Kindle Questions

[SoCalDukeFan]

I have finally decided to get a Kindle. Questionss

Do you need the 3G or is Wi Fi enough?

Do you need a case? With a light?

Thanks
SoCal

[Deslok]

I have finally decided to get a Kindle. Questionss

Do you need the 3G or is Wi Fi enough?

Do you need a case? With a light?

Thanks
SoCal

Not really sure I can answer the first question. I almost never have the wireless on to begin with(its not that useful to me overseas and without it, I only need to charge the battery every few weeks). I would get a case, because I'm always tossing it around in a bag, or pocket, or onto a bed, etc where if I didn't have a cover, I'd fear for the damage I'd do to it(and as it is, I worry that I am not protective enough about it). I don't use a light with it. But I live alone, so if I want to read in bed, I flip on the light for the room. YMMV.

Have had mine for a year and a half now and love it, hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.

[bjornolf]

My wife and I love ours. The lights are kind of annoying. Unless you REALLY like reading in the dark. If you have an itty bitty book light or such that you use a lot, it might be worth it. Basically, you can read it in any light you can read a paper book.

Case is a must, though.

As for the 3G v. Wi-Fi... depends on where you live. We have the 3G versions and just turn on the 3G right before we buy something, then turn it off right after it downloads. Not much battery drain that way. Basically, it just makes things more convenient. If you're in an urban area and have lots of access to wi-fi, you might not need the 3G version. We live in the suburbs, and it's handy to have the 3G for making purchases. Plus, when we go on trips, we often go to places with no wi-fi, and it's nice to have the 3G then.

[gotoguy]

I have finally decided to get a Kindle. Questionss

Do you need the 3G or is Wi Fi enough?

Do you need a case? With a light?

Thanks
SoCal

Here's one I just ordered sans light.

http://www.javoedge.com/reflexeshop/productCatalog/getProduct.do?poid=3116&pbmId=18361

[Indoor66]

Here's one I just ordered sans light.

http://www.javoedge.com/reflexeshop/productCatalog/getProduct.do?poid=3116&pbmId=18361

I love the case. So fitting for a DBR person!

[DukieInKansas]

I went with a Nook. I did not get the 3G version. The sales person didn't push it at all. I figured I have easy access to wi-fi at home, at a Barnes & Noble, or lots of other places so 3G was worth the extra $50 to me.

[Devilnole]

I have been into non-fiction lately (The Big Short, Under the Banner of Heaven, Unbroken). One problem I have with the Kindle format is that all of the footnotes and other notes are at the back of the book. The result is that you have to jump ahead to near the end every time you want to read an explanatory or other substantive note. This is time consuming even using the bookmarks. Also, you never know where you are in the book. I just finished Unbroken unexpectedly at 76% or so of the book read---the rest of the book was footnotes. Other than those small I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.es, I love it.

[rthomas]

I went with a Nook. I did not get the 3G version. The sales person didn't push it at all. I figured I have easy access to wi-fi at home, at a Barnes & Noble, or lots of other places so 3G was worth the extra $50 to me.

A geeky friend of mine says that the Color Nook has the Android as it's system; that you can already jailbreak it with Android aps (I don't know about jailbreaking) and that Android aps will sooner or later be available for the Nook.

I don't know if Aps capability goes into anybodies equation, but I love IPod that has book capability and all the cool stuff like Star Walk and NPR.

[rasputin]

I have been into non-fiction lately (The Big Short, Under the Banner of Heaven, Unbroken). One problem I have with the Kindle format is that all of the footnotes and other notes are at the back of the book. The result is that you have to jump ahead to near the end every time you want to read an explanatory or other substantive note. This is time consuming even using the bookmarks. Also, you never know where you are in the book. I just finished Unbroken unexpectedly at 76% or so of the book read---the rest of the book was footnotes. Other than those small I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.es, I love it.

I generally read non-fiction. I'm a dinosaur who doesn't have a Kindle, but having to flip around to read the footnotes (or endnotes) is equally inconvenient when you're reading a printed book.

[-jk]

I generally read non-fiction. I'm a dinosaur who doesn't have a Kindle, but having to flip around to read the footnotes (or endnotes) is equally inconvenient when you're reading a printed book.

