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Kindle eBook reader
I would get in so much trouble with a Kindle. They just make it too darned easy to buy books. I'm leaning towards a Sony Reader. There are so many great books and stories available free online that it would be worth the investment.
Yeah, it is remarkable how easy and well the technology works for getting books via the Kindle. The books are for the most part very reasonably priced - Hammered this months BoTM was $5.59The Sony Reader does have a lot to recommend it for sure. Two things the Sony Reader does better than the Kindle is interfacing with the computer and handling of PDF's.
Sandi, let us know if you get that Sony Reader we'd love to hear about your hands on experience with this ebook reader.
Mod
However, one thing I really like about the Kindle is being able to subscribe to a newspaper or magazine, and having the next issue automatically downloaded when it's published. That's just nifty, I think - and it would save a ton of paper that now ends up in my recycle bin. I read several magazines, and I'd consider getting a Kindle just for that feature, if they ever come down in price. But I don't think I'd ever stop reading paper books.
Then again, who knows... I was a hold-out with vinyl and then with CD's for the longest time, and now I can't live without iTunes and my iPod.
I want a Kindle for traveling. I always take several books with me because I'm not sure how much time I'll have to read and what I'll want to read and that gets heavy. I would also like to have one in my purse for the same reason--frequently I'm near the end of the book and don't know if I'll like the next book and don't want to get stuck somewhere without a book so I end up with three or four books in my bag. (Yes, "normal" women bulk up their handbags with makeup and hairbrushes. Mine is huge because of my books. Just call me Rory.)
The thing I don't get about the Kindle, is why would anyone want one when any smart-phone can do the same thing, plus you have a phone, camera and mp3 player in the same package. I'm not a big fan of e-books for reading fiction, but have read them a bit on my iPhone to see what the experience is like and they are fairly good and of course you have a massive memory size.
Stefan I agree, "cozing up to a warm fire with a good.... Kindle" just doesn't quite cut it. lol Indeed, sometimes only the feel and handling of a real book will do and make mine a hardback if you please. However, I've read the fine print on the Kindle and nowhere, nowhere, does it state I must forgo the purchase and pleasure of a "real" book should the spirit move me. lolAs far as newspaper and magazine reading I guess it depends how you read these things. IMHO, I don't think the Kindle is at it's best for non-linear kinds of reads. At least the way I read newspapers. I find it fun veering off to read an interesting sidebar article which may never get my attention with the linear reading format of the Kindle. Also, for magazines the graphics are degraded or omitted. The Kindle 2 uses 16-shade grayscale. That said, I do have a friend that loves to read newspapers on his Kindle.
Like Kelly said, it's great for travel and for the same reasons she describes. It's great to be able to take several books in such a light footprint. Also, I often take a bunch of free sample chapter of books in their "try before you buy" model. And if I get lazy I can switch to the text-to-speech function.
Mark that's certainly a way to go and I can't speak to this experience. There is a free Kindle reader app for the iPhone and iPod Touch and you can purchase and download books from Amazon.com just as you can with the regular Kindle via their WhisperNet technology. Personally, I find reading on the Kindle a much more pleasurable experience due in part to the larger screen size and overall handling. But hey, the app is free and the Kindle is on the expensive side.
There are several differences and this is why I want the new Kindle 2!!They spent a very long time designing it so it looks like you're reading text on a page so it's a lot easier on the eyes than a normal pda screen would be. Secondly, the screen is much bigger. Third, there are all kinds of built-in reader tools like a dictionary. Fourth, there are thousands and thousands of books available on the Kindle that aren't available in any other electronic form. Fifth, the battery life is MUCH longer, you can read for days before recharging. Sixth, if you have to go somewhere, you can switch to having the book read aloud to you and then switch back when you're done driving.
That's just a start. You seriously have to look it up on Amazon.com.
