Post: #51

After reading this thread I decided to buy my first Kindle. I got the paperwhite, wifi sans ads. It's great, I've already read two books: The Way of Men and The Rationale Male, and am a third of the way through Quintus's Thirty Seven. The kindle makes it easy to flip between books, which I've been doing quite a bit. I've only read books that I've bought through amazon so far, but it doesn't seem too difficult to add your own stuff.

One bonus that I believed I'd find very useful, which has been confirmed, is the dictionary function. Not only can I quickly tap and learn the meaning of the odd English word that I'm unfamiliar with, particularly in Quintus's book, but the same function exists for other languages as well. This can really assist you in improving your foreign language learning

For example, my Portuguese ability is strong conversationally, but since I've never had any formal education in the language there are words that elude me when reading high-level literature. I can usually get by, filling in with context and making an educated guess using my Spanish skills, but it's very nice to be able to learn what a word means and add it to my vocabulary without having a physical dictionary at hand. I'm fine using a standard Portuguese dictionary but you could also download a Portuguese-English dictionary, or whatever you prefer. I'll likely do this for Russian as well, with a Russian-English dictionary as my Русский язык ability improves.

I'm currently ready The Book of Disquiet, o Livro do Desassossego, by Pessoa, which is one of the classics of modern Portuguese literature. Might take me a while but it's worth it to read the original and practice my Portuguese as well. After I started reading it, I glanced at an English copy and saw that the 'chapters' were completely out of order, with no explanation given. I understand that Pessoa's writings and notebooks had to be organized into the book by Portuguese scholars in the early 80s, so I don't know why the translators would reorganize them. Anyway, great book so far.

Post: #52

Keep in mind the Portuguese dictionary on the Kindle is for Brazilian Portuguese, not European. I don't personally know if there is a large difference, but Amazon makes a point of clearly marking it as Brazilian.

Post: #53

(01-15-2015 11:43 PM)Cincinnatus Wrote:  Somebody feel free to talk me into it. Or talk me away from doing so.

I enjoy reading quite a bit, and while nothing compares to opening a bound book, I think it's time I join the 21st century and get an eReader such as Kindle. Instant access to tons of books, supposedly no more stressful on the eyes than a regular book, the ability to carry many books around in one device that's thinner than a paperback, etc.

Apparently, I can even borrow books via Kindle from friends, and probably from the local library.

For those of you that have it, which I'm sure is many, what's your overall opinion?

I recommend it for reading short novels and pirated book pdfs. They're absolutely great for that.

Something like a 500 page book...I need to hold it in my hand, flip through the pages, make notes on it, etc.

But I'd say it's a good investment. Very handy when traveling.

Post: #54

Love the narrated features & the ability to have thousands of books at the touch of my finger tips...since buying my Kindle Fire a month ago I've gone through 5 books

So far best purchase of the new year

Post: #55

Don't get a Kindle. It's inhuman. I'll always prefer physical media.

Post: #56

(02-17-2015 04:48 PM)blairnaso Wrote:  Don't get a Kindle. It's inhuman. I'll always prefer physical media.

???

Don't get a car. It's inhuman. I'll always prefer a horse.

Any other inventions you would prefer not to use? Washing machines, drills, socks, refrigerators?

Post: #57

^ Lol

I'm sure others have said it, but get the basic Kindle or the Paperwhite/Voyage- standard tablet screens are bad for your eyes, and we already do too much of that by being on our phones a lot. The display on Kindle's is weird, it doesn't even appear electronic in a way. It's great for reading.

Kindle's also good because you can see a book you like and can literally be reading it within a minute. But, be wary of impulse buying though, as that 1-click thing doesn't put it in a basket like normal books, as soon as you click - you've paid.

Post: #58

(02-20-2015 01:39 PM)Teedub Wrote:  ^ Lol

I'm sure others have said it, but get the basic Kindle or the Paperwhite/Voyage- standard tablet screens are bad for your eyes, and we already do too much of that by being on our phones a lot. The display on Kindle's is weird, it doesn't even appear electronic in a way. It's great for reading.

Kindle's also good because you can see a book you like and can literally be reading it within a minute. But, be wary of impulse buying though, as that 1-click thing doesn't put it in a basket like normal books, as soon as you click - you've paid.

You can self service refund a Kindle book on Amazon within 7 days of purchase. If you buy the book off the website and not the Kindle, there is even a message asking if it was an accident and directing you to the refund tool if so.

Post: #59

You can always download the Kindle app for your smartphone or for your Windows PC.