But it's real easy to leave a finger at your spot in a paper book. Not as easy on readers. I have an electronic version of the NCAA rule book, and while it's easy to find rules (if you know the lingo), it's not so easy to flip between definitions and rules and parse out stuff from the case book.

-jk

[rasputin]

But it's real easy to leave a finger at your spot in a paper book. Not as easy on readers. I have an electronic version of the NCAA rule book, and while it's easy to find rules (if you know the lingo), it's not so easy to flip between definitions and rules and parse out stuff from the case book.

-jk

It's not so easy for me to leave a finger at the spot, because I have hands like Taymon Domzalski. ;)

[Deslok]

I absolutely love my kindle and wouldn't trade it for a large sum of money, but it is a reality that ereaders are made for books that you go through sequentially, one page after the next. There is some work being done to standardize "pages" which are locations right now, but its still a bit of a muddle. And while I'd love to use my kindle for travel guides, its just not practical to try jumping around a guide book on an ereader, its too frustrating and more difficult than paging through the dead tree version. So for academic work(where things like checking on footnotes and the like are important), guide books, and anything where you are going to hop around in the book, ereaders still have a ways to go. But for fiction, or nonfiction that reads like any other book, they are wonderful.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I have finally decided to get a Kindle. Questionss

Do you need the 3G or is Wi Fi enough?

Do you need a case? With a light?

Thanks
SoCal
If you are looking for a light for your Kindle, you'll like this one. Their web site says it's available at Target, although I didn't find it on their web site.
http://www.capstoneindustries.com/ebook%E2%80%A2lite.aspx
.

[Rich]

I absolutely love my kindle and wouldn't trade it for a large sum of money, but it is a reality that ereaders are made for books that you go through sequentially, one page after the next. There is some work being done to standardize "pages" which are locations right now, but its still a bit of a muddle. And while I'd love to use my kindle for travel guides, its just not practical to try jumping around a guide book on an ereader, its too frustrating and more difficult than paging through the dead tree version. So for academic work(where things like checking on footnotes and the like are important), guide books, and anything where you are going to hop around in the book, ereaders still have a ways to go. But for fiction, or nonfiction that reads like any other book, they are wonderful.

How is the Kindle for magazines and newspapers? I'm a train commuter who uses some of my train time to rest my eyes, but the other times I like to read newspaper and magazine articles rather than books. Should I stick with paper?

[bjornolf]

How is the Kindle for magazines and newspapers? I'm a train commuter who uses some of my train time to rest my eyes, but the other times I like to read newspaper and magazine articles rather than books. Should I stick with paper?

My dad likes to get his newspaper on his kindle. He just puts it in landscape mode.

[Indoor66]

It's not so easy for me to leave a finger at the spot, because I have hands like Taymon Domzalski. ;)

Do they have a statue of you at UVa?

[30scheyer]

I've enjoyed my kindle (gen2?) for 2.5 years, but now I find myself with ipad envy. As a visual learner I much prefer newspapers on the ipad as well as the obvious other bells and whistles.

I had a kindle subscription to both the NY Times and USA Today but found that I "missed" the graphics and photos. To me reading the news straight on a kindle was like reading a newsfeed, a bit dry and even overwhelming with regards to world news.
Amazon does offer a deal on these 2 kindle versions: about half of what the best offer I can find for home delivery.

For me it is hard to justify the cost of an ipad with my itouch and kindle meeting my "needs." Any thoughts?

[Jim3k]

I just got the Wi-Fi version as a gift. My wife has the 3G and she's downloaded books from very odd places. They instantly arrived in the unit even from above the Arctic Circle in Norway.

What I don't know is how fast the books download in Wi-Fi. Is it just as fast? (I might be able to live with Wi-Fi even though it is not as versatile insofar as locations are concerned.) So the question is whether I should keep the Wi-Fi unit or return it and upgrade to 3G.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[DukieInKansas]

I just got the Wi-Fi version as a gift. My wife has the 3G and she's downloaded books from very odd places. They instantly arrived in the unit even from above the Arctic Circle in Norway.

