PJay Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I would like to know from fellow MH, who already own a Kindle,. What are the advantages of the 3G version at £159? over the basic model priced at £111. We always take a lap-top with us on our travels in van, so can access internet from that. How do you download to it? My husband reads a lot on holiday, and we try to swop with others while away,. Can we download latest books? and how much does it cost ? I think the reviews of you users in simular circumstances as our selves, who travel for longer periods, at a time, usually up to 3 months, would be useful PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 PJay - 2011-08-20 1:51 PM I would like to know from fellow MH, who already own a Kindle,. What are the advantages of the 3G version at £159? over the basic model priced at £111. We always take a lap-top with us on our travels in van, so can access internet from that. How do you download to it? My husband reads a lot on holiday, and we try to swop with others while away,. Can we download latest books? and how much does it cost ? I think the reviews of you users in simular circumstances as our selves, who travel for longer periods, at a time, usually up to 3 months, would be useful PJay At the end of June we returned from a 2 month trip. My wife has the Kindle without 3G. Some people get excited about the 3G version because they can use it abroad as a mini laptop/tablet for free (although they have paid £50 extra for it!) From what I have heard and read about the 3G version is that it has a very basic browser which is monochrome. This may be fine for some tasks but not all. When we were away we used campsite WiFi which was either free or a modest charge and Margaret was able to top up with books from Amazon as we went along. Its very simple to use and books download very quickly. I appreciate that not everyone will be keen to do this but the process is easier if you allow Amazon to retain your credit card details, you then only need to log into your account when downloading and they send a confirmation e-mail which we access via our laptop. I would just add that initially Margeret was very sceptical about owning a Kindle as she loves 'real' books but since she has owned it she really hardly puts it down. Her main concern is that local libraries will close as a result of people using electronic book readers!!! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 We don't have Kindles but we have the Sony EReaders and are very pleased with them as we can download books onto our computer and then transfer them onto the EReaders. With the Sony EReader you can download from any EBook source you are not limited to Amazon. When I bought them I thought Martin would have a problem but he loves his although he does read the odd paperback that someone gives him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 The above post can mislead, it is possible to put any ebook on the kindle, you are not tied to Amazon. A free software application called "Calibre" allows for any ebook title of any file format to be loaded on to the Kindle through your PC. Loads of free ebooks on the internet as well. We have the cheaper version, remember the browser function is as Amazon say " experimental" and the free internet access could be ended, plus the monochrome browser is far from ideal which is also included on the cheaper wi-fi enabled version if you want to give it a go. Having said that despite my Wife saying she could never give up paper books, she has yet to pick one up since owning the Kindle ( six months now). Plus as she has a collection of over two hundred titles to go at, she never is stuck for something to read. The Kindle is one of those rare things that really lives up to the hype, just go for the non 3g version would be my advice, and use other wi-fi places for the internet with a laptop. Also check out Ebay for ebook collections,mmmm. PM me if you want more info ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I read a lot but would never by a Kindle. To have a piece of flat plastic with words on it is in my view just too bloody awful. My interest when travelling is what goes on around me, the other passengers in a train or the outside scenery, and when camping the radio is the best partner, they have much better pictures which can be seen with the eyes shut. I assume there are no pictures on this kindle, to which I always refer to when a story is illustrated, pictures make a story come alive, with a book its easy to jump backwards 80 pages to a reference point, or forward to a ref index, I bet that cannot be done on a kindle. To have to read a flat plastic screen, never, are they coloured or a dull grey? I always refer to the publishers info and the date printed etc. There are also often references to other books by the same author or suggestions for follow on reading. Does a Kindle offer this? I only ever read technical, factual or biographical. My view is that the so called best seller books, most sold, or most popular, are a load of crap and simply assembled to suit a publisher by a known author. Just because something sells well does not mean its any good. And hows about the wonderful artistic covers on some books. A Kindle never. