Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: *jo* on October 25, 2010, 07:53:28 am
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I am interested in getting a kindle but keep confusing myself :-)) I am considering the 3G one with a built in modem however my concern is that it wouldn't work in Australia or does it allow you to change settings? I actually have a million questions but I thought I would start there ??? Thanks to anyone that can offer me any information my head hurts from reading so much about them online :P
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Jo as I said in Gretchen's birthday post I have a Sony ereader. I've only had it for a few weeks. I'm hopelessly computer illiterate but I find I can download books fairly easily if I go slow and follow the directions. With the Sony I can't purchase from Amazon as it comes in a different format. Though Sony have assured me they are looking into that. I buy from Borders mainly but can buy from A & R and book depository in the UK.
I love it and perhaps in 10 years I'll have read all the books I have and only have them on the ereader.
The Sony is a touch screen, and will take a SD memory card to enlarge its memory. It's fine to read in the sunlight too. Can be used for audio as well and I think more but I haven't explored it that much.
JulieO has a Kindle. She wrote quite a bit about it here.
http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=4415.0
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Jo, I bought the 3G kindle for my Daughter, and it works brilliantly!
You need to go to the Amazon website, and you need to click which country you are ordering it for. It redirects you to another page for Australia.
You then can "Check the coverage" of your location.
If your area is not covered by wireless.....you can go to any McDonalds store to download the books. My Friend does this as she can't use the 3G function at her home address.
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Thank you so much for your prompt reply. The Sony I think of the convenience just in case something goes wrong. The memory card is a bonus too I didn't know about that. Hhhmm so many questions for a little device I'm doing my head in LOL. Thank you so much for the link, the review is fantastic, awesome job JulieO.
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Thanks Maddy, I had a nosey around Amazon earlier. Actually I started about three hours ago!! Good grief I didn't realize I had been here that long LOL. May I ask did you purchase yours via Amazon? More bang for your buck at the moment so a good time to purchase I was thinking. I see alot on ebay however they aren't terrbily specific re the models and some can't answer my question as to whether is it the actual 3G with the in built modem.
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I think JO has said it all ;)
When I am looking for a book I buy on my computer cos I find that quicker, and then the next time I turn the Kindle wireless on it will automatically download. I have read so many more books because I am not wasting time re-reading pages to find out where I am up to, and I can flick the pages over really fast.
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I just ordered one for my dh for his birthday :) I too thought might as well do it while the dollar is so strong ;)
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My OH and I bought each other a Kindle for our ruby wedding anniversary. We got the 3G ones but I'm not sure that was strictly necessary - the wireless works well both and home and when we're out and about.
One thing people seem to comment on is how much easier getting hold of books is with the Kindle rather than Sony. And the best thing is how many books (especially classics) you can get for free.
As we both have one (linked to the same Amazon account) we can read the same book at the same time and that's an added bonus.
I love my Kindle :-* :-* :-*
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I think you are right that it is easier to get books with the Kindle. Borders etc just don't seem to have all that many ebooks.
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So what do you do when you can't get on to the Thermomix forum...go to amazon and order a kindle!!!
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HA HA HA ;D ;D ;D I have spent the last day or so looking at everything on Amazon for Kindle - how scary is it that we are all so much alike ;) ;)
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I'm on my third Kindle. I have upgrades each time they produce something new, although both 2 and 3 are currently in use.
I don't keep all my books on one Kindle because I would have to go through too many pages to get to the book I want but as Amazon keeps them, I can remove them from my Kindle and download them again at any time. My older Kindle just has cookbooks on it.
I just went to my Kindle collection/books on Amazon and I have 1139 books on 76 pages so you can see that holding them there saves me a lot of time clicking through pages on my device.
I tried other e-readers before getting the Kindle and I was not satisfied with any of them. The newer Kindles do not need a memory card, they have plenty of memory as a basic unit. I did get one for my first Kindle because it did not have sufficient built in memory or at least I didn't think so and it was essentially a way to archive my books and remove them from the active memory. Since Amazon's Whispernet has increased the download speed, I don't need that function.
Considering what I paid for my original and both subsequent Kindles, the newest version is a bargain and the outdoor viewing in full sun is much better.
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Kathryn I'm a great minds think alike kinda girl so go all of us ;D
Andiesenji I have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about however I am hoping that within the next week or so I will be picking your brain and speaking your language LOL...thank you so much I am really really excited about it and I will need all the help I can get :-))
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Hellllllllllo!
(it's been so long since I've been here that I'm ashamed to say I forgot my password :-[ , it took FOREVER to log in!)
Being as frugal as I am :-)), I only really became interested when I saw a 'used' Kindle listed for sale in my town. Trying to do the research on its use in Canada was agonizing. They give mixed messages on the Amazon site regarding 3G coverage etc. Also, I had heard that not all books are licensed for Canada and that this would be a hurdle. I even wrote Amazon asking for clarity as none of the websites and forums really answered my questions. The Amazon response was just as bad.... basically they told me that there is no wireless coverage in Canada for it, but they do sell into Canada.
Okay, I ended up buying the used one because the lovely man selling it said I could bring it back to him if it didn't perform as expected. And to my surprise, the 3G coverage works like a charm. ;D The benefit of this are that you can use the kindle not only to download books remotely, but that you can use it to browse and do email without paying for a service provider. :o The 3G Whispernet coverage is included in the cost of the physical unit.
If you get one, I would recommend buying the cheap (about $2) guidebook for how to get more out of your Kindle. Can't remember the title of it now but basically it give tips and tricks that will be really useful for those who are not so techie-literate. That guide provides links to more free books (outside of Amazon) that can be downloaded and read on the Kindle, plus links to true Audio books.
