Amazon Kindle?

[J9]

Did anyone happen to buy one?

I never really thought about buying an ebook reader before, but this one looks easy to use and quite possibly worth it.

If you did get it, what do you think of it?

I was always told to wait for a v.2.0 of ANYTHING new, but I'm just curious. I've been looking at the thing for days now...LOL

[ElenitaB]

I've been looking at it too, but like you, I think I may just wait for v2.0 (that's my take on the iPhone as well).

So are you going to be patient and wait, or give in and buy it now? ;)

[J9]

I don't knooooow!

I keep going back and forth with it!!!

I'm so indecisive!

[TooGoofy]

I've been looking at it too, but like you, I think I may just wait for v2.0

Yup, that's what I'm thinking too, Ellen! Plus it will probably be a little cheaper. As a book addict though, I'm intrigued. It would be great for travel!

[Nate's Grandpa]

The new Kindle (v2) is now available.
The price has dropped to $349 from $399.

I really want one of these, but I can't decide whether to buy now or wait for another drop in price.

Has anyone here purchased one yet?

[MsMin]

My son has one and loves it. He got it when it first came out so I can ask him again about it. What he showed me that he loved was that he loves to purchase the ebooks for reference books. When he is doing programing the info changes so fast and it helps him to keep up w/ the latest editions. He can open several reference books at once and when he goes home he doesn't have to load a pile of books and can work anywhere w/ ease.
My dd has the 1st I-phone and loves it and he has the kindle... I guess I didn't tell them about v2.0 huh?

I just contacted my son on AIM and he said he really hasn't been reading that much lately and hasn't made a lot of time for it but he still loves getting on and buying stuff and getting downloads.
Do you really think this will catch on? It does sound handy. Unfortunately, I use more e-libraries b/c I use research (periodicals) articles more than ref. books. Too costly to get subscriptions to a lot of them. :(

[Nate's Grandpa]

Do you really think this will catch on? It does sound handy.

For an avid book reader, this is the best thing to come along in a long time. The unit is expensive to buy, but you can buy any book for $9.99 or less. You can also download the first chapter of any book free of charge. If I'm really good, maybe Santa will bring me one.

About the i-Phone - The new (v2) version will be available July 11. Of course it will be "faster, better, cheaper". Most of the "better" will be due to v2 of the firmware that runs the device. This firmware will be available for free from Apple.

[Nate's Grandpa]

The new Kindle (v2) is now available.

Where did I come up with that information?
Completely wrong!

Kindle 2 was just announced this week.
If you're interested, go the Amazon site.
It looks to be much improved.

[ElenitaB]

Price wise too?

BTW, I finally did buy the iPhone 3G in January. I :heart: it!

[handmaidenofprincesses]

I wouldn't get too excited about V2 just yet..

It's a headline on Yahoo right now that there's a controversy concerning the legality of the Kindle's test-to-speech feature.

Here's the article:



Legal Ruckus Over Kindle 2's Text-to-Speech Feature
Christopher Null

It was hardly the most interesting or earth-shaking part of Jeff Bezos's introduction of the Kindle 2 on Monday, but one small, experimental feature in the device is already causing a minor uproar. Specifically: The Kindle 2's text-to-speech function, which will use a computerized voice to read aloud anything displayed on the device's screen. The problem? The Authors Guild says that that's against the law.

The challenge revolves around audiobooks, which are treated separately from printed material from a copyright standpoint. A retailer can't record a copy of a book on a CD and sell it or bundle it along with a novel without paying a separate fee, just as buying a copy of an audiobook doesn't entitle you to a free copy of the printed version.

Amazon -- and many legal observers -- vehemently question this stance, noting that an automated text-to-speech system isn't the same as a pre-recorded audio book. Some have even compared computerized speech systems like these to reading a children's storybook aloud at bedtime. Since the Kindle doesn't store a copy of the book on the device in an audio format, but rather converts from text on the fly, it seems likely that Amazon is on the right side of the law on this one.

Still, we're in a legal gray area that hasn't really been tested in court, and if our legal history has taught us anything, it's that judges can sway either way on these issues. If the Kindle 2's audio quality is good enough, it could eat substantially into the sales of audiobooks, and that alone tends to be a persuasive argument in the courtroom.

The Authors Guild doesn't seem ready to go to court yet, however. In a memo the organization sent to its membership this morning it said publishers and authors should "consider asking Amazon to disable the audio function on e-books it licenses." Get ready for a long road ahead on this one.

[mjaclyn]

DH has been wanting a Kindle since they came out and I just pre ordered version 2 for our anniversary next month!! (shhh! It's a surprise) I can't wait to give it to him!!! He's one of those guys who loves electronics and is 'in the know' regarding the latest and greatest gadgets even if he doesn't own them. I'll let you know how he likes it once I give it to him but I think it's a great idea...especially for people who travel alot and don't like to carry bulky books along. It's also great for people like DH who gets rid of a book as soon as he reads it. I (on the other hand) like to keep books that I enjoy so I can read them again. I also like to read from the actual book and look at any photos or pictures included in them. Does anyone know if the Kindle displays pictures that are in the books?

[Dulcee]

For my birthday I got the Sony Reader... same basic idea as a kindle only you can't hook up to the internet on it alone (which i believe you can do on the kindle). It works similar to an ipod in that you have a USB cord to hook it up to your computer. I love it. It came with 100 free downloads of classic novels and an additional memory card. The battery power on it is fantastic. If you're looking for a less expensive option this would be it.

