Kindle

Lovely Bloke

does the Paperwhite have any real advantages over a "normal" kindle, apart from the backlighting?

juke

Probably not, there's quiet a few differences, which some like, some don't. I only upgraded from the keyboard version because it died, I was skeptical cat but my thoughts:

Pros:
The back light - it's fantastic. Truly I don't know how I did without it. It's adjustable, really good, especially early evening/in dim light,
X-ray feature - not available on all books, but it allows you to search the book for eg names/places. Good for looking back eg. when a character is first mentioned.
Better font/size option on many books

Cons:
Less easy to flip between chapters - like you could with the tab key, but it does have a 'time left in chapter/book' option
3G is less effective for non kindle browsing

starlit

I prefer the paperlight one.

RidleyRider

Can someone tell me how the kindle actually works? I've a lot of books I want to read but can't find paperback versions in Ireland or the UK.

I was mainly just wondering is there a place where they all save after you download them? Is there much storage? Are they difficult to use?

juke

RidleyRider wrote: »

Can someone tell me how the kindle actually works? I've a lot of books I want to read but can't find paperback versions in Ireland or the UK.

I was mainly just wondering is there a place where they all save after you download them? Is there much storage? Are they difficult to use?

Plenty of storage on the device - for hundreds and hundreds of books. Also, Amazon keeps your books in your own account in the cloud, so you can re-download them, if you have removed any. You can also back up books onto a hard drive, if you want. The Calibre software is a good library service.

To get a feel for how they work, you could download the kindle app to your laptop/pc/tablet and download a free book and see how it feels.

RidleyRider

juke wrote: »

Plenty of storage on the device - for hundreds and hundreds of books. Also, Amazon keeps your books in your own account in the cloud, so you can re-download them, if you have removed any. You can also back up books onto a hard drive, if you want. The Calibre software is a good library service.

To get a feel for how they work, you could download the kindle app to your laptop/pc/tablet and download a free book and see how it feels.

Thanks for that!

Do they all have built in wifi or will I have to connect it to the PC to move books?

juke

RidleyRider wrote: »

Thanks for that!

Do they all have built in wifi or will I have to connect it to the PC to move books?

All have wifi, you pay extra for 3G - handy of you travel a lot and wifi isn't available. Otherwise not necessary.

You can download directly to the kindle from Amazon, if you buy from other sources, you need to connect to a PC to transfer them on to it.

If you already have e-books you want to put onto it, you probably will just need to convert the software to kindle format (MOBI) - Calibre does that very well.

RidleyRider

juke wrote: »

All have wifi, you pay extra for 3G - handy of you travel a lot and wifi isn't available. Otherwise not necessary.

You can download directly to the kindle from Amazon, if you buy from other sources, you need to connect to a PC to transfer them on to it.

If you already have e-books you want to put onto it, you probably will just need to convert the software to kindle format (MOBI) - Calibre does that very well.

Thanks for the help! I've downloaded the app for my iPhone and got a book. I'll definitely be getting one soon!

Tin Foil Hat

There's a new Kindle available for pre-order. The Kindle Voyage. Not cheap at St£169:eek:.

DavyD_83

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

There's a new Kindle available for pre-order. The Kindle Voyage. Not cheap at St£169:eek:.

Looks good though. They've taken on board the feedback about old said turning buttons being more intuitive and comfortable than using touch screen for everything.
I'm actually tempted to try upgrade from my paperwhite; will wait and see if they get them into any Irish shops for Christmas.

robinph

DavyD_83 wrote: »

Looks good though. They've taken on board the feedback about old said turning buttons being more intuitive and comfortable than using touch screen for everything.

Was wondering what it was that I didn't like about the previous models and what they could have actually made much different with the new one as other wise the specs never really change much.
Steered clear of the touchscreen to turn a page version as it would clearly have been annoying in actual using the device.

positron

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

There's a new Kindle available for pre-order. The Kindle Voyage. Not cheap at St£169:eek:.

Wow, that's really expensive and out of line with normal Kindle pricing.

My Kindle broke a number of weeks ago - it just doesn't respond to anything. Long pressing the power button does nothing (the amber light at the bottom comes on after about 12 seconds, but that's about it). If I put it on charger, the amber light comes and stays on as if it's charging. Any ideas? It's well out of warranty.

syklops

positron wrote: »

Wow, that's really expensive and out of line with normal Kindle pricing.

