jpscot3 wrote:So I'm one of those people that always swore that I needed a physical book in my hands, the feel of paper, the smell of the pages, etc, etc... I gotta say, once you get about three pages in, you don't even realize that you're not looking at real pages.

What's even better for me is that you can change the size of the font. I read very quickly, so I make everything super-small fonted, and I don't have to turn pages as quickly. If you're old and blind-ish, you can make everything a large-print book.

Also, as a word of warning (I'm sure that all the other Kindle users will agree): People will constantly, and I mean CONSTANTLY, interrupt your reading to ask "Hey, is that one of those new eBook do-hickeys? How do you like it? How does it work? Does it have books on it?" Gets pretty annoying. I purchased a leather cover for mine that makes it look like a book, too, just so I could blend in with the masses.

Where eBooks fail for me is that I write A LOT of annotations, to the point of needing Post-Its. In fact, I've color-coded my notes. My eReader uses a stylus for handwritten annotations but it simply can't handle my needs.

Yeah, I get interrupted a lot too but luckily, I work in a high tech medical lab so people are bit more blasé about new gadgets. Plus I use an Entourage Edge, which actually opens up like a book (eInk on left, color LCD Android tablet on right) so it kinda looks like a real book when placed in a cover.

sdc100 wrote:You've basically discredited much of your post by claiming that only eInk devices are "true e-readers." Where, in the definition of eReaders, do you see that it must use eInk? Please give me a link. I've been reading eBooks for about a decade, both on a Sony Clie PDA and a Fujitsu full size Win XP tablet -- way before eInk was invented. We used formats like MOBI and just plain text (i,e. Project Guttenberg). In fact, several of my medical reference books were in my PDa, with glorious full color anatomical graphics and photos. Are you telling me that it wasn't "true" e-reading until eInk came out?

The bottom line is that personal preference and no one should be so arrogant as to say which technology makes for better e-reading. I too have both eInk and color LCD (the Entourage has both), as well as a full size Windows tablet. I have no real preference. For many non-fiction text, i.e. medical textbooks, and magazines, i.e. Scientific American, color is a must. Period.

I often use the eInk side only because it saves electricity and not because of eye fatigue. Here is a CNET article on the debate, with opinions from an opthalmologist. Indeed, experts say that eye fatigue is subjective. For many older readers who are used to paper, eInk might be preferable. But to the young generation, raised on computers and video games, LCD is not only fine but it's preferable. That's because their eyes and brain have grown accustomed to the high contrast of LCD (whose monitors are rated in contrast ratio) since infancy. For them, the poor contrast of e-Ink, which is less than that of most real paper, causes fatigue and attention deficit. One of the biggest challenges for today's teachers is to incorporate multimedia into the classroom because b/w text can't hold students' interest.

In other words, don't make sweeping generalizations about which technology is better -- or which is "real." It's a matter of preference, and frankly, until color eInk matures, color LCD is winning the marketplace due to consumer preference.

I can't speak to marketplace preference, but according to Amazon, they sell quite a few Kindles.

I read roughly 5 to 6 books a week, purely pleasure reading, and I love my Kindle. When I need access to color and shiny things, I get on my laptop and look at Cracked.com to satisfy my ADHD. When I want to read, though, I use my Kindle.

The purpose of the Kindle isn't to give you access to color diagrams or anything like that. It gives you black and white script, and stays out of your way so you can read it. Sure, you have to use actual buttons, but I'm greasy, and I leave fingerprints all over everything I touch, especially screens. I don't think I could tolerate a touch-screen eReader.

sdc100 wrote:Where eBooks fail for me is that I write A LOT of annotations, to the point of needing Post-Its. In fact, I've color-coded my notes. My eReader uses a stylus for handwritten annotations but it simply can't handle my needs.

Yeah, I get interrupted a lot too but luckily, I work in a high tech medical lab so people are bit more blasé about new gadgets. Plus I use an Entourage Edge, which actually opens up like a book (eInk on left, color LCD Android tablet on right) so it kinda looks like a real book when placed in a cover.

