[Herb]

Do you have any experience with Amazons electronic book. I am interested and would like to hear about it. Thank you, Herb

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by Herb

Do you have any experience with Amazons electronic book. I am interested and would like to hear about it. Thank you, Herb

Hi Herb,

I know of one person among my reader friends who wants one of these things.

They are pretty expensive I think.

It does seem like it would be great for somebody who travels a lot, especially traveling constantly for business and spending life in airports and on planes.

I don't want one right now. I like having actual books around, and I have to wonder about how often the battery goes dead.

So anyway, I really don't know anything about the Kindle. It is an interesting idea though, just probably not something I would like.

Heck, I would probably drop it and smash it into smithereens. And many years ago, I dropped "The Shining" in the bathtub. I had to dry it with a blow dryer and the pages were all wavy forever after. (I did get out of the bathtub before using the blow dryer.) Also, I used to have a dog who chewed up a book or two. Actually though, I believe dogs do that because the glue smells so good to them and they think it is delicious. I guess Kindles don't have glue anywhere.

Oh well, I need to stop sitting here this morning, drinking coffee, and thinking up "WORST CASE SCENARIOS!" for potential dangers to a Kindle if one came into my life.

If you get one, please let us know how you like it.

Boomer

[Herb]

Yes Boomer all you say is true. Ive always wanted a dictionary built in to every book but then to have an encyclopedia as well, heaven!
It seems I spend a lot of time waiting and always have a bag of diversions. To have two hundred books... You can mark passages and make notes. Yes pricey about 350 then if you fill it another couple of thousand. Still what a great toy. Thanks for being the voice of reason but if the price drops after the (dismal, I suspect) holidays I fear I will be unable to show restraint. Again I appreciate your thoughts. Herb

[Boomer]

Hi again, Herb,

Earlier this evening, I was in a bookstore. These things were on display there. Two people were talking about them and I was eavesdropping. I admit that sometimes I do that.

Anyway, one of them was talking about how he was thinking of getting one for his dad who loves to read but was beginning to have some vision problems. He was interested in learning about whether the font could be changed and if the color and contrast could be adjusted to make reading easier.

I did not hear the rest of the discussion so I don't know if that is a possibility with the Kindle. But if it is, that would certainly be a wonderful thing for so many. I hope that is something that the Kindle can do.

Boomer

[Herb]

Stop it Boomer, You're peaking my interest yet again. Yeas you can change the font size and it is easy to read in direct sunlight. However it is not back lit so it can't be read in the dark. I had no idea they were sold in a store, I thought it was available from Amazon only. They show a good video (sales pitch) on the Kindkle with celebrity reccomends. I'm told that Oprah gushed ab out it on her show but I don't believe I have the budget she does. Herb

[Boomer]

Hi Herb,

I just talked to some guy at the bookstore a few minutes ago. I was calling to order a book. He did not seem to know much about this, but he said it is a Sony. He said it is $299 but that a new version is coming out for $399.

Well, I went to Sony's website and this is the best I could do to find info. But I will confess that I only spent about a minute looking. The guy said "e-reader" but I did not see that word on the site. It might be there somewhere though.

One of the things I was trying to figure out was if the different ones limit where you can get the books. I would think you would want broad access to titles and not just something that is proprietary. I am not sure if that is the case. I did not research far enough to find out. With the Kindle being Amazon, that would be a good sign I would think. But the lighting of the screen would be important, too.

Maybe it is early in the game and they have not figured out stuff quite yet.

This is all so new. It does seem to require a bunch of homework.

But here's the link that I found that might help you start a further search if you are interested in what may be the competition.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921644523779

Boomer

[jojo]

My seatmate on the plane was using the Kindle this week. Appeared to be fairly large print. He said he likes it. He was so busy reading I didn't interrupt him with questions.