My Kindle broke a number of weeks ago - it just doesn't respond to anything. Long pressing the power button does nothing (the amber light at the bottom comes on after about 12 seconds, but that's about it). If I put it on charger, the amber light comes and stays on as if it's charging. Any ideas? It's well out of warranty.

Something similar happened to mine a while back(or one of mine), I left it charge for about 24 hours and it came back to life, it turned out it was just critically low on battery. My current kindle is a frankenstein-esque creation of about 3 different ones which I salvaged from broken kindles belonging to relatives, so Im familiar with fixing them. If you are about to horse it into the bin PM me and I'll have a look at it for you. Might be a faulty battery.

Jimmy Bottlehead

I just bought a Kindle Paperwhite.

I've always used my Amazon.co.uk account for buying online, but I'm automatically registered to Amazon.com.

Should I stick with .com or switch to .co.uk?

v638sg7k1a92bx

Would also like to know the difference between buying kindle books from amazon.com or .co.uk?

OffalyMedic

hi, just wondering does anyone know the cheapest place to purchase a kindle paperweight ? need it asap for college as all books are gone out of library before exams and ebook is cheaper to buy. Also want it for reading regular books when exams are over. looking at buying one for a while but its a necessity now. thanks

Tin Foil Hat

Did anyone get the new Voyage yet? What's the verdict? Mine's in the post. I was hoping for it yesterday, but no sign of the postman. Hopefully Monday.
My keyboard version went tits up a month ago after three years:mad:. I loved that yoke.

DavyD_83

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

Did anyone get the new Voyage yet? What's the verdict? Mine's in the post. I was hoping for it yesterday, but no sign of the postman. Hopefully Monday.
My keyboard version went tits up a month ago after three years:mad:. I loved that yoke.

Curious to hear how you get on with it. I just need a tiny nudge to be convinced on buying one

Tin Foil Hat

DavyD_83 wrote: »

Curious to hear how you get on with it. I just need a tiny nudge to be convinced on buying one

Buy it! BUY IT!



I'll let you know after I've had it a few days. They're hard to get hold of at the moment - won't be in stock again for five or six weeks. I pre-ordered mine about month ago.

Caroleia

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

Did anyone get the new Voyage yet? What's the verdict? Mine's in the post. I was hoping for it yesterday, but no sign of the postman. Hopefully Monday.
My keyboard version went tits up a month ago after three years:mad:. I loved that yoke.

hi my Kindle voyage arrived yesterday- I had pre ordered for delivery to parcel motel , initial reaction is that its fab! Its tiny compared to my other kindle which is a white kindle keyboard, that can now be passed on to hubby. I really really wanted a paperwhite cos it has a built in light (I do a lot of reading at night in bed) but I hummed and hawed for so long that the Voyage appeared and it seems perfect for my needs. Anyway, pros are built in light, tiny and lightweight, you can page back and forth on either side of the bezel (hopefully that's the right word) , beautiful crisp display and its perfect for one handed reading. Cons-its expensive and I can't spring for the fancy case Amazon are flogging with it so will have to be extra careful with it for now. I'll report back with further thoughts once I've used it for a bit or if anyone has any questions I'll be happy to answer ..(ps I got the wifi version)

Tin Foil Hat

Caroleia wrote: »

hi my Kindle voyage arrived yesterday- I had pre ordered for delivery to parcel motel , initial reaction is that its fab! Its tiny compared to my other kindle which is a white kindle keyboard, that can now be passed on to hubby. I really really wanted a paperwhite cos it has a built in light (I do a lot of reading at night in bed) but I hummed and hawed for so long that the Voyage appeared and it seems perfect for my needs. Anyway, pros are built in light, tiny and lightweight, you can page back and forth on either side of the bezel (hopefully that's the right word) , beautiful crisp display and its perfect for one handed reading. Cons-its expensive and I can't spring for the fancy case Amazon are flogging with it so will have to be extra careful with it for now. I'll report back with further thoughts once I've used it for a bit or if anyone has any questions I'll be happy to answer ..(ps I got the wifi version)

I can't wait for mine. I'm like a kid at Christmas.