Mark wrote: "The thing I don't get about the Kindle, is why would anyone want one when any smart-phone can do the same thing, plus you have a phone, camera and mp3 player in the same package. I'm not a big fan ..."I do this now with MobiPocket Reader on my BlackBerry Curve. Plus, I rip audiobooks to MP3 and put it on ... you guessed it ... the BlackBerry. And my music is there (no need for separate iPod). And I can take photos and video. Surf the internet. Even update my status at GoodReads and FaceBook. So efficient it gives me goosebumps. :)
I have tried to read on my phone, and the screen is so small that you have to turn the page every 5 seconds or so, which I find extremely annoying, also, it wears the battery down too quickly. I just bought a Kindle 2. I waited until the Kindle 2 for a couple of reasons - the original Kindle was kinda ugly, and I've been trained to wait for the 'second generation' of new tech items. They are usually better.
Here's what I LOVE about the Kindle: I had a huge archive of ebooks on my laptop that I was slowly reading, but I hate reading at my laptop, its at my desk, which is not the most comfortable place, plus I would distracted by what I could do in the other windows (yeah, I'll admit it, I'm a Mahjong addict). For the work I do, I have to read a lot, and as I'm in America and the companies I work for are in Australia and Britain, a lot of my reading comes in ebook format. The Kindle has set me free! I can sit anywhere in the house, comfortably.
I really like the built in dictionary and bookmarking features. There are more features than I would reasonably use, really.
Buying and transferring books to the device is very easy, very painless and it works, which is nice. No software or plugins to work with - you can plug this device in right out of the box and read within 30 seconds, honestly. I did.
And its light, it really don't feel that different from a book once you're used to holding it. I love the idea that it can hold such a huge library too, awesome for traveling, which I do a LOT of - I'll never have to pay full price for a book at the airport again!!
A couple of quibbles: The screen size is good, it could be a touch bigger, the size of a mass market paperback page would be ideal, I'm a very fast reader and I have to push the next page button more frequently than I'd like. Not all books, especially ones I've formatted from PDFs myself are easy to navigate either - you can't flip back to the cover or any maps or glossaries, unless the book has been specifically formatted into Amazon's kindle book or mobi format. But, I can get off my lazy ass and check the artwork etc on my laptop if I so desire.
I second Kelly's and Sisimka's comments. At present there are 250,000 available books for the Kindle plus newspaper subscriptions and magazines. Here are some other points:
As Sisimka point out, it is light and has a really elegant look and feel. However, if you take it on the road, it would be wise to get a protective jacket to prevent scratching and damage.
It is easy on the eyes as Kelly mentions due to the use of e-ink technology. This makes the words crisp without the jaggies of older readers which caused eye fatigue. And it allow you to read in the daylight without screen washout. However, there is no back-light, so to read in low light conditions you will need a book reading light.
BTW, you can use it to access the web look up reviews, buy books and transfer your highlights (marked passages) and notes to your computer. You can access other websites but this is a lite web-browser so don't expect a great experience on fancy websites. It does work great for looking things up on wikipedia, so I'm a happy camper.
In addition to the couple of quibbles Sisimka mentions, my biggest one is there is not the usual page number, pagination. Since you can vary the font size to your liking. the Kindle uses location numbers and a percent read indicator to mark your progress through a book. So currently for "Hammered" our BoTM I'm at Location 481-89 with 9% read.
For those interested, Amazon.com has some excellent info and demos of the Kindle here: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-...
The newest Sony Reader lights. I was under the impression that it used some sort of back light, does anyone know anything about that?
Sandi - you are absolutely correct! I just looked into the Sony Reader PRS-700BC,... "A built-in LED reading light gives you the ability to read at night or other low-light situations"Apparently they have found a solve for this prior e-ink e-paper limitation. Thanks for the correction!
