (Dec 6, 2010)

Eme took hers to NYC and it performed brilliantly.


----------



## kropotkin (Dec 6, 2010)

Mine performs very well in Bristol.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 6, 2010)

Mine worked well in Bethnal Green.


----------



## Vintage Paw (Dec 8, 2010)

Considering one (just wi-fi) for mother for her 60th birthday at the beginning of Jan. Good idea? She's reasonably okay with tech, knows her way around the hardware and general software of computers, doesn't really 'get' the internet very much though. Will it be easy enough for her to pick up?


----------



## Kanda (Dec 8, 2010)

editor said:


> Eme took hers to NYC and it performed brilliantly.


 
Why wouldn't it?


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 8, 2010)

Vintage Paw said:


> Considering one (just wi-fi) for mother for her 60th birthday at the beginning of Jan. Good idea? She's reasonably okay with tech, knows her way around the hardware and general software of computers, doesn't really 'get' the internet very much though. Will it be easy enough for her to pick up?


 
yeah, it's almost too easy to buy books


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 8, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> yeah, it's almost too easy to buy books


 
Ain't that the truth. I try to sample everything so I don't buy every book I come across...


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Dec 9, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> yeah, it's almost too easy to buy books



that's *the *point innit (from biz model POV I mean)?

On this note - when you but a book over the air on this thing, does it ask you to log in to Amazon every time or confirm password or something?
I am thinking of getting on and am concerned that people could nick it and buy fuckloads of stuff through my card or access my card/amazon details, change addresses etc etc

you know what I mean I'm sure - so safety - what is there on a Kindle?


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 9, 2010)

there isn't anything. you just buy it with one click.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Dec 9, 2010)

can you only buy Kindle content on it?
not other stuff from amazon
like cameras etc
or would you do that through the web browser


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 9, 2010)

just kindle files


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 10, 2010)

On the tube today I decided it's actually far easier to read standing up then a paperback.  

I'm reading more since I've got it, I've got so much stuff waiting to be read its ace!


----------



## elevendayempire (Dec 14, 2010)

G_S said:


> On the tube today I decided it's actually far easier to read standing up then a paperback.


It's dead handy for that. See also: reading thick books while eating (you don't have to weigh down the pages to stop them flipping over) and reading weighty tomes in bed.


----------



## editor (Dec 14, 2010)

I'm seeing *loads* of these Kindles around now. It's a shame that Amazon won't reveal unit sales, but they do seem to be getting close to becoming the 'iPad of books.'


----------



## crustychick (Dec 14, 2010)

i'm sure that after christmas we'll see more than double what are around at the moment!


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 14, 2010)

editor said:


> I'm seeing *loads* of these Kindles around now. It's a shame that Amazon won't reveal unit sales, but they do seem to be getting close to becoming the 'iPad of books.'


 
Yep me too, almost every morning commute has someone other than me engrossed in a book. That said I'm also noticing a few more iPads these days also, and less laptops...


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 14, 2010)

crustychick said:


> i'm sure that after christmas we'll see more than double what are around at the moment!


 
bit expensive for a xmas present innit?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 14, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> bit expensive for a xmas present innit?


 
Nope. £109 is very doable I reckon...


----------



## crustychick (Dec 14, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> bit expensive for a xmas present innit?



depends - I'll spend more than that on my boy. and his ma is getting him a kindle... also, as Amazon keeps telling me - it's the most bought and wished for product at Amazon this Christmas...


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 14, 2010)

my family must be well tight


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 14, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> my family must be well tight


 
Sensible like it is very sensible! People make xmas far more stressful then it needs to be by worrying about the giving and not concentrating on the important things like nice food and good booze.


----------



## elevendayempire (Dec 20, 2010)

Oh noes! There's a little crack on my Kindle! Running from the bottom-right corner of the screen out...


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Dec 20, 2010)

How?

Do you use a screen protector or case? Did you drop it?


"If you Kindle fails, contact our customer service team on 0800-496-2449"


----------



## elevendayempire (Dec 20, 2010)

It's in a case, and I haven't dropped it. But I doubt any warranty covers "a small crack just appeared on it."


----------



## bmd (Dec 21, 2010)

Roll on Christmas. I've ordered a load of magazines for it, about half the free books and a few paid ones. No doubt I won't read any of the free ones and delete them after a few months.

Does anyone know the address of the ebook torrent site?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 21, 2010)

If you google what you want followed by torrent, you'll normally find what you want.

Also worth having a look at this thread if you haven't already.


----------



## Me76 (Dec 21, 2010)

I am thinking about asking for amazon vouchers for my leaving present from work so that I can get loads of books on my Kindle.  
Does anyone know if you can 'pre load' vouchers on to Amazon?  The reason I ask is that I am sure that when I have bought books  so far on Kindle I haven't been asked for any information so there wouldn't be a point I could add the voucher code.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Dec 21, 2010)

elevendayempire said:


> It's in a case, and I haven't dropped it. But I doubt any warranty covers "a small crack just appeared on it."



I did type a reply to this last night but I appear to have fucked up posting it, anyway

the 2 yr 'extended warranty' Amazon offer covers this
There are a few reports of people reporting faulty screens as manufacturing faults and getting a replacement in 48 hrs-people who don't have the extended warranty
some of these have reported the screen cracking whilst they were putting it in/out of the 'official' amazon case - this suggests there are a few dodgy screens around or the thing ain't up to the job in some circumstances

I'd ring them and ask, after all, you can't buy books if you can't use the thing and that is what they want innit
"If you Kindle fails, contact our customer service team on 0800-496-2449"

there are a lotof people saying the extended warranty is bollocks by the way
doesn't cover it at your place of work
or on holiday
or on Tuesdays, or something


----------



## Lazy Llama (Dec 21, 2010)

Me76 said:


> Does anyone know if you can 'pre load' vouchers on to Amazon?  The reason I ask is that I am sure that when I have bought books  so far on Kindle I haven't been asked for any information so there wouldn't be a point I could add the voucher code.


yes, you can credit gift certificates against your Amazon account, and then use the 1-Click option to buy content on your Kindle. I think I read about it on their Kindle FAQ


----------



## Me76 (Dec 21, 2010)

ta.


----------



## bmd (Dec 21, 2010)

G_S said:


> If you google what you want followed by torrent, you'll normally find what you want.
> 
> Also worth having a look at this thread if you haven't already.


 
Thanks that's really useful. Even more excited about my Kindle now. Hurry up Santa!


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 21, 2010)

Mine has been a life saver since I started work, there is nothing for us to do and as its so discreet. I've got away with reading two books now since I started.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Dec 22, 2010)

Amateur Engineer Figures Out Why His Kindle Randomly Restarts


my son just emailed me this
interesting
seems the official Amazon no light case can cause shorts and power drain in some circumstances


----------



## editor (Dec 22, 2010)

It seems Amazon have shifted over 8 million of the things this year.  Which is rather a lot.

http://www.wirefresh.com/amazon-kindle-sales-said-to-exceed-estimates-with-8m-units-shifted/


----------



## editor (Dec 22, 2010)

Kanda said:


> Why wouldn't it?


Incredibly, some gadgets don't always perform as well as you might hope or deliver promised features (like 3G access out of the country), but in Eme's case everything worked just fine. 

Perhaps you've already tested your Kindle in the US, but I thought others might be interested that it worked fine over there.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 22, 2010)

editor said:


> It seems Amazon have shifted over 8 million of the things this year.  Which is rather a lot.
> 
> http://www.wirefresh.com/amazon-kindle-sales-said-to-exceed-estimates-with-8m-units-shifted/


 
Brilliant news!


----------



## Lord Camomile (Dec 25, 2010)

It`s amazing! Using it to post this, I`m in the future!


----------



## Vintage Paw (Dec 25, 2010)

Mother seems duly impressed with her xmas Kindle. Although she hasn't really had a play with it yet. Will get her a gift cert for her birthday so she can go crazy and buy a bunch of stuff for it. Also going to email her with all the free book websites and some instructions. 

She also got a metal detector for xmas. Yes, she's one of _those_ people.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Dec 25, 2010)

Brilliant


----------



## Strumpet (Dec 25, 2010)

MInime hasn't put hers down yet since early this morning  And now I can use mine without hiding it from her 


OOooooooooo I would love some free book websites and instructions!! *smiles sweetly at VP*


----------



## Lo Siento. (Dec 25, 2010)

just got one! looks great  looking forward to getting newspaper subscriptions and the like


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 25, 2010)

Strumpet said:


> MInime hasn't put hers down yet since early this morning  And now I can use mine without hiding it from her
> 
> 
> OOooooooooo I would love some free book websites and instructions!! *smiles sweetly at VP*


 
Check the link I gave earlier up the page.


----------



## Sunray (Dec 25, 2010)

Strumpet said:


> MInime hasn't put hers down yet since early this morning  And now I can use mine without hiding it from her
> 
> 
> OOooooooooo I would love some free book websites and instructions!! *smiles sweetly at VP*


 
Gutenberg Press website has a catalogue you can download and search.  Takes some time after loading before you can search, better to load it onto your PC and search it there, but the benefit is that you can just select the book you want and it just downloads them.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 25, 2010)

For all you kindle owners then Caliber is great if you're planning on downloading books which aren't from Amazon, it manages them like an itunes library as well as converting between all the different formats. Another nice feature is that it will get the news of which ever site you prefer and turn it into a ebook, so you don't have to pay for them from amazon.


----------



## toggle (Dec 25, 2010)

Bob Marley's Dad said:


> Roll on Christmas. I've ordered a load of magazines for it, about half the free books and a few paid ones. No doubt I won't read any of the free ones and delete them after a few months.
> 
> Does anyone know the address of the ebook torrent site?



try culturesharingteam. not torrent, but good

books amassed beyond life expectancy


----------



## toggle (Dec 25, 2010)

editor said:


> It seems Amazon have shifted over 8 million of the things this year.  Which is rather a lot.
> 
> http://www.wirefresh.com/amazon-kindle-sales-said-to-exceed-estimates-with-8m-units-shifted/


 
i'm not supprised. it is a good bit of kit at a good price


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 25, 2010)

G_S said:


> For all you kindle owners then Caliber is great if you're planning on downloading books which aren't from Amazon, it manages them like an itunes library as well as converting between all the different formats. Another nice feature is that it will get the news of which ever site you prefer and turn it into a ebook, so you don't have to pay for them from amazon.


 
Nice, will check that out.


----------



## ChrisFilter (Dec 25, 2010)

My Dad got one for Xmas - very, very nice.


----------



## Vintage Paw (Dec 25, 2010)

Lo Siento. said:


> just got one! looks great  looking forward to getting newspaper subscriptions and the like


 
I was just going to collate what was in this thread - I don't have special knowledge I'm afraid


----------



## Strumpet (Dec 25, 2010)

G_S said:


> Check the link I gave earlier up the page.


 


Sunray said:


> Gutenberg Press website has a catalogue you can download and search.  Takes some time after loading before you can search, better to load it onto your PC and search it there, but the benefit is that you can just select the book you want and it just downloads them.


 
Ty ty


----------



## cliche guevara (Dec 26, 2010)

Got a Kindle from the lovely idioteque for Christmas, very ipressed with it so far. I've just orddered a case off Amazon, and started my first book last night. Also downloaded The Independant, which was interesting.



toggle said:


> try culturesharingteam. not torrent, but good
> 
> books amassed beyond life expectancy



Do you have a link? Didn't come up with a google.


----------



## marty21 (Dec 26, 2010)

I will get my kindle tomorrow - looking forward to it.


----------



## grit (Dec 26, 2010)

Just setup the one I bought for my mother, fucking great device going to grab one for myself.


----------



## rich! (Dec 26, 2010)

The web browser doesn't make best use of the screen, and for some reason  Urban's last unread link no longer works,but it see.s ok as a browser for this site...

I read a damned fat novel over the last two days, and that worked really well. Trying the next one in the series on paper to compare...


----------



## toggle (Dec 26, 2010)

cliche guevara said:


> Got a Kindle from the lovely idioteque for Christmas, very ipressed with it so far. I've just orddered a case off Amazon, and started my first book last night. Also downloaded The Independant, which was interesting.
> 
> 
> 
> Do you have a link? Didn't come up with a google.


 
http://booksharingteam.comze.com/SCI-FI.htm

fecking huge files. 

loads of stuff. everything i've read is readable, few typos, but less than my typing


----------



## Cid (Dec 27, 2010)

toggle said:


> http://booksharingteam.comze.com/SCI-FI.htm
> 
> fecking huge files.
> 
> loads of stuff. everything i've read is readable, few typos, but less than my typing



PDFs seem to have an embedded link that the kindle can't handle, anyone know how to fix this?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 27, 2010)

Apparently the Kindle is now the biggest selling product on Amazon ever, beating Harry Potter...


----------



## 1927 (Dec 27, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Apparently the Kindle is now the biggest selling product on Amazon ever, beating Harry Potter...


 
Has been for sometime I believe, unless you are grouping all the HP's together as one product.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 27, 2010)

Having a look at Calibre, like the newspaper download thing...!


----------



## Lord Camomile (Dec 27, 2010)

It does look interesting, but also quite confusing


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 27, 2010)

Yeah it is a bit, there are some videos on there I think which explain...


----------



## Lord Camomile (Dec 27, 2010)

It all looks suspiciously like coding. I know I wear glasses and like reading Dilbert and xkcd, but I understand more Greek than I do coding.


----------



## 1927 (Dec 27, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Having a look at Calibre, like the newspaper download thing...!


 
I cant get it to work, tried differnt newspapers and BBC site!! saying Failed Feed for everything.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 27, 2010)

Didnt try that many but it grabbed the guardian, Indy fine although did take a while...


----------



## grit (Dec 27, 2010)

Lord Camomile said:


> It all looks suspiciously like coding. I know I wear glasses and like reading Dilbert and xkcd, but I understand more Greek than I do coding.


 
Please hand over your geek membership card so


----------



## Riklet (Dec 27, 2010)

Saw/used one recently, this Christmas, pretty impressive, I found it quite "matt" and clear to read on, no bright over shiny flickeryness like any computer screen has.

I'd probably mainly use it for uni stuff; .pdf file journals and e-books and tings like that, although I guess it'd be handy to have it for general reading.  Gets 'round printing out shit loads of pages with .pdfs or struggling through reading them on a screen, and also the issue of lugging bags of books around.

Really quite tempted at £109.  People who've got one, have you found it useful? Seems very well made, good reviews etc.  Main downsides are the whole "It's _just not the same_ as a book though" and "i'll look like a prick!" arguments i'ma thinking...


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 28, 2010)

Don't really understand what calibre is for but I'm just interested in reading books on it, so am happy to use the kindle in a conventional manner - got the complete works of dostoievsky, tolstoy, twain and even balzac (all 200 of them!), all of chekhov's short stories, all the sherlock holmes stories and loads more, all for pennies!


----------



## Kaye (Dec 28, 2010)

My other half uses it instead of books; nothing else - pretty much for fiction alone. She downloads (or rather, I make her download) some philosophy. 
She loves it; partly because she can fall asleep and keep her page, partly because it's allowed us to now have to add to our two rooms of bookshelves, and partly just because it weighs nothing, battery life is forever, and it does what it says on the tim.

Not sure about pdfs and that; but for someone who just likes reading, it's worthwhile.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Dec 28, 2010)

Kaye said:


> She downloads (or rather, I make her download) some philosophy.


I've been looking at various philosophical texts but so far have only downloaded a few of the English ones as I'm wary of the quality of the translations on the free texts. Annoying really as I'm keen to finally get round to reading the likes of Neitzche and Kant (among many, many others...).


----------



## Kaye (Dec 28, 2010)

Philosophy is a stupid 'subject' really though, in that it isn't a subject at all. What do you want to know about? I think you have to have a link into philosophy - ie if you're into the scientific method, I have no recommendations (beyond the obvious Popper/ Kant/ Lakatos). Political philosophy (sort of depends what you want), but there's some Godwin, Ilich, Ferrer on there, and apparently one of Ranciere's best (thePhilosopher and his poor) is going to be available soon (not free; I only know this because of my recent post-graduate degree and I'm meeting him next month). I like the classics - I'm into Philosophy of Education (hence the interest in Ranciere) but Socrates and Plato for free is enough for me!


----------



## Lo Siento. (Dec 28, 2010)

spent today using it to read and note take from an essay someone sent me, converted to pdf. useful stuff for people doing research


----------



## Kaye (Dec 28, 2010)

Lo Siento. said:


> spent today using it to read and note take from an essay someone sent me, converted to pdf. useful stuff for people doing research


 
When I'm studying, or writing something for publication in a journal, the kindle would make it impossible I reckon! (I'm a fan though)


----------



## crustychick (Dec 28, 2010)

yay! loving my new kindle so far... haven't actually *read* anything on it yet  as i'm finishing off a book but am *excited*


----------



## Corax (Dec 28, 2010)

I was a lucky boy this Christmas and I'm an instant convert.  It's incredibly light and comfortable to hold, which makes it far nicer for reading in bed than some of the whopping great sci-fi epics I enjoy sometimes.  It looks damn fine.  The size is perfect - not too small, but small and slim enough to slip into my coat pocket.  The controls are intuitive.  It boots up in less time than it would take you to find your page.  It's totally eye-strain free.  It's tech-pr0n.  I love it.

The basic browser is a great bonus feature too (particularly for those of us yet to get a smartphone).  I love being able to quickly check the headlines, the football scores, or quickly google something that I've just thought of without the hassle of booting the pooter up.

Loads of free titles available.  So far I've grabbed:


The Book of Werewolves - C19 reference book  
The Communist Manifesto
Machiavelli's The Prince
The Einstein Theory of Relativity (as opposed to Gareth Gates' one?)
The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse
Introduction to the Philosophy and Writings of Plato
The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci Complete
Plato's Crito
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 
The Legends of King Arthur and his Knights (which I'll be reading to the boy as well as myself)
Soul Identity (sci-fi, good customer reviews)
Shatter (The Children of Man) (as above)

Some of which I'll probably never read (Relativity's a strong contender), but hell, they're free, and I'm unlikely to run out of memory on the thing anytime soon!

Can I just say that again?  All the above were _free_.  Not dodgy free.  _Legit_ free.

I've also grabbed a free 25 language basic phrasebook, which is a fantastic thing to have for travelling.  I suspect I'll be using it for travel guides too, so I'll have guides, phrasebooks and holiday reading all on the same device in my pocket.  Brilliant.  If there are streetmaps for it, it will be an amazing travel companion.

Another free gem is _Blood Sweat and Tea_, highlights of Tom Reynolds' (Ambulance Driver/Medic) blog converted into a book.  It's no great work of literature, but it's entertaining and interesting reading, and all for sweet FA.  I'm about half way through it already.  Actually... *checks Kindle* ...I'm 73% through it.  It says so at the bottom of the page.  

The only thing I've paid for so far (although still only £3.71) is Pratchett's _Wintersmith_, because I've got 2 'old-tech' books in the queue anyway.  I just wanted to properly buy something for it, and Pratchett's always great comfort/unwind reading.

All in all, I'm a massive kindle fan already.  I love it.  

My only gripe is that some titles look to be too expensive.  There's no printing costs, no warehouse space needed, no sales assistants to pay, no retail overheads, no distribution/transport costs, and I'm sure sales volumes would go up if they passed a bigger proportion of these savings on to the consumer.  I hope they will in time, once ebooks have moved further away from being a bit of a novelty, and a bit more competition enters the market.


----------



## cliche guevara (Dec 28, 2010)

Sorry if this has been answered before, but is there a way to convert .pdf to .mobi? I have a couple of .pdf books which are difficult to read as you have to scroll across...


----------



## grit (Dec 28, 2010)

cliche guevara said:


> Sorry if this has been answered before, but is there a way to convert .pdf to .mobi? I have a couple of .pdf books which are difficult to read as you have to scroll across...


