[Cincinnatus]

Somebody feel free to talk me into it. Or talk me away from doing so.

I enjoy reading quite a bit, and while nothing compares to opening a bound book, I think it's time I join the 21st century and get an eReader such as Kindle. Instant access to tons of books, supposedly no more stressful on the eyes than a regular book, the ability to carry many books around in one device that's thinner than a paperback, etc.

Apparently, I can even borrow books via Kindle from friends, and probably from the local library.

For those of you that have it, which I'm sure is many, what's your overall opinion?

[kinjutsu]

I highly recommend it!

I read a lot so a kindle is a great investment.
You don't really need a kindle anyway you can get the kindle app for iPhone or android and just read the books from there.

[Wreckingball]

(01-16-2015 12:10 AM)kinjutsu Wrote:  

I highly recommend it!

I read a lot so a kindle is a great investment.
You don't really need a kindle anyway you can get the kindle app for iPhone or android and just read the books from there.

It is a very good investment IF you read alot.

I do not recommend reading books from any phone or tablet. I bought a tablet for this purpose first, and I could not read from it as i would get sore eyes and headaches.

[Bushido]

The huge amount of space you will save makes it a no-brainer.

Then there's the travel thing. I'm lost on a train or airplane trip without my Kindle.

[Beyond Borders]

My Kindle Paperwhite is easily one of the best things I've ever purchased.

I rarely go anywhere without it.

If you're a lifetime bookworm like me, you'll likely feel the same.

[DaveR]

If you read, go for it. The screen is nothing like the ones you find on computers, TVs, phones and tablets. They reflect light (like paper does) rather than emitting it (like most other electronic displays), which greatly reduces eyestrain. So in other words, it should be as comfortable as reading from paper.

I actually find it more comfortable than reading from books, especially paperbacks, because there is no curvature of the page near the beginning/end of the book. It's also more comfortable not having to constantly hold the spine open.

You don't have to buy your books from Amazon... you can get them from other sources and then email them to your Kindle.

[Menace]

Far superior to a tablet regardless of the tablet's resolution. Perfect for travelling. I have a Paperwhite. It's a solid purchase.

[Spectrumwalker]

Don't contemplate it. Do it. One of the best things I've ever purchased.

[WanderingSoul]

Love my kindle. Definitely get one.

[Rangarr]

I wish I could get a kindle and use it for book reading on the go but alas, I know myself too well in that regard. I simply can't retain information when I read it off of a computer screen. I dunno what it is but actually using and feeling a physical book, I can just concentrate easier on it. I also like to highlight sections and scribble some notes on it. Whenever I'm done with a book it looks completely violated, but a prof also once told me that if your book is in pristine condition after you've fi ished reading it, you haven't really read it and absorbed all of its information. Also would always print out all literature during college, scribble notes in it, do my own summaries by handwriting. Maybe some people just learn easier by touch.

[SteveMcMahon]

I was deeply suspicious of Kindle when it came out. My wife bought me one for Christmas a couple of years ago and I gave it a go.

It's brilliant! I don't want to go back to paper books.

Pros:

* Paperwhite is perfect for reading in bed
* Easy to adjust the font if, like me, small text strains your eyes
* Kindle books are usually cheaper than physical books
* They take about 2 seconds to download
* Battery life is excellent. I'm a heavy reader but only need to pop it on charge every week or so
* I've saved tons of space
* If you lose or break your Kindle (and they are pretty robust) it's easy to download your books to a new Kindle
* Kindles are among the cheapest electronic devices you can buy and you'll get years of use out of one - no real need to upgrade
* Some of the best books nowadays are self published on Kindle (there's a lot of shite out there too)
* Pretend you are Captain Picard!


Cons:

* You can't lend books to friends (though that's a plus for me)
* If your internet connection goes down, you can't buy books (but can still read the ones on your device)

[WanderingSoul]

(01-16-2015 12:03 PM)Rangarr Wrote:  

I wish I could get a kindle and use it for book reading on the go but alas, I know myself too well in that regard. I simply can't retain information when I read it off of a computer screen. I dunno what it is but actually using and feeling a physical book, I can just concentrate easier on it. I also like to highlight sections and scribble some notes on it. Whenever I'm done with a book it looks completely violated, but a prof also once told me that if your book is in pristine condition after you've fi ished reading it, you haven't really read it and absorbed all of its information. Also would always print out all literature during college, scribble notes in it, do my own summaries by handwriting. Maybe some people just learn easier by touch.