I'm still not clear on how the lighting works. I may have to stop by the Sony Style store and take a look. I don't know if it's worth and extra $50.00 for lighting.I think the coolest thing about e-readers is how Star Trek they are. I remember Captain Picard reading books on a very similar device in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
I assumed it was just an LED background light, but now sure how it was made to behave itself with the e-ink/e-paper technology. Well, let us know when you find out. Also, if you get the Sony Reader we'd love to hear your first hand impressions.Now that you mention it, you're right! I do remember Picard in his office reading books and going over tech material on what looked like an e-book. Well seen and remembered. :)
At $300+, I really don't see an e-reader of any kind landing in my lap.
Got that right! The current crop of top eBook Readers are way expensive. Hopefully, like most tech hardware they will come down in price with time. Maybe,... in the meantime check out these bookshelves, http://digg.com/d1nyge
Price is one of my big reasons for not trying them. My daughter wants to take 2 summer classes now. If it keeps her from a 5th year away at college, it's well worth it, but an extra $2,000 is never easy to come up with. (Wave by-by to any extras...)
Has anyone else seen this article? http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/2009040...
Amazon and Sony may have a new headache to deal with on the ereader front - intellectual property attorneys
You know, I might not be the brightest bulb, but if it took until 2007, a year after the Sony Reader hit the market and the same year the Kindle was released for this guy to get a patent - hasn't the cart kinda gone before the horse???
Sisimka wrote: "You know, I might not be the brightest bulb, but if it took until 2007, a year after the Sony Reader hit the market and the same year the Kindle was released for this guy to get a patent - hasn't t..."Getting a patent takes years. But the important date is when you filed for the patent, not when you received the actual patent.
I'm not much into e-books yet myself, maybe once they are on the market for a while and the price comes waaaay down. I will never lose my preference for the feel and smell of 'real' books though. = )Have any of you seen this latest controversy about the Kindle 2? I just saw it this morning:
http://www.keionline.org/blogs/2009/0...
also some info here: http://www.readingrights.org/133
Basically, the Kindle 2 has the ability to do text-to-voice on any of it's e-books (over 250,000 so far), and the Author's Guild has asked Amazon to disable that feature unless a consumer either pays more to unlock it per book, OR 'registers' and 'proves' their disablity to get it turned on.
I signed the petition, and have a whole soapbox on it, but was wondering what you all think...?
Do they want me to buy an extra license when I read out loud to someone else? Maybe they should back charge me for all those books I read to my kids when they were little? Dragon Speak has been reading text for years, it seems a bit late in the game to be complaining about text to voice. No one is going to confuse the quality of a mechanical reader to that of a pro doing an audio book any time soon.
This is very reminiscent of the latest DRM garbage. For years it was legal for me to copy an LP to tape or file for my own use, now suddenly a DRM locked file is illegal to convert to another platform that doesn't support it. How to kill off your customer base by inches...
Carolyn wrote: "Basically, the Kindle 2 has the ability to do text-to-voice on any of it's e-books (over 250,000 so far), and the Author's Guild has asked Amazon to disable that feature unless a consumer either pays more to unlock it per book, OR 'registers' and 'proves' their disablity to get it turned on..."I think the action of the Author's Guild is way out of line. Once the book is paid for and downloaded to a Kindle 2, it should not matter how it is accessed, either by text or text to speech - it is now the property of the consumer.
I understand the Author's Guild thinks they will lose money on the sale of the more expensive audio books (why are they so expensive anyway???).
Personally, I'll continue to access audio books the way I always do, through my library subscription. I haven't used the text to voice feature on my Kindle 2 and doubt I'd bother trying it as I enjoy the voice acting on audio books too much. Perhaps other people will feel the same way.
Oooooo, I have yet another thing to get up in arms over! It's not like the text to speech is the same as buying an actor-read audio book. It doesn't sound the same at all. It just helps people who can't read. It's not taking any money away from the authors! Why are they doing this? What's next, making us pay to check out a book from the library?!