 
You can email the pdf to the devices address with convert in the subject line, I think. I'm curious to know if anyone has tried viewing non standard pdfs on the kindle. Stuff like pdf documents with two presentation slides on each page with moderately complex diagrams.


----------



## cliche guevara (Dec 28, 2010)

grit said:


> You can email the pdf to the devices address with convert in the subject line, I think. I'm curious to know if anyone has tried viewing non standard pdfs on the kindle. Stuff like pdf documents with two presentation slides on each page with moderately complex diagrams.


 
That worked amazingly well. Thanks, I continue to be astonished by this device.


----------



## scifisam (Dec 28, 2010)

I'm so, so tempted. The 3G one costs as much as about 25 firsthand paperback books (the ones I want tend not to be in 3 for 2 offers and the like), and the ebook versions are somewhat cheaper, so it could pay for itself within a year or so. 

Maybe I'll get it after paying for the oven, fridge-freezer, shower and flooring.


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 28, 2010)

it's a shame you can't nick them


----------



## cliche guevara (Dec 28, 2010)

John Lewis. If you fancy it.


----------



## Orang Utan (Dec 28, 2010)

might be tricky
glad i have one already


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 28, 2010)

scifisam said:


> I'm so, so tempted. The 3G one costs as much as about 25 firsthand paperback books (the ones I want tend not to be in 3 for 2 offers and the like), and the ebook versions are somewhat cheaper, so it could pay for itself within a year or so.
> 
> Maybe I'll get it after paying for the oven, fridge-freezer, shower and flooring.


 
It's an excellent device!


----------



## crustychick (Dec 29, 2010)

grit said:


> You can email the pdf to the devices address with convert in the subject line, I think. I'm curious to know if anyone has tried viewing non standard pdfs on the kindle. Stuff like pdf documents with two presentation slides on each page with moderately complex diagrams.


 
If you email stuff to your username@kindle.com email address then it can charge a fee to receive the file. If you log into your kindle device page on amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/myk you can set the maximum amount you are happy to pay per file (mine was set at a default of around £2.57). if you set it to zero then it will only try to send to your username@free.kindle.com address which you will only then receive (for free) when connected to a wireless network


----------



## cliche guevara (Dec 29, 2010)

Does it still convert files if you send them to the free email address?

I am 29% of the way through my first novel, this years booker prize winning "The Finkler Question". This percentage marker is encouraging me to read more.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 29, 2010)

Does it charge if the files are already Kindle ones?


----------



## UserNamed (Dec 29, 2010)

I haven't bought a single book yet. Emailing to your Amazon account (through Calibre) is the way to go. Zero cost.


----------



## marty21 (Dec 29, 2010)

I now have the kindle - my sister got  me one, and my brother one 

I'm very impressed, been messing around with it this afternoon.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Dec 29, 2010)

Corax said:


> Another free gem is _Blood Sweat and Tea_, highlights of Tom Reynolds' (Ambulance Driver/Medic) blog converted into a book.  It's no great work of literature, but it's entertaining and interesting reading, and all for sweet FA.  I'm about half way through it already.  Actually... *checks Kindle* ...I'm 73% through it.  It says so at the bottom of the page.


Search on my Kindle suggests it's £1.99  

I know it's still not much, but if I start buying those books I'll soon have spent £40-50...


----------



## Corax (Dec 29, 2010)

Lord Camomile said:


> Search on my Kindle suggests it's £1.99
> 
> I know it's still not much, but if I start buying those books I'll soon have spent £40-50...


 
I think you're looking at the sequel: More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea - £1.99

I've just searched for the 1st one (which was free) and it seems to have vanished from Amazon.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Dec 29, 2010)

The _bastards_


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 29, 2010)

So er does this mean calibre users can email anything we've converted to other kindle users for free also?


----------



## crustychick (Dec 30, 2010)

cliche guevara said:


> Does it still convert files if you send them to the free email address?



hmmm, don't know - I converted all of mine first using calibre.... 



Kid_Eternity said:


> Does it charge if the files are already Kindle ones?



I think so - it's per MB of data as far as I can tell. When I did my Guardian news grab download, it would have been in kindle format and the email they sent me told me it would have been 40p to the charging kindle address.... 



Kid_Eternity said:


> So er does this mean calibre users can email anything we've converted to other kindle users for free also?



not sure. haven't checked that out. certainly you have to set up your email address as default, but there may be a setting which means you can "share" with others. pretty sure there's a "share" button, but I haven't looked at how it works yet. will investigate now


----------



## Corax (Dec 30, 2010)

cliche guevara said:


> Does it still convert files if you send them to the free email address?


Yeah it does.  I've just done it with a couple of graphic novels and it worked fine.



Lord Camomile said:


> The _bastards_


I wouldn't worry too much - it was an interesting bit of light reading as it was free, but his "I'm not racist but..." posts, his sneering hatred of alcoholics, and his general belief that anyone who doesn't drive an ambulance is an idiot made it an unpleasant read at times.  He also writes like a tabloid journalist.  I wouldn't have been happy paying for it.


----------



## Corax (Dec 30, 2010)

Discovered WOWIO today, which doesn't seem to have been mentioned on Urban before.

Quite a lot of free stuff on there, ranging from graphic novels to Emma Goldman's Anarchism: What it really stands for.


----------



## Corax (Dec 30, 2010)

Anyone found a PDF of The Watchmen anywhere?


----------



## bmd (Dec 30, 2010)

Corax said:


> Anyone found a PDF of The Watchmen anywhere?


 
May take a while.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Dec 31, 2010)

Question for Calibre people, how do you remove DRM from books bought via iBooks?


----------



## crustychick (Dec 31, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Question for Calibre people, how do you remove DRM from books bought via iBooks?



not with calibre unfortunately....

http://bugs.calibre-ebook.com/wiki/DRM


----------



## cliche guevara (Dec 31, 2010)

Bob Marley's Dad said:


> May take a while.


 
Thanks for the link, but having loaded it onto my Kindle I can't see myself actually reading it on there, 'fit to page' is too small and zoom involves too much scrolling around. I've sent it to work to read in those dull moments instead.


----------



## kropotkin (Dec 31, 2010)

Downloaded the "1001 books to read before you die" torrent that someone has helpfully tried to construct. It has 449 books from a list compiled I think by the guardian a few years ago, all in ePub format. 
I was just looking for "one day in the life of Ivan denisovich", but this was the only place I could find it...

Converted the whole lot to kindle format in Calibre in about 4 hours. That's my reading sorted until I retire then.


----------



## bmd (Dec 31, 2010)

cliche guevara said:


> Thanks for the link, but having loaded it onto my Kindle I can't see myself actually reading it on there, 'fit to page' is too small and zoom involves too much scrolling around. I've sent it to work to read in those dull moments instead.


 
Yeah I can't see myself reading too many comics on it tbh. 



kropotkin said:


> Downloaded the "1001 books to read before you die" torrent that someone has helpfully tried to construct. It has 449 books from a list compiled I think by the guardian a few years ago, all in ePub format.
> I was just looking for "one day in the life of Ivan denisovich", but this was the only place I could find it...
> 
> Converted the whole lot to kindle format in Calibre in about 4 hours. That's my reading sorted until I retire then.


 
Hmm, I may have to look that one up. Although I've just downloaded a file from Usenet that contained nearly 8000 books so that they will have to wait a while.


----------



## Corax (Dec 31, 2010)

Bob Marley's Dad said:


> May take a while.


Ta BMD.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Dec 31, 2010)

kropotkin said:


> Downloaded the "1001 books to read before you die" torrent that someone has helpfully tried to construct. It has 449 books from a list compiled I think by the guardian a few years ago, all in ePub format.
> I was just looking for "one day in the life of Ivan denisovich", but this was the only place I could find it...
> 
> Converted the whole lot to kindle format in Calibre in about 4 hours. That's my reading sorted until I retire then.


I've been looking for The Once and Future King and I think that's one of the few places it can be found. Will have to try and pick it up once I'm at a proper computer.

Changing it to a useful format is a different matter


----------



## ernestolynch (Jan 1, 2011)

Can you get history books on the kindle?


----------



## strung out (Jan 1, 2011)

ernestolynch said:


> Can you get history books on the kindle?


 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Change-That...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293856883&sr=8-1


----------



## ernestolynch (Jan 1, 2011)

Lol. Demonoid is full of books, can I read them on the kindle? If it turns out that I can just pirate books like I can music, DVD and games then that's the sale.


----------



## ernestolynch (Jan 1, 2011)

Hang on. How do male users get around the manbag issue?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 1, 2011)

What?


----------



## bmd (Jan 1, 2011)

ernestolynch said:


> Lol. Demonoid is full of books, can I read them on the kindle? If it turns out that I can just pirate books like I can music, DVD and games then that's the sale.


 
Yes, you can. 

That just leaves the manbag issue. Whatever that may be.


----------



## Bungle73 (Jan 1, 2011)

ernestolynch said:


> Lol. Demonoid is full of books, can I read them on the kindle? If it turns out that I can just pirate books like I can music, DVD and games then that's the sale.


 
Why don't you just buy the books you cheap skate.


----------



## Cid (Jan 1, 2011)

Screen on mine has broken. Apparently very common problem... Haven't abused it at all.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 1, 2011)

Common? I've only heard of this on mentioned on here, not heard of one person I know to have this issue...


----------



## ethel (Jan 1, 2011)

i've had two with broken screens so far. amazon customer service was great though


----------



## Riklet (Jan 1, 2011)

Really enjoying my Kindle and finding it's very goood for essay writing bizniz, no longer must I suffer the torment of holding a book open whilst I note 

Ta very very much for the tips about converting .pdf files through e-mailing or through calibre, works a treat.  I've found converting them in calibre produces slightly different "editing" of the pages, it seems to leave in the physical page number on the text which is massively useful when trying to note and quote.  One of the main things i dislike so far about the e-books is that it doesn't allow you to check "original page number" or whatever on the physical printed book as far as I can tell.  Which makes it a bit annoying for referencing.  Or is this is possible with the standard kindle ebook format?

Been downloading a few books of late through, managed to find some really useful academic texts n ting, cheers torrents and warez stuff!


----------



## Cid (Jan 1, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Common? I've only heard of this on mentioned on here, not heard of one person I know to have this issue...


 
Try searching it. I'm sure it will be easy enough to replace, but it took fuck all to break.


----------



## pootle (Jan 1, 2011)

I was also v lucky to get a Kindle! 

Only got Don Quixote and a couple of samples/excerpts but totally smitten. Will be reading this thread properly to pick up top tips!


----------



## kropotkin (Jan 1, 2011)

ernestolynch said:


> Lol. Demonoid is full of books, can I read them on the kindle? If it turns out that I can just pirate books like I can music, DVD and games then that's the sale.


 
That's why I've bought one.


----------



## grit (Jan 1, 2011)

Just got a text from my mother saying that the screen has suddenly become "corrupted" has been working fine for a week or two previously. She describes it as having threads running across the screen. Anyone seen something like this before?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 1, 2011)

grit said:


> Just got a text from my mother saying that the screen has suddenly become "corrupted" has been working fine for a week or two previously. She describes it as having threads running across the screen. Anyone seen something like this before?


 
Sounds like it's frozen, a hard reset should sort it out.


----------



## grit (Jan 2, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Sounds like it's frozen, a hard reset should sort it out.


 
How do you perform a hard reset,i had her hold the slider for thirty seconds but nothing changed


----------



## Lord Camomile (Jan 2, 2011)

Bash it against a table a few times - hard reset.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 2, 2011)

grit said:


> How do you perform a hard reset,i had her hold the slider for thirty seconds but nothing changed



I've found this:
"Kindle showing lines on screen.


Possible cause: 
The Kindle may be affected by electromagnetic interference or screen may be defective."

Resolution: "Move and hold the power switch for 15 seconds before releasing it."

under Screen Issues


----------



## grit (Jan 2, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> I've found this:
> "Kindle showing lines on screen.
> 
> 
> ...


 
FUCK if using the slider is the only suggestion, the unit must be defective. Oh christ this is a disaster  The kindle has been filled with research material which is her only way of viewing it and she is off around the world for the next 3 months.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 2, 2011)

try the link in my post and ring them in the morning



these stories are putting me off getting one


----------



## grit (Jan 2, 2011)

Is there a way to download the kindle purchases and view them on your pc?


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 2, 2011)

yes, from what I do anyway

http://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/pc


----------



## Lord Camomile (Jan 2, 2011)

Just emailed the first thing to my Kindle! Brilliant!


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 2, 2011)

grit said:


> FUCK if using the slider is the only suggestion, the unit must be defective. Oh christ this is a disaster  The kindle has been filled with research material which is her only way of viewing it and she is off around the world for the next 3 months.


 
Something similar happened to mine a couple months back, did the hard reset and lost no content. Surely the material can just be re-emailed to her Kindle email if she has lost it?


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 2, 2011)

I think he means that the screen is still b0rked/unreadable after the hard reset, so she can't see the content - that's how I read it anyway


----------



## girasol (Jan 2, 2011)

Exploring and learning all about Calibre, DRMs and whatever there is to learn today - this thread has been good starting point!  Already pissed off with Amazon and DRM!


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 2, 2011)

Yeah, I can't be doing with DRM files, you can find everything you need elsewhere anyway.


----------



## pootle (Jan 2, 2011)

girasol said:


> Exploring and learning all about Calibre, DRMs and whatever there is to learn today - this thread has been good starting point!  Already pissed off with Amazon and DMR!


 
This...have already installed Calibre and converted some PDF's and other assorted formats which means I've already got a decent raft of books I want to read from some of my favourite authors.  Aces


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Jan 2, 2011)

girasol said:


> Exploring and learning all about Calibre, DRMs and whatever there is to learn today - this thread has been good starting point!  *Already pissed off with Amazon and DRM!*


 
This is the way it should be.


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 2, 2011)

SO if you email to yourname@kindle.com with 'convert' in the title, you are charged 20p per MB of data. If you do the same to yourname@free.kindle.com, you can only pick the document up over wi-fi, but it's free. Have just got a few new books this way.

Have now had my Kindle a little over a week, and already hav enough reading material to last me the year


----------



## grit (Jan 2, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> I think he means that the screen is still b0rked/unreadable after the hard reset, so she can't see the content - that's how I read it anyway


 
Yes the reset of holding the slider for a minute did fuck all


----------



## pootle (Jan 2, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> SO if you email to yourname@kindle.com with 'convert' in the title, you are charged 20p per MB of data. If you do the same to yourname@free.kindle.com, you can only pick the document up over wi-fi, but it's free. Have just got a few new books this way.
> 
> Have now had my Kindle a little over a week, and already hav enough reading material to last me the year


 
If you had a.n.others Kindle email address can you send them stuff?

Also need to start reading rather than loading it up. Am out on my bike atm (well, in a pub!) and wish I'd brought it with me but it never occurred to me! 

Am going to make a case for it when I get home!


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 2, 2011)

pootle said:


> If you had a.n.others Kindle email address can you send them stuff?


 I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work. I'm willing to give it a go if someone wants to tell me their Kindle address?


----------



## Radar (Jan 2, 2011)

kindle.com adresses operate on a whitelist basis. You can only receive attachment carrying emails from preapproved addresses, which makes sense as it costs the recipient to acccept them.


----------



## grit (Jan 2, 2011)

Spoke to Amazon Kindle team, shipping a replacement next day delivery.


----------



## bmd (Jan 2, 2011)

http://www.feedbooks.com

More stuff to feed your Kindle with.


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 2, 2011)

Radar said:


> kindle.com adresses operate on a whitelist basis. You can only receive attachment carrying emails from preapproved addresses, which makes sense as it costs the recipient to acccept them.


 
What about the free.kindle.com address?


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 2, 2011)

grit said:


> Spoke to Amazon Kindle team, shipping a replacement next day delivery.



as it should be - glad to hear it


----------



## moose (Jan 3, 2011)

pootle said:


> Am going to make a case for it when I get home!


 
How are you doing it? I've just made one for mine - bit like an envelope with fleece padding between 2 layers of fabric. Just waiting for a lucky waving cat bead to decorate it.


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 3, 2011)

I ordered a case off Amazon for mine. Not the £30 official one, but a £10 imitation. It hasn't arrived yet, but since ordering I've noticed that the official case attach with very secure looking clips into the side of the device, whereas the one I've order straps it in with sloppy leatherette tabs. I think this may be a case of false economy.


----------



## Radar (Jan 3, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> What about the free.kindle.com address?


Running some tests at the moment. 

My work address has got through with a small attachment, and that one is on the whitelist. My google account failed silently when it wasn't whitelisted, but now its back on and still hasn't receieved the last attachemnt (perhaps the lord of the rings was a bit on the big side for a test )


----------



## Radar (Jan 3, 2011)

Yep, the manual for my TZ10 went across fine. Looks like the whitelist is applied to free.kindle.com too.


----------



## UserNamed (Jan 3, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> I ordered a case off Amazon for mine. Not the £30 official one, but a £10 imitation. It hasn't arrived yet, but since ordering I've noticed that the official case attach with very secure looking clips into the side of the device, whereas the one I've order straps it in with sloppy leatherette tabs. I think this may be a case of false economy.


 
Yes, those clips secure the Kindle to the electrical contacts on the case in order to power the built in light. I bought this case when it was more expensive than it is now, but I was still glad I bought it. Now that it's been reduced to £30, I think it's a no-brainer to get it.


----------



## fen_boy (Jan 3, 2011)

UserNamed said:


> Yes, those clips secure the Kindle to the electrical contacts on the case in order to power the built in light. I bought this case when it was more expensive than it is now, but I was still glad I bought it. Now that it's been reduced to £30, I think it's a no-brainer to get it.



The one with the light is still £49.


----------



## elevendayempire (Jan 3, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> I did type a reply to this last night but I appear to have fucked up posting it, anyway
> 
> the 2 yr 'extended warranty' Amazon offer covers this
> There are a few reports of people reporting faulty screens as manufacturing faults and getting a replacement in 48 hrs-people who don't have the extended warranty
> ...


I gave it a shot, not expecting much, and the chap from Amazon sent a new Kindle out straightaway! Score one for Amazon's customer service...


----------



## UserNamed (Jan 3, 2011)

fen_boy said:


> The one with the light is still £49.


 
Oh right, sorry. I thought I had seen them reduced but I must have been looking at the cheaper one. Yeah £49 is a lot of money for a case, but it's really great for reading in bed or in low light.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 3, 2011)

UserNamed said:


> Oh right, sorry. I thought I had seen them reduced but I must have been looking at the cheaper one. Yeah £49 is a lot of money for a case, but it's really great for reading in bed or in low light.



does the kindle power the light then?



elevendayempire said:


> I gave it a shot, not expecting much, and the chap from Amazon sent a new Kindle out straightaway! Score one for Amazon's customer service...


 glad to hear it - that's just how it should be if something goes wrong


I'm really torn over getting one or not
I've checked with my local library and they will be offering ebook loans soon so it kinda makes sense to get one (plus the loaning of books between mates is coming soon on the kindle)
but these stories of screen failures and 1hr battery lives freak me out
I know these cases are in the minority compared to happy kindlers (I assume), but still....

I've trawled the forums at Amazon and there are a few stories of screen issues that render the thing unusable where they've refused to replace the item as it is classed as 'a known issue that they are working on and hope to fix soon' - if I got one and that happened, I'd be really pissed off

has anyone here had the run around from customer services?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 3, 2011)

UserNamed said:


> Oh right, sorry. I thought I had seen them reduced but I must have been looking at the cheaper one. Yeah £49 is a lot of money for a case, but it's really great for reading in bed or in low light.


 






Eight quid.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 3, 2011)

Well as I said I've not known anyone to have a screen problem and never heard about that battery life issue...it's a great device, one of the best I've ever owned.


----------



## Cid (Jan 3, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Well as I said I've not known anyone to have a screen problem and never heard about that battery life issue...it's a great device, one of the best I've ever owned.


