Anyone have a Kindle or other e-reader?

We started talking about e-readers in another thread. I have been considering getting one for a while. I like to read, and I like the fact their screens are a decent size and that electronic ink that makes it look like a regular book page. What I'm not sure of is if I can get used to holding a tablet like that instead of an actual book where you physically turn a page.

The newer e-readers have a lot of appeal since they have wi-fi access. In particular I was looking at the Kindle 3G one, I hate the size and glare of smart phone screens, so the fact I could use the Kindle to browse the web is kind of cool. And they are not that expensive.

I was hoping I could hear from folks here who have or have used one of these, to help me decide if I should get one?

I would like to see an actual Kindle, I've seen the knock-offs, but not the real thing. They seem so appealing. I have read that they can also act like book on tape and read the book to you (wow I'm lazy).

I missed this thread, so here is what I said in the other thread.

As far as e-readers go, the Kindle is great for someone who reads a lot of books. It pretty much does one thing really well, with not a lot of extras. It is pretty intuitive and after a few minutes, everyone that's used mine, can forget that it's a device and just get lost in the reading.
My four favorite things about it is 1, the large amount of books it can carry, that is especially good for traveling.
2, the Text-To-Speech is great for me, I use it a lot to read books and make jewelry at the same time.
3, the interfaced dictionary is awesome, can be reading along, come to a word you don't know and just put the curser in front of it and the definition comes up at the bottom of the screen.
4, being able to change the font size. I don't use it too much but it would be great for someone with poor eyesight, as large print printed books can be difficult to come by.
I still read paperback and hardback books but I wouldn't give up my Kindle. Anyway, sorry for the slightly off topic post! But if anyone who is thinking about getting a Kindle and has a question about it, you can feel free to PM me.

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Also, I have the K2 that doesn't have the WiFi. From what I've been hearing, I would spring for the one that has both WiFi and 3G. I've heard that some people have had trouble getting the WiFi to work.
I like not having to hold a printed book open, it puts less stress on my hands when I'm reading for long periods. The Kindle can get a bit heavy after awhile too but the new ones are supposed to be lighter.

I got a Kindle (one of the new black ones with the 6" display) for x-mas and personally I love it. I like being able to hold it with one hand and it doesn't seem heavy at all. I have no problems with the Wi-Fi, but have only connected to the Wi-Fi at my house so far. My sister-in-law and some people at work also have one so we have been using the book sharing feature which is very nice and super easy to figure out. I've never used a different e-reader so I have nothing to compare it to, but I do like using it since I read a lot and don't have to carry around lots of books (also I am a grad student and have used it to read scientific papers/PDFs on it).

Got my wife the Barnes and Nobel Nook Color for Christmas and she absolutely loves it! I've played with it a bit surfing the web (WIFI) and I thought it was pretty good. Only thing I didn't like is you have to tap the screen to get a +/- to resize as opposed to pinching the screen. That I found a little annoying. There may be a setting to change this but I couldn't find it.

Personally, I like the Galaxy Tab but can't justify the $599 price tag.

I have the Sony E-reader pocket edd. I Loved it but one day I pulled it out of the case and all the ink or what ever it is bled out into the screen. They dont have a (well when I used them about 4 months ago) large selection of newer books.I would (I don't have one) say get the Kindle from what I have heard there books are better and they have internet. As far as switching from book to the e-reader I was reading 3-4 books a week when I went to it and I find them a lot more comfortable than books. I did find it slowed my reading down some (it could have just been mine or me) because the smaller pages and the turn page delay. Nitelion

I'm so bitter about these, I won't get one.

I so thought of these and should have put more thought into them obviously since my family thought it was a stupid idea. >.> grrr.

It's going to be a long while before I invest in one. I just love the feel of a real paper book, that I can hold, and flip pages, and smell the paper. I could do without the papercuts though....

GSDlover said:

I'm so bitter about these, I won't get one.

I so thought of these and should have put more thought into them obviously since my family thought it was a stupid idea. >.> grrr.

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Huh, could you tell us the downside. OP is asking for pros and cons. Since I am thinking of getting one also, I would like to hear cons.

I got a Kindle for Christmas, and I like it a lot. Won't stop me from continuing to buy 'real' books though, as I hate the idea of spending $9.99 for a license to an ebook. If I'm paying that much, I should get a 'real' copy too, and should be able to lend out the ebook to whomever/whenever as well as sell the license. I'll only buy ebooks if they're just a couple bucks; otherwise, I downloaded a bunch of free ones off Amazon, plus I found a program to download stories from fanfiction.net. So I'm set.

As far as browsing the web...if that's important to you, buy a smartphone or a mini laptop. It's really not that great for web browsing. It's a bit slow, you use the keypad arrows to move around the page (whereas a touchscreen would make it much easier), and sometimes it has trouble handling webpages. It's fine if you just have to keep an eye on your email, or maybe if you're bidding on something on ebay, but not really for casual browsing.