Yes, I had the same thoughts, about reading books out loud to my kids being an 'infringement' the way they are defining it, and that those who enjoy audiobooks will still pay to hear a human voice with it's inflections/intonations read a good book, over a mechanical standardized 'voice'.I also think that this opens up a whole new group of consumers of e-books for them, but I guess they are too focused on the $$ they are afraid they will lose to see the $$$ they will be gaining.
There's a link to the petition on the main issue site (www.readingrights.org).
I also think this is a very important issue because it is an attempt by a commercial entity to restrict new technology (being sold by a 3rd party) because it might impact their sales.
That would be like the button makers forcing the clothing manufacturers to NOT use zippers unless the person buying the clothes could 'prove' that they didn't have the ability to use buttons.
See how ridiculous that sounds?!? (OK, not a perfect analogy, but close enough.)
You guys are kinda missing the point. While today the audio portion of the kindle is crappy, soon the interface will be much better. Right now audio books are an additional revenue stream for some authors. Once that interface is upgraded the audio book stream will dry up.Most authors don't make much money. very few authors make enough to get by without a second job.
In Canada people who need access to audio book due to a disablity get access for free.
Look at it this way. You go to work and they only pay you half of what was agreed to. Would you be upset?
Ken, I'm not really missing the point, I'm saying that someone's profit is not relevant to the application of this technology.In the U.S. there is a disability exemption as well.
The issue is: of the 260,000 texts currently available for Kindle, how many of those do you think even HAVE audio versions?
I look at it this way: I go to work and they pay me all of what they agreed to. In light of this technology, contracts will change.
The people this might have the biggest impact on are actually the 'voices' of audio books (the readers), as the technology improves, they are going to be out of a job. Maybe the answer is to add a bump in cost onto the ebook to cover the tiny amount per book an author would get. Cut the publisher out of the equation totally, as they no longer have any overhead/expenses at all in the creation of an audio version.
Mind you, this presupposes this huge leap in technology you are talking about, and while they may get it to sound 'better', I don't think you could get it to sound 'human'.
Either way, I don't think a block should be reverse-engineered into a great piece of technology, I just think that they should change the rest of the equation.
Someones profit isn't relevant? Amazon isn't making a Kindle to make your life easier, they are making it to make a profit. With the inclusion of the technology into the unit they will be cutting out a profit from the authors, yes even the actors. I am not talking about human sounds either, just something approximating it. Once that happens I see tons of people not bothering with audio books. Just turn on the kindle.
I dont think its all profit either. Part of the thing here is author rights on their property. I suspect most authors are trying to get in on the ground floor before it gets away from them, like Movies and music on the internet these days with the RIAA suing college students for downloading the latest Brittany Spears song
Ken, I am not missing the point, either. First of all, the technology isn't anywhere decent yet so they're talking about a possibility down the road. Secondly, they were promised what money?
Do you listen to audio books? I do and text to speech will never replace that for me. We are decades away from a machine that can mimic what an actor can do. The right reader can make or break a book for me. It isn't just the way words are pronounced, it's the different accents, the enthusiasm or lack there of, it's the excitement in the reader's voice, etc.
People loan books all the time, they get them from libraries, and that hurts sales far more than this will ever do and no one is suggesting that not be allowed. People read books out loud (Stephen King even admits to reading them out loud and taping them himself!) No one can loan a kindle version of a book. The person having it read out loud has already paid for it. Who on Earth buys *both* the print *and* the audio version? How is this different from having someone hold a book and read it to you? The author has already gotten money from the person who would like to have it read to them. I honestly do not believe that it will in any way cut into profits.
Studies have shown that music piracy, which is *exactly* the same sound, not some watered down computer version, have not affected sales considerably. Here is one example:
http://arstechnica.com/old/content/20...
My father is a paid published novelist. My grandfather was a journalist and a book writer. My brother is a paid poet. I am a struggling writer, too. And I think this whole controversy is revolting and disturbing.