 
Well 'kindle broken screen' brings up 1,170,000 hits on google, they send a replacement out instantly now, they had a class action suit brought against them (they used to charge for replacement screens) and the bloke at John Lewis (my mum bought it there having had problems with Amazon before, full refund rather than replacement you'd get from Amazon - will be getting another one, but it's nice to know that's an option) said they've had quite a few back with the same issue. It is great but, as I said, I did nothing to it that should have broken it (used an iPhone for 3 years now and never had problems) - a device like this should stand up to a reasonable amount of wear and tear, it's supposed to function as a book after all. I think the problem is that the device is flexible (DO NOT try this, I had a cautious play after it broke), you can twist it along its length quite easily which is clearly not a good thing with a fragile screen. Will get a case next time I suppose.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 3, 2011)

The top results appear to be a mix of results from the last three years, the new kindle only came out in September. I don't doubt there are a few problems but really can't see this being on par with xbox 360 RRoD!


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 3, 2011)

G_S said:


> Eight quid.


 
I've got one of these: 






I'm hoping it will clip on to the case easily enough.


----------



## UserNamed (Jan 3, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> does the kindle power the light then?



Yes, and it switches on and off whenever you pull the light out of it's slot to use it. It also turns off when the Kindle goes into sleep-mode (which is good for when you fall asleep in bed while reading).


----------



## UserNamed (Jan 3, 2011)

G_S said:


> Eight quid.


 
Very sexy 
Definitely a lot cheaper than mine, but I don't think I'd wear it outside.


----------



## pootle (Jan 3, 2011)

moose said:


> How are you doing it? I've just made one for mine - bit like an envelope with fleece padding between 2 layers of fabric. Just waiting for a lucky waving cat bead to decorate it.


 
Mine is coming along...have got a bit of my mum's sturdy homemade felt into a wallet but the felt is leaving bits all over the screen so going to make a sorta sock/liner to go inside. Will decorate too!


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 4, 2011)

home
made
felt
?!?!


----------



## pennimania (Jan 4, 2011)

mr mania has just told me he's ordered one for me as  a late xmas present. 

he was feeling too ill before to think about xmas stuff.


----------



## editor (Jan 4, 2011)

Cid said:


> Well 'kindle broken screen' brings up 1,170,000 hits on google,...


Most of those results have nothing to do with broken Kindle screens.


----------



## ethel (Jan 4, 2011)

editor said:


> Most of those results have nothing to do with broken Kindle screens.


 

indeed. 

"kindle broken screen"

brings up 2,240


----------



## Hassan I Sabha (Jan 4, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> I've got one of these:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I have one, it clips onto the standard non light up kindle case fine and is brilliant, if I wake up early I can read my kindle without disturbing my wife. They are £3.50 in M+S and John Lewis


----------



## Crispy (Jan 4, 2011)

ernestolynch said:


> Hang on. How do male users get around the manbag issue?


 
If you have a suitably masculine jacket, it will fit in the pocket. (190 mm x 123 mm - A little smaller than a DVD case and about half as thick)


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 4, 2011)

Hassan I Sabha said:


> I have one, it clips onto the standard non light up kindle case fine and is brilliant, if I wake up early I can read my kindle without disturbing my wife. They are £3.50 in M+S and John Lewis



useful - thanks
might nip into M&S later


I'm going to look at a friends wifi only Kindle tonight - she can't get it online so can't donwload anything as she has no 3g on the thing - I suspect idiocy rather than a genuine fault 

it will give me chance to look and play with one though without having to drive to John Lewis in the Trafford Centre (70 miles ish), so that's a good thing

are they reasonably straight forward to get online over wifi? I am assuming so - I'll go and look for the amazon instructions now


----------



## Crispy (Jan 4, 2011)

Yes, piece of piss to get onto wifi. Press Menu, then it's obvious from there.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 4, 2011)

cheers


----------



## Sunray (Jan 4, 2011)

I've watched a few disassembly videos and its pretty straight forward if a little fiddly to replace the screen.

Only problem doing this right now, is that the screens aren't available to buy.   This will change but these might well be uneconomic given the assembled price.

The kindles case has an RFID tag stuck into it. 

The battery is a 1700mAh which I thought was quite big given that its supposed to be a 'low power' device.  I suppose its to support that case with the light.


----------



## Kanda (Jan 4, 2011)

Crispy said:


> If you have a suitably masculine jacket, it will fit in the pocket. (190 mm x 123 mm - A little smaller than a DVD case and about half as thick)


 
It also fits in the back pocket of all my jeans... I regularly take it to the loo at work


----------



## marty21 (Jan 4, 2011)

Crispy said:


> If you have a suitably masculine jacket, it will fit in the pocket. (190 mm x 123 mm - A little smaller than a DVD case and about half as thick)


 
does Ern have a suitably masculine jacket though?


----------



## The Octagon (Jan 4, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> I'm going to look at a friends wifi only Kindle tonight - she can't get it online so can't donwload anything as she has no 3g on the thing - I suspect idiocy rather than a genuine fault


 
I bought my dad the Wi-Fi only version and he doesn't have Wi-Fi in the house. I simply went to the 'Manage Kindle' options within Amazon and it lists the purchased books. Then I downloaded them onto the computer, straight into the plugged-in Kindle drive, job done.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 4, 2011)

yeah, I asked her why hadn't she done the same cable things

turns out that the wifi password had been lost, so I've spent an hour sorting that out, after that it took about 30 seconds to set her kindle up and start it downloading books

they had 2 laptops  and a wifi kindle and no wifi password 

anyway, nice device, love the feel and the screen clarity, it feels very solid but too thin when it is 'naked' - I think I'd have to have a case of some sort


----------



## Riklet (Jan 5, 2011)

Anyone else having issues with converting .pdfs? I guess there are more minor quibbles, but as i'm using mine for research/work more at the moment, I need to be able to use the Table of Contents and scroll between chapters.

So far i've been loading two ways:

Either been converting .PDFs into .MOBI (.azw?) files through Calibre (and then e-mailing them), in which case I end up with spaces, gaps, numbers at the ends of sentences or floating in the middle of nowhere and fuck ups of characters breaking up the text a bit occasionally.  I've been attempting to make use of the multitude of options to take out the headers/footers in particular which gets very fucking irritating at times if they start breaking up the text - what seems to happen is the heading of a "new page" will cause the page on the screen to end.  It's not the end of the world but it makes it an annoyance to read and sort through, especially if trying to hi-light etc.  USUALLY however the files I convert through Calibre have working chapters, so i can quick "scroll" to the chapter I want to be at, from the index or the table of contents.

The other way i've been doing it is through e-mailing the .PDFs to my free.kindle.com account with 'convert' in the subject line, which leads on to roblem numero dos.  Amazons conversion seems to take out spacing, which I actually prefer generally to a load of page breaks and half pages and stupid spaces everywhere, it's easier to read, however.... again it's not perfect, as it puts my e-mail address as the author of the text, and fucks with my categorising (oh noes, how hard my life is come 2011 ) but much worse it seems to easily FUBAR the chapter search function and indexing through the table of contents.  This is REALLY annoying.  No longer can i move the cool white paw down the screen and move around more easily, and I refuse to write down location numbers and stick them to things haha.  Bookmarking new chapters does help I guess, but really this is a lame irritation, I want to navigate my books properly!

So aye, it basically comes down to using Calibre but not wanting a mauled file haha - has anyone got any tips on how to get the conversions to .MOBI from .PDF a bit more jazzy? The options to delete the headers/footers don't really seem to work for me sadly, not had much luck with the various options at all.  Am I doin-it-rong? Help! 

oh, very worst thing about Kindle so far is putting in a 26 character WEP hex key "wrong" several times before realising HOW I WASN'T USING CAPITAL LETTERS FFS RAGE


----------



## marty21 (Jan 5, 2011)

I'm using it everyday now - loving the dictionary feature .


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 5, 2011)

marty21 said:


> I'm using it everyday now - loving the dictionary feature .



look up words in books or can you type any old shite into it yourself?


----------



## marty21 (Jan 5, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> look up words in books or can you type any old shite into it yourself?


 
looking up words - I guess you could use it to type any old shite?


----------



## Sunray (Jan 5, 2011)

marty21 said:


> I'm using it everyday now - loving the dictionary feature .



Started reading a paper book and was missing that feature.


----------



## marty21 (Jan 5, 2011)

I found myself wanting to use the touch screen when I first used the Kindle


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 5, 2011)

yeah, I did that last night, too ipoddy, that's my trouble


----------



## crustychick (Jan 5, 2011)

I find that friends who I show it to, always try to use it as if it has a touch screen


----------



## marty21 (Jan 5, 2011)

crustychick said:


> I find that friends who I show it to, always try to use it as if it has a touch screen


 
it's like going back in time


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 5, 2011)

My Mum got a Sony e-reader for Christmas, that has a touch screen. Pretty sleek too, much smaller than the Kindle with the same screen size. Shit features though, give me the Kindle any day.


----------



## Bungle73 (Jan 5, 2011)

Doesn't having a touch screen on an e-reader make the screen too reflective in bright sunlight?  That's a problem I've heard.


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 5, 2011)

The Sony screen looked no different from the Kindle one.


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Jan 5, 2011)

Bungle73 said:


> Doesn't having a touch screen on an e-reader make the screen too reflective in bright sunlight?  That's a problem I've heard.


 
I've heard it increases the shine but it's not by much or enough that you'd notice it unless you looked for it.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 6, 2011)

are any of the sony models better for disabled users?


----------



## UserNamed (Jan 8, 2011)

Instapaper.com has been briefly mentioned a couple of times on this thread, but I just want to give it another mention. It's a free 'A simple tool to save web pages for reading later' service, which can convert articles to the Amazon mobi format and email them to your Kindle (via Amazon). There's a javascript enabled bookmark that you can use in your browser, or alternatively I have installed an extension in Chrome (presume there are similar for Firefox).

I use and love Calibre for converting PDF's etc, and emailing books, but Instapaper is great for collating online articles as you browse, and getting them automatically sent to your Kindle.

Definitely worth investigating if you haven't seen it.


----------



## pootle (Jan 18, 2011)

Another corrupted/broken screen here 

Hopefully amazon will replace fuss free. I can't cope with old fashioned paper books!


----------



## fen_boy (Jan 18, 2011)

UserNamed said:


> Instapaper.com has been briefly mentioned a couple of times on this thread, but I just want to give it another mention. It's a free 'A simple tool to save web pages for reading later' service, which can convert articles to the Amazon mobi format and email them to your Kindle (via Amazon). There's a javascript enabled bookmark that you can use in your browser, or alternatively I have installed an extension in Chrome (presume there are similar for Firefox).
> 
> I use and love Calibre for converting PDF's etc, and emailing books, but Instapaper is great for collating online articles as you browse, and getting them automatically sent to your Kindle.
> 
> Definitely worth investigating if you haven't seen it.


 
That's great, thanks for the tip.


----------



## Sunray (Jan 18, 2011)

Alt+Q = 1
Alt+W= 2
Alt+E = 3
...
Alt+P= 0


----------



## marty21 (Jan 18, 2011)

pootle said:


> Another corrupted/broken screen here
> 
> Hopefully amazon will replace fuss free. I can't cope with old fashioned paper books!


 
I did have a problem with my screen it was just stuck on the last page I'd looked at, didn't seem to be a reset button - so I kept switching it on and off and eventually it reloaded itself


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 18, 2011)

I am getting closer and closer to cracking and getting one but everytime I nip into this thread there's another screen b0rking reported.

Anyone any idea who is best to buy from (Amazon, John Lewis, PC World) as regards returns and replacement times - I have a PCW 10 mins away, John Lewis is 90 minutes on the Mway, Amazon is by post obv.

Just wondered if we knew...also - are there any other bricks and mortar stores selling them beside Lewis's and PCW?


----------



## grit (Jan 18, 2011)

pootle said:


> Another corrupted/broken screen here
> 
> Hopefully amazon will replace fuss free. I can't cope with old fashioned paper books!


 
They will do express delivery of the replacement, you just need to send back the faulty one within 30days.


----------



## marty21 (Jan 18, 2011)

apart from the one blip, I've been very impressed with the kindle - I'm reading a lot more (read 40 books last year - I'm going to go way past that this year) I carry it everywhere -


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 18, 2011)

I'm seeing them more and more on the tube now, plenty of people seem to have got them for Christmas, averaging about four a day now. Not had any real problems with mine, no one I know who has one has had any problems...


----------



## fen_boy (Jan 18, 2011)

Anyone know of any tools to better manage collections? It's a massive pain in the arse moving books one by one on the kindle. I've found a few tools on the internet, but these are mainly very early betas so would like some stories of personal experience of which are best.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Jan 18, 2011)

i still don't use my kindle as much as i though i would 

i think it's because  i don't really read on the go...  and when i do  it needs to be  a novel  not something technical ...  i liked reading barsoom on my kindle  but i don't really like the text book i got

i'm going to give insta paper a go  and  see  if it  works well for converting online  light novel translations


----------



## UserNamed (Jan 18, 2011)

fen_boy said:


> Anyone know of any tools to better manage collections? It's a massive pain in the arse moving books one by one on the kindle. I've found a few tools on the internet, but these are mainly very early betas so would like some stories of personal experience of which are best.


 
Doesn't http://calibre-ebook.com/ do what you want?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 18, 2011)

fen_boy said:


> Anyone know of any tools to better manage collections? It's a massive pain in the arse moving books one by one on the kindle. I've found a few tools on the internet, but these are mainly very early betas so would like some stories of personal experience of which are best.


 
Another vote for calibre, converts formats for you and will even grab RSS feeds of news sites and turn them into an ebook for you, which syncs each time you plug it in.


----------



## fen_boy (Jan 18, 2011)

Calibre doesn't support collections AFAIK. See http://calibre-ebook.com/user_manua...lections-on-the-kindle-or-shelves-on-the-nook


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 18, 2011)

Has anyone else enabled customer screensavers on theirs? I did it a few days back and it's great


----------



## Sunray (Jan 18, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> I am getting closer and closer to cracking and getting one but everytime I nip into this thread there's another screen b0rking reported.
> 
> Anyone any idea who is best to buy from (Amazon, John Lewis, PC World) as regards returns and replacement times - I have a PCW 10 mins away, John Lewis is 90 minutes on the Mway, Amazon is by post obv.
> 
> Just wondered if we knew...also - are there any other bricks and mortar stores selling them beside Lewis's and PCW?


 
People break their legs skiing all the time?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 18, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Has anyone else enabled customer screensavers on theirs? I did it a few days back and it's great


 
how do you do that?


----------



## crustychick (Jan 18, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Has anyone else enabled customer screensavers on theirs? I did it a few days back and it's great


 
how do you do this?


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 18, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> how do you do that?


 
Simple guide here. Takes five minutes.


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 18, 2011)

This is why custom screensavers are awesome:


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 18, 2011)

that is pretty kewl


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 18, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> This is why custom screensavers are awesome:


 
How's that done!?


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 18, 2011)

Link in post 843.


----------



## Strumpet (Jan 18, 2011)

LOVE it


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 18, 2011)

Ah the joys of skim reading...heh that's pretty cool!


----------



## Strumpet (Jan 18, 2011)

I am going to attempt this in the next few days. *gulp* Reading the "How to" is a bit scary LOL. 

Will come crying in here if it gos wrong


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 18, 2011)

The how to is a bit long winded, but in reality it took five minutes and couldn't have been easier. It's basically no risk because all you're doing is moving files around. If it goes tits up you just hard reset.


----------



## Strumpet (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks cliche  I'll give it a go soon. I want different screen savers! Also have to go through this thread and get to grips with other stuff for my Kindle.


----------



## Corax (Jan 19, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> This is why custom screensavers are awesome:


 
That looks brilliant - the default screensavers ("e-covers"?) are getting tedious.

One Q though - does it affect the warranty?


----------



## Crispy (Jan 19, 2011)

Corax said:


> That looks brilliant - the default screensavers ("e-covers"?) are getting tedious.
> 
> One Q though - does it affect the warranty?


 
No, because a hard reset puts everything back to normal


----------



## Corax (Jan 19, 2011)

Crispy said:


> No, because a hard reset puts everything back to normal


 
Cool.  Thanks.

(Ps - You any good with Access Crispy?  I've just posted a plea for help in Software etc if you are! )


----------



## Crispy (Jan 19, 2011)

No good whatsoever


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Jan 19, 2011)

Is the keypad on one of these things just for searching, or can you add notes and things to pages of a document or book?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 19, 2011)

fen_boy said:


> Calibre doesn't support collections AFAIK. See http://calibre-ebook.com/user_manua...lections-on-the-kindle-or-shelves-on-the-nook


 
AH misunderstood what you meant. I agree it's a bit of a pain.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 19, 2011)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> Is the keypad on one of these things just for searching, or can you add notes and things to pages of a document or book?


 
you can annotate your books and docs - that's one of the main features/usps


----------



## spacemonkey (Jan 19, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I'm seeing them more and more on the tube now, plenty of people seem to have got them for Christmas, averaging about four a day now. Not had any real problems with mine, no one I know who has one has had any problems...



I've never seen one 'in the wild' in Wales. Just came back from London for 2days and saw them everywhere!


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 19, 2011)

I like the fact they are easier to read standing up on the tube then a normal paperback and I'm not even a London type!


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Jan 19, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> you can annotate your books and docs - that's one of the main features/usps


 
So, if I bought one for Aqua, and she loaded all the papers she has to read for her phd onto it (in pdf format) she could make notes on it?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 19, 2011)

The keyboard is ok, but I wouldn't like to have to type anything to long.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Jan 19, 2011)

Aye, it can be useful, but I don't even like using it for composing emails or messages. It's basically two finger typing at best, on teeny-tiny buttons.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 19, 2011)

Never used mine for email, although might be more tempted if it had a mail client rather then relying on webmail.


----------



## Sunray (Jan 19, 2011)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> So, if I bought one for Aqua, and she loaded all the papers she has to read for her phd onto it (in pdf format) she could make notes on it?


 
You can and it will store the highlights and notes on your Amazon account, so even if the device went pear shaped, don't lose them, can see them on your amazon kindle account.

As has been said, keyboard is only just passable.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Jan 19, 2011)

It is irritating, because it's a useful feature otherwise, it's just the keyboard (understandably, I suppose) isn't particularly easy/convenient to use.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 19, 2011)

Sunray said:


> As has been said, keyboard is only just passable.


 
TBH I'd rather they just dumped it and made the device smaller or the screen bigger.


----------



## marty21 (Jan 19, 2011)

keyboard is a bit rubbish tbf


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 19, 2011)

DP


----------



## marty21 (Jan 19, 2011)

it's a bit quiet in the office atm, so I'm reading the kindle at work - easy to hide under some paper if someone comes to my desk


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 19, 2011)

Crispy said:


> No, because a hard reset puts everything back to normal


 
Plus the only reason you can do this is because Amazon released the source code, practically endorsing this sort of thing.


----------



## Strumpet (Jan 19, 2011)

Holy fukn shit, I did it!! Not quite sure how but I sort of followed the instructions and got a bit lost but it worked! HA! 





marty21 said:


> it's a bit quiet in the office atm, so I'm reading the kindle at work - easy to hide under some paper if someone comes to my desk


 
Sneaky! i like


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 19, 2011)

Strumpet said:


> Holy fukn shit, I did it!! Not quite sure how but I sort of followed the instructions and got a bit lost but it worked! HA!


 

pics!


----------



## Strumpet (Jan 19, 2011)

Ok ok! havent got many yet. 



















I do love a bit of Eric


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 19, 2011)

a lot of Eric by the looks of it

nice one

glad it worked


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jan 19, 2011)

Haha that Eric pic is wicked!


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Jan 19, 2011)

I've just got a picture of a broken screen. I like it.


