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Kindle now available worldwide: Your thoughts?

Have any of you ever seen/read a book on a Kindle?

Amazon just sent me an e-mail saying it now ships the little board internationally, and I'd like to know what you guys think of it. I spend a good deal of money in books, and I download pdf's more than anything else (they easily outnumber the mp3's in my computer). Needless to say, I'm very interested on this product, but I'd like to know what owners think of it, and if it's worth the price. By the way, I've never had any problem reading a book on a computer screen, if that changes anything

Have fun with book running out of battery.

looks like an awesome product but it's about $100 too much.

quote:

Originally posted by Ridexer Have fun with book running out of battery.

yeah, i prefer books, i guess im just old fashioned

I have used my brothers kindle for a while and its pretty cool, but for some reason I have no problem in reading the ebooks on my iphone.

But there are some other great devices that are coming out soon though, like the Barnes & Nobles Nook which looks sexy and is a better value then a kindle imo. Also Apple is supposed to be releasing a tablet in January, it will be interesting to see what they have in mind.

edit: here is a link to read more about the nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/

quote:

Originally posted by DimaShibby I have used my brothers kindle for a while and its pretty cool, but for some reason I have no problem in reading the ebooks on my iphone. But there are some other great devices that are coming out soon though, like the Barnes & Nobles Nook which looks sexy and is a better value then a kindle imo. Also Apple is supposed to be releasing a tablet in January, it will be interesting to see what they have in mind. edit: here is a link to read more about the nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/

Unfortunately, it is only shipped in the US. Without a shadow of doubt, if I could choose between the Kindle and the Nook, I'd pick the Nook.

I'd do it all for the nookie

quote:

Originally posted by yukii yeah, i prefer books, i guess im just old fashioned

I like Mp3's too, but that doesn't mean I stopped buying records altogether

I don't see what it brings. And what I love with books is the smell of paper.

why dont you have one of your american friends send you a nook from the states instead? no point in getting an inferior product that you won't be happy with, yo.

i work in the publishing field and ebook development, the ebook readers (sony and kindle) were the two major pioneers in the field. I bought a kindle for my mother who loves it, the nook is behind and has always been behind. BNN's presence in the technology advancement field for international standards has been subpar with subpar development teams. They are a great "retailer" but are not a leading technological retailer like Amazon who came first into the market over the net.

I would go kindle because I know how far BNN is behind, I can't say much more other then that (NDA) and have worked on pilot programs to bring BNN up to speed with their web-cart development and digital search programs (similar to Amazon's Search Inside the Book and Google's Print Partner Program).

Want something different then go Nook, want something mainstream with a vastly larger digital library and competitive pricing plans go Kindle. Steer clear of Sony as they've (like they always do) gone proprietary in the format war.

quote:

Originally posted by get nyce I bought a kindle for my mother who loves it, the nook is behind and has always been behind.

The nook is only going to be released in november though?

The only thing that I think they wont be able to compete with are Amazons prices. what else is left to compete with?

quote:

Originally posted by Omega_Blue why dont you have one of your american friends send you a nook from the states instead? no point in getting an inferior product that you won't be happy with, yo.

But, I don't even want one of these yet, I just want to know the owners have to say. And, the reason why I'm already biased towards the Nook is because I just love the name... though all I want is something that will prove to be useful

That's why I mention I'm an avid pdf reader that likes the content within books, but that doesn't care at all about the format: you try going back and forth with 5 heavy weight books in you bag - in that sense, a portable reader would be a blessing. So it is a product I'm open to, though I can't see many advantages yet, as I already own a laptop.

Also, I'd have to make sure Barnes & Nobles wires Nook Books to Brazil first, if I wanted to buy their digital reader.

I'm skeptical about the effect of all this screen reading on long-term eyesight. Computers haven't even been around long enough to collect good data on that, and the Kindle seems 10x worse.

quote:

Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov I'm skeptical about the effect of all this screen reading on long-term eyesight. Computers haven't even been around long enough to collect good data on that, and the Kindle seems 10x worse.

Screens have changed so much since we were kids, though. Maybe a specific kind of screen did have a hazardous effect on my sight, but how is it possible to trace back what monitor was responsible for that?

quote:

Originally posted by get nyce i work in the publishing field and ebook development, the ebook readers (sony and kindle) were the two major pioneers in the field. I bought a kindle for my mother who loves it, the nook is behind and has always been behind. BNN's presence in the technology advancement field for international standards has been subpar with subpar development teams. They are a great "retailer" but are not a leading technological retailer like Amazon who came first into the market over the net. I would go kindle because I know how far BNN is behind, I can't say much more other then that (NDA) and have worked on pilot programs to bring BNN up to speed with their web-cart development and digital search programs (similar to Amazon's Search Inside the Book and Google's Print Partner Program). Want something different then go Nook, want something mainstream with a vastly larger digital library and competitive pricing plans go Kindle. Steer clear of Sony as they've (like they always do) gone proprietary in the format war.

Sorry, I completely missed your post. Thanks for your input, I didn't even know Sony had already released their e-book reader already (I thought they were still working on the project).

