# E-book readers? Kindle? Please help. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 7, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944 "2011-10-07T21:56:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/21 "2011-10-08T09:37:20Z")
I’ve got a third-gen Kindle, and I have found that it is at least functional, if not particularly spectacular, for gmail and Facebook (you have to use the mobile versions of the websites for best results). Where it kinda falls short is that you have to type very slowly on the keyboard, or else you’ll get ahead of the Kindle and end up skipping letters. Or maybe I just type fast like a freak. Mind you, that’s still better than not having a keyboard, in my opinion. I’ll buy a book sometimes from Amazon, but more often if I buy books I’ll get them from Webscriptions, usually I end up paying $4-6 for an eBook, a bit less than a paperback costs nowadays. I still buy dead-tree books because they have certain practical advantages (for one thing, part of my job involves working in secure facilities. Kindles are a no-no due to the wireless transmitting capability, but dead tree books are just fine.) If possible, I would suggest finding a place where you can play with the various offerings and see how they feel to you. I know Best Buy offers various different models of eBook readers. I’m loving my Kindle 3, and I’m seriously tempted to get the Kindle Fire (how dumb do I feel that it took me two days to realize that the name of that device is a bit of a pun?). I am also wondering if they will make a DX-sized version of the Fire, and if they will call it a Bonfire. In any case, I’m snickering at the idea of throwing eBooks into a Fire. Not sure if Amazon thought that one through enough. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/22 "2011-10-08T10:54:40Z")
Moving to Cafe Society, from IMHO, to where the more bookish discussions lay. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/23 "2011-10-10T01:26:49Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > I’ve got a third-gen Kindle, and I have found that it is at least functional, if not particularly spectacular, for gmail and Facebook (you have to use the mobile versions of the websites for best results). > > Where it kinda falls short is that you have to type very slowly on the keyboard, or else you’ll get ahead of the Kindle and end up skipping letters. Or maybe I just type fast like a freak. > > Mind you, that’s still better than not having a keyboard, in my opinion. > > I’ll buy a book sometimes from Amazon, but more often if I buy books I’ll get them from Webscriptions, usually I end up paying $4-6 for an eBook, a bit less than a paperback costs nowadays. I still buy dead-tree books because they have certain practical advantages (for one thing, part of my job involves working in secure facilities. Kindles are a no-no due to the wireless transmitting capability, but dead tree books are just fine.) > > If possible, I would suggest finding a place where you can play with the various offerings and see how they feel to you. I know Best Buy offers various different models of eBook readers. > > I’m loving my Kindle 3, and I’m seriously tempted to get the\*\* Kindle Fire (how dumb do I feel that it took me two days to realize that the name of that device is a bit of a pun?\*\*). I am also wondering if they will make a DX-sized version of the Fire, and if they will call it a Bonfire. > > In any case, I’m snickering at the idea of throwing eBooks into a Fire. Not sure if Amazon thought that one through enough. [Bolding mine] I didn’t catch it until someone very recently mentioned it on a message board. I also just found out today that the library lending feature was working for Kindles. So to try it out I downloaded the first Nero Wolfe mystery. I’ve never read any of them, I can’t wait to start. Our library system only lends ebooks for 10 days! Regular paper books are for 3 weeks. Oh well, 10 days is more than enough most of the time. I’ll have to look into their policy on renewing ebooks. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/24 "2011-10-10T03:25:21Z")
You can also get a Kindle for PC and Kindle for [smartphone of choice] app, and bypass getting a reader all together, if you just want the ebooks and don’t need a reader. Amazon will sync what you’re reading between all devices, too. I like having all that in my smartphone, and don’t have to carry extra devices. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/25 "2011-10-10T07:44:42Z")
I have a Sony Reader that my kids got me last Christmas. While I absolutely love it, I’m not crazy about the cost of ebooks everywhere. I honestly expected most, if not all, ebooks to be ridiculously cheap. My main disappointment with the Reader is the skimpy number of periodicals available. I might get one of the ad-supported Kindles just for newspapers and magazines. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/26 "2011-10-10T10:08:08Z")
I ordered a Kindle this weekend - I chose the new cheap non-keyboard version, as I only want it for reading rather than any web browsing etc. While I appreciate SDMB doesn’t condone it, I have found various torrents with .mobi format ebooks and have at least 1000 books ready to read. I have lined up a few purchases on the Amazon site, but if you know where to look (and have questionable morals) you can get many classic (and more recent) books free. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/27 "2011-10-10T10:10:06Z")
