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Just got a Kindle...

For discussion about electronic reading devices and related issues (pricing, formatting, accessories, comparisons, etc.)
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Mythica
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Post by Mythica » Sun August 21st, 2011, 9:39 am

[quote=""The Czar""]
And those $30 and up ebooks you see sometimes? Please. no way.[/quote]

I haven't seen any novels for that much. Penguin have a few for about $19-20 but it annoys me more that you can get the hardcover or paperback for less than that. Even so, there's only a few books where I've seen this.

As for non-fiction, you have to expect that it will be more expensive than fiction, textbooks especially. I've been meaning to get this one for my ancestry research: http://www.amazon.com/18th-Century-Amer ... 587&sr=1-1
I'm willing to pay that much for an ebook because the hardcover is even more expensive and it means not having to lug around a heavy textbook. It's a wealth of information that I probably can't find elsewhere - I'm paying for the content, not the format. And if I feel the content is worth $54.36, I'll pay it.

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Ken
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Location: Truro, Cornwall, UK

Post by Ken » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 4:29 pm

Since buying my kindle (3G and WiFi) some 6 months ago, I have been unable to connect to the Internet. I have the thing registered but every time I try at an internet WiFi spot I just get a message saying 'connection failed' even though there are plenty around me who are connected - including me on my laptop!

I have managed up to now by downloading books, etc to my laptop and transferring them to the kindle by USB, but it's irritating that I cannot connect directly! Any suggestions? :o :confused:

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Mythica
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Post by Mythica » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 7:03 pm

Contact Amazon's Customer Service - they should be able to help you. It's strange that the 3G isn't connecting - if it was just the wifi, I'd suggest maybe the wifi settings are wrong (my husband had to fiddle the the wifi settings on my Kindle to get it to connect at first) but the 3G should just connect automatically. Amazon have excellent customer service, they'll sort you out one way or another.

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boswellbaxter
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Post by boswellbaxter » Wed September 28th, 2011, 4:40 pm

Has anyone been to Amazon to look at all of the new Kindles that were announced today? I'm thinking that the Kindle Touch might be good for my mother, who loves her Kindle but has very poor vision and has a hard time working the controls. And the Kindle Fire is making me drool.
Susan Higginbotham
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sweetpotatoboy
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Post by sweetpotatoboy » Wed September 28th, 2011, 5:19 pm

[quote=""boswellbaxter""]Has anyone been to Amazon to look at all of the new Kindles that were announced today? I'm thinking that the Kindle Touch might be good for my mother, who loves her Kindle but has very poor vision and has a hard time working the controls. And the Kindle Fire is making me drool.[/quote]

Ooh. Something imminent was due but wasn't expecting a release today.

I've got to run out but a couple of thoughts. Just compared the US and UK offerings today. In the UK, they've just launched the Kindle Touch as new (bit smaller and lighter and cheaper but essentially the same as the Kindle Wi-Fi only but with half the storage capacity). So if you still want 3G, the new Touch is not for you. In the US, they've also launched the Touch in a 3G option. Plus, the huge DX version of the Kindle. Plus, a brand new product: the Kindle Fire. This is not a dedicated e-reader such as all the Kindles to date. This is a tablet PC, so competing with the iPad and its ilk, though smaller. It looks a great product, but is backlit like all tablets, so can't give you the great reading experience you get with the existing Kindles. If you want a great e-reader, it's not for you. But I think I will still want one when it's launched here (depending on the price!).

Gotta run.

annis
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Post by annis » Wed September 28th, 2011, 6:02 pm

If I want a tablet I'd stick with the iPad- it has more functions and a bigger screen than the Kindle Fire. But I'm quite excited about the Kindle Touch. I haven't bought a Kindle to date because I've used one at work and find it annoyingly clunky. I'm a fast reader and having to constantly scroll drives me nuts.

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donroc
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Kindle +++

Post by donroc » Wed September 28th, 2011, 6:42 pm

I am pleased to announce that my novel Rocamora set in 17th century Spain has been republished and is now available on Kindle, Smashwords, and soon on B&N Nook, iBooks, and ePub.
Image

Bodo the Apostate, a novel set during the reign of Louis the Pious and end of the Carolingian Empire.

http://www.donaldmichaelplatt.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXZthhY6 ... annel_page

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Ludmilla
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Post by Ludmilla » Wed September 28th, 2011, 7:07 pm

[quote=""annis""]If I want a tablet I'd stick with the iPad- it has more functions and a bigger screen than the Kindle Fire. But I'm quite excited about the Kindle Touch. I haven't bought a Kindle to date because I've used one at work and find it annoyingly clunky. I'm a fast reader and having to constantly scroll drives me nuts.[/quote]

Touch screen might seem smoother than button controls on the Kindle (I personally have not tried the Kindle Touch) but I doubt the refresh (is that the word I want?) time from page-to-page is any faster. (I assume you turn pages by touch just as you do with the Kindle app on an iPad). I do have an iPad, and if you are visiting a site with lots of graphics or with a very long chain of posts the amount of time it takes to load and scroll down the page can be frustrating. That's when you are really grateful for a well thought out site design! Personally, I prefer button controls to touch.
Last edited by Ludmilla on Wed September 28th, 2011, 7:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Divia
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Post by Divia » Thu September 29th, 2011, 10:03 am

I'm enticed. The only reason I didnt' buy a kindle was because there wasn't a touch one. However, I'm finding that I am still buying books in physyical form. Would that change with the kindle? Hmm. I dunno. I tend to buy YA books and donate them back to my library. I just dont know what to do.
News, views, and reviews on books and graphic novels for young adult.
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Mythica
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Post by Mythica » Thu September 29th, 2011, 10:50 am

[quote=""sweetpotatoboy""] In the UK, they've just launched the Kindle Touch as new (bit smaller and lighter and cheaper but essentially the same as the Kindle Wi-Fi only but with half the storage capacity).[/quote]

Unfortunately, the one available in the UK is NOT a touch screen. Read the info carefully, it doesn't say it has touch screen: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindle-Wi-Fi-6- ... d_i=468294

It's the "basic" Kindle which has neither a keyboard or a touch screen - any "typing" will be done with a pop-up on the screen where you have to scroll around with the 5 way controller and select each letter. It's a good option for people who want an inexpensive ereader and don't do a lot of typing (like making notes).

I'll be visiting family in the US over Christmas so I could get the Kindle Touch then - but I'm very disappointed and unhappy that it's not available in the UK.

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