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I don't own a Kindle, but i can see the advantage especially to us 'Itinerants' with limited space and weight constraints, my missus always has at least two overhead cupboards full with books when we go away (the Weight! I tell her watch the 'high up' weight). So the idea of her having just as many books as she wants all in a little bit of plastic seems to me a great idea. Now if only I can convince Her !! (a Christmas present idea is forming !) especially as a lot of books are free to download !! even better. But one gizmo at a time, no G3 for us i think. ;-) Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 art338 - 2011-08-20 7:17 PM I read a lot but would never by a Kindle. To have a piece of flat plastic with words on it is in my view just too bloody awful. My interest when travelling is what goes on around me, the other passengers in a train or the outside scenery, and when camping the radio is the best partner, they have much better pictures which can be seen with the eyes shut. I assume there are no pictures on this kindle, to which I always refer to when a story is illustrated, pictures make a story come alive, with a book its easy to jump backwards 80 pages to a reference point, or forward to a ref index, I bet that cannot be done on a kindle. To have to read a flat plastic screen, never, are they coloured or a dull grey? I always refer to the publishers info and the date printed etc. There are also often references to other books by the same author or suggestions for follow on reading. Does a Kindle offer this? I only ever read technical, factual or biographical. My view is that the so called best seller books, most sold, or most popular, are a load of crap and simply assembled to suit a publisher by a known author. Just because something sells well does not mean its any good. And hows about the wonderful artistic covers on some books. A Kindle never. art What a complete boring uninformed bigot you sound, your post answers NONE of the OP questions, so whats the point of your post. He is not asking for opinions from dinosaurs, BUT some that own a KIndle, I guess you still play 78 rpm records as well, or have you moved up to a VHS recorder. For your information all of your supposed limitations are fully answered by this technology, as well as cover art work, and yes pictures too, automatic book marking as well. Add in thousands upon thousands of books on every subject under the sun, as well as newspapers and technical publications, all in the palm of your hand. P.S they have discovered the World is not flat after all as well. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Well how about that then. I never rise to rude comments. Just an opinion old boy. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Rayjsj - 2011-08-20 8:41 PM I don't own a Kindle, but i can see the advantage especially to us 'Itinerants' with limited space and weight constraints, my missus always has at least two overhead cupboards full with books when we go away (the Weight! I tell her watch the 'high up' weight). So the idea of her having just as many books as she wants all in a little bit of plastic seems to me a great idea. Now if only I can convince Her !! (a Christmas present idea is forming !) especially as a lot of books are free to download !! even better. But one gizmo at a time, no G3 for us i think. ;-) Ray I bought ours from Ebay. As people are upgrading to touch screen versions there are a lot of the previous versions for sale at very reasonable prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 art338 - 2011-08-20 8:32 PM Well how about that then. I never rise to rude comments. Just an opinion old boy. art With respect the OP did not ask for an opinion on the merits or otherwise of Kindles versus anything else in the known universe including books of the paper variety, just the differences of the two differing Kindles from forum users that actually OWN them. Perhaps he will then be able to make an informed decision old boy from relevant posts, not have to wade through reading completely irrelevant posts, as this has now become, apologies to the OP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Quite agree, many thanks. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I brought the 3G for gf, she is a technophobe, but my reasoning was if she doesn't like it I'd use it. I rarely get a look in! For us the 3G is fairly good, we don't bother with laptop on holiday, so having ability to download books whenever we want wherever we are around the world is good, The internet function is fairly limited, but with no other access to internet when abroad it suits us for the little use we make of it. Yes you can download most newly published books, oddly sometimes they are more expensive than hardbacks 8-) , but we have spent a big fat zero on books as gf only gets the free ones, mostly she is happy with these, but yesterday she downloaded one and she tells me today it is rubbish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 If you want to be able to have newspapers, books and magazines delivererd anywhere you can get a mobile signal, get the 3G version. If you are happy with mainly books and can wait until you are within a wi-fi zone for any additions, get the cheaper wi-fi only version. I have a wi-fi Kindle and it is wonderful (I don't bother with a daily paper). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Thanks GUYS, for your input. . I did say it was MY HUSBAND that reads a lot.on holiday i like some of you prefer an old fashion book, and don't read any where near as fast or as often as he does.Still think it would be useful , instead of carrying lots of books, for him. Have time to think about it before Xmas!! Keep the views coming please if you have one. Is it worth the money??? Pauline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Trust me, there are things you can do with a Kindle that you cannot do with any book. Print too small, no problem, increase the font size. Can't be bothered to read, have it read to you, reading more than one book at a time and be able to resume automatically from where you left off. Read one handed in bed and turn the page as well, no problem. Battery life can easily last a month or more, read in bright sunlight again no problem. The ability to carry thousands of books in a device that takes up no space at all, why it could have been made for us travellers. Don't think the screen is anything like a laptop, or any backlit device, it is not, it is very eye friendly. Is it worth it ? download the just a few of the many free ebooks and it will have paid for itself. My Wife uses hers on a daily basis both at home and when we are away. We do not do technology for the sake of it, but as I said, for once the device lives up to the hype, my Wife also said she did not see herself abandoning the "old fashioned" book, ask her now though..........she's a total convert, P.S. you can put books on it through it's USB socket after downloading them to your laptop, or direct through your wireless broadband, yes the non 3g cheaper one has built in wireless, it's all very simple...............GET ONE you'll love it ! ! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I think I'm converted, I will investigate them next week, and I'll check if my grandchildren have one. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 PJay - 2011-08-20 11:58 PM Thanks GUYS, for your input. . I did say it was MY HUSBAND that reads a lot.on holiday i like some of you prefer an old fashion book, and don't read any where near as fast or as often as he does.Still think it would be useful , instead of carrying lots of books, for him. Have time to think about it before Xmas!! Keep the views coming please if you have one. Is it worth the money??? Pauline Pauline One way you can get the feel of an 'Old Fashioned Book' is to buy a nice leather cover for the KIndle. They also sell a little light that fits into the cover for reading in bed when you might not want other lights on. If you are near a John Lewis they have both Kindles and accessories on display if you want to see one in the flesh so to speak. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 PJay, you asked about costs & latest books as well as the comparison of the Kindle model. First of all, there is no reason why you cannot download e-books on to your PC and read them from the screen. Search around and there are other sources of e-books including free books. I started by downloading free books from Project Gutenburg before I bought my basic Kindle. Rumour has it the I-Pad is a good e-reader with all the benefits and drawbacks of reading form a PC. Do a search on e-readers and you will find lots of useful information. An e-reader palm sized is obviously more portable and to me, easier to read. Screen size is important, I went for the larger screen size which meant a Kindle. They work on pearl e-ink so are able to recreate the look of a black and white page in a book including highly complex black and white drawings and some photographs. Additional functionality enables you to do many of the things you can with with a normal book plus the ability to change the font size or have the book read to you. This is brilliant if you have eyesight issues. Also, because they are 'backlit', you do not get screen glare or lose the view in the sun; the downside is you have to read in light or switch on a reading light [you can buy special e-reader lights if travelling when other lighting is unavailable]. One benefit for me is that you can hold an e-reader in one hand and turn pages whilst holding a cup of tea in the other hand. The reason I use an e-reader is because I work away during the week with no TV or computer. I read. Paperbacks are heavy to carry. One week I ran out of reading on Wednesday. It was then I committed to buying an e-reader. I have never ran out of reading material since because I have never forgotten to take my Kindle! Some of the cheaper en e-books are abridged versions of the originals, contain text and font errors, and some grammatical errors. This is because they have been converted to e-reading. It has never spoiled my enjoyment but if you read some of the book reviews on Amazon Kindle, you will see some adverse comments. As for costs, most of the books are cheaper than in paperback although best sellers can be about the same or higher. There are some great books to be had for free or a few pounds and there is also a lot of rubbish available. You either need to know what you want or you have to read the reviews. The e-books outlets stock almost a unlimited supply of books so you really are spoiled for choice. That makes it much harder to browse to find one that interests you. My average is just under £3 per book and I have never spent more than £7 on a book. People do not buy e-readers to save money. The ease of downloading means you might buy too many books! Most of the latest books can be downloaded. I'm less sure on this because there are already over 390,000 e-books available - including many that are out of print - that I do not have a passion for the latest. I have never tried downloading magazines, newspapers, or technical books. I can imagine that these may be more difficult to read because of lack of colour. There are much more expensive, higher quality e-readers for those who want to read this type of media. It takes a few minutes to set up a Kindle and was very straight forward. Downloading is through Amazon's 'Buy now with one click' providing they have you card details. All you need to do is identify the book, click the download button and, in my case, it is delivered via my wi-fi enabled PC. I just switch on my basic Kindle near the PC and the books download very quickly. It is probably the easiest process I've come across. E-readers can hold from 350 to c1500 books depending on memory size and the nature of the books. Sharing e-books is possible. However, as with any download, you are buying the right to access the download, not to own the download so best not to do it unless through an official source. Libraries are getting around this by getting licences to share books. You'll either love your Kindle, or keep it in a cupboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopesy Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I had mine as a present for my 50th while on holiday in Bavaria in the mountains. My wife had already put some books on. Mine is the 3G version. I wanted to have a play with it and so got some books form Amazon and even though we were in quite a remote place they down loaded in less than a minute. I think for motorhomers in remote areas the 3G may come in handy but whether it's worth fifity quid of your money is your choice. There are lots of classics for free through Amazon and lots