I know absolutely nothing at all about Kindle. Especially Kindle + this or Kindle + that, etc. I don’t even know if Kindle is what I might be interested in.
I think I might be interested in a Kindle exclusively for reading books. But I don’t even know if that is all they are good for.
I need something way beyond Kindle for Dummies. I need something like Kindle for the Brain Dead.
Is there any help for the technology challenged?
Here’s a quick rundown. Kindle is very easy to use.
Kindle is mostly good for reading books; there are also publications you can read on it, but unless you get the large-format version (Kindle DX) that won’t be a pleasant experience. You can do things like annotations and notes, but it doesn’t sound like you would be very interested in that. Kindle is easier on the eyes for extended reading, compared to an iPad, for example, because of the technology of electronic ink vs back-lit screens.
Reading a book consists of going to the Home page on your Kindle, selecting a book from whatever is there, and then the book comes up on the screen at the beginning (or at the last place you stopped reading, if you had already started the book). You advance the pages by hitting a button. You can also go back to previous pages the same way.
Getting a book on the Kindle is a little more complicated. Once you receive the Kindle from Amazon, I think you can register it with them (or maybe they did that when you bought it, but I don’t think so). Then you can buy e-books from Amazon, or you can get free out-of-copyright e-books from various sources. With Amazon you can download them directly with wi-fi or 3G phone technology (if you have that version of Kindle), or you can download them to your computer and then copy them to the Kindle with a USB cable. The free book sites don’t offer wi-fi or 3G.
When you have read a book you can remove it from the Kindle if you want, although it will hold hundreds of books. After you have removed a book, it will still be on your computer or in your Amazon account, so you can re-load it later if you want to read it again.
When you are not reading, the Kindle goes into a sort of screen-saver mode, which actually saves power and prevents you from accidentall pushing the page button and going twenty pages ahead of where you left off. When you want to read again, you slide a button and the book comes back where you left off.
That’s all I can think of, but feel free to ask more specific questions, there are lots of Kindle owners around.
Roddy
The magic of ereaders is that they let you carry a bunch of books in an easy package and let you adjust the font. Being able to convert any book to “large print” to read is really nice sometimes.
As far as which reader to look at, here’s my pocket sized reviews:
Kindle – excellent for books, and Amazon’s integration makes them very easy to use. It’s the baseline eReader for a reason.
nook – the book ecosystem isn’t quite as polished as Kindle’s, but the device itself is arguably slicker. nooks can work with library loan systems, but it takes a couple ounces of tech-savviness to set up. The current model’s display is a little higher-tech than the Kindle’s, and doesn’t flash the display on page turns as much.
nook Color – has a color LCD screen that’s not as easy on the eyes as the Kindle / nook screens, but can be useful for reading in the dark and has some other features like usable web browser, ability to view picture books and magazines, and games and apps.
iPad – full-featured tablet computer than can double as a decent eReader, but is a bit large if you’re mostly looking to read books.
Everything else – there’s some good other readers and whatnots out there, but unless there’s a specific feature you desperately need, you’re better off with the tried-and-true options above.
Why do you think you might want a Kindle? What kind of features are you interested in?
Oh, and I wouldn’t buy one right now because they’re supposed to be coming out with a new generation in the fall.
Oh and if you have an Android based smartphone, you should be able to get a kindle app for your phone…for free. Then all you need is to buy the books. 
I believe you can also get one for the iPhone but I couldn’t imagine trying to read a whole book on the screen of my phone.
You can read free books from Project Gutenberg on your Kindle and it’s very simple. Just select the Kindle option on any book and you will download a .mobi file. Then just drag and drop the file to the Kindle through USB. If you want a well-known book published before roughly 1920, there is a good chance it will be available on Gutenberg so you can have hundreds of great books to read on your Kindle for free.
At least on my droid, you can adjust the font and how you want it displayed. Plus it’s in color sooooo it’s nice for certain books.
I’ve already adjusted the font on my Kindle to accommodate my crappy vision (presbyopia). If I tried to do that on a phone, I’d end up with two words per line and about five lines per screen - not my idea of a pleasurable way to read.
One thing about the Kindle is that the internet browsing capability is worse than nothing. It’s pretty much impossible to do anything on it. An iPad or an Android tablet are way better for internet stuff.
But Even Sven said the other day that she posted to the Dope using her Kindle. No one would tell me how that works.
StG
I would be interested in books only, particularly the larger print option. I have absolutely no use for a smartphone; in fact, I don’t even know what one is or why any anyone needs one----nothing snarky is intended by this.