It's very thin! And light. It's easier to hold than a book, since you don't have to hold it open. Also easier to read from a Kindle than a book if you've got a cat in your lap, especially if said cat is draped across one arm.

I got a Barnes and Noble Nook for Christmas from my husband. That was the only thing I wanted and I absolutely love it. Mine is the 3G wifi version. I thought it would be kinda weird holding it instead of a real book, but it doesnt bother me in the slightest Plus you gotta love the suduko game

I, on the other hand like the fact of paying a cheap price and not adding another old dusty book to my bookshelf that is already about to double in on its self. Plus you can archeive the books you read in your nook library. Delete the ones you didn't like and so on. I give mine a 10! Hope this helps some.

I agree with azhketh's post, both on the browser of the Kindle, as a dedicated reader it is great but doesn't do well with causal web surfing.
And there is a trade off in the inability to resale your ebooks. I don't think the e-readers will totally replace print books for a long time yet, if ever. I still buy from used book stores, sometimes new print books and use the library. I've kind of set some parameters for which pros and cons decide me on which addition of a book to get and you will probably want to do the same.
The text-to -speech ability is a big incentive when I'm deciding and some of the Amazon books have that disabled, per publisher request. I also have limited space, I already have two bookcases with about 250 books that take up quite a bit of space and then I have almost 400 books that are only taking up space in the Kindle with room for plenty more, so that's a consideration too.

Oh, and if you like going to the library, Kindle does not currently support lending, though I think the Nook does. I'd heard that the Kindle may soon support lending, but don't know for sure.

They did start a lending thing where you can lend your Amazon bought ebooks, I haven't totally read up on it yet. But I'm not sure the format that the libraries use for ebook are supported on the Kindle.

Wow thanks for all the responses. A lot to think about here.
I would use it primarily to read books, but probably would want to use the web browser at least some. I guess having to use the arrows to navigate on the web does sound like a hassle. However, I absolutely hate smart phones. I like the cell phone I have- it makes phone calls that's all I expect of it! TBH about it, one of the reasons is I have bad eyesight and the small screens are hard to see. (Which makes the fact I could increase the text size on a Kindle to be able to read quite appealing) And I don't do a lot of texting, am not that big into twittering or posting on FB constantly- cs.com is probably the site I visit the most & I like to spend time in the real world too. I am mainly wanting the portable book reader thing, internet would just be like a bonus.
Keep the posts coming... I won't be able to get one until after my tax return anyway! And I want to find out as much as I can.

Oh wait, what about an Ipad? Can't you browse the internet with one of those? Touch screen plus large enough should be easier on your eyes and Amazon offers an app that allows you to read Kindle books on the ipad.

Wow, I should have previewed first. That sentence is just a mess. Well, you get the gist, anyway. XD

I got to play with an IPad for a day or two a week and a half ago. I loved it and am thinking about buying one myself now. It works much better than a laptop for the primary reasons I'd want a portable PC type thing. Which is basically to go to sites like this, check emails and watch any of my eBay auctions while traveling. It can have the Kindle app and that would be good to use for sharing some of my books with my Mom, we could then both be reading an ebook at the same time. Having said that, I wouldn't trade my Kindle for one as my primary reader, because I read 3 to 5 hours straight at times and the back light on the IPad would strain the eyes after awhile.

I've used the web browser on my Kindle to check email several times a day for a few days straight while traveling and that was doable, though a bit annoying. It is especially a pain to try and write an email on the Kindle though it can be done.
For some reason (though I haven't tried in a year or so) it wouldn't let me post on forums like this either, it wouldn't stay logged in and would log me out when I'd hit the post button. They might have updated my Kindle sometime in that year to fix that problem. It doesn't like social sites like myspace or facebook, either, too many graphics for it to handle. But, I have the K2 and the K3 is supposed to have a better browser, though I'm sure not one as good as an IPad or similar device.
I haven't read all about the feature but looks like they have integrated the K3 to facebook and Twitter now. There was something about being able to highlight a passage you're reading and post it to one of those sites without leaving your book as long as you have the wireless turned on. So the new one might be more up to sites like that.

Tavia said:

Having said that, I wouldn't trade my Kindle for one as my primary reader, because I read 3 to 5 hours straight at times and the back light on the IPad would strain the eyes after awhile.

I haven't read all about the feature but looks like they have integrated the K3 to facebook and Twitter now. There was something about being able to highlight a passage you're reading and post it to one of those sites without leaving your book as long as you have the wireless turned on. So the new one might be more up to sites like that.

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You're right, I completely forgot about that, Kindle's special screen. It really is more comfortable reading from the Kindle than a computer screen.

I linked my Kindle to my facebook account, and posted a highlighted section from a book I was reading. Quick and simple to do. Haven't tried actually browsing facebook.

Great thread Jen. My daughter wants a kindle. I learned a bit about them. She would be using it mainly as a reader. I am told she can download her school books.