of books for a couple of quid. I didn't realise that you can download some software and get other books so 1footinthegrave's post is very useful. I read a lot and was always taking loads of paperbacks away now I've got about 30 books at my fingertips and i can switch between them easily. I didn't think I'd do that but it's very handy depending what mood you're in perhaps you want to read a good adventure yarn or something lighthearted. I'm currently switching between Stehen Fry's autobiography (very funny) and a tale about Centurion in Rome. My wife also bought me the leather cover which has a slide out little LED light powered from the Kindle so i can read in the van without disturbing her after lights out! I like gadgets but this is one of the best things ever!! It's always with me as it's so handy. I haven't used it to search interweb but i imagine the 3G connection could prove more useful for that as it could be more secure that Wi-Fi and I'd only use it for the most basic tasks. The laptop would have to be used for surfing. Hope this helps Rog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t5tripper Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I have had my kindle for almost a year and it's fabulous, I have read lots of things that I probably wouldn't have read and spend a bit of time looking at the books on amazon when the mood takes me to find out what people are reading and enjoying. I am currently doing two courses and have found some great subject matter on Amazon. It's battery life is great, I have it in a leather case which is perfect for travel and recently treated myself to the clip on light for moments of insomnia and so I don't disturb hubby. I have the 3g and would not want to be without it, my Mum and I bought my sister one for her special birthday with 3g and she updates her face book and other things with the limited internet access. I have a friend who does not have 3g and has to download which is fine if you are on your computer - for me personally this wasn't an option I love the roaming about but and being independent, however I have not chosen books using this facility. I usually go into Amazon once a week and have order my books then put the wireless on the kindle and they automatically download, this is purely because we don't have internet at home living in the back of beyond. I can however use 3g within about 5 minutes walk (uphill). Hope this is some help, I would not be without my kindle (sob) and think it is well worth the extra money having the 3g. Kindle V books - I still read normal books from time to time, but on the whole use the kindle, I personally love it but each to there own. T5t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 just back from over a month away and books took up nearly 2 overhead lockers :-S I am waiting for Kindle 3 as it will probably have a better browser, colour screen etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 JudgeMental - 2011-08-22 11:26 AM just back from over a month away and books took up nearly 2 overhead lockers :-S I am waiting for Kindle 3 as it will probably have a better browser, colour screen etc.... Think it must be worth the extra for the 3G version Judge Have to agree with you the space taken up, as we go away for 3 months When do you think the kindle 3 may be available?/ Do you have any info (inside knowledge!!), want to get OH one for xmas, or maybe for our 55th anniversary in October (For putting up with me!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t5tripper Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 hello again, As far as I know there were no plans to do a further upgrade as battery life is much better on a black and white screen, it's never going to be an ipad, only an electronic book as such but would be interested to hear if there is likely to be a upgrade. T5t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 You can get a colour ebook reader, but I think that misses a point, if you have actually seen and used a Kindle it is designed to replicate a book but in electronic format, i.e as close to paper as you can currently get, and that is black print on a white page with no backlight. There is nothing to stop you downloading the Kindle for PC application which allows the use of reading ebooks on your laptop, which is of course colour, but I think Amazon have done themselves no favour in including the "experimental" web browser, it's a very lack lustre experience, compared to any other way of browsing the web. It's simple really buy a kindle purely as an alternative to conventional books, in that it excels. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiny Tim Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 1footinthegrave - 2011-08-22 1:42 PM You can get a colour ebook reader, but I think that misses a point, if you have actually seen and used a Kindle it is designed to replicate a book but in electronic format, i.e as close to paper as you can currently get, and that is black print on a white page with no backlight. There is nothing to stop you downloading the Kindle for PC application which allows the use of reading ebooks on your laptop, which is of course colour, but I think Amazon have done themselves no favour in including the "experimental" web browser, it's a very lack lustre experience, compared to any other way of browsing the web. It's simple really buy a kindle purely as an alternative to conventional books, in that it excels. ;-) I have to agree with the above. Mrs Tiny and I have both had Kindles (wifi) for some time and are steadily donating all of our paper books to charity shops! We always take a laptop and dongle away with us and have so far not found any situation that warrants the 3G version. We both felt that the basic plastic feel was wrong and so we now have covers - hers is a posh one with a light and mine is a rustic hessian finish and they both now feel and look like books. all the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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