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 19, 2011)

Some of my favourites:


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 19, 2011)




----------



## Artaxerxes (Jan 24, 2011)

Does anyone find that publishers havent quite grasped the point of ebooks just yet? I'm seeing so many books that are about £1 cheaper (rare) or more expensive (common) than a brand new paperback its silly


----------



## joustmaster (Jan 24, 2011)

Any suggestions for hard/solid cases?


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 25, 2011)

Artaxerxes said:


> Does anyone find that publishers havent quite grasped the point of ebooks just yet? I'm seeing so many books that are about £1 cheaper (rare) or more expensive (common) than a brand new paperback its silly



yeah, it's a joke at the moment innit. I'm holding off until my library starts loaning ebooks, which they've assured me they will be doing this year.


----------



## Kanda (Jan 25, 2011)

joustmaster said:


> Any suggestions for hard/solid cases?


 
I have: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindle-Ligh...165W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295955938&sr=8-1

Excellent for bedtime reading but a tad expensive.


----------



## joustmaster (Jan 25, 2011)

Kanda said:


> I have: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindle-Ligh...165W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295955938&sr=8-1
> 
> Excellent for bedtime reading but a tad expensive.



It doesn't look very hard.
I was thinking of perhaps something metal.
I like to chuck my stuff loose in a bag that I don't have to worry about.


----------



## marty21 (Jan 25, 2011)

I read about Shackleton's expedition 1914-1917 on the Kindle - I'm sure the physical book has a lot of pictures - the kindle doesn't appear to do pictures - not a problem if you are reading a novel, but for History or something else, I think I'd still prefer the physical book


----------



## Kanda (Jan 25, 2011)

joustmaster said:


> It doesn't look very hard.
> I was thinking of perhaps something metal.
> I like to chuck my stuff loose in a bag that I don't have to worry about.


 
It's pretty solid. Mine gets bunged about all over the place. It's pretty solid plastic covered in leathery type stuff


----------



## marty21 (Jan 25, 2011)

Artaxerxes said:


> Does anyone find that publishers havent quite grasped the point of ebooks just yet? I'm seeing so many books that are about £1 cheaper (rare) or more expensive (common) than a brand new paperback its silly


 
I think that VAT is payable on digital books, but not on physical books


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 25, 2011)

marty21 said:


> I read about Shackleton's expedition 1914-1917 on the Kindle - I'm sure the physical book has a lot of pictures - the kindle doesn't appear to do pictures - not a problem if you are reading a novel, but for History or something else, I think I'd still prefer the physical book



really? what about the images it displays when it is off, like screen savers, it is obviously capable of 'doing images'

are you holding it wrong?


----------



## marty21 (Jan 25, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> really? what about the images it displays when it is off, like screen savers, it is obviously capable of 'doing images'
> 
> are you holding it wrong?





I am holding it perfectly - 

I'm only basing this on one book tbf - but I'd have thought a book about a polar expedition would have pictures of the fellahs, seals, huts, the ship what sank, that sort of thing  - and the kindle version doesn't


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 25, 2011)

i have illustrated books on my kindle, marty.


----------



## handyman121 (Jan 25, 2011)

I think the free books are without pictures. I'm not sure how it makes them cheaper !  maybe its to get us to buy the "real" ebook.


----------



## marty21 (Jan 25, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> i have illustrated books on my kindle, marty.


 
but do you have any with pictures? 

Are there any? is this the weak point - the Kindle Killer?


----------



## marty21 (Jan 25, 2011)

handyman121 said:


> I think the free books are without pictures. I'm not sure how it makes them cheaper !  maybe its to get us to buy the "real" ebook.


 
Shackleton was a free book tbf - but has anyone paid full; price and got the pictures, that is what I want to know.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 25, 2011)

marty21 said:


> but do you have any with pictures?
> 
> Are there any? is this the weak point - the Kindle Killer?


 
yes, *illustrated* books


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 25, 2011)

Marty wants *photos *though so that he can see things like individual hairs in some of his more specialist publications


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 25, 2011)

yes


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 25, 2011)

yes


----------



## Crispy (Jan 25, 2011)

Oh Yes


----------



## joustmaster (Jan 25, 2011)

No


----------



## joustmaster (Jan 25, 2011)

i mean, yes.


----------



## Winot (Jan 25, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> yeah, it's a joke at the moment innit. I'm holding off until my library starts loaning ebooks, which they've assured me they will be doing this year.


 
How's that gonna work then?  Can eBooks be 'loaned' at present (i.e. transferred between machines) or is the library negotiating a deal with Amazon?


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 25, 2011)

Winot said:


> How's that gonna work then?  Can eBooks be 'loaned' at present (i.e. transferred between machines) or is the library negotiating a deal with Amazon?


yeah, the kindle can do it
dunno about other machines tho
surely it is just some sort of date related DRM innit

here

read an article other week about being able to lend you mates a book for 14 days, kindle to kindle, whilst they have it you can't access it, like a proper book
BUT
you can only lend it to them once
which I find a bit mean


----------



## marty21 (Jan 25, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> Marty wants *photos *though so that he can see things like individual hairs in some of his more specialist publications


 
I'm asking on behalf of the nation


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 25, 2011)

marty21 said:


> I'm asking on behalf of the nation


----------



## Lord Camomile (Jan 25, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Simple guide here. Takes five minutes.


Right, I've got as far as hacking the thing and can see where the screensavers go. Now what? Where do I get new screensavers?


----------



## Lord Camomile (Jan 25, 2011)

Google image search


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 25, 2011)




----------



## pootle (Jan 26, 2011)

New screensaver!


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 26, 2011)

sweet


Now then - is anyone using their Kindle as a makeshift/alt browser & email checker - I think I'd like reading blog posts etc on a kindle because of the better/different screen

If you are, how is it going, what's the experience like (frustrating, easy, abominable etc) I know it isn't really designed for this kind of thing but, I thought I'd ask


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jan 26, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> sweet
> 
> 
> Now then - is anyone using their Kindle as a makeshift/alt browser & email checker - I think I'd like reading blog posts etc on a kindle because of the better/different screen
> ...


 
I dont have an Iphone or anything so I use it to check my hotmail, it was a bloody nightmare at first as the site would always freeze up and die on me before I could do anything. Had the same problem with Facebook as well.

Found out the hotmail mobile url the other day though and now it works fine for what I need it for, no problems checking, not to difficult to write but it means I can keep an eye on my inbox without shelling out for a smart phone which is exactly why I got the 3g version in the first place. Supposedly facebook still has issue but fuck it, I dont particuarly care about that site.

I've checked tumblr once or twice and no problems with that either.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Jan 26, 2011)

Artaxerxes said:


> I dont have an Iphone or anything so I use it to check my hotmail, it was a bloody nightmare at first as the site would always freeze up and die on me before I could do anything. Had the same problem with Facebook as well.


Ooh, exactly the same for me. Will have to check out that hotmail mobile url


----------



## joustmaster (Jan 26, 2011)

Artaxerxes said:


> I dont have an Iphone or anything so I use it to check my hotmail, it was a bloody nightmare at first as the site would always freeze up and die on me before I could do anything. Had the same problem with Facebook as well.
> 
> Found out the hotmail mobile url the other day though and now it works fine for what I need it for, no problems checking, not to difficult to write but it means I can keep an eye on my inbox without shelling out for a smart phone which is exactly why I got the 3g version in the first place. Supposedly facebook still has issue but fuck it, I dont particuarly care about that site.
> 
> I've checked tumblr once or twice and no problems with that either.


http://m.facebook.com might help


----------



## 1927 (Jan 26, 2011)

marty21 said:


> I read about Shackleton's expedition 1914-1917 on the Kindle - I'm sure the physical book has a lot of pictures - the kindle doesn't appear to do pictures - not a problem if you are reading a novel, but for History or something else, I think I'd still prefer the physical book


 
That was the first book my father downloaded and read, I think its in the top ten free downloads at kindlestore.


----------



## Corax (Jan 26, 2011)

marty21 said:


> it's a bit quiet in the office atm, so I'm reading the kindle at work - easy to hide under some paper if someone comes to my desk


Here's a better solution.

1) Find an 'important paper' that you 'must' read for your job.  Government white papers are good for this.
2) PDF it and send it to your kindle.
3) Sit at your desk reading _The Slugs that came from Uranus_ whilst periodically stroking your chin and tutting.



Artaxerxes said:


> Does anyone find that publishers havent quite grasped the point of ebooks just yet? I'm seeing so many books that are about £1 cheaper (rare) or more expensive (common) than a brand new paperback its silly


There's a big ol' battle going on about all of this.  Some sort of barney between the big publishing houses and amazon I think.  I've not grasped the full details as it's too dull to pay attention to for too long.  Persevere with google if you're intrerested enough, I'm sure you'll find it.

Also, like Marty21 says, there's VAT on ebooks.

Charging VAT on ebooks and not paper books is fucking stupid.  But it's not even a fraction as stupid as charging VAT on tampons.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 26, 2011)

Lord Camomile said:


> Ooh, exactly the same for me. Will have to check out that hotmail mobile url


 
try this as a jumping off point for Kindle browsing
http://kinstant.com/


----------



## Corax (Jan 26, 2011)

Dunno if it was U75 or elsewhere that put me on to it - but Instapaper's cool.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 26, 2011)

yeah, I use that a lot already on my laptop & ipod touch

tis veh good


----------



## starfish (Jan 26, 2011)

Hmm, without trying to be ironic. Can anyone recommend a good instruction manual for the kindle that is an actual book & not a kindle download.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 26, 2011)

the instructions come with the kindle, on the kindle. why do you want a paper copy? wouldn't that defeat the purpose?


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 26, 2011)

this^^^ and 

why d'ya want a paper copy


----------



## starfish (Jan 26, 2011)

I know, it does sound as if it does. Its not mine but ms starfishs & I think she would find it easier having something seperate to refer to while playing about with the thing & learning what its full potential is.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 26, 2011)

she may enjoy a book better then


----------



## starfish (Jan 26, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> she may enjoy a book better then


 
For the instructions yes.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 26, 2011)

hmm, most of them seem to be kindle ebooks (as you might imagine)

does she have a laptop? She could use the kindle app for PC's on there to read the manual - that any use?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 26, 2011)

what i mean is if a person has trouble using the instructions on a kindle, they may not be suited to using one. an actual old-fashioned book may be a better alternative.


----------



## starfish (Jan 26, 2011)

It might help. The other option is to get them in pdf & print it out.

I did say i was trying not to be ironic


----------



## starfish (Jan 26, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> what i mean is if a person has trouble using the instructions on a kindle, they may not be suited to using one. an actual old-fashioned book may be a better alternative.


 
Well since shes had it for over a year now & has several hundred books on it i think shes managing ok. But if the manual that comes with it is all encompassing & covers all bases then we will give it a look over.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 26, 2011)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200487900

manuals^^^


----------



## starfish (Jan 26, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200487900
> 
> manuals^^^


 
Weird, the top pdf wouldnt open earlier, now it does. Looks familiar though. Cheers anyway. Looks like we'll have to get a kindle version of one then


----------



## pootle (Jan 27, 2011)

More custom screen savers:







Picture quality isn't great but it's Super Mario Brothers!

And


----------



## cliche guevara (Jan 27, 2011)

Glad you lot are enjoying the custom screen savers


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 27, 2011)

Think mine has died 

As always when you go to show someone new tech it doesn't work, except this seems to be permanent. Device won't unlock or turn off and the wall paper has loads of lines missing.

Any ideas before I send it back to amazon?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 27, 2011)

have you tried holding the power off for 20 seconds?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 27, 2011)

Just tried. Nowt.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 27, 2011)

how about doing the same whilst it's charging? charge it up for a bit first.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 27, 2011)

Doesn't work either....looks like its back to Amazon then. 

Can they do anything if they find a load of torrented books on there or should I format it first. Guess formatting would be safer, but have got stuff nicely organised on it.


----------



## Corax (Jan 27, 2011)

You're perfectly allowed to put your own content on the kindle - PDFs etc.  So it's not like having 'non-amazon' content would breach the warranty or anything.

In which case your only worry, I assume, is copyright.  It would take someone a stupid amount of effort to show that you'd procured those books via nefarious means, so *IMO* it's almost certainly not worth worrying about.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jan 28, 2011)

won't they just wing you a replacement rather than repair and send yours back G_S?

Just format it *after *you've rung/emailed them and sorted out when they are sending you a new one.


----------



## marty21 (Feb 7, 2011)

I've had the kindle for a month now, loving it, I haven't actually bought any physical books this year - and usually I buy a couple a month at least, but have downloaded a load of freebies onto the Kindle, and bought about 6 kindle books so far 

I like the immediacy of it - I downloaded a book at lunch time to my phone - I'd been reading about the book in the paper (True Grit) and had it within seconds for £2.90,  which will appear on the kindle later - all the kindle books are on my phone, my kindle and my Itouch - it's like the future


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 7, 2011)

Dead impressed with Amazon, phoned them up to tell them it was broken, got a new one in the post the next day with a postage paid label to send the old one back. 

All the books are backed up, so I'd rather go through a small amount of faf putting them back on, rather then waiting for them to repair mine and it maybe getting wiped anyway.


----------



## crustychick (Feb 7, 2011)

crustyboy's kindle has broken now too. the screen just went mental and is unreadable and he's only read one book on it so far!!! i'm sure amazon would be amazing in replacing it if it wasn't for the fact we have now moved to Germany. Kindle Germany is served by the US, but cos we bought it in the UK we have to deal with their returns dept


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 7, 2011)

mostly loving my kindle whilst traveling, esp the dictionary - i'm reading david mitchell's the thousand autumns of jacob de zoet, which contains a lot of shipping jargon, so it's great to have the oed for reference. however their claim that the battery lasts for a month is an outright lie - it's a week at best.


----------



## kyser_soze (Feb 7, 2011)

I thought that Amazon were all evil now for allowing Julian Assange's fingers to be chopped off in a sweatshop in China but then banning him from their cloud?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 7, 2011)

kyser_soze said:


> I thought that Amazon were all evil now for allowing Julian Assange's fingers to be chopped off in a sweatshop in China but then banning him from their cloud?


 
Use their cheap hardware to run stuff you didn't buy from them.


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 8, 2011)

Can anyone tell me how to sync furthest read page data from my kindle to the android app?


----------



## editor (Feb 8, 2011)

Proper page numbering is coming to the Kindle!
http://www.wirefresh.com/kindle-adds-page-numbers-and-social-networking-links/


----------



## Sunray (Feb 8, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> mostly loving my kindle whilst traveling, esp the dictionary - i'm reading david mitchell's the thousand autumns of jacob de zoet, which contains a lot of shipping jargon, so it's great to have the oed for reference. however their claim that the battery lasts for a month is an outright lie - it's a week at best.



Switch off wireless, its only 10 days with wifi switched on.


----------



## UserNamed (Feb 8, 2011)

editor said:


> Proper page numbering is coming to the Kindle!
> http://www.wirefresh.com/kindle-adds-page-numbers-and-social-networking-links/


 
Yeah. about frickin' time. That was a stupid decision to not display these since they are a lot more human readable than  'Locations 1444 - 46'


----------



## UserNamed (Feb 8, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> Use their cheap hardware to run stuff you didn't buy from them.


 
This


----------



## marty21 (Feb 8, 2011)

UserNamed said:


> Yeah. about frickin' time. That was a stupid decision to not display these since they are a lot more human readable than  'Locations 1444 - 46'


 
it does show the percentage read tbf


----------



## UserNamed (Feb 8, 2011)

marty21 said:


> it does show the percentage read tbf


 
Humans like nice, simple to read page numbers. It's what they are used to from the dead-tree form. They understand that because a whole page won't fit on one screen that they will have duplicate page no's.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Feb 8, 2011)

well it will be a bit odd... will the have a line  across the screen to indicate page breaks or summin?


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 8, 2011)

Percentage is much better than pages, surely? Much more logical. One of my favorite features


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 8, 2011)

UserNamed said:


> Humans like nice, simple to read page numbers. It's what they are used to from the dead-tree form. They understand that because a whole page won't fit on one screen that they will have duplicate page no's.


 
Airy fairy nonsense. A whole page fits on the screen. The pages are just shorter than in a book. A kindle book is not a paper book, so don't expect it to be just like it


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 8, 2011)

UserNamed said:


> Humans like nice, simple to read page numbers. It's what they are used to from the dead-tree form. They understand that because a whole page won't fit on one screen that they will have duplicate page no's.


 
Airy fairy nonsense. A whole page fits on the screen. The pages are just shorter than in a book. A kindle book is not a paper book, so don't expect it to be just like it


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 8, 2011)

I assume it a page will span more then one screen or else you're books page numbering would change at different zoom levels.


----------



## Me76 (Feb 8, 2011)

What do the numbers refer to at the moment anyway?  

I must say that it confused me when I started reading books on the kindle app on my phone.  I use iBooks too and that has normal page numbers.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 8, 2011)

I prefer the % myself...


----------



## marty21 (Feb 8, 2011)

UserNamed said:


> Humans like nice, simple to read page numbers. It's what they are used to from the dead-tree form. They understand that because a whole page won't fit on one screen that they will have duplicate page no's.


 
quite like the % read bit.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 8, 2011)

Yep, anyone who's hung up on it not having page numbers aren't really the types to embrace ebooks ime...


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 8, 2011)

I think locations are sentences? Could be wrong.

Anyway, I just installed the update, and it only shows the page number if you press menu, the rest of the time all you get it a % and th progress bar, which gives a cleaner page. I like.


----------



## Cid (Feb 9, 2011)

I'd quite like to have the option to display no numbers, always found them distracting - necessary with print books of course (and for referencing and the odd progress check), but it'd be nice to have pure text.


----------



## fen_boy (Feb 9, 2011)

UserNamed said:


> Humans like nice, simple to read page numbers. It's what they are used to from the dead-tree form. They understand that because a whole page won't fit on one screen that they will have duplicate page no's.


 
This is balls.


----------



## marty21 (Feb 19, 2011)

I've been looking at the most expensive items the kindle website- £3k plus for books about SCIENCE - that would be an expensive drunken purchase


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 20, 2011)

marty21 said:


> I've been looking at the most expensive items the kindle website- £3k plus for books about SCIENCE - that would be an expensive drunken purchase


 
Flipping heck
That's lot for a computer file full of just words. 

Buy It.


----------



## Radar (Feb 21, 2011)

3.1 preview is now available 

Anyone interested in applying hacks/jailbreaking should do so *before* upgrading OS as it's currently not possible afterwards. There's also various shenanigans google are pulling with ota updates and the public keys used to validate upates, so a browse through this is a good idea (warning: 98 page threadnought)

Basic idea is apply jailbreak, get usbnetworking installed, have pukka root password and ideally ssh public key installed. Then you can disable usb networking and have ssh into your kindle operational via wifi. Now you can apply 3.1 and still have your ssh access via wifi (apart from when kindle is in ms mode, leastways for me)

As always with this sort of stuff, don't play with it unless you


understand what you're doing.
are willing to risk a bricked kindle.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 21, 2011)

what is that in English?


----------



## marty21 (Feb 21, 2011)

joustmaster said:


> Flipping heck
> That's lot for a computer file full of just words.
> 
> Buy It.


 
pls give me your credit card no.


----------



## Sunray (Feb 21, 2011)

What can hacking give me over anything?  Seems not a great deal, just the odd font and screen saver.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 21, 2011)

Radar said:


> 3.1 preview is now available
> 
> Anyone interested in applying hacks/jailbreaking should do so *before* upgrading OS as it's currently not possible afterwards. There's also various shenanigans google are pulling with ota updates and the public keys used to validate upates, so a browse through this is a good idea (warning: 98 page threadnought)
> 
> ...


 
How do you get it? The preview?


----------



## Radar (Feb 22, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> How do you get it? The preview?


Amazon->Kindle Support->Kindle Software Upgrades


----------



## Radar (Feb 22, 2011)

> What can hacking give me over anything? Seems not a great deal, just the odd font and screen saver.