[TheDuckRocks]

My husband and I gave each other Kindles for Christmas and for avid readers I can not begin to say how much we both love them. The only negetive that we have recently found is that a number of books are now over the $9.99 price that was being hyped on Oprah as "never being more than". These are now going as high as $14.99 and are usually for new releases or mega page books. I am currently going over my list of books I have always wanted to read but never did as the prices do drop as they are "older".

[pixiesmimi]

I also heard about this on the Oprah Show and when she first advertised it, you could use her code or website and buy the kindle for $150. I wish I had taken advantage of that price because I really want one now. I am a book-aholic and buy books every week. This would save me a lot of money and space. :) I have been wondering how well they work but Oprah says she uses hers every night to read. Believe me, she would complain or wouldn't talk about it if she didn't like it.

[J9]

Wow....a year later and my thread popped up again.

I still haven't bought a kindle.

I still want one.

LOL!

[scoot241]

Rumor has it that Kindle e-books will be coming to mobile devices, including the iPhone. I have an e-book reader app called Stanza on my iPhone and it's pretty nice. I might consider using Kindle e-books on iPhone, but I don't think I'd buy a $350 device just to read books.

[Patti]

Amazon sent me an email that my Kindle 2 was shipped today. It should arrive around March 2 (I chose the free shipping option). :clappy:

[pixiesmimi]

I saw one demonstrated yesterday on TV. I'm wishing now that I had taken advantage of the $150 discount offered through Oprah.com back when they first came out. I thought at the time that even $150 was too much (still kind of do) but that would have been a lot better than the $300 or so that they are now. This intrigues me because I read so much and have tons of books and no room for them all. $9.99 is not bad for a good book. I think they said the Kindle holds about 1500 books or newspapers.

[TheDuckRocks]

I saw one demonstrated yesterday on TV. I'm wishing now that I had taken advantage of the $150 discount offered through Oprah.com back when they first came out. I thought at the time that even $150 was too much (still kind of do) but that would have been a lot better than the $300 or so that they are now. This intrigues me because I read so much and have tons of books and no room for them all. $9.99 is not bad for a good book. I think they said the Kindle holds about 1500 books or newspapers.

The Oprah deal was a $50 coupon and they price before the coupon was $359, so it still was over $300. The maxium number of books you can have on your Kindle at one time is more in the 200 to 400 range, but Amazon keeps a list of all books you have purchased and will let you download them again with no additional cost. You can also download books to a memory stick/card (forgive me but my computer-talk is spotty :blush:). The $9.99 price has now gone up for some selections, it is not uncommon to find the new releases being $14.99. If more than one of you buys a Kindle you can also set them both up on the same book ordering account and both Kindle users can share the books. If they are not set up on the same account there is no way to transfer a book from one Kindle to another. I really like the fact that you can "sample" a book before purchasing it, this has saved quite a few dollars, as I was mistakenly ordering books I had read before.

[pixiesmimi]

The Oprah deal was a $50 coupon and they price before the coupon was $359, so it still was over $300. The maxium number of books you can have on your Kindle at one time is more in the 200 to 400 range, but Amazon keeps a list of all books you have purchased and will let you download them again with no additional cost. You can also download books to a memory stick/card (forgive me but my computer-talk is spotty :blush:). The $9.99 price has now gone up for some selections, it is not uncommon to find the new releases being $14.99. If more than one of you buys a Kindle you can also set them both up on the same book ordering account and both Kindle users can share the books. If they are not set up on the same account there is no way to transfer a book from one Kindle to another. I really like the fact that you can "sample" a book before purchasing it, this has saved quite a few dollars, as I was mistakenly ordering books I had read before.

Okay. I couldn't remember exactly how much it was but knew it was either a $50 discount or $150. :blush: But the other information I got was from the guy who sells them on Amazon about the 1500 books. He may have meant there were 1500 you could choose from or may have meant 1500 pages (but that wouldn't be right would it?) but he said 1500 books or newspapers because I was amazed. Anyway, we know it was a lot. :)

[ElenitaB]

Kindle for the iPhone and iPod Touch came out today! :muscles: I've installed it and already downloaded a sample chapter (Edgar Sawtelle). I've had two readers for the iPhone already (Stanza which I didn't like too much and Classics which was okay).

Though the iPhone app doesn't have all the capabilities of the full-fledged Kindle (no magazines or newspapers and no capability to annotate), I'm still pretty jazzed about it.

[J9]

Kindle for the iPhone and iPod Touch came out today! :muscles: I've installed it and already downloaded a sample chapter (Edgar Sawtelle). I've had two readers for the iPhone already (Stanza which I didn't like too much and Classics which was okay).

Though the iPhone app doesn't have all the capabilities of the full-fledged Kindle (no magazines or newspapers and no capability to annotate), I'm still pretty jazzed about it.

At first I was really excited about this! When i thought about it though, I don't know that I could read a whole 350 page book on my iTouch. I think it would be much too small of a screen.

I am going to check it out though and see if it quenches the need for a full blown kindle!!!

[drummerboy]

I just uploaded my first book, The Fifth Category, to Kindle the other day, so it looks like I may have timed it well, from the response I've seen here. DW bought an electronic reader years ago, but you had to download from the manufacturers site, and the manufacturer went out of business, rendering it useless.

Depending on how easy it is on the eyes, I can see how a Kindle reader could be very handy in a lot of circumstances. What a great idea for kids to be able to have textbooks on it--sure would save their backs.