For a while now I’ve intrigued by the thought of buying an e-reader device along the lines of the Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook or an Apple iPad.
I’ve taken a look at all three at local electronics stores. The Nook was intriguing as it was similar to the Kindle, but it also has one with a color screen, which sounded nice. When I actually played with one, however, it didn’t seem to be as responsive as the Kindle, and I just didn’t like the feel.
The iPad was amazing, but with the high price point it’s out of reach for now. I’d have to pay more than my current laptop to buy one!
When I tried the Kindle I really liked the way it felt in my hand, and how quick and responsive it was. I also loved how readable the e-ink technology was. Much easier to read than a harsh backlit screen. So for now, I’m leaning towards the Kindle.
When thinking about purchasing an e-reader like the Kindle, one thing holding me back has been the fact that in order to use it on a regular basis I would have to be purchasing all of my books on Amazon, and it could quickly lead to paying a lot more money than I had intended.
Recently, however, I found that there are a ton of free books online that you can download for Kindle.
I downloaded the Kindle app for my iPod Touch and a desktop version of the Kindle reader, and started reading some of the books. I’ve actually read several of the free books now on my iPod Touch, and while it was enjoyable, I’d prefer to have a larger screen.
Just a few weeks ago Amazon announced that some of the books for sale on their Kindle Store would now be available to loan to friends.
So basically, if you’ve bought a book for your Kindle, when you’re done with it you can lend it out to one friend for 2 weeks.
Your friend can then read the book, and when the 2 weeks are up, the book becomes available on your Kindle devices again. Not all books are available to lend, however. When you’re viewing Kindle eBooks on Amazon.com, you’ll notice in the product details that some books say “Lending: Enabled”.
Unfortunately the two new release books I bought within the past 2 months are not lending enabled. In any event, the lending of Kindle ebooks makes it that much more attractive to me, and sites are already springing up to help match people up to lend and borrow books with other people. Here are a few of them:
- Kindle Lending Club
- Ebook Fling
At this point I’m thinking I may ask for a Kindle for my birthday. I love to read, the Kindle seems to have plenty of free options for reading as well, and the fact that it now also has a .pdf reader means I might actually read those 20-30 .pdf e-books that I’ve been sent to review for this site.
Plus it’s affordable, starting at a low price point. So what do you think folks? Do any of you have a Kindle, and what do you think of it? I’d love to hear your feedback!
UPDATE: I ended up buying the Kindle. Check out my review and a thorough listing of places to get free ebooks for kindle and other e-readers here: Kindle and Free Ebooks.
My wife and I each received a Kindle for Christmas. They are truly one of the best gifts we’ve ever received. We are both reading more often; so much so, that we are about to the point of dropping our cable. We are buying more books now, but the new “reading” lifestyle that we’ve adopted is much better than wasting time in front of the TV.
There’s another vote for the Kindle. I really should be reading more often – it’s so easy to get caught up in watching TV – I think this would be the added boost i need to read more.
I got one for Christmas Peter and I love it. I did a lot of research my-self before deciding on the Kindle. The thing that did it for me was the amount of books available for the Kindle compared to the others specifically the Nook. Searched for 25 books on both websites and all 25 was available for the Kindle only 19 for the nook. I purchased the wi-fi only model and have not been disappointed in the least.
My vote is Kindle.
John
Thanks for the feedback. Interesting to note in your limited sample that 6 books weren’t available on the nook. Wonder how many are available for each device in general – and if it’s that much better on the Kindle?
It’s kind of hard to tell. B&M touts 2 million titles. Amazon advertises 810,000 plus 1.2 million in free and out of copy-write books. That give Amazon a 10,000 advantage. That being said it seemed that there were more Christian titles or at least the ones I wanted to read available for Kindle.
John
I’ve been intrigued with the Kindle as well.
I know some libraries offer up eBooks. D you know if they could be used on a Kindle?
I’m not sure if you can, my guess is probably no? Maybe someone who has one can offer an opinion on that.
UPDATE: after doing some research it sounds like the Kindle does not support library ebook formats out of the box, but there are programs that can convert the files for you without removing the DRM of the library books.
Good stuff! I’ve also been looking into the Nook.
I have a class this semester that is requiring me to purchase an online book. I really hate having to read course material on my computer (already on it all day). I’m thinking a Kindle or Nook might be worth the purchase. I also discovered I can save the ebook into a pdf format (needed to read on these readers).
Thanks for the info Peter!
I love my Kindle. The e-ink is so much easier on your eyes than an LCD. Also, you can convert e-pub formatted books to a format that you can read on Kindle with a free program called Calibre. Like you said, there are many free books from Kindle, as well as frequent discounted books. However, you have to be careful because you’ll occasionally run across a book that’s cheaper in paper than on the Kindle. In my opinion, the Kindle is the best – hands down.