[Herb]

The Sony and the Kindle are two different animals. The review for sony is not very good while the Kindle seems to gather raves. If you go to amazon.com they have videos and pages of info on the Kimdle. Approx 200,000.00 books available with more being added asa well as papers and mags. (I'm typing my way back to it again) It will also play music while you read and will handle audio books. Impressive to me.Now lets talk about something I can afford like penny(probably$.25)candy. Herb

[mdwriter]

I have a Kindle and I love it. The only issue is that a new version may be coming out in January. So check with Amazon.

[BBQMan]

I have been using my Kindle since it came out last year. It is a wonderful device that despite being expensive 'out of the box' will save you money on books, newspapers and magazines. It also means a lot less to lug around with you. You can store about 200 books on a Kindle in this nice slim 10 oz package. Most NYT best sellers are $9.95 and the classic books cost only a dollar or two. You will never lose your place in a book again and you will be spared the drudgery of moving boxes of books!

I urge anyone who is interested to go to Amazon.com and then click over to Kindle. The product has been very well thought out and is a breeze to use. BTW Font sizes are easily changed but the color is B&W only. I'll check back if someone has questions.

[Herb]

You folks have convinced me that a kindle is in my near future. I believe I will wait until Feb to see if a new one comes out. While reading is it easy to switch to dictionary or encyclopedia and switch bac k to reading? Thank you for your input.

Soon to be poorer, Herb

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by Herb

You folks have convinced me that a kindle is in my near future. I believe I will wait until Feb to see if a new one comes out. While reading is it easy to switch to dictionary or encyclopedia and switch bac k to reading? Thank you for your input.

Soon to be poorer, Herb

Herb,

Be sure to let us know how it goes. I must say that as this thread went along, I got interested in finding out more about this for myself. Too often I have found myself somewhere where I have a long wait, and although I have a book with me always, the lighting is often terrible in waiting areas.

I wear contact lenses most of the time, but to read I have to put reading glasses on over them. I can't do the bifocal contacts. I am too nearsighted. And I need really good lighting. If I thought the Kindle would cover those situations where the lighting is too dim for me to read, I would be in line to buy one, too.

I saw what you said here about direct sunlight. That would be important to me, too. My cell phone screen drives me nuts in sunlight. But when you said that it cannot be read in the dark, I thought maybe I would wait until they figure that part out. I hope it's on their list for the next model.

Boomer

[VillageMaidService]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Herb,

I saw what you said here about direct sunlight. That would be important to me, too. My cell phone screen drives me nuts in sunlight. But when you said that it cannot be read in the dark, I thought maybe I would wait until they figure that part out. I hope it's on their list for the next model.

Boomer

I think the Kindle has some kind of new technology that says it's paramount to having "liquid paper" inside the reader, so reading it in sunlight isn't a problem at all! This is my one and only thing on my X-mas wish list and I've been giving Hubby hints for months, so I'm sure to get one!! I'll let everyone know what I think about it, but it has been absolutely RAVED about by the critics and has none of the viewing issues of the PC. I'll probably need the insurance plan (if it comes with one) because I can definitely see myself dropping it or breaking it down the road...YIKES! But I know I'll save a fortune on best sellers from now on....not to mention I can download them in only a minute from almost anywhere on the planet, it has different technology from the cell phone...more like satellite I think.

Here's the amazon link for anyone interested in reading more about it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846


oh no..it's sold out!! I hope my hubby's already bought mine! I guess I'll have to wait if not...

[Herb]

Yes when I get one I will give you a full report. One of the poists suggested a savings on books but I think they will cost more. Just think of all the books you pass on to friends. After the kindle when you come across a page turner you will have to purchase a hard copy to pass around Herb

[BBQMan]

Herb - I don't want to sound like a shill for Kindle (although I think I am) while your objection is well-founded it ignores other advantages of the Kindle. The first and foremost is that you will never need to purchase a book for a second time. You will always be able to redownload that book and read it or refer to it again as you please.

The second is that it does not prevent you from purchasing a copy of the book in either hard or soft cover from the many remainder stores selling on Amazon. For friends I wish to share a book with, I have often purchased one for $3.99 postage and handling plus from anywhere from $.01 to $5.99 for the book. Amazon, not just its Kindle department has truly revolutionized book purchasing/owning.