What I don't know is how fast the books download in Wi-Fi. Is it just as fast? (I might be able to live with Wi-Fi even though it is not as versatile insofar as locations are concerned.) So the question is whether I should keep the Wi-Fi unit or return it and upgrade to 3G.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I've never actually timed it but it isn't very long downloading to a Nook via WiFi. I never found myself wondering when it would be done.

[alteran]

I just got the Wi-Fi version as a gift. My wife has the 3G and she's downloaded books from very odd places. They instantly arrived in the unit even from above the Arctic Circle in Norway.

What I don't know is how fast the books download in Wi-Fi. Is it just as fast? (I might be able to live with Wi-Fi even though it is not as versatile insofar as locations are concerned.) So the question is whether I should keep the Wi-Fi unit or return it and upgrade to 3G.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Wifi should be faster in everything but extremely weird scenarios. The advantage of 3g is the massively superior availability. eBooks are relatively small compared to the bandwidth of both devices, I can't imagine that you'd ever wait as long as say, 30 seconds, for a book.

I got the wifi only version of the Nook. The only time it really matters is when you download new material. With a relatively trivial amount of foresight you should always be able to have your ebooks handy.

[duke74]

I've enjoyed my kindle (gen2?) for 2.5 years, but now I find myself with ipad envy. As a visual learner I much prefer newspapers on the ipad as well as the obvious other bells and whistles.

I had a kindle subscription to both the NY Times and USA Today but found that I "missed" the graphics and photos. To me reading the news straight on a kindle was like reading a newsfeed, a bit dry and even overwhelming with regards to world news.
Amazon does offer a deal on these 2 kindle versions: about half of what the best offer I can find for home delivery.

For me it is hard to justify the cost of an ipad with my itouch and kindle meeting my "needs." Any thoughts?

I own the Kindle 2, but have shifted my account to my iPad through the Kindle app. All my purchases are in archive until I download into my iPad.

Have subscriptions to the WSJ, FT, NY Post, NY DN and The Economist. Love the interface. Much preferred to the Kindle.

[SoCalDukeFan]

I own the Kindle 2, but have shifted my account to my iPad through the Kindle app. All my purchases are in archive until I download into my iPad.

Have subscriptions to the WSJ, FT, NY Post, NY DN and The Economist. Love the interface. Much preferred to the Kindle.

What about it makes it much preferred?

I have an iphone and I just don't see why I need the ipad.

SoCal

[bjornolf]

I love the Kindle's screen. No eye strain. After staring at a computer screen all day, I'd rather read a Kindle than another glowing screen.

[killerleft]

I love the Kindle's screen. No eye strain. After staring at a computer screen all day, I'd rather read a Kindle than another glowing screen.

Yep, that's the best thing about a Kindle. I'm 58, and was reading less because of eye strain. Having no glare is great, and being able to switch to a larger type (available on all e-readers?) is super.

[rthomas]

What about it makes it much preferred?

I have an iphone and I just don't see why I need the ipad.

SoCal

The IPad is an Itouch for old people. I love mine.

[alteran]

What about it makes it much preferred?

I have an iphone and I just don't see why I need the ipad.

SoCal

Magazine readers supposedly benefit from color a lot. At BN, they're pushing the color Nook for children's books and for magazine readers.

Book readers, not so much.

I agree with others who find e-ink causes less eyestrain than the backlit technologies.

[duke74]

What about it makes it much preferred?

I have an iphone and I just don't see why I need the ipad.

SoCal

I don't have an iPhone (I'm a BB guy for phone and work emails), so I can't judge other aspects of use, but I like the size of the screen. The available apps are pretty similar, based on my cursory comparison of apps in the app store.

I was really just trying to give the poster my views of the iPad vs the Kindle I was using. If all one wants is the ebook functionality, then the newer Kindle models might do the trick. (There may be more newspapers/magazines available for the iPad vs the Kindle - I switched my subscriptions.) The iPad also has the "news aggregation" apps like Flipboard, FLUD, etc that the Kindle doesn't, but that the iPhone may have (don't know).

I do know that if I didn't need my firm laptop for the audit software and other similar applications, I would never need now to bring it - I would use the iPad. (My firm now supports iPad and iPhone for push out firm email, so I now get firm email on the iPad.)

[duke74]

The IPad is an Itouch for old people. I love mine.

