does anyone have a Kindle? I am thinking about buying one, but haven't made up my mind yet.
Queens Central Forums » Idle Chatter
Kindle
(40 posts)-
biker
Member
( me)Posted 1 month ago # -
NYObserver
Member
( me)My biz partner has one. He used to rave about it. He recently bought an iPad, and I don't know whether he even uses the Kindle anymore. I know the Kindle prices went down, so there's that.
I happen to prefer reading actual books - and bookcases - for now (though I may break down and buy an iPad for other uses at some future point)...
Posted 1 month ago # -
knifesong
Member
( me)If your main purpose is reading alone, I'd pick the kindle over the iPad. The kindle uses e-ink technology, which is better on the eyes for reading. I think the iPad's bright display is a little tough on the eyes. The kindle also weighs only half as much as the iPad.
For what it's worth, there could be a new Kindle coming out at any time now, so you may want to wait. The current rumor is that there may be a new kindle in August. I've been waiting to get one myself, and would rather wait than get one and then see a new one come out next week.
The next kindle is supposed to be thinner and have a better display. Other features are speculative at this point (could be color, could be touch screen)
Posted 1 month ago # -
Herb
Member
( me)I have the Kindle 2. There is currently a model with a larger screen than mine...and the price recently dropped significantly (abt $189 or so)
I love it. Great for traveling (I read nonfiction - generally more pages to lug). I also get the FT and WSJ downloaded daily, as well as The Economist (monthly) and Foreign Affairs (bi-monthly).
However...I am debating buying the iPad, when the next version is released. If I do so, I will probably use the Kindle app and transfer my account info. The larger screen and aesthetics appeal to me - although I see knifesong's points about the brightness (and weight).
Herb
Posted 1 month ago # -
kg97
Member
( me)I said I would buy a kindle if it got below 200 and the Economist and the NY post were available. All three have happened, and I still haven't picked one up...but I still want one. I wish they were narrower, like the size of a paperback. Something that will fit in the inside pocket of a jacket.
Posted 1 month ago # -
biker
Member
( me)Based on your comments, plus my co-workers comments, I think a kindle is better for me. I want to be able to have the NYT and whatever book I am reading (currently Eat Pray Love) on the system. The IPAD just seems so big!
Posted 1 month ago # -
knifesong
Member
( me)I probably would've picked up the Kindle 2 if I were more on top of things about 2-3 weeks back. Anyone see when Amazon bought the website Woot? To celebrate the acquisition, they were selling Kindles 2 for $149! (new, not refurbs)
Posted 1 month ago # -
Patrick
Member
( me)Is the kindle able to show photographs that come with the actual book? The iPad does.
I'm reading Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking" on my iPad at the moment at it wouldn't be the same without the wealth of her family photograhs.Posted 1 month ago # -
knifesong
Member
( me)The iPad shines when it comes to pictures, but how many books have pictures that you want to look at? When I look at 95% of the books on my bookshelf, the majority don't have pictures. A few here and there might have a diagram or two, which could probably be sufficiently covered by shades of gray supported by the Kindle.
My wife would love to get rid of all of her medical textbooks. Of course, most textbook vendors haven't made the jump to eBook platforms. The Kindle does grayscale images, but you can't really compare that to the iPad's ability to present photos.
I think the thing that killed the iPad for me was it's weight. You can't hold it up with one hand... you really need two. I think as with any technology, the iPad will become lighter in later generations.
That being said, I think as these various handheld devices start coming to prominence, you're going to see the evolution of books as we know them. Sure, we'll still have books that are text only, but I think you'll start to see more stories with text and video. Kinda like when the music video was originally introduced.
The new Kindle is rumored to have a touch screen, as well as potentially a color screen. If the Kindle is color, and they don't increase the price point, the iPad being in color becomes a moot point.
Posted 1 month ago # -
bobbyrab
Member
( me)biker, I enjoy my Kindle 2; realize that it is not that great however for reading periodicals; you would be better off upgrading to the Kindle DX. I tried the Wall St. Journal on the Kindle and it was just too much navigation for my taste. The Kindle 2 is geared for reading "conventional" books. I can hold it in my hand for a long time without getting fatigued and it is as natural to me as reading a standard book. I have had my Kindle 2 for around a year and 3 months.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Patrick
Member
( me)"I think the thing that killed the iPad for me was it's weight. You can't hold it up with one hand... you really need two."
The iPad weighs less than a standard hardcover book. I can't for the life of me ever remember reading a book with one hand.
Today's digital magazines (like National Geographic and Popular Science) are interactive with videos which are made for devices like the iPad which is something to consider. You can also adjust the light on the iPad's screen to suit your taste.