Oh, and here is an interesting idea buy Baen book publishers: http://www.baen.com/library/
Quote: Jim Baen is quite confident that, as technology changes the way books are produced and sold, he can figure out ways to keep that "gap" reasonable — and thus make money for himself and his authors in the process, by using the new technology rather than screaming about it."
I agree with Carolyn & Kelly on this. I usually only get one copy of a book; audio, ebook or print. I only use one copy, one way now. How many times do most people read a book? Sure, I re-read some favorites, buy multiple copies & even multiple formats, but those are rare. I can't recall when I bought a second copy/format new.If writers & publishers go this route, they'll be doing what the RIAA & movie industry are doing & it isn't working for them. They're alienating their customer base & losing profits. They're stifling peripherial businesses, losing them more profits that they don't even know about.
The next logical step will be to charge libraries by usage of books, rather than a one time fee. Selling or giving away a used copy of a book - the best advertising for an author - will also become illegal. Unenforcable, but technically illegal.
It would be great to be able to read the print text & take the book out to the truck & listen to it on the way to work. I might be more likely to buy a book that offered this, if the technology was 'there'. But, the technology isn't 'there' yet & I won't listen to an automated reading. I don't listen to most Libervox or other free audio books because the readers aren't good enough AND because I happen to like a paperback book best. It fits my lifestyle.
Books, like music & movies, are a life style choice. They're a luxury. When the budget gets tight, we cut back on these. We wait to rent the DVD rather than go to the theater. Make it more difficult to use a luxury & people give it up or use it less.
Ken wrote: "Someones profit isn't relevant? Amazon isn't making a Kindle to make your life easier, they are making it to make a profit. With the inclusion of the technology into the unit they will be cutting o..."Hi Ken,
While I can sympathize with your argument, this technology is nothing new. Adobe reader has been able to do this for years. Let's face it (at least for the present, the technology is inadaquate to compete with Audio Books. Audio Books can be better described as performances. I doubt that a computer program will be able to approximate a good human reader any time soon.)
I believe E-Books are less a threat to the author as they are to the publisher. This is just my opinion and I'm certainly open to critism. It just seems to me that the concern here is with the large publishing houses becoming an unnecessary part of the future of literature. I still think there will be a place for marketing, but publishers are a losing their tenuous grip on controlling the author.
Regards,
Allan
Everyone realizes that the technology is nowhere even close to be a threat to audio books, right now. These concerns are for the future, we all agree that even if the tech jumps ahead 1000 generations it will still not be able to compete. The threat here is the ones who will accept the audio as is.There will be people who will accept the technology as is, lots of people.
Also, this has absolutely nothing to do with the e-books themselves.
This has nothing to do with how publishers do business.
This has nothing to do with sharing and sending copies of the books to a friend, that's a whole other kettle of fish.
And from the looks of it I am not going to be changing anyone's mind anytime soon :-)
Ok, one more example then I can agree to disagree:If you had a computer that could act out your favorite t.v. show from a script, do you think that would ever take away money from the t.v. studios? Honestly?
But the biggest argument, I think, is simply that people only buy one copy of a book, either audio or text, so how are they losing money?
Kelly wrote: "I want a Kindle for traveling. I always take several books with me because I'm not sure how much time I'll have to read and what I'll want to read and that gets heavy. I would also like to have one..."size, resolution, e-ink
Garth wrote: "Sandi - you are absolutely correct! I just looked into the Sony Reader PRS-700BC,... "A built-in LED reading light gives you the ability to read at night or other low-light situations"Apparently ..."
any lighting drains battery time significantly, just get a book light...done, your e-reader will last 10 times longer
Sandi wrote: "At $300+, I really don't see an e-reader of any kind landing in my lap. "books are 30% off of online or in story, most classics are free, many books are a 1$
Carolyn wrote: "Ken, I'm not really missing the point, I'm saying that someone's profit is not relevant to the application of this technology.In the U.S. there is a disability exemption as well.
The issue ..."