I don't own a kindle. I do own smartphones and a computer. Amazon will also synch your reading across devices. If you get to page 56 on one device, it will take you to page 56 on the other device.

Post: #60

I have an old school Kindle with a non back lit screen which I prefer.

Highly recommend them, the advantage being all your books are in one place and the ability to get new book instantly.

In saying that, if I could snap my fingers and have all the books in the flesh on a nice book shelf, I would.
I've been thinking about setting up an auto alert for the titles on my countries version of ebay for second hand versions.

Post: #61

I have a 2nd generation Kindle that has spent the vast majority of the time in a drawer the last two years. Unless I'm many hours away from a power outlet and a charger, I always use the Kindle app on my Nexus 7 (2013) tablet, or when I'm not at home or in a hotel, on my phone (a 5.5" screen at the smallest font setting my eyes can comfortably handle, mean that the amount of page flipping I have to do is not at a level where it bothers me at all).

(02-20-2015 01:39 PM)Teedub Wrote:  I'm sure others have said it, but get the basic Kindle or the Paperwhite/Voyage- standard tablet screens are bad for your eyes, and we already do too much of that by being on our phones a lot. The display on Kindle's is weird, it doesn't even appear electronic in a way. It's great for reading.

Is that still an genuine issue with modern screen technology? I thought that pretty much went away with CRT screens.
As long as I have a comfortable font size and color scheme I never have significant problems with eye strain, beyond what I can also feel if I'm reading a paper book for extended periods of time without breaks.
(Black text on grey or lightly colored background, like sepia in the Kindle app, is most relaxing for my eyes. White or light grey text on black background - screen or print - makes my eyes back for mercy within seconds, even though I've seen it touted as supposedly more relaxing than the traditional black on white.)
So far I'm one of very few in my family without glasses or contacts. Though I actually was prescribed reading glasses in my early 20s, supposedly from eye strain from too much reading. All in old fashioned paper books. The need for glasses went away within a few months though.

Post: #62

Didn't want to start a new thread to ask this question, and this seemed like the best place for it.

Does anyone know if it is possible to transfer gift card balance from the US amazon.com store to the store of a different country? I've logged onto both amazon.es and amazon.fr and both displayed a gift card balance of 0.00EU, but the balance is there on my US account. I've done some online searches but have not been able to find any meaningful, worthwhile information.

Post: #63

Don't buy a kindle. I did, and so far never use it - although I plan to still.

Practically speaking, I either have my phone on me - traveling or my laptop - at home, from which you can read kindle for free with apps/software.

The only occasion for an actual kindle is long distance traveling while alone, or sitting outside tanning at beach, etc.

Post: #64

I've been using the Kindle reading apps since they came out. I've built up a library of over 750 Kindle books in that time. I haven't read half of them at this point.

I bought a Kindle Fire HD a couple years ago. I wanted the voice reading, since I was hoping I could read more by having the books read to me. I don't use it anywhere near as much as I thought I would.

I mostly read on my iPhone and iPad and use the Kindle to watch Netflix at night while I'm winding down. I was able to install the Kindle for Windows app on my work laptop, so I can do some reading during downtime instead of mindless surfing.

The problem with Amazon's Kindle ecosystem is they tend to favor iOS and Android and neglect other platforms. I had a Windows Phone last year, but the Kindle app was no good. You can't highlight or make notes and it won't sync your place. The Kindle app is one of the main reasons I went back to the iPhone. Also, the Kindle app for Windows 8.x is really weak too.

For those who are big on notes and highlights, Amazon has a page (kindle.amazon.com) where you can review all the notes and highlights you've made in your books.

The biggest weakness with the platform is when you download a .mobi book. Since Amazon keeps notes and highlights in the cloud, if you independently download a .mobi file, you can only see your notes and highlights on the device you made them on. You can't copy the file off the device and retain them.

Post: #65

So which one is better:

Mobi or epub (convert to mobi)?

Not sure which one to use for my torrented files.

Some people say converted epubs look better than mobi books even though .Mobi is the format for kindle.

Post: #66

(03-21-2015 07:29 AM)emuelle1 Wrote:  For those who are big on notes and highlights, Amazon has a page (kindle.amazon.com) where you can review all the notes and highlights you've made in your books.

The biggest weakness with the platform is when you download a .mobi book. Since Amazon keeps notes and highlights in the cloud, if you independently download a .mobi file, you can only see your notes and highlights on the device you made them on. You can't copy the file off the device and retain them.