... oooh. Want.


I'm not sure how tangential I can get before I get blocked by the mods... But how do you like the Entourage, just for reading? And for, say, playing bloons tower defense?

Does anyone know if Amazon would replace this if purchased from Woot as they would if it was purchased from Amazon.com? Heard great things about their "warranty"/replacement of Kindle. (if purch.on Amazon.) Thanks.

So should I go with the new Kindle with ads or no adds? I want to save the extra money.

Anyone else having trouble ordering? Im getting errors using CC or paypal We, the Hitchhikers woot. been a loyal drone buying your stuff for years and now you deny me?! I WANTS YOU TO HAS MY MONEY!! We, the Hitchhikers

lklope819 wrote:Does anyone know if Amazon would replace this if purchased from Woot as they would if it was purchased from Amazon.com? Heard great things about their "warranty"/replacement of Kindle. (if purch.on Amazon.) Thanks.

From the Woot product description:

"Warranty: 1 Year Amazon"

I had a hard time reading PDF's on this device. I returned it because PDF rendering is still really basic, not many options and gets tedious after a while.

OK, many are suggesting Calibre which is wonderful for converting to MOBI but if you are converting a PDF to MOBI it will not take out the headers and footers. You end up reading, Author, Title and page numbers, every page you would've come to them in the PDFs

so may I suggest in addition to the Calibre (wonderful, wonderful program) to get MobiPocket creator for free.

http://www.mobipocket.com/en/downloadsoft/DownloadCreator.asp

This will take the headers and footers off of the PDF and reflow the text into a .prc (which is a .mobi and can be read directly on the Kindle) file as well as a .html. If you want to edit it further you can edit the .html.

Kindle supports .azw (there own mobi), .prc (a type of .mobi), .mobi, .txt, and .pdf. Anyway those are the files I've put on my Kindle and have had no problem with them. I've found I have to read pdf files in landscape with 3 page turns for each page. I usually convert them with MobiPocket if they are not locked.

I just pulled the trigger on three.

I hope my wife doesn't pull the trigger on me!

Oldest son has been asking for a reader, and at this price we can avoid having fights over who gets to play with it. Thanks to those folks who have suggested software, too!

I bought a 2nd gen kindle from Woot about a year ago, and it broke within the first month. Amazon's warranty + customer service were superb, I received the replacement overnight shipped, and have had no other problems with it.

lklope819 wrote:Does anyone know if Amazon would replace this if purchased from Woot as they would if it was purchased from Amazon.com? Heard great things about their "warranty"/replacement of Kindle. (if purch.on Amazon.) Thanks.

Definitely! I did so, and it was very easy and painless.

star2 wrote:Rumor says kindle can check woot, can someone confirm this?

Yes, you can see the Woot.com website using your Kindle's web browser. I use my Kindle primarily as a web reader rather than book reader. My web use is primarily reading magazine/newspapers and blogs. If your primary web interest is text the Kindle is awesome. No monthly data charge. I believe it uses the Sprint network.

I use a web site called Skweezer.com which simplifies web pages for mobile devices and it can strip pics to speed up page delivery. I believe mowser.com is a similar transcoding service. Both are free and require a minimal registration to get maximum benefit, or you can not register.

after reading every post here and the links off of the post, what convinces me NOT to buy this is the "Files Kindle Recognizes" section. (shouldn't that be "Files Kindles Recognize"?)

Even if there's a way of transferring docs that are pdf, Word, etc, as opposed to just text to the device for free, I'm not willing to email them to amazon to do it (for privacy reasons, even if it didn't look like that process was a royal pain in the ass)

Funkthulhu wrote:So, sell me! What am I gaining by buying any Ebook reader, let alone this one? How much more money have you thrown down the digital hole never to see again? Or am I missing something blatantly obvious that will make me feel silly?

(And then, after clicking around enough, I found Amazon's links to free books. 2.5 Million?!? So, yeah, plenty to read there, but what about the rest of it?)