I have to say, I'm not too pushed on the tiny size. It wasn't a selling point for me. The front-lighting and the page-turn buttons were what sold it so me. Like you, I do most of my reading in bed - propped up on pillows, my quilt under my chin and the kindle resting on my chest. The 1.5 inches of keyboard sank into the feathers, so none of the screen was blocked.

It is really expensive. And I have no doubt that it'll be €30 cheaper or more in a few months. But I wanted it now, goddamnit.

The amazon cases are a laughable price, and they don't look too good anyway. I have no intention of buying one. There'll be loads of third party ones available before too long. For now, I'm tempted by something like this, this, this or this.

Caroleia

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

I can't wait for mine. I'm like a kid at Christmas.

I have to say, I'm not too pushed on the tiny size. It wasn't a selling point for me. The front-lighting and the page-turn buttons were what sold it so me. Like you, I do most of my reading in bed - propped up on pillows, my quilt under my chin and the kindle resting on my chest. The 1.5 inches of keyboard sank into the feathers, so none of the screen was blocked.

It is really expensive. And I have no doubt that it'll be €30 cheaper or more in a few months. But I wanted it now, goddamnit.

The amazon cases are a laughable price, and they don't look too good anyway. I have no intention of buying one. There'll be loads of third party ones available before too long. For now, I'm tempted by something like.

I was like a kid on the way down to the parcel motel. It's been a while since I've felt like that! I don't have a tablet just a dinosaur laptop and I've had the keyboard kindle about 5 or 6 years , that's all the justification done for now. I agree about the small size, its a bit like phones they can get too small but I was pleasantly surprised by the feel of it in the hand. There's nothing to disappear under the feathers though, so you might have to come up with something there. Those covers are nice, especially the last one but I might just go for a fleece envelope type arrangement-theres a few on Etsy(sorry won't allow me to post links as I don't have enough posts on boards yet) - keeps it safe but I still get to hold the actual reader.
Be sure to post back and let us know how you find it!

Caroleia

fleece envelope type arrangement - doh, I meant felt..

Cupper Cowboy

Is anyone else waiting to receive the new Kindle Voyage? mine was due to arrive last Thursday and has still not turned up today the 10th. Amazon are saying to wait until the 14th before they will take action. Am I the only one waiting? ............

Brian017

Cupper Cowboy wrote: »

Is anyone else waiting to receive the new Kindle Voyage? mine was due to arrive last Thursday and has still not turned up today the 10th. Amazon are saying to wait until the 14th before they will take action. Am I the only one waiting? ............

No you're not. Still waiting on mine since last Thursday too.

Tin Foil Hat

I'm still waiting as well. I expected it on Friday.

Tin Foil Hat

I've received mine - and it's a dud. . I got one of the ones with a yellow hue in the lighting at the top third of the screen. It's much more off-putting than one might imagine, so I'll have to return it. It's at its worst at the mid-low lighting levels (10-11-12) that are the best to use when reading in the dark. I might tolerate it if it was €100 cheaper, but it's not good enough at over €220.

Outside of that, it's a great machine. It's so light and easy to handle. The touch screen is far better for looking up words than my kindle keyboard (I used to not bother) and the X-ray feature is great, although it can present spoilers if used too early in the book.

It has its design flaws though. The bezels are too narrow, so a thumb placed comfortably over the page-turn pressure-pads creep over the screen. And the pressure pads themselves take a little getting used to. Buttons, or some kind of rocker switch would be better. Also, it seems more delicate than the Kindle Keyboard - it will definitely need a case, but that's par for the course anyway.

All in all, I would recommend it. But it might be better to wait a few months, when the price might be lower and the quality control might be might be higher.

cuilteanna

Mine seemed to have a slight yellow tint in the top third of the screen when I first turned it on, but after using it for a few days at various lighting levels I can't say I notice it at all. The Omoton case I got is exactly what I wanted. Really happy with it all!

psugrue

Considering picking up one for myself. I have the Kindle 4, still works but really really want the backlight, held off on the paperwhite due to the lack of buttons to turn the page but the Voyage seems to take care of that. It's only €189 on amazon.de so €30 cheaper than the uk.

syklops

To me, a backlit kindle goes against the point of e-Ink. Just my 2 cents.

We have just started to get the general population over the "I couldnt read off a screen" thinking, and they go and do this.