As far as the classics go, you can get many of those for free, without moral conflict. Project Gutenberg has been mentioned before, it’s an online repository of eBook versions of books that have gone out of copyright. For the most part, if I want a new eBook, I just buy it. Depending on which books and where you buy them, many of them are fairly cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/28 "2011-10-10T12:18:59Z")
My MIL has a first gen Kindle that was given to her by her sister. She hates it: so now it’s ended up with us. I wouldn’t use it, because my iPod Touch does everything better and is more portable. I use my iPod as more of a computer/entertainment system: it fits nicely in my purse, which a Kindle or a laptop can’t do. The Kindle Fire for some reason is tempting: it will only be $199, according to FOX News. Amazon’s free book list is amazing. You can get a lot of classic books on there. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/29 "2011-10-10T13:21:04Z")
> [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > My MIL has a first gen Kindle that was given to her by her sister. She hates it: so now it’s ended up with us. I wouldn’t use it, because my iPod Touch does everything better and is more portable. I use my iPod as more of a computer/entertainment system: it fits nicely in my purse, which a Kindle or a laptop can’t do. The Kindle Fire for some reason is tempting: it will only be $199, according to FOX News. > > Amazon’s free book list is amazing. You can get a lot of classic books on there. Do you read novels on your iPod?? I can’t see how that works very well? I took the the view that a Kindle replicates the functionality of a book - i.e. passively displays words for reading novels, rather than rich content features and websites. It does sound like some people expect Kindles to be more like an iPad, whereas in fact they fit their niche perfectly but aren’t great when taken out of it (unlike the iPad which does loads of stuff really well, but nothing exceptionally well). ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/30 "2011-10-10T14:12:00Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > Do you read novels on your iPod?? I can’t see how that works very well? I can! The text is surprisingly easy to read, and easy to enlarge if there’s a problem. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/31 "2011-10-10T16:44:06Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > 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. Thanks for the heads-up. This just pushes me more and more towards the nook as they can be [converted into full blown Android tablets](http://www.rootmynookcolor.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/32 "2011-10-10T18:45:12Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Thanks for the heads-up. This just pushes me more and more towards the nook as they can be [converted into full blown Android tablets](http://www.rootmynookcolor.com/). What’s the Nook cost? Cause for $200, you can get the Kindle Fire, which _is_ an Android tablet. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/33 "2011-10-10T18:53:06Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > What’s the Nook cost? Cause for $200, you can get the Kindle Fire, which _is_ an Android tablet. $249 on B&N’s [site](http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nookcolor/index.asp). ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/34 "2011-10-10T20:07:40Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > What’s the Nook cost? Cause for $200, you can get the Kindle Fire, which _is_ an Android tablet. $139 if one can live with black and white which should be fine for ebooks. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/35 "2011-10-10T20:33:43Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > $139 if one can live with black and white which should be fine for ebooks. Why would you want a black and white android tablet just to read ebooks? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/36 "2011-10-10T21:31:13Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > $139 if one can live with black and white which should be fine for ebooks. Does the $139 one run on Android? I only know for sure that the Fire does (it’s an Amazon-customized version of Android, but they have gone on record saying they don’t mind if folks mod their Kindle Fires later) ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/37 "2011-10-10T23:09:21Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > Why would you want a black and white android tablet just to read ebooks? 😕 I don’t see a color display as dramatically enhancing my ebook experience and as Shakester noted, the Kindle doesn’t talk to Linux. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/38 "2011-10-10T23:16:03Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > I don’t see a color display as dramatically enhancing my ebook experience and as Shakester noted, the Kindle doesn’t talk to Linux. The Kindle devices talk Linux just fine. They look like USB storage devices. The Kindle reader for a PC does not have a linux version. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/39 "2011-10-10T23:35:09Z")
Hey, I publish books for the Kindle! My books are cheap! And … sleazy! Yeah, you’ll want to wash off you e-reader pretty darned thoroughy after reading them, but … cheap! (Not allowed to mention titles, sorry!) And a lot of other self-publishers do the same! ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944/40 "2011-10-10T23:44:46Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > The Kindle devices talk Linux just fine. They look like USB storage devices. The Kindle reader for a PC does not have a linux version. Well, okay then. I you needed that to talk to the Kindle. I might take another look at Kindle. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-readers-kindle-please-help/598944.md?page=3)