I suppose one ought consider there are some things (presumably) worth paying for but not worth collecting, and by this I'm referring to magazines.

Personally, I only use e-readers for free material. While I prefer a real book, the books I read, generally being in the public domain, have more value to me as nearer they are to the first edition. I don't feel the sense in collecting new books, and I've little financial choice in the matter besides. Anyway, finding a reasonable deal on an old print in good condition can take time. The e-reader allows me to comfortably read any books I haven't found, and to sample those I'm unsure about.

I frequent this site: http://www.gutenberg.org. There is much that you won't find at the public library, nor for sale.

But I congratulate you on your resistance. If it weren't for those who collect books, many should be lost today; and well, sadly, many have been.

eman187 wrote:Maybe I'll get this to replace my broken 3rd gen kindle. Got broken just sitting in my padded bag.

You get a 1 year warrantee... call customer service and they ship a new one out to you- next day shipping! I have this 2nd gen. and have had it replaced 3 times-- never a charge. I do like 2nd gen. better than the 3rd gen. one my husband has, though.

shakemup wrote:Does this kindle work with posting on my blog at blogger.com?

Yes, before posting this reply I went to one of my Blogger/Blogspot blogs and posted a message to verify the answer.

It's is easier to read blogs with the Kindle browser in basic mode, which zeoes in on the main frame and strips out the side matter. At the bottom of the blog page, as seen on the Kindle, is a Blogger.com icon. Click on that icon and then it loads the Blogger.com dashboard page where you can manage and post/edit on your blog.

One warning, the Kindle keyboard is small. They keys are about the size of a baby aspirin and the key label is very small. For use middle-agers they are very small.

I use my Kindle primarily to read blogs and text heavy pages like magazines and newspapers. It's awesome. I also use a website called www.skweezer.com which simplifies most web pages to better fit on screens of mobile device.

For good battery life, I leave the 3G wireless turned off except when I want to surf the web.

One nice feature implemented by Instapaper.com is the ability on your laptop or PC to mark web pages to be read later. I mark dozens of web articles and then get on my Kindle and surf to the Inspaper web site. Ot the bottom of the Instapaper page you click on the Kindle icon and all of your "read later" articles are delivered like a book to your Kindle. Once that "book" is delieverd in a few seconds ( the non-instant delivery is due to a lag with Instapaper) you can turn off the 3G to save battery power and go to the Kindle Home screen, where you would see which books on in the Kindle and your "Instaper" book is ready to be read.

I was slow to get a Kindle because I thought it was just another fad and that all the people raving about how they loved their Kindle were just book fanatics. The Kindle is just awesome for my needs. I bought mine when it was $250 rather than the current $189 for 3G/ wi-fi. I am still very happy with it.

You will almost certainly need a reading light unless you will be reading in an office environment or near a lamp. I like the Mighty Flex Lite 2 from Amazon. It's got 2 bright LEDs and it is easily bright enough with both LEDS on for my aging eyes.

It is awesom to have free mobile web surfing and no monthly data cost.

dglazier wrote:after reading every post here and the links off of the post, what convinces me NOT to buy this is the "Files Kindle Recognizes" section. (shouldn't that be "Files Kindles Recognize"?)

Even if there's a way of transferring docs that are pdf, Word, etc, as opposed to just text to the device for free, I'm not willing to email them to amazon to do it (for privacy reasons, even if it didn't look like that process was a royal pain in the ass)

You don't need to send files to Amazon to get them on your Kindle. Just connect Kindle to your PC USB port and move documents onto it like you would move them onto a thumb drive.

You can email documents to the email address that each Kindle has and Amazon will be glad to charge you a small fee for doing that. But the USB connection method of document transfer is free and private.

marisano wrote:The 3rd gen. Kindles also support actual page numbers that correspond to a physically printed book (identified via ISBN number). This can be very useful when using a Kindle 3 in conjunction with a book club or in academia. Kindle DX and generations 1 & 2 only support "location numbers". It does not appear that Amazon will update their firmware to also support page numbers.

