So, I'm back to my Kindle 2 thought…
My husband and I have talked about it several times since I posted my blog the other day, and we've decided that we're just going to have to pass on it right now. We started wondering about feeling like we had to justify the high price tag… and how I (as a compulsive collector) would feel like I had to replace all of my books in the Kindle format. And, once I did that… what would happen with all of those Kindle books if the actual gizmo broke?!?
I would have to look into it, but once the warranty runs out, I am assuming that we would have to buy another gizmo, since all of our books would be in that format. (I think that's called a Catch 22, endless loop type of a deal!)
I reminded my husband that I thought it would be a nice gift for him, not me. He assured me that he does not want one, as he feels like he would have to be particularly careful with it, since he wouldn't want the hassle involved with having to replace it before he could access any of his books (which would all be in the Kindle format) if the gizmo broke… even under its warranty time, he wouldn't want to have to wait until a new gizmo arrived.
So, I guess for now, we are going to pass on the Kindles and stay with our "real" books.
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I’m right there with you. The thought that I would have to replace all the books on my keeper shelf. Then what do I do with the books that I buy but don’t want to keep? At least when I do it know, I can always donate my book to the library. You can’t do that with the Kindle. Besides, I still like to hold my book.
Hi Dru,
You make a wonderful point about being able to donate the books. And, along that vein… We share books in our family a lot of the time. My daughter likes non-fiction science based books, and my husband reads them when she is finished with them. I pass my true crimes to my husband and daughter, and our son shares his science fiction with my daughter and husband. After we all finish passing the books amongst ourselves, the library is the final destination for our books.
So, thanks for pointing that out!
I don’t know anything about the Kindle, but I do like to read books on the computer. Most computer books have settings to make the words HUGH, also the computer itself has settings to make it larger.
I understand you can also get books on ipod & blackberries, though I don’t know if you can enlarge them.
As for replacing your library, I have both books in hand & books on computer. For authors I like, such as Terry Pratchett or Diane Fluke, I keep. Other authors I get at thrift shops & then donate to the library. I like to flexibility of being able to read either or.
I also have my nose stuck in a book at all times. (psst, even in the bathroom) I always carry a book in my purse, even reading at the table when I eat out. Nothing is sadder the a person who doesn’t read. They miss out on so much.
I hadn’t thought of reading on my computer. I spend so much time sitting here already that I’m not sure I would want to spend the time it takes me to read a book glued to this screen.
I agree about people who don’t read… A couple of my relatives don’t read, and I just don’t get it. Of course, they don’t get those of us who read!
I knew there was a reason I didn’t feel compelled to get a Kindle or SonyReader. Besides enjoying the feel of the book in my hand, turning the pages, having a book in my purse and nightstand and in the car…..I share my books with my sister and Dad and friends. Can’t do that with an e-reader.
Looks like a few of us like the option of sharing our books with our family members and friends…
I haven’t been too interested in the whole Kindle thing. But then I started looking into it more (mainly because I’ve got to travel here in a bit…and Frommers had a sweepstakes for a kindle 2). So I got to reading about ye ole kindle 2…and, wow. I kinda liked what I learned. I’m not a gadget person and I’m never going to fork over 300 dollars for a reading gadget. BUT, I have decided that owning one wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Oh–as for your argument about getting all your books on Kindle–you would be saved from that. :>) They aren’t all available on kindle!
For me, there will always be room for a paperback, but when traveling, it would sure be nice to offload the 3 to 5 books that I tend to take and have them on a Kindle.
The ability to enlarge the type? That would be really nice for me and even nicer for dad. He has some pretty severe eye problems.
So one of these days when they get cheaper, I’ll be looking again…
I just read an article on the Kindle 2. Seems most people prefer the smaller more portable first Kindle. I downloaded a Kindle application for my i-phone just for convenience. It does OK once you get used to it (you CAN enlarge the print but then you have to keep moving the screen to see all the words-very annoying)—So,I’m sticking with my books!!
Sounds like both of you came to the same conclusion that we did… (I had no idea that the large font would be such a problem, though.)
I have been collecting books for so long that I don’t think I would be able to go without them. I love to place my new books in my over-loaded bookshelf, and even get some sort of (odd!) pleasure when I have to rearrange them to find space for a new book. (I said it is odd!)
For me the larger font would be a good thing (I think the larger screen of the kindle would make it a little better than on the iPhone.)
Dad will listen to audio, but really has a hard time reading now. He has to use a magnifier. So the kindle has some appeal there. I looked at a kindle app (an emulator basically.) It doesn’t require moving back and forth from what I could tell even with the larger type. You just have to turn pages more often. For me, the standard font in the book I was looking at was already big enough.
The whole idea does take some getting used to. I had to laugh at myself because first I tried to scroll down as though I were reading on a computer! Then I realized the little button was to turn the page…
There is a little delay while turning pages, but it would be no different than scrolling. It’s just a matter of expectations. And it kind of felt weird to be “turning” a page when there was no book in front of me!
But my brain adjusted pretty quickly. It was quirky fun.
Does anyone know if you can lend out your Kindle books once you have read them? I would guess that you can’t sell or donate your Kindle books, but I just wonder about lending them out to other Kindle owners? Or does your copy of the Kindle book only work on your Kindle reader?
I’m fairly certain you cannot as that is one of the complaints that some people have when they compare kindle to real books. On the other hand, you aren’t supposed to do it with PDF e-books either, but I imagine it happens.
That said, there apparently are libraries that have invested in buying some Kindles. You check out the entire device and read. My public library, alas, is not one of them testing the project (although a college near me has something like 18 of the devices–my understanding there is that the kindles are mostly preloaded with textbooks, but I am not really sure about that.) I am also not sure if you can buy a book while you have the kindle checked out from the library and add it.
But in theory, you could swap kindles with a friend so that they could read your content…but with such an expensive device, it would probably have to be a family member. I could see me doing this with my dad or mom, but I’d be rather hesitant to hand it over to my neighbor…
Oh, some more info: The way the kindle path works is that you buy a book. Let’s say that you delete it accidentally. Amazon knows you bought it. They keep a record. So you can download it again without paying again. But it is keyed to an account. There has been some questions about, “What if we have two kindles and we only want to buy the book once?”
I don’t know the answer to that question, but I know that there is a thread on it over at the Amazon site. I think that you can have one account assigned to two kindles. In that case, you’d be able to download to both. But I am not positive of that.
Not being a kindle owner yet, I didn’t read much of the thread to figure out the details. I am following a blog that talks kindle and am happy to point you to the thread/forum if you are interested!
In reading more threads–if you own two kindles, as long as they are registered to the same account, they are both allowed to have the same book. So if you are reading a book on one device and then end up with the other device in a doctor’s office, you can download it to the second kindle and read away.
There’s definitely some cool things and still some kinks!
I have a Kindle and love it. Your books are stored on the computer so you CAN save all of your books. Most people store their books on Calibre but Amazon stores them also. All your family would have to do to share your books is to get on Calibre and download them to their reader. Calibre also can change the format the book are in for different e readers. The warranty is great. My large dog stepped on the screen and put a small crack in it and I called them and had a new on in 2 days. No cost to me. Hope this helps
Diann,
Thanks for all of the information about the Kindle. I’ll pass it along to my husband>>>
I do NOT own one, but my husband broke down and bought one a while back. He just got tired of having to rely on books on tape, rather than actually being able to “really read” a book if he felt like it.
I, however, am holding out…