Pre-rolled stuff ?, yep that's a fair summary.

I'm more interested in hacking about with it myself.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 22, 2011)

what's pre-rolled?


----------



## Radar (Feb 22, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> what's pre-rolled?


Something already compiled for the platform.

As opposed to lashing something together yourself..


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 22, 2011)

You're speaking in tongues again!


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 22, 2011)

you can't ask a technical question and complain when you get a technical answer.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 22, 2011)

i didn't know it was a technical question!


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 22, 2011)

well you can get stuff that people have made to add to the software running on the thing, or you can hack about in it your self and make your own stuff.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 22, 2011)

it's just a fancy virtual bookcase - do people have to get geeky about everything?
<steps away from the thread>


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 22, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> it's just a fancy virtual bookcase - do people have to get geeky about everything?
> <steps away from the thread>


 only the geeks..


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 22, 2011)

Radar said:


> Amazon->Kindle Support->Kindle Software Upgrades


 
Little more fiddly than that to find but cheers anyway.


----------



## Radar (Feb 23, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Little more fiddly than that to find but cheers anyway.


To spell it out for anyone having problems

if logged into "Manage My Kindle"Kindle Support->Kindle Software Upgrades​otherwiseAmazon Kindle Store->Kindle Support->Kindle Software Upgrades​
Anyhow, it appears 3.1 has gone gold so I'd expect it to be available OTA pretty soon.

I was hoping for more significant updates in the browser area. It still gets its knickers in a twist when I hit the company OWA site, but at least it makes an effort to parse emails now rather than censoring them by dropping random black boxes on top of them 

I wonder, will we see Amazon sucked into the usual sonyesque arms race in trying to keep the platform down locked down ?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 23, 2011)

Yup got an email this morning from Amazon detailing how to get it over a wifi net.


----------



## chintz (Feb 23, 2011)

will this effect the Screensaver hack?


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 23, 2011)

probably.
for a bit



chintz said:


> will this effect the Screensaver hack?


----------



## chintz (Feb 23, 2011)

mm that's a shame only just put custom screensavers on and was quite chuffed


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 23, 2011)

Ah haven't got round to doing the screen saver thing...*goes to dig out cool images of Mario*


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 23, 2011)

I'm getting really pissed off with the short battery life. What kind of usage was this supposed month long battery life based on?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 23, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> I'm getting really pissed off with the short battery life. What kind of usage was this supposed month long battery life based on?


 
Eh? I've had near a month with the 3g/wifi turned off...


----------



## Bungle73 (Feb 23, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> I'm getting really pissed off with the short battery life. What kind of usage was this supposed month long battery life based on?


It only uses power when you turn the page, so a charge should last for ages.  If it doesn't then something is wrong.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 23, 2011)

It's only lasting a few days with wifi off, but I am using it a HELL of a lot. Been using the dictionary loads too.


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 23, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> I'm getting really pissed off with the short battery life. What kind of usage was this supposed month long battery life based on?


 
Do you use it for browsing much? Do you leave wireless on? I find if I use it for browsing/emails etc I'm lucky to get a week, but keep wireless off and only use it for books and I get several weeks. Keep in mind that the battery is only being used by the data conenction and the screen refreshing. When you're reading you only refresh the screen every ~30 seconds, when you're loading or scrolling a web page the screen is refreshing several times a second.

Edit: Beaten to it. But I'm leaving the post here anyway.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 23, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Do you use it for browsing much? Do you leave wireless on? I find if I use it for browsing/emails etc I'm lucky to get a week, but keep wireless off and only use it for books and I get several weeks. Keep in mind that the battery is only being used by the data conenction and the screen refreshing. When you're reading you only refresh the screen every ~30 seconds, when you're loading or scrolling a web page the screen is refreshing several times a second.
> 
> Edit: Beaten to it. But I'm leaving the post here anyway.


I refresh the page every 12-15 seconds. I'm so boring, I actually timed myself over five pages  I also check the dictionary every few pages and that often leads me down distracting lexicographical avenues - I spent ages today looking at all words and phrases beginning with 'sea'.


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 23, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> I refresh the page every 12-15 seconds. I'm so boring, I actually timed myself over five pages  I also check the dictionary every few pages and that often leads me down distracting lexicographical avenues - I spent ages today looking at all words and phrases beginning with 'sea'.


 
If your battery life is shit without browsing and wireless then maybe worth emailing amazon? You might have a slightly defective unit. I don't use mine loads but I think I'd struggle to run the battery down that quickly.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 23, 2011)

I may do that. Can't do much about it now though as I won't be able to return it til late June. 
Maybe I'm just using it more than their estimated average usage.


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 23, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> I may do that. Can't do much about it now though as I won't be able to return it til late June.
> Maybe I'm just using it more than their estimated average usage.


 
Like ten times more?!


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 23, 2011)

perhaps. I've been reading at least 8 hours a day, even more sometimes


----------



## tiki (Feb 23, 2011)

8hrs a day at 15secs per page and regular dictionary use, I can see how you're getting through a charge faster than most. I'm sure Amazon weren't quoting battery life based on those stats. I would expect you to get a week, possibly 2 though.


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 23, 2011)

every time any of the text changes, it uses power. that means for each movement of the curser or each new dictionary entry you load.

i don't use the dictionary, and i have read two and a half books with out a charge.


----------



## trashpony (Feb 23, 2011)

Question for all your kindlemeisters - my dad has bought one for my mum for her birthday (she's going to be 77). He's had it delivered to my house so it's a surprise. Should I open it and charge the battery/load a book or is it exciting from the get go? What would you have rather had? (I do appreciate none of you are probably 77  )


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Feb 23, 2011)

It comes with some charge, personally I think the joy of opening and discovering how it works is something every new user should have.


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 23, 2011)

trashpony said:


> Question for all your kindlemeisters - my dad has bought one for my mum for her birthday (she's going to be 77). He's had it delivered to my house so it's a surprise. Should I open it and charge the battery/load a book or is it exciting from the get go? What would you have rather had? (I do appreciate none of you are probably 77  )


 
Don't open it. It comes charged, but opening the box and realising that the instructions aren't a sticker, but are in fact the actual live working screen is the best bit.


----------



## trashpony (Feb 23, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> It comes with some charge, personally I think the joy of opening and discovering how it works is something every new user should have.


 


cliche guevara said:


> Don't open it. It comes charged, but opening the box and realising that the instructions aren't a sticker, but are in fact the actual live working screen is the best bit.



 I wasn't going to open it but my dad was a bit anxious that it would just be a dead screen and she wouldn't know what it was or how to use it. But I see it's a bit cleverer than that. I'm a bit excited (I persuaded him to buy it for her)


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 23, 2011)

Seriously, opening mine on Christmas day was frigging sweet. The on screen instructions wowed everyone. I don't think it comes pre-loaded with any books, but it makes you read the user guide which gives a good impression of how reading will be on it. Does your Mum have an Amazon account? If not, register one for her now and buy a book with it, then when she opens the Kindle she can key in the details and sync her new book within seconds.


----------



## trashpony (Feb 23, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Seriously, opening mine on Christmas day was frigging sweet. The on screen instructions wowed everyone. I don't think it comes pre-loaded with any books, but it makes you read the user guide which gives a good impression of how reading will be on it. Does your Mum have an Amazon account? If not, register one for her now and buy a book with it, then when she opens the Kindle she can key in the details and sync her new book within seconds.


 
My dad definitely does because he buys us all Xmas presents from Amazon so she can use that when she gets home. Could I buy her a book and send it to her?


----------



## littlebabyjesus (Feb 23, 2011)

trashpony said:


> Could I buy her a book and send it to her?


 
That's a really good idea if you can. It'll be great for her to have a book there waiting for her.


----------



## trashpony (Feb 23, 2011)

littlebabyjesus said:


> That's a really good idea if you can. It'll be great for her to have a book there waiting for her.


 
How do I do it?


----------



## rr22 (Feb 25, 2011)

trashpony said:


> How do I do it?


 

When you buy a Kindle it  is linked to an Amazon account most likely your Dad's in this case,just buy a Kindle book with this account,and it will be on it 
when delivered,or almost instantly  when it's switched on.


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Feb 26, 2011)

I think you can buy books as a gift for another account, sa lw it online once.


----------



## trashpony (Feb 27, 2011)

rr22 said:


> When you buy a Kindle it  is linked to an Amazon account most likely your Dad's in this case,just buy a Kindle book with this account,and it will be on it
> when delivered,or almost instantly  when it's switched on.



He hasn't registered the kindle and if I buy a book on his account then it isn't from me is it?  I will wait until she's opened it and then I will send her a book.


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 27, 2011)

When I got mine, as a present for the mrs, it came already registered to the account she bought it from.


----------



## marty21 (Feb 27, 2011)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/feb/27/kindle-ebooks-amazon-stephen-leather

Interesting article about self publishing on Kindle - Stephen Leather has the no. 1 selling novel on the Kindle at the moment - selling it for 71p a pop, he's making a fortune!


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

yeah, it's weird - there's people i've never heard of in the top sellers list! where's he come from and why is he so popular on the kindle format?


----------



## Corax (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> perhaps. I've been reading at least 8 hours a day, even more sometimes


Bleedin Nora!  Do you not eat?  Sleep?  Wash?  



cliche guevara said:


> Don't open it. It comes charged, but opening the box and realising that the instructions aren't a sticker, but are in fact the actual live working screen is the best bit.


I'm glad it wasn't just me.  I felt a right nana after trying to peel the 'sticker' off the screen!


----------



## marty21 (Feb 27, 2011)

Corax said:


> I'm glad it wasn't just me.  I felt a right nana after trying to peel the 'sticker' off the screen!



I did start touching the screen at first, thinking it was touch screen


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

Corax said:


> Bleedin Nora!  Do you not eat?  Sleep?  Wash?


 i'm on a four month holiday and am laid up with a gammy leg and i don't sleep much. i do wash though.


----------



## Corax (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> i'm on a four month holiday and am laid up with a gammy leg and i don't sleep much. i do wash though.


 
But still, you know... 8 hours a day?  I like reading, but there are so many other things I need to be doing, even when on leave.  There's no way I could fit 8 hours in unless I cut out something like eating, defecating, or masturbation.

To be fair, if it was the last one I'd have _*loads*_ of time.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

it's only a 3rd of the day, that leaves plenty of time for everything else - it's the same as a day at work


----------



## trashpony (Feb 27, 2011)

joustmaster said:


> When I got mine, as a present for the mrs, it came already registered to the account she bought it from.



You mean present *from* the mrs? I'm sure this one will be too but I haven't bought it - my dad has.


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 27, 2011)

trashpony said:


> You mean present *from* the mrs? I'm sure this one will be too but I haven't bought it - my dad has.


 
That is how it works, idioteque bought mine for me and it came registered to her account. Takes seconds to change (maybe minutes for a septuagenarian, but still easy ).


----------



## chazegee (Feb 27, 2011)

Environmental issues aside I can't see any good reason for these things, plus, now authors will have to take over a barrel with the musicians.


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 27, 2011)

This is a 41 page thread full of good reasons for these things?


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

chazegee said:


> Environmental issues aside I can't see any good reason for these things, plus, now authors will have to take over a barrel with the musicians.


 
 read the thread. and i think authors get better royalties from e-books than physical book sales, if you read the article cited a few posts back


----------



## trashpony (Feb 27, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> That is how it works, idioteque bought mine for me and it came registered to her account. Takes seconds to change (maybe minutes for a septuagenarian, but still easy ).


 
I'm not sure my mum even has an Amazon account  But once it's registered, then I might be able to buy her a book?


----------



## chazegee (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> read the thread. and i think authors get better royalties from e-books than physical book sales, if you read the article cited a few posts back


  But surely illegal D/L's are just round the corner.


----------



## cliche guevara (Feb 27, 2011)

trashpony said:


> I'm not sure my mum even has an Amazon account  But once it's registered, then I might be able to buy her a book?


 
Not sure. I think so. Register her an account before she gets the kindle.


----------



## Corax (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> it's only a 3rd of the day, that leaves plenty of time for everything else - it's the same as a day at work


 
Pffft.  That might be the hours they _*pay*_ me for, but there's no way I actually _*wor*_k that long.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

I'm not sure they'll take off in the same way music has. 
But if you don't want to read a 40 odd page thread, here are three good reasons for e-readers: for travelling, for studying/annotation and for the use of disabled and elderly readers


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

Corax said:


> Pffft.  That might be the hours they _*pay*_ me for, but there's no way I actually _*wor*_k that long.


 Reading is a pleasure though


----------



## Corax (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> Reading is a pleasure though


 
Absolutely - but 8 hours....

We'll have to agree to disagree I suppose.  Personally, I simply need more time for masturbation than that would allow.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

I think you're on your own here, mr hairy palms!


----------



## Corax (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> I think you're on your own here, mr hairy palms!


 
Not always.  I've started a club, to make it a more social activity.


----------



## pinkmonkey (Feb 27, 2011)

chazegee said:


> But surely illegal D/L's are just round the corner.



There are ebook groups on usenet - dunno how long they'e been there? They don't seem new to me?


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 27, 2011)

there is a 3gb file on piratebay full of thousands of kindle books.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

Most people are happy buying them though. Books are cheap


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> Most people are happy buying them though. Books are cheap


 not as cheap as free though!


----------



## chazegee (Feb 27, 2011)

Ahh, I'd only fucking loose it.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

joustmaster said:


> not as cheap as free though!


 
Perhaps I am being naive but I think people are more willing to pay for books than music. I know I am!


----------



## Corax (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> Most people are happy buying them though. Books are cheap


 
What pisses me off is ebooks being more expensive than the paperbacks.  It's nonsensical for at least two reasons - Firstly, that given the lack of print costs, distribution, warehousing etc it's an affront to common sense.  Secondly, that if they continue with that pricing structure then pirated ebooks will mushroom and become a massive problem for them.  I wouldn't even consider pirating books otherwise.  I haven't, as yet, but it's made me at least consider it.

At the moment, the publishers' guns are squarely aimed at their feet.


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> Perhaps I am being naive but I think people are more willing to pay for books than music. I know I am!


 
yeah i know what you mean. slippery slope though.


----------



## joustmaster (Feb 27, 2011)

Corax said:


> What pisses me off is ebooks being more expensive than the paperbacks.  It's nonsensical for at least two reasons - Firstly, that given the lack of print costs, distribution, warehousing etc it's an affront to common sense.  Secondly, that if they continue with that pricing structure then pirated ebooks will mushroom and become a massive problem for them.
> 
> At the moment, the publishers' guns are squarely aimed at their feet.



its the way of the world though isn't it. big business are slow to change and get with it. Often messing them selves up.

as Socrates said "people are dickheads"


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

Corax said:


> What pisses me off is ebooks being more expensive than the paperbacks.  It's nonsensical for at least two reasons - Firstly, that given the lack of print costs, distribution, warehousing etc it's an affront to common sense.  Secondly, that if they continue with that pricing structure then pirated ebooks will mushroom and become a massive problem for them.  I wouldn't even consider pirating books otherwise.  I haven't, as yet, but it's made me at least consider it.
> 
> At the moment, the publishers' guns are squarely aimed at their feet.


 But they're much cheaper and loads of them are free!


----------



## Corax (Feb 27, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> But they're much cheaper and loads of them are free!


 
Not necessarily.  If you're after classics, then yes, there's a good selection of free stuff.

But if you're after a particular title, they're often more expensive as an eBook than they are as a Paperback.

As an example, I was after some light comic fiction today.  Something mindless but amusing that I can drift off reading in bed.  I've read some of Tom Holt's stuff before.  I've found him a bit hit and miss, but haven't read anything of his for a fair number of years so thought I'd give him another go.

I ended up buying The Portable Door.
Paperback - £5.52
eBook - £6.99

Does that make any commercial sense whatsoever?


----------



## marty21 (Feb 27, 2011)

Corax said:


> Not necessarily.  If you're after classics, then yes, there's a good selection of free stuff.
> 
> But if you're after a particular title, they're often more expensive as an eBook than they are as a Paperback.
> 
> ...


 
one of the problems with digital books is that VAT is charged on them, but not on ordinary books. There are however, thousands of free books available.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 27, 2011)

You can't complain when you get the complete works of tolstoy and all of chekhov's short stories for 70p each


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Feb 28, 2011)

marty21 said:


> one of the problems with digital books is that VAT is charged on them, but not on ordinary books. There are however, thousands of free books available.



Ebooks are typically smaller than Mp3s you get for 79p from iTunes. Everyone knows that they cost virtually nothing to sell so it's nearly all profit, the only reason that they charge more for eBooks is because they can and everyone knows it. That causes a lot of anger.

Hell the fact that some places charge £1.30 for the classics which are out of copyright is ridiculous. Yes i'm looking at you Waterstones.


----------



## Corax (Feb 28, 2011)

marty21 said:


> one of the problems with digital books is that VAT is charged on them, but not on ordinary books. There are however, thousands of free books available.


 
This, sourced from a blog that may or may not be reliable - no idea:



> This might be of interest to you:
> 
> "Per unit operating profits for a typical hardback book are $0.37
> (with a retail price of $19.95).
> ...



So we can probably take out most of the bits in bold for an eBook.  There's no manufacturing costs and no cost for returns and allowances certainly, so let's leave them with $2 for (reduced) overheads.

That leaves a book that's $4.32 instead of $10.37.  Even if you add VAT on to that it should still be a hell of a lot cheaper than the paperback version.

It's a rip off, and it will only fuel piracy.


----------



## cliche guevara (Mar 6, 2011)

Page numbering has me thoroughly confused. I'm in the middle of a book, 52% of the way through according to the bar at the bottom of the screen. Pressing menu brings up the page number, and location number. According to the location, I'm on 6517 out of 12486, which agrees with the 52% figure. However, by pages, I'm on 381 out of 483, which is 78% of the way through. WTF?


----------



## Corax (Mar 6, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Page numbering has me thoroughly confused. I'm in the middle of a book, 52% of the way through according to the bar at the bottom of the screen. Pressing menu brings up the page number, and location number. According to the location, I'm on 6517 out of 12486, which agrees with the 52% figure. However, by pages, I'm on 381 out of 483, which is 78% of the way through. WTF?


 
The page numbering update was to let people know what page of the meatspace book they were on I think.  How they decide which edition etc I have no idea.  Is it possible that the paper version of the book you're reading has lengthy forewords etc?


----------



## Artaxerxes (Mar 6, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> You can't complain when you get the complete works of tolstoy and all of chekhov's short stories for 70p each


 
Nobody is complaining about paying *something* for them, the problem is when you see companies charging 6-7 pounds for a paperback and then 5-6 pounds for an ebook. Especially when the publishers of that book are selling them direct, no third parties involved, at all.


----------



## Citizen66 (Mar 6, 2011)

Um yeah, the page number won't include the foreword, index and perhaps not the prologue either.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Mar 6, 2011)

Artaxerxes said:


> Nobody is complaining about paying *something* for them, the problem is when you see companies charging 6-7 pounds for a paperback and then 5-6 pounds for an ebook. Especially when the publishers of that book are selling them direct, no third parties involved, at all.


 
Wait - I'd complain about paying something for them. Luckily you don't have to because they're all on gutenberg.org


----------



## Artaxerxes (Mar 6, 2011)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Wait - I'd complain about paying something for them. Luckily you don't have to because they're all on gutenberg.org


 
Its because your a canny consumer and/or I was refering to ebooks in general rather than out of copyright books


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Mar 6, 2011)

Artaxerxes said:


> Its because your a canny consumer and/or I was refering to ebooks in general rather than out of copyright books


 
I certainly don't complain about the basic idea of paying for ebooks, no - and you're right that companies regularly take the piss with the prices. I wanted to get China Mieville's "Kraken" a while back - it was actually more expensive on iBooks than the hardback, and even on Kindle it was only about a quid cheaper and would have given me fewer rights over what I could do with it. I just ordered the hardback, which (after I finally get round to reading it) I can lend to people.


