I’ve never had that problem. Did you change your settings so that it sizes the page for you? I always had mine set to size to fit length or width depending on which was longer.
I don’t have a Kindle - or an iPhone for that matter - but regarding reading books on a small device: I use a Palm Tungsten PDA, and have read hundreds of books on it. The screen is small than the screen size on an iPhone (I think; I don’t know how much of the iphone display is used when reading an ebook).
Anyway - while it’s not as pleasurable as a real book, or as easy to read as a Kindle, it’s pretty tolerable.
Plus, it’s backlit, so I can read it in the dark without disturbing my spouse. An iphone would offer the same bonus (I presume).
Nope, the wireless access of the Kindle is run on the cell phone network. And if you’re okay with a wire great, but being able to read anywhere is the benefit. I find being tethered to a wire annoying.
That isn’t true. Monitors are what cause eye-strain. They emit light, it’s like looking at a light bulb. Books and the kindle use reflected indirect light, it’s much less intense. If reading in the dark is an important consideration, then of course you’d prefer something that pumps out light.
If a netbook works for you, great. But the kindle in my opinion, is the superior choice in pretty much every way.
I have enough books on my PALM to last me many years of reading. I don’t need to be connected constantly. I can plan ahead if I’m almost finished reading a particular book in a series (assuming I don’t have the whole series) such that I will download it in a manner of minutes beforehand. Or, I’ll just read something else in the mean time. In fact, where I work, I am disconnected for more than a month at a time for 6 months out of the year from any connectivity at home and have never had an issue. Planning overcomes the need to be constantly connected. What do you do when you travel on a plane and can’t connect?
I’d suggest that you learn to properly adjust your monitor properly then you won’t have to stare at a too bright screen. Adjust it so that it isn’t much brighter than the ambient light in the room is a good idea. Most people have them way too bright. Another hint is to kill the florescent lights if you are in an office. Do those things and then eye strain won’t occur.
I use a PALM. And even being over 4 years old it is far superior than a Kindle other than having a smaller screen. Plus it can do so much more like allowing me to play games, write notes, email, set alarms, an encrypted password database, currency converter, world clock, cookbook application, conversion utility, wireless, etc. Let me know when a Kindle can do those things, in colour, and we’ll have a real discussion about what is superior. Plus, it fits in my pocket. Now if only PALM would get its head out of its ass and stop screwing around with things like the Pre and make a fully functional PDA cell phone. I mean scrap the keyboard and stick on a bigger battery. PALM script is far superior than mashing away on a mini keyboard designed for people 6" tall. But that is a rant for another thread.
For me, the Kindle connectively is useful for reading blogs much more than for buying new books quickly.
Does your Palm require a data plan? The Kindle doesn’t–it’s free forever.
Mine doesn’t - it gets its data from the computer. Free as long as the Palm lasts.
If you’ve got one that’s a smartphone, that’s a different story. Then you’d have the data plan for everything else.
The Palm’s versatility is a big part of why I can’t rationalize a separate device only for reading ebooks (and now, I gather, blogs / Wikipedia though that may not last).
My Palm has a dozen or more ebooks at any time (including freebies from Project Gutenberg and the occasional Adobe-format from the library tho their selection reeks), 7-8 games, Pocket Quicken, calendar / address book, ability to take notes (unrelated to books), calculator, audio player (though a so-so one, so I do have a separate iPod)… all of which can also be handled by a smartphone when the time comes, but which cannot be handled by the current incarnations of a Kindle.
The Kindle will have to have something else for me to consider going that route, as long as I have another gadget with me that does other stuff as well as being an ebook device (even if the Kindle is a better device for that one task). Not sure what “something else” is yet, though if they do start having more support for college textbooks I’d get 'em for my kids when the time comes.
No, but I can go into any area with wireless and browse the internet from there. I can do that anywhere in the world. And because I travel half way round the world, that is important. From what I understand the Kindle only works in the US? I don’t travel through the US, so again it is useless. The Sony version would be a much better option for me if I chose the dedicated reader option.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that they are both cool and I was looking at the Sony one last year because I have a need to read PDF files that the PALM doesn’t do so well one. Unfortunately, the Sony still in only in B&W and there are many diagrams in the pdf files I have to read.
The Kindle doesn’t require a WiFi signal–it works off of Sprint’s 3G high-speed data network. So, my guess is that it would get better coverage in the U.S., but don’t know about overseas.
New Sony Reader. 3G, Wi-Fi, touchscreen, etc.
Etc. = $399. Ouch.
That’s interesting. Once the prices of the Sony come down in a year or two, I may have to switch from the Kindle 2. Uncharacteristically, I bought my Kindle without doing much research, and without fully realizing the closed nature of the system I was buying into. While I’m basically happy with the Kindle, in principle I’d prefer an open system device. (One reason I haven’t gotten an iPhone.)
Hey, if I buy a Sony, can I still download books from Amazon?
Or is their closed format bi-directional?
I’m pretty sure that Amazon is only supporting the Kindle. That could change, of course.
I would really love to get any one of these devises. However, I am in no hurry, and somehow, I am getting the vibe that this may be like the early VHS and DVD machines - remember when those first ones cost over $1000 and today you can get them with pocket change?
I doubt they will be selling for $10 anytime soon, but once more manufacturers start getting into the mix, and new technology allows for color and storage, etc. - well, again - I think I can wait a year or two.
Oh, and how “waterproof” are these devises? Just wondering as I am one of those people who also like to sit in a nice warm bath and read a book on a cold December night.
I’ve never dunked my Kindle in water, so I don’t know, but I would think ‘not very’. It’s built like a cell phone. Plastic and buttons. Not water tight.
As for the price, it’s a lot cheaper now than it was when I got it. I go for long periods of never using it, with intermittent periods where I use it all the time. Just like I do with books in general.
I’ve also not tested my Kindle 2’s water resistance but I’d assume it is low. That said, if you’re wanting to use it around water a lot, there are waterproof covers that still allow operation. Don’t know if they’re great for a bathtub, but if I were on a boat a lot I’d probably use one.
And, according to the article, $90 cheaper than the equivalent Kindle.
I’m sure the Kindle is a good piece of hardware. But it is only sold in the US. There is a lot of competition to it that do quite a few things as good as or better without the limitations that the Kindle has.
I guess you could put your kindle in a gallon size ziploc bag. You could read it and press the buttons through the clear plastic, and it would make it a lot more splashproof. Though, I wouldn’t go deep-sea diving with it like that.
Just for the record, there’s also a 5" (non-touch-screen) Sony reader for $199.
I had never intended to read on my netbook or Storm. It’s just one of the side bonuses. And a real big one for me. It’s great. I will read on the netbook at home, or in a hotel. The Storm when I’m on the go…
Not being able to read the Stand in one sitting is not an issue for me. I’m sure some people will want to consider how long the battery will last.
And, like others, I really like the backlight feature. Great for reading in bed.
A neat side benefit is that I have the internet also right at my fingertips. I like reading historical novels. I can quickly do a little bit of my own research if I come upon something that I would like more information on. Lately it’s been WWII stuff. Want to see what an M26 tank looks like? Bingo, wiki to the rescue.
And on the netbook, I can download pretty much anything and do and conversion I need right there.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dissing the Kindle. I was thinking about getting one for my Wife, but since she has been using my/the netbook so much (more than just reading). That’s the way we are going to go.