So, do I need a Kindle?

0 responses to “So, do I need a Kindle?”

1. Veeshir | December 7, 2009 at 10:47 am |

   I don’t know the answer to any of your questions, but I’m not getting one.
   They apparently mistakenly sold 1984. When they discovered they did not get proper permission to sell the book, they went into your kindle and deleted it.
   Then, they promised they would try to make sure it never happens again.
   In other words, it will happen again.
   I read a lot. A real lot. I buy most of my books, cds and movies from Amazon.
   But…
   There’s no way I’m going to buy something that someone else can access and change at their whim.
   I’m a jerk that way.

2. Dick Stanley | December 7, 2009 at 11:47 am |

   I’d forgotten about that. I could be mistaking stylish for useful (not to mention secure), like the Sony reader which is also a bit cheaper.
   http://tinyurl.com/ommjcw

3. Veeshir | December 7, 2009 at 5:00 pm |

   I’ll switch in about 20 years when everybody’s using one and real books are only in used book stores.
   I just realized I’m a sci-fi fan, luddite.
   That’s kinda funny.
   I am surprised nobody’s done Heinlein’s idea.
   Project pages onto the ceiling, you have a hand control and can read as you lay down. The lights go off when you let go of the deal. We’ve had that technology since computers were.
   I expected that before a deal like the Kindle.

4. Scott | December 7, 2009 at 7:51 pm |

   I’m extremely happy with my Kindle. It’s nothing like any kind of monitor you’re thinking of, so put that out of your mind. Zero flickering. Readability is just like a book, like ink on paper. Supreme portability — I’ve got 20 books in a package 1/4″ thick. Buying books is a piece of cake — I do it online with a laptop and they send it to the Kindle. I hear you can upload to it, but haven’t bothered.
   As you know, I travel a lot. The portability and downloading sold the deal to me. I got tired of precious space & lbs being taken up by books, tired of buying books in airports, tired of finishing a book at 9:50pm in Sheboygan and not knowing where or when I was going to get to a Barnes & Noble. The Kindle removes all of that.
   Pricing is still high for ones and zeros, but it’s cheaper than paper and ink, and easier. And my friend Rana can show you a gazillion free books that are available for the Kindle, if you are willing to read public domain, classics-type stuff.
   All that 1984 hooha is crap. Big deal. Apple would do the same if they sold an album from an artist that they weren’t allowed to sell. It was illegal for them to sell it. They’ve apologized profusely for the deletions, and they recognized their mistake. I guess you can ding them as heavily or lightly for that as you wish, but it’s a silly thing to use as a reason not to buy it. Besides, if you haven’t got 1984 (and Fahrenheit 451) in physical space anyway, I question your devotion to reading. If you’re going to rely on an electronic device for integrity of any sort, you might should read some more about electronic devices.
   Which is to say, I don’t keep any of my survival library on any kind of electronica.
   Oh, and I still read books. GDMFSOBing Green Mars isn’t available on Kindle, though Red and Blue are. Idiots.

5. Dick Stanley | December 7, 2009 at 9:10 pm |

   You’re selling me, Scott. 😉 Forget Green Mars. It’s not worth it. Blue was tedious enough for me. Red was cool. I might read it again.

6. Veeshir | December 8, 2009 at 7:04 am |

   but it’s a silly thing to use as a reason not to buy it. …. If you’re going to rely on an electronic device for integrity of any sort, you might should read some more about electronic devices.
   That’s my point. It’s not my stuff, it’s theirs.
   I’ll pass.
   I just bring extra books with me when I travel. That way, I don’t run out.

7. Scott | December 8, 2009 at 12:45 pm |

   I’ll pass. Ain’t America great?
   I’m enjoying Green Mars so far, except when I bump into some of the climate science that we see being ground into little tiny bits right before our eyes.
   I just started another one, called The Company, KJ Parker. Looks interesting…you oughta take a look.
   Here’s how to decide to buy a Kindle: if you/she reads disposable junk novels such as SF, hard-boiled crime, political thrillers, romance novels, historical fiction — buy the durn thing. If you’ve decided to build your personal library at the country estate for the great-grandchildren to enjoy, then don’t.

8. Veeshir | December 8, 2009 at 4:06 pm |

   That’s the thing, I reread books a lot. I save all that I like and a lot I don’t like. I very rarely get rid of a book.
   I just keep adding another book case.
   It makes moving a pain in the neck, but those are the breaks.
   Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with getting one, I’m saying I’m not interested and why.
   As you said, ain’t America grand?

9. Veeshir | December 10, 2009 at 1:20 pm |

   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-kaufman/google-books-and-kindles_b_380536.html
   I would just like to say, I in no way endorse that craziness.
   I’m a contrary cuss, I’m not a freaking lunatic.

10. SnoopyTheGoon | December 22, 2009 at 4:06 am |

    Well, I use my HTC with its 5″” (Inch) screen) and just gave the SWMBO a present of a Cybook, which doesn’t have a drawback of being tethered to Amazon via Sprint or some such crap and takes a lot more different formats.