You can't scribble on it, but it's nothing like reading off of a computer screen. The ink display, or whatever it's called, looks almost exactly like a regular book.

[SamuelBRoberts]

I would recommend a tablet like the Nexus, unless you're planning on doing a lot of reading outdoors. The Nexus has better image quality and can do color, and isn't that much more expensive.

[Laner]

Do it.

I often like to have a few different books on the go at one time. Fiction, non fiction and a biography. This is nearly impossible to do with any sort of speed if I have the physical books to carry around.

I am on my second kindle. My first one I had in my back pocket and I sat on a railing and broke the screen. Amazon gave me another one for free.

Second is over 2 years old now. I treat it like shit, use it in the sauna, etc and it still plugs along.

And one thing I cant stress enough is using the highlight feature. I have hundreds of pages of quotes that I can download onto my computer at any time. I love this feature, as I used to love underlining things in books, but often they would not get re read often, if ever at all.

Great tool.

[DaveR]

(01-16-2015 01:46 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  

I would recommend a tablet like the Nexus, unless you're planning on doing a lot of reading outdoors. The Nexus has better image quality and can do color, and isn't that much more expensive.

That is like recommending a Ferrari for towing a horse trailer because it can accelerate from zero to sixty mph in four seconds... Image quality is irrelevant when looking for a device specifically for reading black-and-white text. The main concern is to find a display which is comfortable to read for hours at a time. In any case, the latest Kindle has a 300ppi screen, which is comparable to the best tablets on the market.

[germanico]

Get the Paperwhite. You will love it.

[Darius]

I originally got it because I thought it would be cheaper than books. Sometimes it's actually more expensive.

On the plus side there is no shipping so you can get the book immediately. Plus you don't have to store a bunch of books. Which could be a downside if you are into collecting books I suppose.

The other downside is that some PDF's don't convert very well. This is more of a problem with pictures from independent authors.

Overall I'm happy with my purchase.

[MY DETROIT PLAYAS]

Not sure about OP, but you guys sure in the hell talked me into it

[Sherman]

I have a kindle. I also have a Nexus 7 with the kindle app. I find that I like the Nexus 7 better because it uses the touch screen and you can also rotate it to get two different views. The only downside of electronic books is that they still don't know how to properly display visual information like diagrams and charts. So if you buy a technical book, the diagrams are too small to see, and there is no zoom feature on kindle. I wish they would solve this problem.

[booker.t]

Got one for Christmas. I didn't really read that much before, and now I've read 6 books already in 2015.

A great device for a minimalist, as you can compress a whole library onto one device. It's easy to read and very portable. A must buy IMO

[Saweeep]

Nothing will ever beat a physical book. There is no delight greater than a shelf full of dog-eared tomes.

However, a kindle is better than not being able to read a book, for whatever reason.


My Kindle is used for fiction books I would never re-read and books that I can't get hold of for whatever reason in hard copy.

[germanico]

(01-17-2015 07:13 AM)CrashBangWallop Wrote:  

Nothing will ever beat a physical book.

I tought the same until I got my Kindle.

Not that I like it better than books now.

[Cincinnatus]

(01-16-2015 04:44 PM)MY DETROIT PLAYAS Wrote:  

Not sure about OP, but you guys sure in the hell talked me into it

Oh, they sure as hell got me. As soon as I sign off the forum, I'm going to Amazon.com and putting in an order.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

[Kissinger2014]

For office workers, one of the little known benefits of Kindle books is that you can read them on your desktop. So if you're at work and bored, instead of wasting time surfing websites, you can continue the Kindle book you were reading over the weekend.

[SamuelBRoberts]

After all this you've gotta tell us how you like it once you get it, Cincinnatus.