I bought a Kindle 3 at the end of November. I’m often beset with buyer’s remorse, at least for a few days, but not so with the Kindle. I wanted to get into the classics and have downloaded over 200 of them for free. I figured that if I had paid $1 each for used paperback versions, I am way ahead. Plus, some publishers will put their books of sale for free, perhaps only for one day. For instance, I have R. C. Sproul’s commentary on John and his Can I Know God’s Will? for free.
I like to read outside, something that’s difficult to do with a backlit screen. The Kindle is great for outdoors. Since it’s not backlit, of course, there are times you need a light source. I bought the Amazon leather cover with the built-in light. It’s a little pricy, but it protects my Kindle and I always have light.
The Kindle is better than a paper book. The fonts are exceptionally clear and can be resized. Try doing that with a paper book.
Thinking about getting a Kindle? Nothing to think about!
Well, there’s one more glowing review for the Kindle. :) I wonder – does anyone have anything negative to say about kindle – or positive about any other e-readers?
I got to say the Kindle is a keeper. I bought one cash from Amazon.com because they were back up for months at Staples. But it is AWESOME! What made me want to get the kindle, as far as my situation, is that fact that I already had 320 eBooks/PDF files to read. It just made since to me. I went by word of mouth as far as the other devices. So I leaned to the Kindle. I have the $189 with the 3G and 1 year warranty.
But what make the Kindle better is ME. Why? Because I use it for more or other uses that probably the Kindle makers didn’t consider. I am a teacher and pastor (of a Hip-Hop style Church), plus I am a Christian Hip-hop artists.
For example today. I used a Word document to make notes for a concert of a Word the Lord gave me. I converted it to a PDF file, put it on the Kindle, bookmarked and highlight key points and PREACHED right off the Kindle. What I also did was, since I am horrible at remembering my song order for performance (because I use CD’s rather than live band), I wrote the song order in a word document, converted it to PDF files, and highlighted on the way to the event the songs the Lord was leaning me towards. When I got on the stage, I looked at the Kindle and picked out the songs that would better meet the needs of the audience.
So you can get really creative with the Kindle, especially by inspiration of the Spirit.
On the way to the event, I read business books on starting a Christian business and financial PDF’s that I converted from notes off of here at Bible Money Matters. So I wrote notes and ideas for the design of my business site. I did all this today. It’s almost, to me, like a little PDA than a “PDF” reader.
Get the Kindle! It’s an investment!
Add me to the list of Kindle enthusiasts. I like it better than the iPad because the Kindle’s less functional, if that makes any sense. When I’m reading, I want to read; I don’t want to be one keystroke away from checking my email or playing Frogger.
a) You can make your blog available on the Kindle. We have lots of subscribers to Control Your Cash: every post downloads to their Kindles automatically like an RSS feed;
b) Battery life is amazing. No backlight = longer life. No backlight also means you can read in the sun with zero glare.
One more thing – if you’re thinking of getting the large one – the Kindle DX – be careful. It comes in two colors: the old one is white and the new one is gray (graphite). Get the white one. It’s $75 cheaper and otherwise indistinguishable from the gray one.
I’m thinking about the $139 Kindle with Wi-Fi. That should do everything I want it to. I also like the fact that it is meant for reading, not 100 different things. I want to read more, not be tempted by a million and one other things. I’ve got a laptop and ipod touch for that. :)
My site is already available via Amazon for the kindle! If you have one, check it out and let me know how it reads!
I received a Kindle last Christmas and I love it. I’ve been eyeing this device for months! I guess my mother knew that I would never buy it. So far, I have read 20 ebooks for the past 30 days.
You should definitely get one Peter.
My parents gave my husband and me a Kindle for Christmas. If you do read a lot, it is worth it. I listen to a ton of audio books while I work, so I haven’t really touched the Kindle much, but it is easy to read and you can change the text size based on your eye sight. It is exactly what it says it is, which I appreciate.
I don’t make time to read many hardback/paperback books, I don’t think buying a digital e-reader will do much to change that for me. So I haven’t checked any of them out, sorry not much help. Thanks for the mention though!
I donno yo. I’m in Apple land in SF, so I’d just get the Ipad 2 no brainer!
I love my kindle. With a 2-year-old wanting attention, the hassle of dropping my book then trying to find my page again and again was aggravating. With the Kindle, I can just set it up on the shelf and it will save my place, shut itself off, and be ready again when I can pick it up again. I also love that I can be reading several books at once on it – usually one self-chosen fiction, my book club selection, something for work or school, etc. I saw someone mention electronic textbooks – I can read those right on there too, as long as they are in the right format.