Having an iTouch as well...I agree. Well said. (Like another poster, I am also 58.)

[Indoor66]

Having an iTouch as well...I agree. Well said. (Like another poster, I am also 58.)


What is an iTouch? Sounds like you could risk 10 years in the slammer for assult.

[Matches]

I have an iPad and a Kindle. The Kindle is way better for reading prose books - the non-backlit display is much easier to read than a normal computer screen. The Kindle app for the iPad is nice and will do in a pinch, but the Kindle much more closely approximates the experience of reading an actual book.

The iPad is superior for reading newspapers and magazines, for watching tv shows and movies, and for watching highlights of Duke bball games. It's also far superior to the Kindle as a pdf viewer.

I love them both. I don't see them as being in competition with one another - they're different devices that are each useful for different reasons.

[DevilAlumna]

What is an iTouch? Sounds like you could risk 10 years in the slammer for assult.

It's an iPhone without the phone. (WiFi only.)

[Rich]

It's an iPhone without the phone. (WiFi only.)

But you won't see Apple refer to it as an iTouch anywhere because its official name is the iPod Touch. With the iPhone and the iPad, people naturally call it the iTouch, but that's not its name. As a trademark attorney, I'm sure the folks at Apple cringe at this misbranding by the public and media.

[DukieInKansas]

But you won't see Apple refer to it as an iTouch anywhere because its official name is the iPod Touch. With the iPhone and the iPad, people naturally call it the iTouch, but that's not its name. As a trademark attorney, I'm sure the folks at Apple cringe at this misbranding by the public and media.

Then they should have given it a better name. ;)

[OZZIE4DUKE]

If you are looking for a light for your Kindle, you'll like this one. Their web site says it's available at Target, although I didn't find it on their web site.
http://www.capstoneindustries.com/ebook%E2%80%A2lite.aspx
.
It is in Target stores, on the shelves with all the other reader accessories. $19.99. It works great on my wife's Nook!

[rthomas]

It works great on my wife's Nook!

Talk about branding!

[Ggallagher]

I've had a Kindle with 3G and WiFi for about seven months and absolutely love it.

In retrospect, the 3G was probably unnecessary. I travel a lot and typically keep at least three unfinished books on the Kindle. It would just be real unusual to not have access to WiFi for a long enough stretch where I'd only be able to connect via 3G. But that kind of depends on your situation. I only have the wireless turned on for the approximately minute or so it takes to download a book, so it doesn't impact battery life.

I'm also really happy with the battery life. I actually have no idea how long a charge is good for. I never carry the charger cord with me when I travel - that's a plus. And every two or three weeks when I think of it, and I'm home, I'll recharge it. I've never seen the battery indicator get below 50%, so I don't know how long I could go without recharging. And I do use it on pretty much a daily basis, so the battery's getting a good workout.

You do need a case. There are plenty to pick from.

As to the frequent comment about being unable to flip pages, yeah, that's a little bit of a problem. But as far as footnotes and the included Oxford English dictionary go, I have no problem jumping back and forth with the cursor and the back button.

[SoCalDukeFan]

I've had a Kindle with 3G and WiFi for about seven months and absolutely love it.

In retrospect, the 3G was probably unnecessary. I travel a lot and typically keep at least three unfinished books on the Kindle. It would just be real unusual to not have access to WiFi for a long enough stretch where I'd only be able to connect via 3G. But that kind of depends on your situation. I only have the wireless turned on for the approximately minute or so it takes to download a book, so it doesn't impact battery life.

I'm also really happy with the battery life. I actually have no idea how long a charge is good for. I never carry the charger cord with me when I travel - that's a plus. And every two or three weeks when I think of it, and I'm home, I'll recharge it. I've never seen the battery indicator get below 50%, so I don't know how long I could go without recharging. And I do use it on pretty much a daily basis, so the battery's getting a good workout.

You do need a case. There are plenty to pick from.

As to the frequent comment about being unable to flip pages, yeah, that's a little bit of a problem. But as far as footnotes and the included Oxford English dictionary go, I have no problem jumping back and forth with the cursor and the back button.

Kindle wi-fi and case are ordered. No 3 G.

SoCal