Dave225 Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Being an old fogey and a MOG I am still not convinced. After all it took me many years to finally believe the world was not flat?? My wife reads a lot of books when we are away and finds that most sites have libraries where you usually just 'swop' your old books for new ones, so no cost there. I also believe a kindle is about £110 so it would take a lot of paperbacks at 50p each in a charity shop to cover the costs. I am also curious as to how royalty costs are covered, I assume Amazon are paying these to the author, and will be looking to recoup these soemwhere along the line. The final point is that we have had computers with information flooding our brains, now this, and I am sure something else will follow in due course, but at the end of the day someone has to actually write the material, and that takes time and effort. Plus if it gets stood on, drops in the water tank, then you have lost the lot. You can actually stand on your books to get something from a high shelf and even when they are totally dogeared, you can still read them. I have books which are mainly non fiction which I use as reference as they also have drawings and pictures. Trying to get this on a small screen is not really practical yet, although I am sure it may come. So at the moment we will stick with the printed word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwendolyn Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Dave225 - 2011-03-29 8:48 PM My wife reads a lot of books when we are away and finds that most sites have libraries where you usually just 'swop' your old books for new ones, so no cost there. I also believe a kindle is about £110 so it would take a lot of paperbacks at 50p each in a charity shop to cover the costs. I am also curious as to how royalty costs are covered, I assume Amazon are paying these to the author, and will be looking to recoup these soemwhere along the line. So at the moment we will stick with the printed word I agree with what you say about sticking with the printed word.... until practicality hits. There is no way I could pack enough books for a 3 month trip in our - small - motorhome. So a Kindle seems to me a brilliant idea. I'd rather have books to read on a Kindle than to run out. And I like to take my own choice of reading and not depend upon the vagaries of what campsite "libraries" have to offer. Also… I dislike giving books away… they become part of my “library”! Most of the classics are free to download – and no royalties to worry about with the novels of Austen, Dickens, Gaskell, the Brontes, Trollope, George Eliot, Burney, Thackeray et al… So I’ve packed a few modern novels in book form, and am taking favourite classics on the Kindle to re-read. Compromise really. I’ll see how I get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Just checked out 'kindle free books' there are 4,615 thats a lot of reading for £110, They also quote over one million free on archive.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwendolyn Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 colin - 2011-03-29 11:28 PM Just checked out 'kindle free books' there are 4,615 thats a lot of reading for £110, They also quote over one million free on archive.org And I've got 700 of them!! Don't think I'll be reading all of them somehow! But gives me loads of choice. A veritable travelling library! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Clive - 2011-03-28 8:43 AM Currently have an HTC Tattoo phone which is a little smaller than the iPhone but seems to do everything iPhone does and was a free upgrade at £15.00 a month and connects to my Laptop. I have the HTC Wildfire. As well as being a competitor of the iPhone it can web browse, collect email, be used as a router to support other PCs (my wife's laptop) to save on dongle charges. It can be used as a route planner and sat-nav, has a version of OS mapping which is great for walking. There is a compass which helps with setting up your sat dish. It also has very many free 'apps', one of which is the Kindle app. This can be downloaded easily for free and then you have access to a wealth of free books or to set up an account and by some if you wish. Oh yes, it makes/receives phone calls as well. I admit the screen is a little small for serious reading (although i do a fair bit of MMM forum browsing on it) but for anyone with a smart phone (this uses Android) try the kindle app for free to see if you like the concept of reading on a tablet before going for the real thing. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I think anyone who owns one as we do, will agree the experience is more akin to reading a paper book than any other device currently available, unlike a back lit screen it excels to do the task it was designed for, try reading any other screen in bright sunlight for example, add in the fact that the Kindle has an astonishing battery life ( up to a month) and it is a completely different animal to other devices. The only thing I would add is for us at least browsing the web in grey-scale did not appeal even for free, and as has been rightly been pointed out by others Amazon may start to charge for access to other than it's own website. I say to the OP, if you want something to travel with to replace the printed book, go for it, it is a revelation. If you want internet on the move there are far better options, in colour as well. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t5tripper Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Hi, I love my Kindle, love it, love it, love it. We had a bit of discussion with someone at a dinner a couple of weeks ago who said it was out dated and I should look at an Ipad 2. My reply, if I wanted an Ipad I would have one, but I love my kindle because it's small, suits me for reading, either home or away in our lovely van and I don't want all the other gimmicks that come with the Ipads etc. He couldn't understand it. I said I have a kindle so I have lots of books using up very little space and it's neat and small. He wouldn't budge on his opinion as much as I wouldn't budge on mine. Not everything is for everyone and if it makes me happy and I am not doing any harm to anyone else then it shouldnt' bother anyone else should it ! Kindle goes in the van on every trip and I LOVE IT ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Hi Chris Thanks for that bit of info, we've just got 2 new mobile phones, LG Optimus One P500 Navigator (Android) and are trying to get used to them after simple 'slide' phones! I must visit the Android site to get some freebies!!! Did you know there's an app to be able to ring 0800 numbers so they come off your monthly allowance, rather than be charged for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Downside for us is that we both read so would need two (both tend to read at the same time) >:-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 1footinthegrave - 2011-03-30 12:07 PMI think anyone who owns one as we do, will agree the experience is more akin to reading a paper book than any other device currently available, unlike a back lit screen it excels to do the task it was designed for, try reading any other screen in bright sunlight for example, add in the fact that the Kindle has an astonishing battery life ( up to a month) and it is a completely different animal to other devices. The only thing I would add is for us at least browsing the web in grey-scale did not appeal even for free, and as has been rightly been pointed out by others Amazon may start to charge for access to other than it's own website. I say to the OP, if you want something to travel with to replace the printed book, go for it, it is a revelation. If you want internet on the move there are far better options, in colour as well. :-) Excellent summary 1foot; I worried that I wouldn't like the reading experience on Kindle but, on the contrary, I now would rather read from it than from a 'real' book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I have had one for a week. I bought it because I read a lot and because I work away from home, wanted something easier to carry than books. I bought it the weekend after I ran out of books on Wednesday and had nothing to read where I was until I went home. It is never likely to be a cost effective purchase unless you consistently raid the free book shelves. I got Dracula for free which was a good read. It is easy to use with one hand, screen is better than a book although smaller than the traditional paperback. With a good action/adventure book, I can read over 80 pages an hour in a paperback because I skim read down the centre of the page, letting my eyes pick up the full width of the line but not really reading each word. The size of the Kindle screen makes it more difficult to read at speed because you see less as you skim down the pages. I read an AE Coppard book and found that excellent because the quality of the writing made me savour each sentence. Navigating a Kindle book is not as easy as flicking through a paperback. I won't run out of books again. In summary, it does not suit me when I read at pace, it is easier to handle than a book, and you can get some free books. I found the purchase, delivery, and setting up to be an easy exercise. The only downside of book buying is the sheer volume of choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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