----------



## cliche guevara (Mar 6, 2011)

Citizen66 said:


> Um yeah, the page number won't include the foreword, index and perhaps not the prologue either.


 
I can't see this causing a ~30% discrepancy though?


----------



## Citizen66 (Mar 6, 2011)

How does one ascertain what is a 'piss-take price' though? If a book costs a fiver and takes, for argument's sake, ten hours to read then being entertained at fifty pence per hour doesn't seem like rip-off of the century in my view. Nor at double that at a pound. Plus the majority of authors aren't living it up like Stephen King or J.K. Rowling. It's hard work for not retirement money rewards for a lot of them.


----------



## Citizen66 (Mar 6, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> I can't see this causing a ~30% discrepancy though?


 
Well, no. I think there's sometimes problems with the coding. I've certainly experienced a couple of books (On the kindle app, not the kindle) where I read the last sentence on a page and then it is repeated on the next. Seems some titles are offered up for sale without even a basic proof-read.


----------



## Bungle73 (Mar 6, 2011)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Wait - I'd complain about paying something for them. Luckily you don't have to because they're all on gutenberg.org


 
So you think you should have use of Waterstones' (or who ever) servers for free?  They're running a business, not a charity.  And before you go on about Guttenberg, that's not completely free either as they ask for donations.  I don't think paying a nominal charge is too much to ask.


----------



## FridgeMagnet (Mar 6, 2011)

Bungle73 said:


> So you think you should have use of Waterstones' (or who ever) servers for free?  They're running a business, not a charity.  And before you go on about Guttenberg, that's not completely free either as they ask for donations.  I don't think paying a nominal charge is too much to ask.


 
More than a penny to use that amount of bandwidth for something they don't even own copyright on is a rip-off. 70p is far more than nominal. If there was any added value, such as reformatting, artwork and so on, I might pay, but otherwise I will get it from gutenberg - which I do donate to by the way, particularly as I've used OOC content from there in things that I've made money from.


----------



## marty21 (Mar 7, 2011)

Corax said:


> This, sourced from a blog that may or may not be reliable - no idea:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



yep, they could do it a lot cheaper


----------



## Riklet (Mar 11, 2011)

Yeah the price is ridiculous for some e-books! Am I fuck paying £2 more than the paperback copy! I paid £13 for an accademic book after Christmas though as I needed it, and it's an annoyingly cumbersome book, but normally I would expect an e-book to be pretty cheap.  Personally i'm not against piracy n so download a fair few .pdfs and convert them into ebook, but it does't always produce the best result.  Still tons of books on Amazon that haven't got a kindle version yet, which doesn't impress me hugely.

I do really like my Kindle, and the new update with page numbers etc is good, but they need to step it up a bit with making the non-top100/classics more available and cheaper IMO.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Mar 11, 2011)

The price is wildly variable ime, some brand new books are far cheaper than hardback editions and some older books in paperbook are more expensive as eBooks. Bloody stupid, they should drop VAT on them too...


----------



## Corax (Mar 12, 2011)

Picked up An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge) for £4.59 at the moment, and it's quite entertaining so far.  

Also got Boomerang for 70p.  Only read a bit, but it reads well, in the vein of Tom Holt, Pratchett etc if you like that kind of easy-going comic fiction.  Can't go too far wrong for 70p anyway.


----------



## bmd (Mar 15, 2011)

Anyone mentioned Ebookee yet?


----------



## Corax (Mar 15, 2011)

Bob Marley's Dad said:


> Anyone mentioned Ebookee yet?


 
Yes.


----------



## Corax (Mar 15, 2011)

Corax said:


> Picked up An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge) for £4.59 at the moment, and it's quite entertaining so far.


 
The author's political leanings show through occasionally:



> Of all the terrible leaders that this country has had to endure, Ethelred was up there with the worst of them, somewhere between King John and Margaret Thatcher.


----------



## Corax (Mar 15, 2011)

Has anyone got any idea why you can't highlight in some books?  In the book above, the option's greyed out.  It's a legitimately bought eBook rather than a PDF or anything...


----------



## cliche guevara (Mar 15, 2011)

Same reason that text to speech doesn't work on all books - it's up to the publisher to allow it. Sucks, but not a lot we can do other than pirate.


----------



## crustychick (Mar 16, 2011)

i just paid £12.99 for Stephen Fry's new autobiography. hadn't realised it was that much. ooops. it's very good though


----------



## marty21 (Mar 16, 2011)

Lo Siento. said:


> I must say, although I've never been remotely tempted by the idea of an ebook in the past that looks genuinely tempting ...


 
I was like that - but when I was given a Kindle for Christmas, I changed my mind - still read and buy proper books though.


----------



## cliche guevara (Mar 17, 2011)

Mine has developed a hairline crack in the plastic coming from the bottom right corner of the screen 

Fuck knows how because I'm super careful with it and it's always in a case.


----------



## Corax (Mar 17, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Mine has developed a hairline crack in the plastic coming from the bottom right corner of the screen
> 
> Fuck knows how because I'm super careful with it and it's always in a case.


 
I've dropped mine twice, it's got no case, and it's fine (other than a couple of permanent e-ink blobs on the screen)!  Got mine at Christmas - when did you get yours?  Wondering if they've made later batches more robust or something.


----------



## cliche guevara (Mar 18, 2011)

Mine was a Christmas present too


----------



## marty21 (Mar 18, 2011)

I sat on mine the other night - haven't used it since so not sure if there was any damage


----------



## camouflage (Mar 18, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Same reason that text to speech doesn't work on all books - it's up to the publisher to allow it. Sucks, but not a lot we can do other than pirate.


 
Actually you can, just convert the format. I use mobipocket creator to convert .docs and .pdfs.


----------



## marty21 (Mar 21, 2011)

marty21 said:


> I sat on mine the other night - haven't used it since so not sure if there was any damage


 
there was some damage - the screen is fucked, all I can see is a little corner of text on the bottom left hand corner, about the size of a plum  I can't be sure it was me who fucked it...I tried resetting, recharging, etc - nothing...

anyhoo, I emailed Amazon this morning, they rang me within an hour- told me they were sending a replacement today!  

I have to send the old one back - 

Very impressed with Amazon on this one.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 21, 2011)

marty21 said:


> there was some damage - the screen is fucked, all I can see is a little corner of text on the bottom left hand corner, about the size of a plum  I can't be sure it was me who fucked it...I tried resetting, recharging, etc - nothing...
> 
> anyhoo, I emailed Amazon this morning, they rang me within an hour- told me they were sending a replacement today!
> 
> ...


 
They're rather good on this! I got mine the next day after reporting it.


----------



## marty21 (Mar 21, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> They're rather good on this! I got mine the next day after reporting it.


 
I guess it is worth it to them - I doubt they make much money on the kindle - they probably make a lot more on the book sales - no kindle, no book sales.


----------



## Corax (Mar 21, 2011)

Does it matter if it was your own clutzing that fucked it?  Wondering if I should get them to replace mine.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 21, 2011)

They do ask if you dropped it or not, but you could always try blagging it.


----------



## crustychick (Mar 21, 2011)

Does anyone use their local library service to borrow ebooks from - if so, how easy do you find it? is there anything special you need to do? We've just ordered one for my mum for her birthday! I'm really hoping that the library service thing is easy to use as Dorset libraries offer the service and my mum's an avid library user!


----------



## marty21 (Mar 21, 2011)

Corax said:


> Does it matter if it was your own clutzing that fucked it?  Wondering if I should get them to replace mine.


 
they didn't ask me , I just said that the screen was fucked.


----------



## Corax (Mar 21, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> They do ask if you dropped it or not, but you could always try blagging it.


 
Not sure they're going to buy that with the 4 random marks on the screen.  Maybe I could claim a car drove past and sprayed me with gravel.  Or an eagle pelted me with small stones.  Or I was caught out in a tiny localised meteor shower.


----------



## RubyBlue (Mar 21, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Mine has developed a hairline crack in the plastic coming from the bottom right corner of the screen
> 
> Fuck knows how because I'm super careful with it and it's always in a case.


 
Seems to be a common problem that Amazon's aware of - there's a thread on the Amazon discussion forum for Kindles about this - everyone that this has happened to Amazon has sent out an immediate replacement asking them to return the broken one within 30 days so you'll be fine.


----------



## marty21 (Mar 23, 2011)

my new kindle arrived yesterday - promise to be extra careful with this one - sent the broken one back.


----------



## cliche guevara (Mar 23, 2011)

That was pretty quick!

The crack in mine is literally only a hairline, I'm in two minds over whether to send it back now or wait and see if it gets any worse...


----------



## marty21 (Mar 23, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> That was pretty quick!
> 
> The crack in mine is literally only a hairline, I'm in two minds over whether to send it back now or wait and see if it gets any worse...


 
I was impressed, emailed them Monday morning, they called me within an hour - and sent it out that day!


----------



## Corax (Mar 23, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> That was pretty quick!
> 
> The crack in mine is literally only a hairline, I'm in two minds over whether to send it back now or wait and see if it gets any worse...


 
Better to send it back now IMO.  If you dropped a hammer on it tomorrow or damaged it more in some other obviously 'user-inflicted' way then you'd be kicking yourself.


----------



## purves grundy (Mar 25, 2011)

Just got mine 

DOn't know why I'm  as I haven't even opened the box yet. Tomorrow, too tired right now.


----------



## Corax (Mar 25, 2011)

purves grundy said:


> Just got mine
> 
> DOn't know why I'm  as I haven't even opened the box yet. Tomorrow, too tired right now.


 
Self restraint like that makes me suspect that you're a Dalek.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Apr 7, 2011)

Six months, still going strong, the novelty hasn't worn off at all! Charged it the other night for the first time in three weeks.  

My reading has shot up, I've read more in the last six months than I did in the previous six years, it's so fucking cool having any book I want with me all the time; easily one of the best devices I've ever owned.


----------



## Scaggs (Apr 7, 2011)

Just got an ipad so mines feeling a bit neglected. The reader on the ipad is great but I still prefer the kindle screen for long reading sessions.


----------



## Bungle73 (Apr 12, 2011)

They are coming out with a cheaper ad-sponsored kindle.  Not for the UK yet though.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13047300


----------



## crustychick (Apr 12, 2011)

wow - that's pretty good... if they're as unobtrusive as only being on the screensaver - I wouldn't care less! bargainous


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Apr 12, 2011)

Wonder if the home screen hack would remove this?


----------



## Lord Camomile (Apr 12, 2011)

My browser has stopped launching 

I'm worried it might be to do with the screensaver hack


----------



## Orang Utan (Apr 12, 2011)

maybe you shouldn't have hacked it then.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Apr 12, 2011)

Oh sure, we're all wise now, after the event. Where were you when I was wantonly hacking the bugger in gleeful anticipation of all the Big Lebowski and Discworld screensavers, eh?


----------



## Orang Utan (Apr 12, 2011)

i think i may have actually said something at the time. the original screensavers are perfectly acceptable. perhaps you are being punished for being a geek who knows enough to hack but not enough to prevent it going wrong. or perhaps just for being a pratchett fan.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Apr 13, 2011)

Bungle73 said:


> They are coming out with a cheaper ad-sponsored kindle.  *Not for the UK yet though.*
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13047300



I'd be interested in a cheaper version if the ads _stay_ 'only at the bottom of the Kindle's home screen and while the device is in its idle state'.

I wouldn't be surprised if they appeared between chapters in the future, though.


----------



## rich! (Apr 13, 2011)

after loading about 1200 books on it, the menu on mine has slowed right down... managed to hang it a few times on a plane... fortunately had a backup paperback


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Apr 25, 2011)

I have toyed with the idea of getting a kindle for a while now and would like to know...

I read a fair few articles online and would read them on the kindle instead if it is easy to do and not a complete ballache to view webpages that are mainly text (like the PRINT version of a guardian webpage for example, or an INSTAPAPER text conversion)

Is this a goer?

I get migraines a lot and I find that using the backlit screen on a laptop can sometimes start them off, make them worse if I am already having one, etc etc

The Kindle's screen would be better for my eyes (having used a mates for a while)

I know there are some things I can use to manage web use and convert things but, not having one, can't recall the names of these things

Advice please


----------



## hiccup (Apr 25, 2011)

I use instapaper to send web articles to my kindle. Once set up, it only takes one click, all the formatting etc is done automatically. Its bloody brilliant. And free (over WiFi - there's a charge if you receive stuff via 3g).


----------



## Orang Utan (Apr 25, 2011)

it's great for reading books. if you want to do something else with it, wait a bit and the gap in the market will fill rapidly


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Apr 25, 2011)

oh I want to read books on it too
as well as loads of pdfs and websites


----------



## Orang Utan (Apr 25, 2011)

if you have a burning desire to read pdfs and to browse, it'd be better to wait until your v2.s and v3.s and what have you come out and amazon's competitors get in on the act. 
speaking of which, waterstones sell quite a range of non-kindle e-readers - has anyone tried any of these?
my mum is severely disabled and is beginning to find it difficult to read newspapers and books. she's looked my kindle and though she loves the non-backlit inklike text and the whole idea of it, the buttons are just to small for it to be of any use to her. surely e-readers designed to cater for disabled and elderly readers would fill a massive gap in the market, so surely many people must be busy at work to explore this. or should i go on dragon's den first?


----------



## Sunray (Apr 26, 2011)

Fancied some classic science fiction, some of this is old and some not so old, Arthur C Clark, Phillip K Dick etc. 

Nothing I looked for even some of the classic authors are on the Kindle, like Ray Bradbury, I wanted to read Fahrenheit 451 .  I got bored and gave up.  All in paper back for 3-4 quid.


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Apr 26, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> if you have a burning desire to read pdfs and to browse, it'd be better to wait until your v2.s and v3.s and what have you come out and amazon's competitors get in on the act.
> speaking of which, waterstones sell quite a range of non-kindle e-readers - has anyone tried any of these?
> my mum is severely disabled and is beginning to find it difficult to read newspapers and books. she's looked my kindle and though she loves the non-backlit inklike text and the whole idea of it, the buttons are just to small for it to be of any use to her. surely e-readers designed to cater for disabled and elderly readers would fill a massive gap in the market, so surely many people must be busy at work to explore this. or should i go on dragon's den first?


 
Yes, the sonys are nicer (much better build quality) but lack the 3G and for the prices they were asking were just too much of a stretch. Then again the touch screen might be what she needs.


----------



## bmd (Apr 26, 2011)

Sunray said:


> Fancied some classic science fiction, some of this is old and some not so old, Arthur C Clark, Phillip K Dick etc.
> 
> Nothing I looked for even some of the classic authors are on the Kindle, like Ray Bradbury, I wanted to read Fahrenheit 451 .  I got bored and gave up.  All in paper back for 3-4 quid.


 
Link

You might need Calibre to convert them.


----------



## bmd (Apr 26, 2011)

.


----------



## editor (May 19, 2011)

Kindle book sales are now more than both paperback and hardback sales *combined*!

http://www.wirefresh.com/amazon-now-selling-more-kindle-books-than-paperback-and-hardback-combined/


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

interesting. i do wonder why people are buying more than they would if they were buying paper books


----------



## Lord Camomile (May 19, 2011)

Cheaper (_generally_, I would say) and space is no longer a concern. Also, it's a new toy, innit


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

i wonder if it will simmer down after a while then. i already have far more e-books than i'll probably ever read!


----------



## Me76 (May 19, 2011)

Does that include 'sales' of the free books as well?


----------



## kropotkin (May 19, 2011)

My wife stood on my kindle screen- thereby fucking it beyond workability.
I called the kindle phone number, and without any quibbling whatsoever they sent me another one and arranged UPS to pick up the old one. For free.
that is pretty good service frankly, especially for something that was not in any way their fault.


----------



## marty21 (May 19, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> interesting. i do wonder why people are buying more than they would if they were buying paper books


 
I'm still buying books and e-books - I can't bring myself to pay more than £5 for an e-book, whereas paying more than  that for a real book seems ok .


----------



## crustychick (May 19, 2011)

I buy more, because I can... there and then... without having to go to the shops etc. I think of a book and I can buy it instantly... consequently buying and reading way more...  also, the sample ability thing on amazon is a good hook. I get samples of loads of stuff and once I'm hooked in, I can't help but buy it... and I might as well get a sample cos it's free... but then it leads to a book purchase in the end  very clever...


----------



## pianissimo (May 19, 2011)

The thing with the Kindle, I can't share the ebooks I've read with others (or can I?)
With physical books, I can just simply pass it on with ease.


----------



## pianissimo (May 19, 2011)

kropotkin said:


> My wife stood on my kindle screen- thereby fucking it beyond workability.
> I called the kindle phone number, and without any quibbling whatsoever they sent me another one and arranged UPS to pick up the old one. For free.
> that is pretty good service frankly, especially for something that was not in any way their fault.


 
What was the problem?

I heard that if you plug the Kindle with a non-Amazon Kindle USB cable, it'll screw up the display.
So only only use the USB cable provided by Amazon.


----------



## Leafster (May 19, 2011)

Me76 said:


> Does that include 'sales' of the free books as well?


That's a good point. When I got my Kindle I looked at what was on my shelves and downloaded quite a few "free" classics so I could free up shelf-space.


----------



## kained&able (May 19, 2011)

editor said:


> Kindle book sales are now more than both paperback and hardback sales *combined*!
> 
> http://www.wirefresh.com/amazon-now-selling-more-kindle-books-than-paperback-and-hardback-combined/



danm you was just about to post a remarkably similer tech crunch article.

dave


----------



## marty21 (May 19, 2011)

I did buy a ebook by mistake - not sure if you can return them - I thought i was buying True Grit, as it was called True Grit - only it wasn;t the John Wayne one - it's another Western called True Grit - only cost a couple of quid so I wasn't that bothered.


----------



## pianissimo (May 19, 2011)

marty21 said:


> I did buy a ebook by mistake - not sure if you can return them - I thought i was buying True Grit, as it was called True Grit - only it wasn;t the John Wayne one - it's another Western called True Grit - only cost a couple of quid so I wasn't that bothered.


 
You can return it.
There's a button for bought by mistake on the page after you purchased it.


----------



## marty21 (May 19, 2011)

pianissimo said:


> You can return it.
> There's a button for bought by mistake on the page after you purchased it.


 
right - probably a bit late now - bought it months ago - otherwise people could buy them read them and then return them


----------



## editor (May 19, 2011)

kained&able said:


> danm you was just about to post a remarkably similer tech crunch article.


If there are any similarities it'll be because both would have been based on Amazon's press release.


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

pianissimo said:


> What was the problem?
> 
> I heard that if you plug the Kindle with a non-Amazon Kindle USB cable, it'll screw up the display.
> So only only use the USB cable provided by Amazon.


 not sure how that is possible, since the jack is tiny and unlike any other USB cable


----------



## crustychick (May 19, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> not sure how that is possible, since the jack is tiny and unlike any other USB cable


it's exactly like my blackberry one....


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

crustychick said:


> it's exactly like my blackberry one....


 
ah right - it's unlike any of the cables i've used then


----------



## magneze (May 19, 2011)

Until there's a Kindle that can be dropped into a bath and still work then I'm not too bothered.


----------



## kained&able (May 19, 2011)

your books are readable after you've dropped em in a bath?

really?

dave


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

kained&able said:


> your books are readable after you've dropped em in a bath?
> 
> really?
> 
> dave


 i've got loads of books that have been dropped in the bath or been rained on. they're always readable.


----------



## magneze (May 19, 2011)

kained&able said:


> your books are readable after you've dropped em in a bath?
> 
> really?
> 
> dave


Yep, they float for a little bit before sinking - a great design feature that the Kindle ought to replicate. I agree that a submerged book is generally beyond repair.


