Kindle questions, any advice?

[uppityperson]

I am looking at the Kindles, especially the $79 dollar one. I was wondering if anyone has advice about which type they prefer, and why. There is the $79 with a button thingie, there are also ones with keyboards and a touch screen.

I'm not interested in going larger/more than that, simply to read books on.

Do you have thoughts on button, keyboard, touch screen? thank you.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. kindle keyboard

If all you ever want to do is read books with it, this is the device I'd get (and the one I have.) You could add 3g, but I've used that exactly once since I got it, Wi-Fi is good enough.

[Bluenorthwest]

2. I hate the button, love touch screen.

Love every touch screen reader I have used.

[uppityperson]

5. What do you hate about the button. Keyboard is another $60, am trying

to figure out what is worth the money. Touch screen is another $20, which is doable. Looks like a keyboard with the ads is...hmm, same as without. bah

Would you tell me about the button? Thank you.

[Arkansas Granny]

3. I have the 2nd generation Kindle with keyboard and 3G. I haven't used

the touch screen and don't know anyone who has one, so I have no advice on that. I can tell you that I love my Kindle and I'm glad I have the 3G. I can download books anywhere I go.

[Zoigal]

4. If all you want to do is to read, i would recommend getting

the least expensive one. Cousin has one and he really likes it.
Husband has first nook, which is somewhat similar, and all he does is
read on it and it works well. Saw them in Barnes/Noble today for the
same price as the Kindle...hope this helps......z

[secondwind]

6. I just got the $149 Kindle with 3G and Wi-Fi, and I love it. The screen has beautiful

pictures of Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, schools of fish, maps, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, historic figures and poets, etc.. but they are going to hit you with a $50 fee if you want to keep the screen like that. What you will get now, is ADS.... Mastercard, Amex, Airline ads, they are awful.

We spent a long time on the telephone with a Kindle representative in Phillipines (name of Monica),who adjusted our bill and credited us with the $50... we told her we had not asked for ADS, just for a Kindle with 3G and Wi-Fi.

good luck!

[valerief]

7. I couldn't decide between the $79 button one and $99 touchscreen and decided

on the latter. It's got double the book storage and double the battery life of the $79 one, but it's an ounce and half heavier.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005890G8Y/ref=famstripe_kt#xray

I didn't care about the Fire and its color or the 3G. I also just want to read books on it.

I haven't gotten my Kindle yet. Should in a few days.

I had trouble deciding between the Nook and Kindle. I can't recall why I didn't select the Nook. I don't think it was price. Maybe I'll get a Nook next year.

[ellenfl]

10. i have the nook color. it's heavy and slow. the new tablet

should be faster with better battery life but i don't know if it will be lighter. b&n will be downloading the new tablet software to the nook color. hopefully that will speed it up. too bad it won't make it lighter.

as it is now, by the time my nook boots, the bridge is almost down. :eyes:

p.s. the keyboard model has a smaller screen. if you have young eyes, go for it. i have no problem with touchscreen.

ellen fl

[uppityperson]

11. Thank you for the info. After reading the review about the touchscreen, was

torn. I've older eyes, am leaning touchscreen.

[knitter4democracy]

12. I got the Kindle Touch for myself for Christmas. I love it already!

The touchscreen is very easy to use, and it's amazingly easy on my eyes. I can read easily for hours on it, especially in being able to adjust the font size and spacing until it's just right.

I never, ever thought I'd get one, and now I'm thinking that it was a good thing to get. I initially started thinking of it as a place to store my PDF knitting pattern library, and I ended up getting DD one for Christmas and probably will get one for DS for Valentine's.

[uppityperson]

13. Thank you.

I am sure I will figure it all out. Appreciate the input.

[rocktivity]

8. Perhaps this can give you some perspective

http://kindlefiredepartment.com/kindle-comparison-chart

:headbang:
rocktivity

[uppityperson]

9. thanks, I saw that chart. Unfortunately they aren't offering the keyboard with ads deal now

and I was wondering if those with hands on experience had opinions.

[ellenfl]

14. i checked out the chart . . . if i was going to buy a kindle,

i would get the touch 3g because the 3g wireless is free. if you don't want the 3g wireless, i would get the $79 touchscreen because it is so light weight. if i wasn't a b&n member and supporter (it's a 'blue' company), i would consider the kindle fire.

ellen fl

[uppityperson]

16. The $79 isn't touch screen, that is $99. 79 gets you a 5 way button.

I have wireless at home, so thinking don't need the 3g. Am I right that the 3g is for getting wireless elsewhere, or where there isn't wireless, or something like that? Thanks.

[ellenfl]

18. oops, i just saw that. the 3g is still lighter weight.

i believe you get the 3g signal from cell phone towers. it means you can get online anywhere . . . without worrying about being hacked. wi-fi is great at home or work but i'm reluctant to get on a public wi-fi network. 3g is more secure. i would go with the free 3g in a heartbeat. getting a 3g data plan through your cell phone carrier is expensive.

ellen fl

[uppityperson]

19. Ah, thank you. That makes sense. Another thing to consider. And another question

aren't the cheap ones just for reading books on? That's all I've seen them used for. I know the more expensive ones are i-pad competing, but is that possible on all? Guess I need to read more. Thanks again ellenfl. Appreciate your taking the time to help.