This is a great point. Page numbers are crucial in academia because that's how we refer to specific passages. There is, however, a trick for book club readers. Many eReaders have a search function. Instead of referring to page numbers, readers can instead search on phrases to go to a specific passage.

masshuum wrote:Apples and oranges my friend.

Many of us read quite a bit and a backlit screen causes too much eye-strain. The kindle completely avoids that. Sure, you need light but it's worth the trade off and BATTERY LIFE.

I heartily agree with the above. The Kindle screen is at least as comfortable to read for long periods as paper. It was only after I got an iPod Touch and used it for hours (new toy takes over my life for a while) that I noticed the eyestrain from looking at the awesome light-projecting screen on the Touch. I understand the iPhone/Touch displays are very good, but it it still throwing light at you, rather than reflecting light at you as the Kindle does.

sdc100 wrote:While it's true that eInk is used by other makers like Sony, Entourage, Barnes and Nobles (although they've d/c the eInk Nook) and a few Chinese brands, only the Kindle uses the latest version: EInk Pearl.

EInk Pearl offers 50% higher contrast and I believe, slightly faster speed. Only the Kindle 3 has it. This Kindle 2 uses the previous version of eInk,

Not so. The Sony Readers also use Pearl:

http://www.ebookreaderguide.com/2010/09/02/sony-ebook-readers-with-touchscreen-and-latest-pearl-e-ink-display-announced/

Sony has never stolen a book back after you bought it, either. Amazon has.

LOGICALPSYCHO wrote:Pretty sure the ad-supported kindle is not 3g.

You are correct. The add-supported Kindle, what they call Kindle Special Offer or Kindle SO is wi-fi only.

I have always loved the feel and concept of real, paper-bound books (and all the better if the paper and ink and font and binding and cover are luxe). Reading from paper, whether books or magazines, has been a joy I swore electronic reading could never sway me from. Because in my extensive experience reading on a computer or other electronic screen, my eyes tire more quickly, I'm more prone to distraction, and worst of all - I simply don't absorb the material nearly as well as I do when it's printed on paper.

I vowed vehemently that I would never, ever be interested in switching from 'real' books to even specialized electronic reading devices, and I scoffed at the concept of them since they began to emerge.

Then this same kindle - minus the 3G option - appeared on woot. The price was good, and I'd heard so many rave reviews of e-readers in general and the kindle in specific, that I figured for less than $100 it was worth a try. I reasoned that I could always resell it on ebay if - as I expected - it was no better than reading on my computer and no comparison to the pleasure of paper reading.

Within minutes of reading my first book on kindle - an amazon.com-purchased file - I was amazed by how convenient, swift, and enjoyable reading on the device was. It is as easy on my eyes as a paper book - or very nearly so, from what I can tell after 9 months of heavy use - and the light weight of the kindle enables me to read in a a variety of positions far more comfortably than I could with many books, and in fact allowed ease that no books afford me.

I am severely physically disabled and live in chronic pain from a spinal condition which confines me to my bed 23 hours a day. The ability to read so much more comfortably has greatly improved the quality of my life.

The page-turning buttons of the kindle are much more convenient than turning a physical page, and much, much, MUCH faster. My already fast reading rate has nearly doubled as a result. I frequently use the dictionary tool - infinitely easier than having to page through a paper one separately - and the ability to page back, to bookmark and highlight (as well as see what other readers have found highlight-worthy) are all priceless features unique to e-reading on the kindle (and possibly other e-readers).

Buying books online through the wireless feature - and being able to read reviews and download free samples - is wonderfully simple. Transferring books to and from the device is likewise a snap, and if you can't find a book in a format kindle can read, there are several programs, some free, which will allow you to readily convert them to useable formats - I recommend .mobi as it is most similar to the kindle's/amazon's native .azw format.

On top of the aforementioned virtues, many ebooks are free, and nearly all are cheaper than paper books while saving trees and allowing authors a greater profit margin. Ebooks allow authors to self-publish virtually effortlessly, and thus many authors who would never be able to disperse their works can now do so easily throughout the world's internet. More information and more entertainment more readily available worldwide - THIS is a true revolution.