Big deal though, it is a nice accessory for anyone reading on a plane or listening at night or at work, plus you can download audible files and still get the actors voice if you want.-also it makes listening/reading for the blind much easier and cheaper
Ken wrote: "Everyone realizes that the technology is nowhere even close to be a threat to audio books, right now. These concerns are for the future, we all agree that even if the tech jumps ahead 1000 generati..."The only thing is, as in blunt to the point, who cares if it takes money away?- it is a better more efficient system and gets the data in people's hands faster in a more transportable fashion, so if it is better designed and delivers the goods cheaper then why shouldn't it take money from audiobooks?-it will get much better, anyways save a plastic tree, save a real tree, stop giving your money to conglomerate actors?
Ken wrote: "This has nothing to do with sharing and sending copies of the books to a friend, that's a whole other kettle of fish. And from the looks of it I am not going to be changing anyone's mind anytime soon :-)..."I think we all have a gut reaction on this & most don't think it's fair. It most closely resembles the current argument about music covered by DRM (Digital Rights Management) to me.
If I buy a DRM-locked file, it is illegal for me to convert it to one that isn't, even if it doesn't work on one of my players. Used to be I could legally (I think) could rip a CD song to work on my MP3 player. I'm not sure if that's still legal or not under the current law.
So, legally, I can see the distinction between selling an ebook for reading & for 'audio', even if the audio is automated. I don't think it's a good idea though.
I won't buy a DRM-locked audio file. If I 'buy' a song, it means I have the right to play it on all my players; my PC's, truck & shop. I'm only in one place at a time to listen. I used to be able to carry a CD to all of those places. If I can't carry the file, then I feel cheated. I 'bought' the right to listen to that music, not to listen to it on a specific device.
I can understand what the authors are thinking, but I think they're wrong to press this. I don't think the loss of business is worth the loss of customer good will & they will lose a lot of that. No one likes a trader that is too sharp.
Big Screen Kindle coming! Already....http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/03/ny...
From what I hear this will not necessarily happen "this week", but there is a lot of talk and activity going on in the e-Reader space. Given the marked uptick in tech company activity it appears that e-Readers have cleared some user acceptance water line and we should see more offerings and eventually competitive pressure on price.
Perhaps, just perhaps, the traditional Newspaper market that is tanking from Seattle to Boston is seen as an opportunity for an early push-out of larger format e-Reader displays. It is unlikely however that there is an "optimal" screen size, as it would be very application and context specific. So if reading paperbacks and portability are of foremost importance the current Kindle/Sony size or iTouch/iPod is great. If you are reviewing a technical paper something along the lines of Plastic Logic ( http://www.plasticlogic.com/product.html ) or Kindle 3 might be a better choice.
The e-Reader technology continues to unfold...
It's official. The Kindle DX will ship this summer. It sports a 9.7" screen and a hefty price tag of $489! The larger format will be better for newspapers, technical documents and supports native PDFs.You can read all about it and view their video here:
http://bit.ly/5mwEp
The e-Reader space is really heating up....
Yahoo! Ok. Fine, it might as well be $500,000 but I do love the idea!
The Kindle is still not available in Canada, and may not be for some time. So, I'm curious, is the Sony eBook reader worth it? How do you get the books, do you like the format, etc? Should I start saving up?
Can you get the Kindle off ebay? Do you know anyone in the US who could get it for you? :) I don't know anything about the Sony but it doesn't have as many features.
What features does it lack?From what I've heard, you really need the wireless connection for a Kindle to do its thing. You can't get PDF conversions without a wireless account or buy books when you want. I don't own one, so that might be my ignorance talking. Let me know, please. I've been thinking about getting an e-reader of some sort, but haven't seen one yet that I thought was worth the price.
I have a ton of books in PDF, Text, RTF & MS Reader format. When I finally get one, it's going to have to handle all those formats.
Others curious about the Kindle 2 or with an opinion to share or would just like some info, feel free to jump in.