----------



## Kanda (May 19, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> not sure how that is possible, since the jack is tiny and unlike any other USB cable


 
It's a micro USB. Any Micro USB works with it. It's a standards based cable.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (May 19, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> interesting. i do wonder why people are buying more than they would if they were buying paper books


 
I am, in fact every person I know or meet with one has bought and read far more since getting one than prior to owning one...


----------



## Corax (May 19, 2011)

pianissimo said:


> The thing with the Kindle, I can't share the ebooks I've read with others (or can I?)
> With physical books, I can just simply pass it on with ease.


 
You can if they have a kindle.  I think you can send your ebooks to up to 12 devices or something like that.  So if, say, all your family had a kindle, you could have a shared library of books, just like the bookcase in the living room.


----------



## Citizen66 (May 19, 2011)

Just bought one yesterday. Now to get on with converting PDFs!


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

Citizen66 said:


> Just bought one yesterday. Now to get on with converting PDFs!


 
curious here, what PDFs?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (May 19, 2011)

Corax said:


> You can if they have a kindle.  I think you can send your ebooks to up to 12 devices or something like that.  So if, say, all your family had a kindle, you could have a shared library of books, just like the bookcase in the living room.


 
You can? Thought this was US only?


----------



## Citizen66 (May 19, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> curious here, what PDFs?



Game manuals, device manuals and erm, from bit torrent sites. Like, books.


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

ah, so torrents come as PDFs, not mobis?


----------



## Citizen66 (May 19, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> ah, so torrents come as PDFs, not mobis?


 
A mate grabbed a load, maybe has 40,000 books*. I said I was interested in such and such and he file transfered me everything relevant to the topic. the ones he sent me are in PDF format so had to convert. No idea if MOBI are on torrent sites or not but imagine PDF is the generic file type and then people can convert from that to whatever.

*actually probably less than that, that came from an estimation discussion, he didn't actually say.


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

arse, i dled a PDF for a mate who was thinking of getting a kindle for study and the text was tiny. how does the text look in the books you have on PDF?


----------



## Citizen66 (May 19, 2011)

PDF sizes really badly to the screen in the kindle. it's either too small (from my very brief experience) and zooming in makes it too big and you need to keep scrolling left and right to read sentences etc.

Conversion gives pretty good results using Calibre, or amazon will convert files sent via email but I was limited to 25meg files doing that with Gmail.


----------



## toggle (May 19, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> arse, i dled a PDF for a mate who was thinking of getting a kindle for study and the text was tiny. how does the text look in the books you have on PDF?


 
depends on the books. text only stuff is absolutely great. anyhting with a load of images, particularly when those images are behind test like some mag articles, is generally utterly fucked. 

few images it does ok, especially if they are clearly seperated from the text, i'll get a direct copy of the original page that i can zoom in on the images and the text also available seperately like it displays standard e-book stuff.

bog standard text only journal articles off athens work perfectly every time


----------



## Citizen66 (May 19, 2011)

Yeah, just looking at something I converted now and the (impossibly long) index section at the start just looks completely borked. And of course you can't interact with it.

Looks like:

CHAPTER ONE...................
..........................
...............................
......Living with the CHAPTER
TWO...........................
..............................
.................................
..borked crap.............CHAPT
w
ER...........................

But as soon as the first chapter starts it begins to look sane and is infinitely more readable than a PDF.


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

kindle's shit for images, full stop.
i downloaded a biography about a large, complicated family over several generations, so a family tree was a necessary illustration. it was impossible to read on the kindle.


----------



## joustmaster (May 19, 2011)

this torrent has 2500 mobi's
http://torrents.thepiratebay.org/6367459/300_e-books_for_Kindle.6367459.TPB.torrent


----------



## toggle (May 19, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> kindle's shit for images, full stop.
> i downloaded a biography about a large, complicated family over several generations, so a family tree was a necessary illustration. it was impossible to read on the kindle.


 
depends on the images tbh. 

i got one of the pooh books on it to read to the little'un and that looks fine. 

and culturesharingteam are still the dogs bollocks for free books.


----------



## Orang Utan (May 19, 2011)

what sort of books do they have? do you have a link?


----------



## Sunray (May 20, 2011)

I just used Mobi Creator to convert what were unreadable PDF's on my Kindle to perfectly readable MOBI (.prc) files.

Also does a good job for text files.

Its free and simple to use.


----------



## purves grundy (May 20, 2011)

Sunray said:


> I just used Mobi Creator to convert what were unreadable PDF's on my Kindle to perfectly readable MOBI (.prc) files.


 Yeah, I'm glad I found this too. I still have a problem with footnotes and other text - on the PDF, it's obviously clear it's a footnote or a title / sub-heading, as a mobi it reads like any other part of the text. Somewhat distracting.


----------



## Citizen66 (May 20, 2011)

Browsing the forum righ now with the kindle. Pages read perfectly although navigation is a bit of a fiddle. Good enough if I just need to pop on and check something when I have no mobile connection like on holiday or whatever though.


----------



## Citizen66 (May 20, 2011)

danny la rouge said:


> I'd rather have a book.


 
Amazon saves the Amazon rain forests.


----------



## Sunray (May 20, 2011)

magneze said:


> Until there's a Kindle that can be dropped into a bath and still work then I'm not too bothered.


 
Not a problem.....

http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=5352&t_mode=des


----------



## magneze (May 20, 2011)

Sunray said:


> Not a problem.....
> 
> http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=5352&t_mode=des


----------



## Sunray (May 20, 2011)

purves grundy said:


> Yeah, I'm glad I found this too. I still have a problem with footnotes and other text - on the PDF, it's obviously clear it's a footnote or a title / sub-heading, as a mobi it reads like any other part of the text. Somewhat distracting.


 
I think you'd have to use a PDF editor to remove them 1st and then convert it.


----------



## Corax (May 20, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> You can? Thought this was US only?


 
Is it?  It's not something I've tried, just read about.  But UK Amazon appears to allow you to register more than one kindle to your account...?


----------



## Citizen66 (May 20, 2011)

Corax said:


> Is it?  It's not something I've tried, just read about.  But UK Amazon appears to allow you to register more than one kindle to your account...?



I've got 3 registered to mine - a kindle, an android and a windows app. It's 5 you're allowed iirc.

E2A: I wouldn't let someone else register to my account unless I trusted them not to start bulk buying books with my debit card!


----------



## Citizen66 (May 20, 2011)

dp


----------



## pianissimo (May 23, 2011)

Help.  The 3G is not working on my Kindle.
This happened after I went to the 'experimental' section where I went to check my Gmail account.
Anyone knows what's going on?  Or it's just simply broken 
Note, I never dropped it.


----------



## Citizen66 (May 23, 2011)

Have you got a signal? is wifi enabled?


----------



## pianissimo (May 23, 2011)

Yes wifi is enabled.  And connecting to wifi is no problem.
But got grey bars, not black bars, no 3G connection.
It shouldn't be a problem of 3G coverage in my area as it worked before with no problem.

I restarted it.  Turned off and on wireless, but still no 3G connection.


----------



## pianissimo (May 23, 2011)

Sunray said:


> I just used Mobi Creator to convert what were unreadable PDF's on my Kindle to perfectly readable MOBI (.prc) files.
> 
> Also does a good job for text files.
> 
> Its free and simple to use.



I've just successfully converted a pdf to mobi online: 
http://ebook.online-convert.com/convert-to-mobi

It worked!  Now I can read articles that I downloaded.  Cool.


----------



## Citizen66 (May 23, 2011)

I don't really know what to suggest other than rebooting your kindle.


----------



## pianissimo (May 23, 2011)

Citizen66 said:


> I don't really know what to suggest other than rebooting your kindle.


 
I googled and googled and found this:
http://marcfletcher.blogspot.com/2010/10/problems-connecting-your-kindle-3-to-3g.html
and I just did a 311 trick. 
It works!!!!!
Now I have 3G connection back


----------



## Citizen66 (May 23, 2011)




----------



## Strumpet (Jun 1, 2011)

Halp!
Minime left her Kindle for ages (about a month) in a cold cold cupboard (stupid kid :|) and after turning it on last night it's gone...wonky. The screen isn't working properly. It's all blurry and half the screen saver thing stays there all the time. 
Is it fucked? Any ideas?!!


----------



## Corax (Jun 1, 2011)

Strumpet said:


> Halp!
> Minime left her Kindle for ages (about a month) in a cold cold cupboard (stupid kid :|) and after turning it on last night it's gone...wonky. The screen isn't working properly. It's all blurry and half the screen saver thing stays there all the time.
> Is it fucked? Any ideas?!!


Get Amazon to give you a new one.  Mine's not broken, but everyone I know who's had any problems has called Amazon and they've just stuck a new one in the post with no quibbling.

Don't tell them it was stored in a 'cold cold cupboard' of course.  Just tell them it wasn't used for a month and now it's borked.

Amazon make their money on the eBooks remember.  It's in their interests for people to have working devices.


----------



## Bungle73 (Jun 1, 2011)

Unless the "cold cold cupboard" was in actual fact a freezer I fail to see how that would have damaged the unit.  Probably went faulty by itself.


----------



## YouSir (Jun 1, 2011)

Strumpet said:


> Halp!
> Minime left her Kindle for ages (about a month) in a cold cold cupboard (stupid kid :|) and after turning it on last night it's gone...wonky. The screen isn't working properly. It's all blurry and half the screen saver thing stays there all the time.
> Is it fucked? Any ideas?!!


 
Had exactly the same problem, don't think it was to do with temperature though, just a random breakdown. Phoned them and they'd replaced it within 48 hours, no questions asked and free postage as well.


----------



## Pingu (Jun 2, 2011)

got my kindle today. doing a lot of traveling at the moment and it was getting awkward taking books. its ace. I still prefer the look, feel and smell of a real book but for convienience the kidle is wreally good.

easy to read and a decent sleection of books to download too.

well happy


----------



## Strumpet (Jun 3, 2011)

Yeahhhh Pingu 

Ohh great news!! Thankyou guys. Will call Monday


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jun 11, 2011)

Been trying out the Kindle Article setting on the web browser and must say works quite nicely. Means I can read news articles in an uncluttered way for free almost anywhere in the world. 



> Launch your Kindle’s browser by pressing Menu on the keypad from the main screen, and selecting Experimental from the drop-down menu. Click launch browser, and go to any Web page by pressing Menu while in the browser and selecting Enter URL. Once you’ve loaded an article you want to read, press Menu again and select Article Mode.
> 
> Article Mode eliminates everything but the main article text and inline images, making the reading experience pretty similar to what you’d get from a Kindle ebook. To scroll through the page, use the Page Forward and Page Back buttons as you would with any other e-book.



For Readability users there's a nifty little Google Chrome extension already, they've recently updated it to allow you to send articles to your Kindle too:





> With this update, readers can now send any web article to their Kindle for reading at their convenience. To send to your Kindle, simply run the free Readability browser add-on and click the Send to Kindle button. Moments later it will be available on your Kindle in a nice, comfortable reading format.
> 
> Subscribers of Readability can receive their entire reading list automatically in a convenient digest form. There’s no need to even “sync” to your Kindle. Every morning (or any other time you specify), we’ll automatically push your reading list to your device.
> 
> For writers and publishers, we’re introducing a first for the web: a free, easily-embeddable “Send to Kindle” button


----------



## 100% masahiko (Jun 27, 2011)

Hah, I just ordered the 3G plus a 10 quid fake leather case.


----------



## chandlerp (Jun 27, 2011)

For anyone who wants to change the stock standby pictures on the kindle you can follow the easy instructions here



and there is a gallery of pictures to download here


----------



## Citizen66 (Jun 27, 2011)

Screen has cracked on mine. 

I think I'm through with hand held shit. It all fucks up too easily.


----------



## 100% masahiko (Jun 27, 2011)

Citizen66 said:


> Screen has cracked on mine.
> 
> I think I'm through with hand held shit. It all fucks up too easily.


 
The crack is not unusual.
How new is yours?

Something I didn't realise...but you need a light for Kindle to read in the dark right?
Fuckin' obvious...


----------



## Citizen66 (Jun 27, 2011)

Like, 5 weeks old!


----------



## Corax (Jun 27, 2011)

Citizen66 said:


> Like, 5 weeks old!


 
Call them.  They'll stick a new one in the post.


----------



## Citizen66 (Jun 27, 2011)

Corax said:


> Call them.  They'll stick a new one in the post.



Who will? I bought it from Curries and they weren't interested.


----------



## Corax (Jun 27, 2011)

Citizen66 said:


> Who will? I bought it from Curries and they weren't interested.


 
Try Amazon themselves, as the manufacturer.  They have a vested interest in you having a device that you can use to read the stuff you buy from them.


----------



## Citizen66 (Jun 27, 2011)

Corax said:


> Try Amazon themselves, as the manufacturer.  They have a vested interest in you having a device that you can use to read the stuff you buy from them.



Wasn't hopeful at all but phoned customer services and after a brief test to prove it was knackered they're sending me out a new one!


----------



## Corax (Jun 27, 2011)

Result.


----------



## pianissimo (Jun 27, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Been trying out the Kindle Article setting on the web browser and must say works quite nicely. Means I can read news articles in an uncluttered way for free almost anywhere in the world.
> 
> 
> 
> For Readability users there's a nifty little Google Chrome extension already, they've recently updated it to allow you to send articles to your Kindle too:




i tried it today. The setup isn,t too straight forward. i.e. I had to add their email to my approved list in amazon account. And needs wifi to do the free downloads. But after all that, it,s still pretty cool.

I sent 2 articles to the kindle. It rocks!


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jun 27, 2011)

pianissimo said:


> i tried it today. The setup isn,t too straight forward. i.e. I had to add their email to my approved list in amazon account. And needs wifi to do the free downloads. But after all that, it,s still pretty cool.
> 
> I sent 2 articles to the kindle. It rocks!



Yep there is a bit of faffing but it's pretty neat though.


----------



## 100% masahiko (Jun 30, 2011)

Had no problems setting up.
The device feels flimsy, the text to voice is shit.
But apart from that, it's perfect for the reading that I do.


----------



## lobster (Jul 1, 2011)

chandlerp said:


> For anyone who wants to change the stock standby pictures on the kindle you can follow the easy instructions here
> 
> 
> 
> and there is a gallery of pictures to download here



That is cool, I came across a list of other Kindle Hacks/Modifications like having epub(non-drm) support.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 1, 2011)

i lost mine  went to the pub to escape from home. left in kebab shop or on wall outside. spent first ever dole money on new one. fuck 3g, you really don't need it.


----------



## Kanda (Jul 1, 2011)

Sat on train tonight, after 20 mins a guy asks if I can 'read on that thing'

My answer: what do you think mate? I've been sat here for 20 mins doing so...

Duh!


----------



## Corax (Jul 1, 2011)

Kanda said:


> Sat on train tonight, after 20 mins a guy asks if I can 'read on that thing'
> 
> My answer: what do you think mate? I've been sat here for 20 mins doing so...
> 
> Duh!


 
Damn his eyes for not articulating his curiousity about your reading experience more eloquently!


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jul 2, 2011)

Kanda said:


> Sat on train tonight, after 20 mins a guy asks if I can 'read on that thing'
> 
> My answer: what do you think mate? I've been sat here for 20 mins doing so...
> 
> Duh!


 
Reminds me of that classic Bill Hicks skit: "Looks like we got ourselves a reader."


----------



## 100% masahiko (Jul 5, 2011)

Kanda said:


> Sat on train tonight, after 20 mins a guy asks if I can 'read on that thing'
> 
> My answer: what do you think mate? I've been sat here for 20 mins doing so...
> 
> Duh!


 
Maybe it was a chat-up line.


----------



## sumimasen (Jul 5, 2011)

Newbie question, why have I got a Kindle email address?


----------



## maldwyn (Jul 5, 2011)

Shortest answer; If you email pdf's or docs attachments they get converted to kindle format and sent back. Dead useful.


----------



## sumimasen (Jul 5, 2011)

Is there a charge for that?


----------



## purves grundy (Jul 5, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> i lost mine  went to the pub to escape from home. left in kebab shop or on wall outside. spent first ever dole money on new one. fuck 3g, you really don't need it.


 


Really enjoying mine now. Converting PDFs to mobi makes the vast majority of the 0000's of PDF articles I've collected from academic journals over the years wonderfully readable, and that's what I most use it for. After 3 months, I still haven't read a whole book on it (but I will - probably down to me having mostly the available freebie classics on it and I aint had time recently), but have managed over 100 articles. Otherwise I'd have printedsome of that lot out and not read the rest.


----------



## Lord Camomile (Jul 5, 2011)

sumimasen said:


> Is there a charge for that?


Nope, totally free


----------



## Bungle73 (Jul 5, 2011)

Amazon have got a sale on atm,  "Hundreds" of Kindle books for £2.99 or less.


----------



## maldwyn (Jul 5, 2011)

Lord Camomile said:


> Nope, totally free


There's a small charge if done via 3G (further details on Amazon's manage your kindle page)


----------



## Lord Camomile (Jul 5, 2011)

Really? I've never been charged for it (at least I don't think I have  ). I think you can set the maximum charge to 'free' or something. I'll have to look into this...


----------



## maldwyn (Jul 5, 2011)

The charge only applies if you have converted files sent back to you via 3G network. It's totally free via wifi and email and yes you can set maximum 3G charge per document yourself - I too have mine set to zero - if fact I still haven't conected my kindle to my wifi preferring instead to 'sideload' my documents and books


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 6, 2011)

Erg, so the new Song of Ice and Fire is out soon, currently going for £12 on the Kindle, £12.50 hardback.

Is it just me or are things like this really going to hold back the Kindle?

(I probably complained about the pricing policy many pages ago but feel its still valid)


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jul 7, 2011)

Artaxerxes said:


> Erg, so the new Song of Ice and Fire is out soon, currently going for £12 on the Kindle, £12.50 hardback.
> 
> Is it just me or are things like this really going to hold back the Kindle?
> 
> (I probably complained about the pricing policy many pages ago but feel its still valid)


 
It won't hold it back but it is shit.


----------



## 888 (Jul 7, 2011)

It won't hold it back because every electronic book's real price is £0.


----------



## sumimasen (Jul 7, 2011)

Kindle's business model is not based on 'ebooks cost nothing to manufacture therefore we shall charge supercheap for them'.   It's based on 'cannot charge supercheap because it will dissipate our paperback/hardback income'.  Understandable really.


----------



## purves grundy (Jul 7, 2011)

If anyone can let me know how I can get rid of pesky footnotes that make my mobi conversions of PDFs quite unreadable, I'd be very grateful! Some sort of PDF editor... or a mobi editor?


----------



## lobster (Jul 7, 2011)

888 said:


> ectronic book's real price is £0.



Electricity to maintain the servers that host the kindle files , the hardware itself that stores the files, the sys admins maintaining the servers are just a few of the costs involved. Also lets not forgot the authors of the books want to make a living.  I do however agree that  ebooks should be cheaper than the paperpack.  Like paperbooks, the more popular books are cheap as ebooks.


----------



## kropotkin (Jul 7, 2011)

lobster said:


> Electricity to maintain the servers that host the kindle files , the hardware itself that stores the files, the sys admins maintaining the servers are just a few of the costs involved. Also lets not forgot the authors of the books want to make a living.  I do however agree that  ebooks should be cheaper than the paperpack.  Like paperbooks, the more popular books are cheap as ebooks.


He means the real-world price.
i.e. that you just torrent it for free.


----------



## 888 (Jul 8, 2011)

Yes, quite, regardless of their intended business model, people will want to buy a kindle because they can then get free books. Aside from torrents, there are actually a vast number of books legally available for free on the kindle.


----------



## kalidarkone (Jul 9, 2011)

Really sorry if this has already been asked....I just can not bear to trawl through so many pages.....I am considering getting one so that I can have all my midwifery degree textbooks on there (they are fat fuckers and will save me lugging them around) Will I be able to get those kind of books on kindle?