This site will import and organise clippings from your kindle no matter where the book is from, syncs to Evernote as well
https://clippings.io/

"I'd hate myself if I had that kind of attitude, if I were that weak." - Arnold

Post: #67

(05-07-2015 09:02 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  Mobi or epub (convert to mobi)?
Some people say converted epubs look better than mobi books even though .Mobi is the format for kindle.

In my opinion .mobi is better. Converted .epub are wonky and the margins/spacing usually comes out wrong.

Im using Calibre on Linux Mint to convert them.

Post: #68

Using Kindle on iPad >>>> regular Kindle

Post: #69

Amazon is having a sale on their Amazon Fire for 39.99 - 10 bucks off.

For 40 bucks this is a pretty good deal, I got one for 35 at xmas and gave a couple away.

Good for skype and surfing. I downloaded a few movies that helped pass time, which is a great.

Post: #70

Just use the kindle app for your phone. It works great.

Post: #71

I like my Kindle a lot, I have owned two of them.

A Kindle Fire is not the same as a Kindle, that is basically a tablet.

Regular Kindles use "E-ink", which is the same magnetic shit they have going on in an Etch-a-Sketch.

This is very easy on the eyes and allows the Kindle to go for two or three weeks of hard use before you need to charge it again. The Kindle screen also doesn't fuck with your sleep cycle like a computer or phone screen does. If you like to read before bedtime like I do, the Kindle is a smart option.

The newest Kindles are very light, weighing in at 6 ounces.

I get about 10% more reading done with a Kindle because I can flip pages faster with it (unbelievable, but the page flipping time does add up, lol). I also get more work done with it because it doesn't have the capability to browse the Internet very well, which leads to distraction.

I also have like 100 books on a device that weighs 6 ounces.

I can say the Kindle singlehandedly speeds up my ability to move from place to place by about an hour because I don't have to box up 100 books and carry a bookshelf.

Even if it cost $200 I would still buy one. I'm not going to go into huge detail, but I have saved at least $1000 on college textbooks if you know what I mean. Not having to carry 40 lbs of textbooks means I have way more room for other shit in my backpack. If you deal with physical books a lot, the Kindle pays for itself many times over in more ways than one.

To add to all this, if you like reading the classics, you can get them for free because they are all public domain. The Bible, Greek mythology, Shakespeare's plays, old works of philosophy, if it was made before (I forget what year, 100 years ago?), it's free.

I read every volume of Sherlock Holmes and the complete works of H. P. Lovecraft on my kindle. This would have cost me $60. The Kindle cost $40. Get a kindle if you like to read a lot.

Post: #72

I have an older Kindle Paperwhite from 2011 and its still going strong, I love the thing. I have a leather folio with built in led thats much easier on the eyes than a backlit tablet. I travel often for work and try to fly only with a 2000 cu in backpack as a carry on so Ill take any space savings I can get. Ill go through a book easily on a cross country or over water flight and I dislike having to either carry several books or throw them away.

The free classics are icing on the cake.

Post: #73

I like the feeling of reading a book and holding it in my hands

However

1) I have like 425 eBooks on my Kindle; it would be impossible to lug that many books around
2) I may or may not have acquired many of these books for free. Of course, I paid for all of them after "previewing" them (PM me for more info)
3) It has a backlight and I can read at night without turning a bright room light on (that would later hinder my ability to fall asleep)
4) Surprisingly very little eyestrain. For instance, if I look at my phone for an hour, it feels like my eyes are gonna fall out. If I read my Kindle, it's like reading a book (maybe even better) and at night, it seems to help me fall asleep (vs. looking at phone - easy way to stay up)

Edit: I've had mine for ~3.5-4 years and no problems

Post: #74

I got gifted a Kindle Paperwhite.

I've always been an avid book reader but I have no nostalgia over not being able to physically turn the page.

Who cares? It's just a tool for you to learn from. And in that it also does a better job than physical books as you can easily export your notes and highlights as well as back them to the cloud.

Fantastic tool for learning, let alone space and cost savings.

Post: #75

Have had the paperwhite for about two years and love it, don't mind reading it at all. I'm trying to read all my physical books and then donate them so I don't have them taking up space or have to worry about lugging them around.

Benefits:
-learning a language, touch your word and get the english definition, no need to look it up
-compact, easy to travel with, read on public transportation, conducive to minimalist lifestyle
-access to nearly unlimited number of free books online, gutenberg.org has everything that is in public domain, great if you want to read old books. I recently finished The Outline of History by HG Wells which I downloaded from there
-there's a site readability.com that will clean up an online article and you can send it directly to you kindle from the extension