By digital reader/paper reader

January 7, 2010 6:30 PM | Link to this

Disgruntled reader, there is another reason to read on Kindle (or similar device.) My eyes are getting weaker, like many folks as they age. I prefer large type. Most of the books I prefer to read are not available in that format. And, if they are, they cost $30 apiece. E-readers have made it far easier to continue reading.

By Chris

January 6, 2010 7:47 PM | Link to this

Vick - Kindles can house books, documentation, etc. in several forms, not just proprietary Amazon materials. When you buy your Kindle, you create an email address specific to that Kindle. You can email PDFs, docs, EPUB, etc. to that address and they will appear on your Kindle. For example, you can go to www.freekindlebooks.orgor Project Gutenberg, etc., find material and email it to your Kindle. It shows up just like any downloaded book.

By vick

January 4, 2010 4:59 PM | Link to this

Chris, thanks for your response. This post is actually only about the Amazon Kindle eReader. Correct me if I’m mistaken but are you saying that Kindles can download from sources other than Amazon? I don’t know of any Kindles that can do that. The Kindle is a proprietary device that can only receive downloads from Amazon. That is one big problem with it in my view.Am I wrong? Can you access other material for Kindles outside of Amazon.com? Or are you describing some other non-Kindle products?

By Chris

January 4, 2010 3:51 PM | Link to this

Response to Vick: There are a lot of places to get free book content - not just Amazon. Response to Disgruntled Bookworm - Books and Kindles can exist together. No need to hate one just so the other may exist. I don’t understand why so many book lovers choose to hate rather than allow co-existence. Do you feel the same about audio books? How about libraries who lend vs. bookstores that are for-profit? To each his/her own.

By vick

January 4, 2010 11:04 AM | Link to this

What is my point, Chris?Amazon wants to sell as many Kindles as possible. By giving away content they create an incentive to buy their proprietary device. That is smart marketing by Amazon. They hope to saturate the market with Kindles. If and when they do that I think we’ll see a significant decline in free downloads, especially for books that are in the Amazon top ten downloads, which is new content that book buyers most want to obtain. Sure, there will always be free content but the days of free NEW content cannot last forever…

By Kindle user

January 4, 2010 6:51 AM | Link to this

Amazon is not the only place for free content. There are many other sites (I won’t list them here but you can check out the Amazon Kindle discussion boards). With all the “freebies” I have on my K2 my average purchase price is less than 25 cents. I have well over 200 items. All in all not a bad value. And at least my Kindle is a working unit, unlike Barnes & Noble’s bug-riddled Nook.

By Disgruntled Bookworm

January 4, 2010 12:33 AM | Link to this

I wrote a short paper in college about my disdain for the Kindle. I understand the convenience factor but as a lifelong paperback reader, I see the device as an insult to the book I’ve come to know and love since was just a tiny tot. At the very least, Kindles lack that wonderful smell of paper and binding glue I so enjoy. What excitement is there left for the library or a treasured used-book store if the Kindle takes over? I just hope it’s like Blu-Ray - sorta neat, but doesn’t really catch on in a meaningful way.

By Chris

January 3, 2010 9:50 PM | Link to this

What is your point? Sounds like you are insinuating a negative thought that Amazon is just waiting to take the consumer for a costly ride. Actually, the free ride can continue for quite awhile as there are over 30,000 free books - mostly really great classics like Jane Austin, Mark Twain, etc. And, should the Kindle owner decide to buy a book, they are typically $9.99 or less for new releases, which is cheaper than buying a hardback plus environmentally friendly. So, if the point you alluded to is that Amazon is waiting to just take advantage of us down the road then I say - go back to your not-environmentally friendly bookstores and 8-track tape players because clearly you don’t understand the value the consumer gets from electronic media like iTunes/iPod, Amazon/Kindle. And yes, it typically takes 17 seconds to download new material to a Kindle - so that is not a “so they say rumor” its a fact. As someone who travels a lot and sits in a hospital room waiting for miracles to happen to a sick loved one, the Kindle has been a blessing. My arthritic mother-in-law also has a Kindle and because of its ease in handling and ability to enlarge fonts, she can now enjoy her favorite hobby - reading again. Try to post some positive remarks as this might be a blessing to some people.