----------



## kalidarkone (Jul 9, 2011)

Ignore the above!! Just had a look on amazon and yes I can get pretty much all the books that I will need!!


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 3, 2011)

right, I've searched this thread for the words refurb and refurbished and it returned nothing, so.... (is search b0rked?)

has anyone bought a refurbished Kindle from Amazon UK?
I'm thinking of getting one and might as well get the 3g for the same (more or less) money as the wifi only one if they are as good as new.
I've bought refurbs from Apple before now and have been highly surprised with the quality of their brown box stuff (ipods and ipod touches)

Anyone any direct experience?


----------



## marty21 (Aug 3, 2011)

some friends of mine are going on holiday and asked me about the kindle - I told them they could borrow mine and see if they liked it - they asked me to put some books on which they;ll pay for, which I did - feel guilty about taking their money for books that will stay on my kindle  so probably going to meet them halfway and take half the money - afterall they can read the books I've paid for, for free!


----------



## Lord Camomile (Aug 3, 2011)

Parents have asked me for a gift list for my birthday, had planned to put a few Kindle titles on there but they seem to have disabled the gift facility (I'm sure it was there originally  ). May have to just buy them myself and get the money from them, which seems a bit... shit


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 3, 2011)

can't you add them to your wish list and point them at that?


----------



## Lord Camomile (Aug 3, 2011)

I can point 'em there, but I think getting them onto my Kindle is the issue. I dunno, it's not like I looked at it properly...




			
				from my Wish List said:
			
		

> This item cannot be purchased as a gift at this time. (Why not?-->)
> -->While gifting is not yet offered in the Kindle store, we are working to make it available in the near future.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 3, 2011)

gift certificate?


----------



## Lord Camomile (Aug 3, 2011)

Seems to be the only other option, aye. Which is, of course, basically money.


----------



## Corax (Aug 3, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> right, I've searched this thread for the words refurb and refurbished and it returned nothing, so.... (is search b0rked?)
> 
> has anyone bought a refurbished Kindle from Amazon UK?
> I'm thinking of getting one and might as well get the 3g for the same (more or less) money as the wifi only one if they are as good as new.
> ...


 
Worth checking the guarantee of course, but... seeing as Amazon have willingly replaced people's new devices pretty much instantly and without a second thought when they've borked, I'd expect it to be a pretty safe option.  Like I've said before, it's in their interests for you to have a device that enables you to buy and read their products.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 4, 2011)

oh yeah, I understand that. i don't, however, want to be on the phone every month arranging a swap

They have a 30 day no quibble return it for free (they pay postal fees) that I might avail myself of, they seem to be offering the same 12month gtee with the refurbs...hmmm


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 4, 2011)

oh, and I have that Prime trial going on at the mo, so it'd be here tomorrow too


----------



## Badgers (Aug 26, 2011)

*Kindle Refurbished £67.99 WIFI or 3G for £98.59*


----------



## 1927 (Aug 26, 2011)

888 said:


> It won't hold it back because every electronic book's real price is £0.



Do the authors write for nothing then?


----------



## 1927 (Aug 26, 2011)

With all the hype about the cheap Hp Touchpads I discovered that AMazon are bringing out a touchpad device before xmas and likely to be heavily subsidised n the same way the Kindle is. Lot of comment on tinternet that the touchpad thing has played into amazons hands as it has got rid of a shit load of stock from the shelves.


----------



## magneze (Aug 26, 2011)

I would have thought it would be a nightmare for Amazon. Many people who would have bought a £150 Amazon tablet (or however much it was going to be) have now got a TouchPad. For such a huge retailer it was interesting to see how few they appear to have themselves - most appeared to be on offer through the Marketplace.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 26, 2011)

Badgers said:


> *Kindle Refurbished £67.99 WIFI or 3G for £98.59*



Hmm, wonder what's fuelled that price drop on the refurbs?


----------



## 888 (Aug 26, 2011)

forthcoming new version? don't know when though...


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Aug 26, 2011)

Rumour has it there's a new tablet coming from them...


----------



## Orang Utan (Aug 27, 2011)

like a pill?
makes you speak like will self for a bit


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 28, 2011)

yeah, I suspect this is one reason, maybe.
also, the recent HP Touchpad nonsense might have some effect
I was considering a Touchpad as an ereader (mainly) when I heard the US$ price had dropped so dramatically but missed out when the UK£ price dropped - I suppose quite a few bought them as ereaders


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Aug 29, 2011)

...and the refurbs appear to have gone back up in price


----------



## Winot (Sep 28, 2011)

Thoughts on Kindle 3?


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 28, 2011)

Great pricing, looks like Amazon are about to do what countless other Android tablet makers have pitifully failed to do: provide a viable 2nd place in the tablet market owned by Apple...brilliant day for us consumers!


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 28, 2011)

Winot said:


> Thoughts on Kindle 3?



Isn't that technically the Kindle 4?


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 28, 2011)

no keyboard.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Sep 28, 2011)

That price is fantastic! Barely 90 quid and you get a top notch ebook reader. Now what we need is the fucking treasury to drop that bullshit vat on ebook's and we're golden.


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 28, 2011)

i bet the cover still costs stupid money though


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Sep 28, 2011)

Aye - thirty apricots, I mean quid


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 28, 2011)

i thought they were 50?


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Sep 28, 2011)

that's the one with the light
dunno if they are doing that withthis model
can't see one anyway

and as for keyboards on the new Kindle


----------



## Winot (Sep 28, 2011)

Well I've just pre-ordered one. Got a business trip coming up in late Oct with some long flights. Not having a keyboard/3G isn't an issue for me.


----------



## lobster (Sep 28, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> i bet the cover still costs stupid money though



i bought a unofficial cover for my kindle several months ago. It was not too much


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 28, 2011)

i looked into that, but none of them looked as good as the nice leather one with a light. and the light has become essential.


----------



## ethel (Sep 28, 2011)

no 3G. gah! very useful for downloading the newspaper


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 28, 2011)

ethel said:


> no 3G. gah! very useful for downloading the newspaper


Bit of an odd omission given the previous Kindles have had 3G options.
Maybe that'll be released later?


----------



## ethel (Sep 28, 2011)

think i'll go for the fire. might get my mum a new kindle for xmas though


----------



## editor (Sep 28, 2011)

The new Kindle Touch comes in two versions - wi-fi only for $99 and 3G for $149. The super cheap $79 one has no 3G option.
http://www.wirefresh.com/amazon-kindle-touch-serves-up-advanced-e-ink-display-for-99/


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 28, 2011)

ethel said:


> no 3G. gah! very useful for downloading the newspaper


so that's what it's for


----------



## ethel (Sep 28, 2011)

editor said:


> The new Kindle Touch comes in two versions - wi-fi only for $99 and 3G for $149. The super cheap $79 one has no 3G option.
> http://www.wirefresh.com/amazon-kindle-touch-serves-up-advanced-e-ink-display-for-99/


ah, couldn't find a link for the 3G one on the uk site.


----------



## editor (Sep 28, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> so that's what it's for


Handy for downloading books when you're on the move, or having a free read of the first chapter of the books. You can do some basic surfing too.


----------



## ethel (Sep 28, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> so that's what it's for



very handy for festivals...


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 28, 2011)

editor said:


> The new Kindle Touch comes in two versions - wi-fi only for $99 and 3G for $149. The super cheap $79 one has no 3G option.


No 3G option on the FIre either though, so only 1 of the 4 new Kindle models has 3G.
I guess it's a battery life or cost thing with the Fire.


----------



## Orang Utan (Sep 28, 2011)

editor said:


> Handy for downloading books when you're on the move, or having a free read of the first chapter of the books. You can do some basic surfing too.


maybe for some, but i don't need to d/l books on the move or do some surfing as i have a phone for that.
certainly not worth paying 50 quid extra for


----------



## editor (Sep 28, 2011)

Lazy Llama said:


> No 3G option on the FIre either though, so only 1 of the 4 new Kindle models has 3G.
> I guess it's a battery life or cost thing with the Fire.


I'm guessing that the beefier 10" Fire that is rumoured to be coming later will have all the bells and whistles. Makes sense to have the first Fire tablet with such a low price, really.


----------



## lobster (Sep 29, 2011)

Will the one of payment for the fire, make it worth while for amazon?  What with those streaming video.... I think they get away with the costs on the kindle as you cannot easily use a lot of bandwidth on a b&w screen.


----------



## Lazy Llama (Sep 29, 2011)

Looking closely at the new low-price Kindle it would seem that it is "Kindle with Special Offers" by default.
Previously you could get a US Kindle cheaper if you *selected* to allow it to show you adverts on the home page and screen saver.

If you want a new Kindle without adverts, it's $109, not $79. That goes some way to explaining why the UK version is £89 - it's the non-subsidised version. As far as I can see there's no advert-funded version available in the UK.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Sep 29, 2011)

yeah, all the new kindles prices are more expensive than the ones that are generally being touted around - Kindle touch 3g is $149 or $189 depending on the version you get

does anyone know how the ads work? (at the start of every chapter - pop up at random -just at the beginning of the book?)


----------



## Vintage Paw (Sep 29, 2011)

I really wanted the 3G Touch version, so I'll likely get a friend to ship me one from the States. Not sure I want to wait the possible months for it to be released here, that's if they even bother.

I would wait until there's colour and the option to use a stylus to make notes, but that could be some time away. I'd never bleedin' get one if I waited for all the features I wanted.


----------



## Vintage Paw (Sep 29, 2011)

Hmm, Amazon UK seems to be showing you can't play audio books on the new touch. That's .... unfortunate.


----------



## Vintage Paw (Sep 29, 2011)

ah, worked out that's not the touch, it's the 5-way controller version.

God, this is so confusing. So there's the old Kindle 3, which is now the Kindle Keyboard. Then there's the Kindle, that is new, that has a 5-way controller and no keyboard, but not a proper touchscreen either, with no 3G, less memory, and so on, that's available over here. Then there's the Kindle Touch, which is completely touchscreen, with optional 3G, that isn't available over here. That one still plays audio books. The new Kindle over here doesn't.

Blargle.


----------



## Me76 (Sep 29, 2011)

Vintage Paw said:


> ah, worked out that's not the touch, it's the 5-way controller version.
> 
> God, this is so confusing. So there's the old Kindle 3, which is now the Kindle Keyboard. Then there's the Kindle, that is new, that has a 5-way controller and no keyboard, but not a proper touchscreen either, with no 3G, less memory, and so on, that's available over here. Then there's the Kindle Touch, which is completely touchscreen, with optional 3G, that isn't available over here. That one still plays audio books. The new Kindle over here doesn't.
> 
> Blargle.



I think this needs to be shown in a tabular form.


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## Vintage Paw (Sep 29, 2011)

Graphs. There are a distinct lack of graphs on this thread.


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## ovaltina (Sep 30, 2011)

I'm tempted by the 90£ one with no keyboard, at that price I think anybody who likes to read will be.


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## Kid_Eternity (Sep 30, 2011)

Yup I think I may get that for my mum as a xmas pressie...


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## Winot (Oct 10, 2011)

Mine has just been delivered.  Nice device - noticeably faster refresh than the earlier model.  Lack of ugly keyboard is a bonus in my (e)book.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 10, 2011)

Winot said:


> Mine has just been delivered. Nice device - noticeably faster refresh than the earlier model. Lack of ugly keyboard is a bonus in my (e)book.



Did you have the Kindle 3 or an earlier one?


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## Winot (Oct 10, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> Did you have the Kindle 3 or an earlier one?



Not sure - it was one I bought for my mum 18 months or so ago.

Edit - just checked and it was the Kindle 3.


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## Bob_the_lost (Oct 10, 2011)

Winot said:


> Mine has just been delivered. Nice device - noticeably faster refresh than the earlier model. Lack of ugly keyboard is a bonus in my (e)book.


They've been clever, they dont' do a full refresh on every page turn, only on every sixth. That speeds it up and drops the black flash (most of the time) but means worse picture quality.

It's a software change though, wonder if they'll update the keyboard one to support it too. The screen is the exact same design as last years.


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## friedaweed (Oct 10, 2011)

So the £89 one on amazon, can you still put blag/downloaded torrent books on it or are the going to stop all that. ??
Could do with some speedy advice on this as thinking of ordering one for a bookworm but need it for wednesday for a birthday pressie.

Basically are they any good?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 10, 2011)

friedaweed said:


> So the £89 one on amazon, can you still put blag/downloaded torrent books on it or are the going to stop all that. ??
> Could do with some speedy advice on this as thinking of ordering one for a bookworm but need it for wednesday for a birthday pressie.
> 
> Basically are they any good?



Can't see how they can really without pissing people of hugely...no difference as far as the device is concerned between a free ebook and a pirated one.

Got the older one with the keyboard and love it.


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## friedaweed (Oct 10, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> Can't see how they can really without pissing people of hugely...no difference as far as the device is concerned between a free ebook and a pirated one.
> 
> Got the older one with the keyboard and love it.


Cheers obvs just a rumour then hey. 

In your exp how do they fair to a book? I'm thinking of getting the kids mum one for her birthday from them. She's a total booknut. (1 a day on holiday at least 1 a week otherwise)

Will she hanker after the smell of a new book or just be chuffed to fuck that she doesn't have to go shopping when she's got nowt to read. In short will they turn a not so tech savvy, traditionalist bookworm and daughter of a school librarian?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 10, 2011)

That's a more personal thing, so can't really comment...the one thing I'd check is that the kind of stuff she reads is available.


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## friedaweed (Oct 10, 2011)

Yeah I've done that. She reads crime fiction and all the usual super-market shelf stuff. It all seems to be there on the Amazon store and a fair bit on pirate bay. It's my daughters idea but i've a sneaking suspicion she may miss the books. I think i'll sleep on it. She's a fucking English teacher as well and I have no idea if she'd like or dislike one but I remember her scolding me for buying an audio book once


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## Greebo (Oct 10, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> That's a more personal thing, so can't really comment...the one thing I'd check is that the kind of stuff she reads is available.


That's more or less what I'm currently doing on amazon de, after googling free stuff in German and ending up with a neo nazi reading group's list.


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## Greebo (Oct 10, 2011)

friedaweed said:


> I remember her scolding me for buying an audio book once


IMHO there's nothing wrong with audio books, if unabridged.  Great for when you've got something boring to do with your hands.  Or if you can't sleep.  Or for long journeys.  Or for people who are visually impaired (not everyone can read braille) etc.  But they don't really replace reading.


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## friedaweed (Oct 10, 2011)

Greebo said:


> IMHO there's nothing wrong with audio books, if unabridged. Great for when you've got something boring to do with your hands. Or if you can't sleep. Or for long journeys. Or for people who are visually impaired (not everyone can read braille) etc. But they don't really replace reading.


It was more to do with her attempts to get me to read more when were still together. I find reading totally boring  I'm always happy to wait for the fillum to come out. She once got me a gift voucher for amazon and told me to find myself a nice book for my birthday one year. I got a Chomsky audio book on cd for the car  Hence the scolding. Maybe that's why split up 

Reading is her one big passion which I think is why the daughter very thoughtfully said we should get her a kindle for her birthday which is on Wednesday. But then she is very much a lover and hoarder of books so I'm really not sure she'll find the transition that easy.

I might just get her a fucking book token


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## Greebo (Oct 10, 2011)

friedaweed said:


> I might just get her a fucking book token


Good move.  

I know it sounds unimaginative, but it lets her have the fun of choosing something she hasn't already got.


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## mrs quoad (Oct 11, 2011)

Anyone know if and when the £90 one will hit the shops?

As in, the physical shops, not the online shops?

I'm not sure I like the looks of it enough to order one online, but I'd blates be up for a "buyers' remorse" impulse-buy if I happened to accidentally on-purpose walk past one. I accidentally on-purpose walked through John Lewis today, and Tesco earlier this week (after accidentally on-purpose checking Tesco's website).


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## Throbbing Angel (Oct 11, 2011)

They have a no quibble 30 day return doodad on Kindles
Assume it is still valid for the newer version(s)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200506470


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## Winot (Oct 11, 2011)

The new one looks much nicer than the old keyboard one imo.


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## Throbbing Angel (Oct 11, 2011)

yes, it does

I own a Kindle Keyboard (shudder every time I see/hear/type that new name) and love it - the main advantage I think is that the 3g browsing on mine isn't throttled/blocked  - I can check my email on the bus for n'owt on my Kindle - which was great today as there was an hours delay - whereas on the new kindles, you can't do that

small thing I know and outside of the main usage of the device - but is one of the main reasons I went 3g over wifi only


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 11, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> yes, it does
> 
> I own a Kindle Keyboard (shudder every time I see/hear/type that new name) and love it - the main advantage I think is that the 3g browsing on mine isn't throttled/blocked - I can check my email on the bus for n'owt on my Kindle - which was great today as there was an hours delay - whereas on the new kindles, you can't do that
> 
> small thing I know and outside of the main usage of the device - but is one of the main reasons I went 3g over wifi only



Where as I think it's pretty shit for those kind of tasks...got my phone for that.

In my opinion the great thing about it is that it does one thing really well.


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## Throbbing Angel (Oct 11, 2011)

oh yeah, I know - I don't do anything with a phone other than use it as a phone - I'm strictly PAYG, £30 phone, low spend

It is great at one thing and luckily for me, OK at some others too

I don't consider checking my email on a bus a 'task' as such therefore I don't need, or want, to do it speedily. Suits me, suits you - we're all winners!


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## Vintage Paw (Oct 11, 2011)

This 3G thing is the only thing that's giving me pause — whether I want to get the Touch imported or whether I should go with a Keyboard. In this country, I use my phone for web browsing, all inclusive in my monthly contract. Therefore I'll likely only ever need the 3G for books and wiki anyway. But I was looking forward to the option to be able to access the web in a pinch when abroad with it. I don't travel much, but when I was abroad in August there were a couple of times I could have done with a quick look online while out and about. I had daily access to wifi though, so it wasn't a big deal.

Having had a play with a Keyboard version, it felt very clunky not being able to touch the screen to select stuff. I guess I'm used to my iphone.

idk what to choose.

#firstworldproblems


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 11, 2011)

I'd test one on the web pages you want to access...it truly is a grim experience. The extra 50 quid would get you enough oversees data for a fair few trips.


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## Vintage Paw (Oct 11, 2011)

Good point.

Having a mate get the Touch for me and ship it as a "gift" will mean I'll likely still be saving money on the 3G Keyboard from over here anyway.

Going to wait until some Touch reviews start filtering through, from review copies and so on. I'd like it soonish, since mother dearest said she'd buy it me for Christmas  (since I bought her Kindle 3 for Christmas last year — it's a fair trade )


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## cliche guevara (Oct 11, 2011)

Just called Amazon to have mine replaced as it has two small cracks coming from the bottom corners of the screen. I should have a shiny new one on Thursday, pretty impressed tbh.


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## friedaweed (Oct 11, 2011)

It's in tesco for pre order on the website collect tmw after 4.


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## mrs quoad (Oct 12, 2011)

friedaweed said:


> It's in tesco for pre order on the website collect tmw after 4.


ty!

May head in to Tesco, tomorrow after 4, then  See if it's hit their shelves yet.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 2, 2011)

does anyone know how to convert rar files to mobi for a kindle?


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## Radar (Dec 2, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> does anyone know how to convert rar files to mobi for a kindle?


rar is an archive format, you would need to look inside it (winrar or something similar) and see what the actual document format is.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 2, 2011)

yeah of course, spoke too soon. there's a mixture of formats - .rtf, .txt and .pdf


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## Radar (Dec 2, 2011)

Orang Utan said:


> yeah of course, spoke too soon. there's a mixture of formats - .rtf, .txt and .pdf


You should be good with pdfs and txt files by just emailing them to your free kindle address and picking em up via wifi.

Think you'll need calibre for the rtf files.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 2, 2011)

yeah, i have calibre  sorted now, ta!


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