I’ve tried to read several books available from the Gutenberg Project; reading a book on a computer screen just doesn’t seem to suit me for some reason. I think the Kindle might be more compatible with my interest or ability although I don’t know why I think this.
I just received an email offer from Amazon regarding various Kindle options; I suppose I would need the most basic one if I need one at all. I’m at an age where I really enjoy re-reading my old favorites and they are getting hard to fine and even, at my age, harder to read. Most of the ones I own are regular sized print and I’m having difficulty with them, especially the older ones. I guess I need someone to point to a particular Kindle and say “buy this one.”
One other question: are the books that are available particularly expensive?
I missed the edit time; I don’t think I have enough time left to read 3000+ books; what reading I do is from a wing back chair or from my bed, usually to put myself to sleep.
Most of the books I have wanted have been older classics and have been free. Many newer ones are roughly half the cost of a paperback, but for newly on the shelves popular books some are near full price.
This is one excellent reason to get a Kindle: you get a convenient, portable, easy-on-the-eyes way to read any of those Project Gutenberg books.
As noted, anything from before ~1920 is in the public domain. As long as it isn’t too obscure, you can get it for free from Project Gutenberg or other sites, and many such books can be “bought” for free directly from Amazon.com as well.
As for more recent books, it’s all over the place: sometimes the Kindle version is a little or a lot cheaper than the printed version, sometimes the Kindle is actually more expensive, and occasionally Kindle books get offered free or cheap for a limited time.
I have enjoyed a Kindle for three years now.
Other benefits are you can always get a “Sample” of any book free, and read the first one or two chapters. If you like it, you click on “buy now” and it will be downloaded to your Kindle. If not, just delete it.
The best thing for me is the ability to find a book on the Amazon site, buy it, and have it sent wirelessly right to the Kindle, where ever you may be. Books will be sent without having to even have a computer.
While I almost always use the largest of the fonts too, there is one thing about the screen. The brighter the light, the better the type looks. Unlike backlighted devices, you can read it in direct sunlight. Indoors, the brighter the lamp you use, the better it looks, exactly like the old pBooks (paper books).
For reading in bed, I have a good gooseneck lamp to shine directly on the screen. Also, there a lot of small portable lights than you can clip to the Kindle case.
Amazon’s customer service is among the best I have ever encountered, and most Kindle users agree. Once you have read about the device on the Amazon site, then give customer service a call, or email them with any questions, and I think you will find them very helpful.
Yeah, my Kindle died and they sent me a new one and told me to ship the old one back in the same box with prepaid shipping.
Do you want a large screen Kindle?
YES: Kindle DX ($379)
NO: Go to #2.
Do you have wireless Internet at home?
YES: Go to #3.
NO: Go to #4.
Do you want to see ads (not while reading a book, just on the screen saver and the menu) in exchange for a lower price?
YES: Kindle with special offers ($114)
NO: Kindle ($139)
Do you want to see ads (not while reading a book, just on the screen saver and the menu) in exchange for a lower price?
YES: Kindle 3G with special offers ($139)
NO: Kindle 3G ($189)
It depends. As Lantern (and others) have said, Project Gutenberg has converted a lot of books that are out of copyright and in the public domain to most of the different e-book formats, including Kindle’s, and has them available for free on their website. It’s likely that if the book you’re looking for was published before 1920, it’s available free on Project Gutenberg.
There are some other websites that have free (or nearly so) books available - Baen Free Library comes to mind. (They concentrate mostly on fantasy and sci-fi, which might not be your thing.) Others might be available.
Other kindle or e-book forums have threads devoted to steals and deals of the month - a web search will bring those up.
Otherwise, titles you buy from Amazon run anywhere from low low prices up to $15 - older books (or authors trying to break into the biz) are cheaper, new releases are more expensive. Most of the books I’ve looked at lately run from $7 - $10.
It is very easy to buy - Amazon has a “one-click” ordering system that can send the book directly to your Kindle after you purchase - so I can see that making it easy to purchase way more than you’d like. I deal with this by buying myself gift cards for $50 or so, and checking the balance frequently - that way I don’t splurge too much. The purchase is automatically deducted from your gift card balance, or added to the balance of your credit card on file with Amazon.
Library lending is coming to the Kindle sometime this year (supposedly). Overdrive is the service provider that is responsible and is the ebook provider to many if not most of the public libraries around the country. Contact your local library and see if they have ebooks for checkout, and if those are provided by Overdrive. If so, you will likely be able to check out new ebooks for free from your local library and read them on your kindle.
Also, Amazon has made a number of free games available for the kindle. They are simple games, generally word based, but are a good diversion when you want something other than book for a little while.