I've had my Kindle for 6 months now and I've loaded close to 100 books on it, roughly split between free books that are easy to find both on Amazon and on-line and purchased books. There is a growing trend by authors to self publish, even among established authors so books price below 2.99 are becoming quite common now. If you're willing to spend .99-2.99 on a new author you may find a diamond in the rough, or you might just find rough.

With the ability to loan (some) books you've purchased for up to two weeks and the announced library loans, I see no reason why anyone other than someone more concerned with flash than substance would go with Nook.

Hands down, the best reading experience is with the Kindle. I can't believe the deal for the 3G one today, what a bargain. I myself have the wi-fi only as I have my house set up wireless and didn't feel I needed the extra weight and power drain that the 3G entails.

LadyBacon wrote:I'm happier with a Nook, since I can get ebooks from the public library.

To me, the biggest drawback with the Kindle is that darned, awkward toggle button. I'm hoping they come up with a touch Kindle.

Kindle is great, but spend the extra money and buy the new one. Controls have improved, the new one gets actual page numbers, longer battery life, smaller and with a bigger screen! Again, I highly recommend the Kindle, but get the new one.

Probably a dumb question from a not very tech savvy individual: Does anyone know if the 3G works outside of the U.S.? Specifically in Canada.

tivonutdc wrote:Yes it can but it is slow and cumbersome. You move from link to link with a cursor not a pointer. Also typing in the addresses and such is not set up to pop out at you.

I've had my Kindle since December and have used the browser twice. I would rather use my older model Android 3G phone as it is quicker, in color and tries to figure out what you are doing in order to make browsing easier. Kindle does not do this. Yes you can go to websites like google maps or any others but it is just not worth it except in extreme need.

Exactly! I'm hoping that the next big, perfect release will be a 3G Kindle Touch from which I can download library books. Come on, Amazon....let's go.

The 3G is invaluable if you travel overseas, especially in China. The 3G works here (in the major cities). Even better, it can actually access blocked sites (Facebook and Twitter) without a VPN or any other modifications. No one I've talked to knows how it works, but we've learned that when something is good, don't poke around too much and enjoy it while it lasts.

And a perk of getting the older generation: you can get a lot of accessories dirt cheap.

By all counts, folks with Kindles tend to love 'em, but just to complicate your decision process a little further: B&N's meant to be coming out with a new nook on May 24th. That part's pretty certain, but just what the newbie'll sport is not. Rumor has it it'll be a thinner lighter e-ink model possibly with a full-on touch screen, but minus the color LCD that adorns the current e-ink model's lower portions - all for the low price of $99.

http://news.cnet.com/new-nook-coming-soon-most-likely-e-ink-model/8301-17938_105-20059970-1.html?tag=mncol

I got one of these new during the big sale when Amazon bought woot.

This is a great device for reading books. PDF not so much, but straight text (book formats which are text plus formatting) absolutely.

Things I love:
- this device is designed for a purpose - reading books. Everything else is secondary, which allows it to have a long batt. life and low price.
- the display is high contrast but easy on the eyes. Almost as good as paper. Resolution is lower than paper, but this isn't an issue for straight text IMO.
- the case feels good and is fairly sturdy
- I've almost stopped buying physical books b/c of this Kindle
- 3G everywhere for free is nice
- battery life is "charge twice a month" with wireless off.

Things I don't like
- the interface (and web) are slow. Typing things in is a chore. Searching, annotating are all sluggish
- the keyboard feels cheap
- the web browser is something I only use in moments of desperation, even for mobile-designed sites. However, because of the long stand-by battery life, it's also there when you need it that day you forgot your laptop and phone chargers and those devices have run out of juice
- when you zoom in on a page, any embedded graphics stay the same size. This is an issue a programming book I bought (Hartl's Ruby book) as the code snippets are I think graphics and I often struggle to tell whether something is a [ or ( or {.