Posted 1 month ago # -
biker
Member
( me)my co-worker bought an ipad and although he said he likes it, he said the screen is hard on the eyes, unlike the kindle.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Patrick
Member
( me)You should get whatever makes you happy like I did.
My personal favorite way to read a digital book is still on the iPhone. Great to read in bed and you don't need to have the light on. When I can't sleep in the middle of the night I just reach for my phone and read without waking up the Mrs.
My books also always go where I do since I always have my phone on me.
Posted 1 month ago # -
knifesong
Member
( me)Patrick wrote: "The iPad weighs less than a standard hardcover book. I can't for the life of me ever remember reading a book with one hand."
I can see holding a book with two hands while sitting, but when you're reading on the train and you're standing, you have to hold on to a pole with one hand and hold your book with the other. That use case alone covers at least two times a day for me while going to work and back. Giving my bookshelf a quick glance, I have a number of hardcover books, none of which I'd ever consider bringing on the train or on a trip. I guess an iPad weighing as much as a hardcover book isn't a selling point, it highlights that it weighs too much.
Adjusting the light on the display probably reduces the eye strain but doesn't eliminate it. Think of it this way... can you see yourself reading a pdf file on a glossy screened laptop for an extended period of time? I've tried this on a number of occasions and typically end up printing it out to read offline. Those glossy screens as a whole tend to be terrible for using for an extended period of time. I tend to be a fan of the matted screens, they're in general more color accurate and display colors more warmly. I remember how one macbook pro refresh cycle they eliminated matted screens and people went crazy, especially people that did graphic art work. Glossy screens tend to be cheaper to manufacture and seem to look better to the casual observer, but all you're experiencing is a higher contrast display.
I also don't like to see my reflection when I'm trying to read a book... at least not until I'm halfway through P90X!
Posted 1 month ago # -
knifesong
Member
( me)...and absolutely, no one device is better than another. It's a personal preference thing. If I could get past the long term readability and the weight, I think the iPad would be the superior device.
As you can see, I tend to be pretty finicky when it comes to this stuff :)
When not having a nook or kindle or iPad, having the kindle software on all those different devices (iphone, android, soon blackberry) is a big win and a nice backup option to have, though again I think for long term reading it might be a little tough. I have to say though, I've been surprised over the amount of people that I've seen reading books on their iphones and android phones on the train!
Posted 1 month ago # -
jane11375
Member
( me)I am a big reader and was always a member of the "nothing can replace a book" camp. However, I am starting to consider getting one. I was talking with my brother about this over the weekend. He has the Sony E Reader and says it is great and easy to adjust the print. He also said it is now possible to download tons of periodicals which might shift my view even more. I have a lot of magazines here that I am backed up on but don't want to carry around. But a Kindle or E Reader I would bring on the bus or train. So I am seriously considering as well.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Patrick
Member
( me)I was telling Bob how I was sitting next to someone on the train Friday night who had a kindle. It's a cool device! I think I also saw someone reading a similar type of device on the train once which was out by Sony? I could be wrong.
oops, Jane just read you post right after I posted mine. You answered my question.
I love the way the iPad displays magazines. The color is outstanding, better than a paper magazine. I can't wait for Archetectual Digest to come out in digital format.
Oh by the way, I would never bring my iPad on a subway but I would a kindle so that is something to consider as well. Pros and and cons to each. The choices are fun! I'm a techno geek.
Posted 1 month ago # -
EricMM
Member
( me)Herb- I also read mostly non-fiction (although at the moment I am reading Last Night in Twisted River...I love John Irving and summer is when I have the most time for fiction)..how do you deal with the footnotes on Kindle? Most of the time, footnotes are just citations...but in many books there is serious information...I always shift my bookmark to the footnote page...but on Kindle?
Posted 1 month ago # -
knifesong
Member
( me)Patrick: Good point! I talked with my brother-in-law, an Apple fanatic, about the whole train thing. The iPad isn't prevalent enough to just whip out whenever you want to on the train. Not only is it more expensive, it's a multimedia device that you can watch movies on, surf the web and listen to music. Definitely a theft target. The kindle is strictly reading, so much lower chance of theft
Posted 1 month ago # -
jane11375
Member
( me)I was on the subway a couple weeks ago and there was a very slight young guy sitting next to me using his iPad. I just sat there thinking to myself that he might as well be wearing a sign that says "rob me." Pretty cool looking toy though :)
Posted 1 month ago # -
Shadow
Member
( me)Knifesong, I own a MacBook Pro and have a vast eBook/PDF collection-- a small library if you will. I have even more eBooks on my external hard drive. I read them all on my MBP, and am a pretty heavy reader. While I agree with you that a matte screen is definitely easier on the eyes, and while I credit other companies over Apple for making products with matte screens, the iPad is not simply a "reader" and so a glossy screen is optimal for the product. Also, a matte screen is not possible for a "touch" device; damage can be done by applying even 10 lbs of pressure (imagine a hard tap) to a matte screen.