Ok, I ask it again: what are the advantages of e-books?

quote:

Originally posted by DimaShibby The nook is only going to be released in november though? The only thing that I think they wont be able to compete with are Amazons prices. what else is left to compete with?

marketshare period

you'll find a larger third party support for the larger dominating marketshare companies. B&N coming into the ebook world with a device is NOT ground breaking. It's fun, it's new, it's all revolutionary but the tech arch background at B&N is far behind. Amazon's marketshare is far superior in the "digital" realm, ebook - digital search - digital subscription - etc then B&N's. B&N does one thing great, they have retail outlets and subsidiaries within the Education domain. They do very well in print / palpable text. I worked directly with them on their digital search program, they had a hard time processing cropped print-ready PDF files which are used to convert into ebooks. If you can't align your internal process with the publisher and int'l standard then you aren't ready to come into that market.

B&N's web market isn't great, it's came a LONG way from where they were but in my eyes are not as integrated from print production to end user/consumer with a nielsen rating procedure in place.

quote:

Originally posted by d-miurge Ok, I ask it again: what are the advantages of e-books?

no need to go to the bookstore? no need to buy bookcases? no need to worry about accidentally ripping/ruining the pages? and no need to pretend that you actually read books?

in regards to the notion that staring at a computer screen is bad for your eyes, I think the belief here is that these portable devices have the ability to scale text to make it easier for you to read. it's a bit more "Green" to say the least with the amount of paper product that is not being used. Ultimately, reading text on paper or reading text on a screen means you are using your eyes and brain to compute, the fatigue factor is parallel by use but not parallel by a light emission and sensitivity. That is only justifiable by each individuals usage and is a case by case basis.

My honest overall opinion --
it's a step in the right direction but the concept isn't full embraced. there has been kick back from many different avenues, reading advocates that are against the notion of NOT displaying the cover of the book you are reading, to the support from college students who don't need to lug medical reference books with them every where they go.

My only gripe -- and it's a serious one at that...is that why the fuk did they not have this when I was in school? Back in my hay days, the only way to find something in a book is to read the index or appendix or actually skim through the book. We never had a "search function"

quote:

Originally posted by DimaShibby no need to go to the bookstore? no need to buy bookcases? no need to worry about accidentally ripping/ruining the pages? and no need to pretend that you actually read books?

When I'm in a bookstore I love to randomly flip pages and then read a few lines, sometimes just because I liked the cover, the title... And if I don't want to go the bookstore, I can buy my book online. I read books almost only in the metro btw (which is a very common thing here).

And I'm the kind of guy who's likely to accidentally break the ebook...

quote:

Originally posted by d-miurge Ok, I ask it again: what are the advantages of e-books?

• Search function: I know some books have all those indices on the last few pages, but a search function helps you get the information you want from the book instantly even if it is not in any index.
  
  
• Portability: Try going back and forth with half a dozen books in your bag. Now imagine how much easier life gets when they don't weigh more than a dozen megabytes (if that).
  
  
• Insta-purchase: When I buy something off Amazon, for example, I usually receive it after I forgot I made the purchase in the first place. At least this way I can get the book when I need it.
  
  
• Lower costs: It's a lot cheaper to produce a pdf than it is to print a book. Cheaper for the seller, cheaper for the buyer.
  
  
• Hyperlinks: No paper book can do that yet.
  
  
• Adjustable font size: I don't really care about this feature but I know people who would benefit quite a lot from this, specially people with vision problems.

quote:

Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov I'm skeptical about the effect of all this screen reading on long-term eyesight. Computers haven't even been around long enough to collect good data on that, and the Kindle seems 10x worse.

e-ink is pretty much the same as normal ink to read. it's a static, reflective surface and pretty crisp. Monitors are luminous and have a refresh rate. I've tried reading off a friends e-ink device and it's a lot better than reading off a monitor.

Good topic.

I'm on the hunt for a portable eBook reader, as i don't like reading books on my computer all the time.

Kindle looks good, just a little bulky and overpriced.

I've been giving real consideration to a Ipod Touch. Apple has apps that allows you to download / read eBooks on the Ipod, which is a great feature.

There are still a couple things in question.

Can you fit a page to screen for reading, so no scrolling left / right to read text.

Ability to bookmark chapters where you left off, or add bookmarks for chapter sections.

Has anyone tried the Ipod Touch as a eBook reader?

I use the Kindle App on my iPhone every day which is basically the same shit as the iTouch, and I had no problems so far. The Books are formatted that each page is full screen, with adjustable text, there is no zooming or scrolling required. It memorizes the page you left off with every time you exit the app. Now I am not too sure about adding bookmarks/notes on the iPhone but it should be possible

quote:

Originally posted by astroboy e-ink is pretty much the same as normal ink to read. it's a static, reflective surface and pretty crisp. Monitors are luminous and have a refresh rate. I've tried reading off a friends e-ink device and it's a lot better than reading off a monitor.

This I did not know. Now you guys have me thinking about it. They're certainly light weight and would be easy enough to use on a bus or train.

books were meant for paper!! nota fan of anything "ebook" related.

quote:

Originally posted by d-miurge Ok, I ask it again: what are the advantages of e-books?

At any one time i will carry at least 50 different books with me on my phone to read while waiting in traffic, waiting at the doctors office, waiting in line in a store, waiting for someone to come out of the bathroom (can take hours if the person is female ) basically when there's waiting to be done, time passes by much faster if you have a nice book to read, and logging around a ton of books to suit your mood at any possible time is quite impractical.

Sure, sitting down in a nice comfy chair, with a proper paper book in my hands and a glass of fresh orange juice on a sunny summer sunday morning is still my preferred way to enjoy a good book, but when that isnt available a digital version is still a great way to relieve the boredom.

Until the batteries on the phone run out that is...but then i just swith to th audio version on the ipod

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