At this price, I am tempted to buy several for gifts. I think this is a great price for this device. Just know what you're getting - this is a book reader, not an iPad replacement.

FWIW for searching and reading books that use any color, even simple color to highlight tables and illustrations, the Kindle apps on my phone and laptop are superior to the Kindle itself.

For those of you who are on the fence on this one.

Get it.

I went to the used book store yesterday for the first time since I got my Kindle last year from Woot.

I walked out without buying anything.

And for those with the Kindle, I recommend checking out

ireaderreview.com

for pointers to good deals and free books for the Kindle.

I have an I pad. I still us my kindle.

to tscottme: You make me realize how much help I need to get full use of these ereader/tablet things. I only wish I knew where to get that help. I think because I'm a senior, I have a need for instructions (unknown in the computer age)...it takes me ages to learn how to use these devices without them. While pretty good on the pc, for someone without tech background, I recently got the pocket entourage edge from woot and can find very little use for it. I managed (with difficulty) to upgrade it to 2.2, but, now what. I thought it would be something on which to learn to manage this new generation of ethings...but I don't seem to have a resource to refer to for insight into the user language.
Sorry for the long diatribe, but thank you for listening. I love finding out and I love learning new things....but I fear I'm drowning.

Guess I'm one of the few dissenters. I got one for my birthday and returned it after a month. Couldn't hold it for long periods w/o pushing a button that looses the page. The glorious eInk was not that great except outdoors. Why WiFi when you can download and even edit books on a PC then upload to a reader. All good but for the $140 the wife pd, not much better than a book or mag.

I've only read through most of the first two pages of posts and don't have time to read the rest, so I apologize if Irepeat others' comments.

I have a 2nd gen Kindle, identical to the unit offered here today.

Amazon Customer Svc is unsurpassed. A relative gave me my Kindle, used. The slots on the side, where the case attaches, were worn out and the case could not securely latch on to the Kindle. I called Amazon to see if it was possible to purchase replacement plastics for the Kindle, to try and fix this myself. (I was confident the answer would be NO.) Without having identified myself or the original purchaser, and without having provided the serial # of the Kindle, the Amazon rep told me the Kindle was only just barely out of warranty, and she'd extend the warranty for me to cover the problem. Amazon then overnight-shipped a replacement (refurb) Kindle to me and a return shipping label for my existing unit. All at no cost to me.

2nd gen vs 3rd gen - I haven't used the 3rd gen yet, but I've read that it is faster. I haven't seen that mentioned here yet, and I think I'd like that. On my model I do wait while it powers up, and page turns are noticeable, though very tolerable.

The best comment I can make about my Kindle? Once I was so engrossed in a book I was reading, I forgot I was on a Kindle and was halfway through moving my fingers along the top of the Kindle, trying to turn the page, before remembering I wasn't reading a real book.

EDIT: Forgot to add -
The Kindle 2nd Gen is a BAD .pdf reader. While you *can* read .pdfs on the device, you *won't* want to.

I got a Nook from Woot a couple of months ago and have been enjoying it. The Nook has two big advantages over the Kindle: a) ePub format, which provides free access to many books from your local library (if your library supports ebooks), and b) in-store freebies at Barnes and Noble (neat if you live or work near a B&N).

I would consider the Kindle if it didn't make me a vassal of Amazon. Until Kindle supports ePub I'll stick with Nook.

sdc100 wrote:The biggest disadvantage of Kindles is that they refuse to support the universal standard, EPUB.... To buy a Kindle means being tied into Amazon as your sole book supplier.

tivonutdc wrote:OK, many are suggesting Calibre which is wonderful for converting to MOBI but if you are converting a PDF to MOBI it will not take out the headers and footers. You end up reading, Author, Title and page numbers, every page you would've come to them in the PDFs

Calibre has options to strip those out. Turned off by default. Will also fix forced line breaks and such. Power is there, just not very user friendly.

what's the warranty?

Perhaps a dumb question: It says you don't need a computer, but the pictured cable is for plugging into USB ports at both ends. How do you charge it without a computer?