I would like to get an e-book reader. However, I can’t spend tons of money on books to go with it. I was doing some perfunctory reading up on the Kindle, and it sounds like they’re charging 13 or 14 bucks apiece for e-books? That’s really not in my budget. Is it still worth getting a Kindle if all I can afford is free public domain books and free wifi?
Also, what is the point of wifi access if the device doesn’t have a keyboard? Like the new kindles that just have arrows on them, how does that work? And the touchscreen model… does that include an on-screen keyboard? What is the internet like when you browse it on a Kindle?
Another question. Can I transfer existing e-book files (doc and pdf formats) from a PC onto a Kindle, or any other e-book reader? I would be willing to trade a certain amount of reader quality for the ability to load in any file I want. Are there converters out there that can do this? Or can you only upload files to current e-book readers using their proprietary software applications, that you paid for on their proprietary website?
I like the idea of owning a Kindle, and they’re certainly marketed well. And I miss reading; I used to read alllll the time when I was a kid. But the books I read back then were, more often than not, obtained for $0.25 or less at Goodwill/annual liquidations at my local library. There doesn’t seem to be a “cheap option” like this for e-books.
I can answer your question about book cost. I’m cheap. I usually don’t pay (or pay a minimal amount) for books. The Kindle store has 2 different “Top 100” lists that are updated hourly. The first lists books that cost something. The second list is the “Top 100 Free” books. I shop this free list and get most of my books from that list. Every once in a while I will buy a book, but there’s enough interesting on the free list that I don’t have to.
The newer Kindles have an onscreen keyboard. I can’t comment on its ease of use. The internet through a Kindle is slow and clunky, it’s only any good for browsing the Amazon shop and text based sites such as wikipedia.
I don’t think it will read .doc files but the Kindle will read PDFs and you can transfer from your PC to the Kindle the way you can with any external drive. There are free PDF printers available that will let you convert your .doc to .pdf. I also second the recommendation for Calibre, great program.
I chose a Nook, (which I purchased through eBay, because there isn’t really room in my budget for a reader or books) because my local library system didn’t offer Kindle books. They now do.
For downloading and transferring I use Adobe Digital Editions, also a free download.
Oh, how exciting! Especially that rotating top 100 list. I’m totally getting a Kindle, then. Probably one of the ad-supported ones
Pretty much everything I’ve read puts the Kindle > Nook for my purposes. Including its price tag.
How does renting e-books from the library work? Do you get a limited time copy for free? Do you have to go to the physical library building or can you do it online?
Checking out books from the library is super simple, you can do it online, and it is free. You do get the books for a limited time period, about three weeks. Just like hard copies, libraries have a certain number of each book in electronic form so you may be on a waiting list. At the end of the rental period the book disappears from your device.
My daughter just told me yesterday about Lendle a new website for loaning and borrowing books for the Kindle. Amazon allows you to loan your books to someone else for a two week period. Not all books are loanable; it depends on the publisher/author and each book may only be loaned once. If you are willing to loan your books, you get credits towards borrowing books just for listing books that you own. I have not borrowed any books yet, but have already loaned one.
Calibre is great I use it. However it will not let you convert books protected by DRM, which are most books you pay for. The question of can you convert ebooks in one format to a kindle supported format is complicated.
The new Sony Reader WiFi lets you wirelessly check out books from local libraries.
I don’t have the new one, I have an older one that lets me use my PC to check out ebooks from the library and then transfer them to my Reader. It’s pretty cool, but ebook selection is wildly sporadic.
As a plus, when the book is due, it “expires” so you never have a late fee again!
Sony Readers support open format (PDF and ePub) so you can pretty much read anything out there, unlike a Kindle which requires getting books from Amazon. Mine has a great, crystal clear touch screen, the ability to play audio files (which can be kind of cool), holds 1000+ books, takes an SD card (for even more storage) and the battery lasts for weeks and weeks.
Mine is pink, which I love. I think the new WiFi ones only come in black, red and white.
My year old Kindle is great for reading straight-through narratives like novels and essays, including expensive ones and free ones. It works really well for browsing Amazon and buying a book without even getting up - the cat sleeps through the whole process on my lap, and I’m reading again in less than a minute.
The Kindle can read PDFs, but if they are technical like mine with lots of detailed graphics, it’s a bit of work. Much less pleasing than paper.
I have used it for Wikipedia but it’s a little clumsy at it. Web browsing is kind of painful.
Does it support ePub format? ePub is an open format that many libraries lend. And they can be made using the Calibre software mentoned earlier, or another editor named Sigil.
I just figured out how to do this today. I went to my library’s website and logged in using my library card. I could then search the catalogue, request ebooks, and download them. I have the Adobe Digital Editions software on my computer; it can decode the encryption of the borrowed ebooks. (When the borrowing period is over, the ebook ‘expires’ and vanishes from the computer; it is then available for another customer of the library. Obviously, they have some sort of license management going on.)
The library offers apps for various mobile phones, iPads, tablets, etc, to do the same thing. It also lists what book readers are compatible with its ebooks. The library ebooks seem to be available as mostly ePub or PDF format; I didn’t see mention of the Kindle format.
Just another vote for Calibre - it’s must-have software for anyone with an e-reader.
I’d also recommend downloading Kindle for PC (or Mac) from Amazon to try it out. You can grab a few of the free books to get the hang of how it all works before paying a cent to anyone. There are also versions for various iPad-like things.
I wish Amazon would release a Kindle for Linux version so I don’t have to reboot into Windows to use it, but Amazon doesn’t seem to care. There is a Linux version of Calibre, though, so I can do most things without having to switch OSes.
I have a nook (yes, spelled with a small N), which is Barnes&Noble’s ereader. My daughter got it for me for Christmas, and I thought that I’d hate it. Instead, I love it. I went out today and was quite distressed that I’d forgotten the thing.
As others have said, there are free books out there, if you’re willing to look for them. I’ve also found that I can get collections of books and stories by my old favorite authors. For instance, I got a collection of Agatha Christie novels and short stories for under $4, and another collection of Andre Norton novels and short stories for about the same price. So I got the equivalent of 10 or 15 books for under eight bucks, which I regard as a bargain.
I have the original black and white nook, and I have to say, while it’s easy to read the text, the graphics (if any) leave a lot to be desired. Some of the Christie stories, for instance, make reference to maps or letters or whatever which just didn’t make it into the digital version of the story. I have several Barbara Hambly books in the nook, and some of them have maps at the front of the book. In a dead tree book, I can just flip to the front of the book to refresh my memory, but in the nook, it’s somewhat more complicated, plus the graphics just don’t seem to show as much detail.
I do like the way I can change the size of the letters and the font style.
And the damned chess game always whups my ass when I try to play it.
I have to vote for a Kobo. I loooove mine. Books are pretty cheap with my kobo account, and they’re always sending me sale codes for 20% off, that sort of thing.
Amazon has thousands of decent e-books for a buck or so. Yes, some of the best-sellers are almost as expensive as the hardback for a while. But there are many, many other books by decent authors that are dirt cheap.