Edited to add, found this in a review "The Kindle Touch 3G only allows free 3G web browsing for Wikipedia and the Amazon store. The experimental browser does not work on the Touch via 3G for other websites and for checking e-mail and the like. You need a Wi-Fi connection for that.

The facts about the 3G not being useable for web browsing has been discussed to death on the Kindle forums and many, many other websites since September 28. However, many people are still not aware of this. Amazon has not sent out any e-mails about this or clearly explained this limitation on it's product description page.

I chose the 3G because I do a lot of extended traveling where I do not have a Wi-Fi connection. This 3G version allows me to buy books, apps and use Wikipedia to look up information whenever and from wherever I am. If you want the Touch for it's easy interface and can wait until you are at a Wi-Fi hotspot or on your home network, save yourself the $50 and buy the $99 Touch Wi-Fi.

[ellenfl]

21. did not know that about the free 3g limits. thanks for the info. eom

[Little Star]

15. I like my 3G Kindle because....

When I'm at home I just use the Wifi function and when I'm at the beach or traveling, etc I can still read with the 3G function.

Just something to think about.

[uppityperson]

17. Thank you. I don't understand the difference, what 3g is, why can you still read?

Thank you. In some cases, like this, I am a un-nerd

[Little Star]

20. I'm not tech savvy at all but..

I think of the 3g function working like a smart phone works. It allows you to be internet connected.

At least thats what I think. lol

Maybe someone else can explain it better. I just know that if you want to read somewhere where there is no internet/Wifi you need the 3g model in order to read.

[eleny]

23. The 3G function is a connection to the internet

It allows you to download books from Amazon plus use Wikipedia if you're not near your own computer. You just have to be in the range of their connection.

If you're near your own computer you can connect up to to the net and download books in wifi mode. Using the wifi mode just helps to save the battery. It wears down a little faster when you use the 3G connection. But it seems to me that the Kindle has a lot of juice.

eta: I think you can download books etc. faster in wifi mode.

Another tip - if you do order a Kindle be sure to note if an AC adapter comes with it. The 3G Touch has the cable to connect to your computer to recharge it. But it doesn't have an AC adapter for recharging from a house outlet. I don't know if any Kindle comes with it or not. But this 3G Touch only has the cable. You'll want an adapter in case you want to recharge it when your computer is shut down or unavailable.

[eleny]

22. I got the new Touch Kindle - but it's not for reading in the dark

I still like it a lot. It's my first Kindle. But you can't read at night without a lamp on. I have one of those clip-on lights for regular books and use it when my husband comes to bed early and I want to keep reading. But it casts a glare on the Kindle screen. There's a case with a light that people tell me works well however it's way too pricey.

What I'm going to especially like about this 3G Touch is how well it's going to be for reading outdoors. Here in Colorado our light shade can still be quite bright. A paper book gets to looking too bright after a while even when I'm reading under a canopy. So this Kindle is going to be perfect for here in the yard, up in the mountains when we camp and for at the beach when we travel.

The inability to adjust the screen brightness has to do with their new e-ink technology.

I like how you have access to Wikipedia and the dictionary and can make notes. It's going to be especially helpful for non fiction books.
I also like how many free books are available. I downloaded several offbeat cookbooks. No colorful pictures. But I like reading cookbooks for the background of recipes.

I also like how you can borrow Kindle books for 2 weeks from other Kindle users. That could be pretty helpful since some books are still pricey. I wanted to get the most recent book by an author I enjoy for light reading and the Kindle version was only $1.00 less than the hardback. Now, really, that's ridiculous. So I borrowed it from the library. :)

If I think of anything else I'll post. I've only had it for under a week.

[salvorhardin]

24. Your library may lend Kindle books too

It's really neat, and I believe the term is three weeks. If your library subscribes to the Overdrive service, you can log in with your library card number, place some books in your cart, then check out. When you check out, you're sent to Amazon which then sends the books to your Kindle. After the loan term is up, the borrowed books are deleted from your Kindle automatically, but a note is left in place with a button to allow you to buy the book if you want.

[iris27]

27. Our library lends Kindle books for two weeks. It's great!

Their selection is still a little thin, but I've found a good third of my huge "I want to read this eventually" list among their offerings.

[uppityperson]

25. Thank you for the input

and for the message letting me know since it doesn't show up on mydu thingie. I am learning toward the touch, keyboard seems too big and not nec, the button too basic. Thank you again.

[eleny]

26. Y'welcome

Messages in the MY DU area don't stay on long if you're pretty active around the board.

Good luck with your decision! I was reading the first chapter of a book last night using their sneak peek feature. I think I'm going to really warm up to the Kindle - especially for books that are huge. This thing is so lightweight.

Have a good one!