I'm a heavy computer user with glasses. I'm on my computer for about 10-12 hours a day while school is in session. During breaks between semesters, I'd say my use of my computer can be more or less dependent on the day. Because I sleep less, I can be on it for 14 hours or 3, depending on whether I go out for the day or I'm staying inside reading/looking up things/on the internet. (The majority of my internet browsing is to research and look up a vast majority of things... it's just who I am.) Many people complain of headaches from being on their computer, or while reading from a glossy screen, but then these same people keep their screens bright and so strain their eyes. My MacBook Pro usually stays on the third notch (out of 16) for brightness. Even though I have bad eyes due to genetics, my eyesight has only changed a bit over the course of 3 years (which in my opinion adds further proof to the fact that my theory of keeping the screen on a low brightness setting works with a glossy screen).
Posted 1 month ago # -
rachelblue
Member
( me)I recently bought a Kindle and I love it. And my father is a librarian, so believe me when I say I have been a huge fan of "actual books" all my life.
Photographs/illustrations do show up on the Kindle. And I bought a cover for mine, so people sitting across from me on the subway don't necessarily realize I have a Kindle and not a journal of some sort.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Patrick
Member
( me)Just curious what you folks think of audio books. I just downloaded a David Sedaris audiobook from E-music last night and am going to download Craig Ferguson's audiobook next. Love the Woody Allen collection I just got. Him speaking his own words makes it even funnier!
Posted 1 month ago # -
knifesong
Member
( me)Shadow wrote: "Knifesong, I own a MacBook Pro and have a vast eBook/PDF collection-- a small library if you will. I have even more eBooks on my external hard drive. I read them all on my MBP, and am a pretty heavy reader. While I agree with you that a matte screen is definitely easier on the eyes, and while I credit other companies over Apple for making products with matte screens, the iPad is not simply a "reader" and so a glossy screen is optimal for the product. Also, a matte screen is not possible for a "touch" device; damage can be done by applying even 10 lbs of pressure (imagine a hard tap) to a matte screen."
Yeah, based on what the iPad is looking to do, which is go way beyond just being a reading device, there's no way that a matted screen would work. That's pretty awesome that you can read all those PDF's on your macbook, I just wouldn't be able to bear that for an extended timeframe.
Posted 1 month ago # -
knifesong
Member
( me)Patrick: You know, audio books are something I've always thought about getting but never quite got around to. I listen to podcasts here and there while in transit but I find I tend to zone out, and don't realize it until I've been zoned out for a little while. I think listening to an audio book on the train requires a lot of concentration. I'm not sure about listening to an audio book at home. Might be worth giving a try. Could just be my problem :)
Posted 1 month ago # -
EricMM
Member
( me)Audio books seem to be good for people driving long distances. My nephew used to have a job in Philadelphia, and he used to get audio books for the commute.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Shadow
Member
( me)Pat, Craigy's book is one of the best I've had the fortune of reading. My level of enthusiasm for him sky-rocketed after reading it.
Knifesong, 2 and a half hour trips on the LIRR last semester made me realize music isn't enough to do. Seeing as how my computer goes with me everywhere (EVERYWHERE!) during the school semester, it makes sense to have books on it.
With audiobooks and podcasts, I tend to have the same problem of not being able to focus on it for a long period of time, even if it's something I enjoy. I either wander off in my mind or fall asleep.
Posted 1 month ago # -
KGResident
Member
( me)I'm seeing more and more ipads on the subway. Mine I leave home because I have my iPhone. I LUV the iPad. Would not go back.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Patrick
Member
( me)KGResident, lately after a long day, I've been painting on my iPad with the Brushes app. I'm not a painter by any means but I find it relaxing to paint and then use what I've created as my iPhone wallpaper or e-mail to friends. Brushes for iPad is awesome. A few New Yorker covers were created using this app.
Now that's something to do on a long LIRR ride! :)
Posted 1 month ago # -
knifesong
Member
( me)For what it's worth, Kindle is listing as being out of stock on the Amazon website. The Kindle 3 could be imminent. A Kindle 3 was rumored to be coming out in early August. If it does indeed come out, it'll be just in time for my Europe trip towards the end of next month!
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/27/amazon-kindle-listed-as-temporarily-out-of-stock-nook-and-son/
Posted 1 month ago #
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