I bought the Kindle to help my adult son learn to read. (He has an illness that prevented him from learning as a child) I thought the functionalities of customizing text size, plus the text-to-speech functions would assist him greatly. As I was training myself in its use, so that I would be able to help him with it, I became hooked! Luckily I found a second one (also used) for my son.
I prefer to search for and find the books on my desktop computer and then Amazon just sends them to the Kindle for me. It's just way too easy. When you reopen the Kindle, there they are! It's lovely. Also, if wearing my glasses or not, I can always read comfortably because I can adjust the text size accordingly!
I haven't started reading cookbooks on it yet, but there are some very appealing ones out there. Instead, I've been somewhat distracted by some of the more ... um... titillating titles. :o :D :-*
Hope this helps. The Kindle is lots of fun for people who like to read. I'm sure this thread will get much longer in no time as other Thermomix-hugging gadget loving readers chime in!
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HA HA HA ;D ;D ;D I have spent the last day or so looking at everything on Amazon for Kindle - how scary is it that we are all so much alike ;) ;)
Hellllllllllo!
I haven't started reading cookbooks on it yet, but there are some very appealing ones out there. Instead, I've been somewhat distracted by some of the more ... um... titillating titles. :o :D :-*
Yes it is scary. Turns out that Helene and I were reading the same titillating book at the same time! :-)) :-))
Real scary that. :-[ :-[
Gretchen
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My advice would be not to limit yourself to just the traditional e-reader format. There are multiple devices that will allow you to read electronically from mobile phones to tablet computers. I have been reading electronically now for about 13 odd years starting with a palm III and now on my iPad and iPhone. I also own a kindle but must admit that I have not used it more than once or twice since I bought my iPad in May.
I mainly use my iPad for reading electronically because it gives me far more choice. I can use an application called Goodreader for reading cookbooks, quilting books and magazines as colour pdf's. I use a combination of a ebook app called Stanza and the Amazon Kindle app for reading. I store books that I have bought or accessed in my "Dropbox" and can access them anywhere in the world. I use the iPad for lots of other things including remote accessing my work computers, recipe management, my diary, basically managing my whole life.
Both of my kids are happy to read on their iPods (now they are actually using our old iPhones 3G's)....my husband and I did offer them our kindles but they like being able to switch between games, apps and reading. My son used to read on his previous phone as well...there are a couple of java reading apps that are available as well as symbian (have a look on the mobipocket web site).
The single use format does suit a lot of people...my 70 year old stepfather has a kindle that we bought him which he loves and has no problem using. The kindle is very convenient and has a very good screen and is also very well supported.
I guess what I am trying to say is that there are a lot of choices now (unlike 13 years ago) and you may already have a device which will allow you to read electronically.
Take care
Stacey
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Thanks for that info stacelee. I must admit, I was wondering what in the hell and erader was! I now see it's meant to be e-reader.
I've been wondering about e-readers lately, but thinking that I just don't need another electronic device in my home. I've just ordered a MacBook. Will I be able to access the same applications as you do with your iPad?
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As long as it has a dictionary so I can spell ;D ;D ;D
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As long as it has a dictionary so I can spell ;D ;D ;D
;D
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To be honest, I don't know a lot about the Macbook.....I haven't used a Mac since I left the police service 12 years ago (I was a civilian systems analyst). I'm sure that there would be some program that would allow you to read. There is a kindle program for pc's so you can read books from Amazon on microsoft windows computers....I'm sure that there would be an equivalent. I use a free program called Calibre ( http://calibre-ebook.com/) to manage my rather extensive ebook library on my computer. It does have a built in reader on the pc version. There is an OS X version available which probably has the same sort of functionality. Calibre also gives you the ability to convert documents between the various ebook formats ie lit, epub, pdf, prc, pdb, mobi. It can be handy if you are using more than one type of reader.....the kindle uses mobi format (from memory it can also do a couple of others)....stanza and ibooks use epub (which seems to be becoming pretty standard).
Take care
Stacey
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Just bought a Kindle keyboard Wifi on Graysonline for $99 - love it already.
SYLVIA
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Hi
I haven't read all this thread but just thought I would add that my parents, both in their seventies, love their kindles. My mum got one for Mothers day and then several weeks later my dad asked could he have one for his birthday. It is especially useful where we live as there aren't any bookstores. They manage navigating around and downloading them quite easily, both of them are computer users, but not particularly tech savy. I myself am hanging out for an ipad, although the consensus is that the kindle is more "readable", as I think I will use the extra apps, rather than just be locked into an ereader.
Hope this helps, as I said, I didn't read the whole discussion, so maybe others have already said this or disputed this!!
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i bought a kindle in April, not long after, my Mum and Dad bought one each, then in May it was DH birthday! I asked him if he wanted a kindle for his birthday, and he said whatever!!! Anyway i went ahead and got him one with the lighted cover(fantastic by the way) and he loves it! He even takes it to work if he has a free moment. He tends to download non fiction books, whereas im more novels.
Im even trying to convince my 12 yr old son that it would make a great christmas present for him. Haha
So easy to download books,and easy to read in bright sunlight. I cant fault it.
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I gave a Kindle to my grandson a few months ago (keyboard wi-fi) so he could use it in conjunction with his laptop for college.
There are big discounts on college textbooks on the kindle and he can use it for reference while working on the laptop without having to leave his document (and possibly lose some of it).
As he is studying computer theory and some very technical things of which I know nothing, it has made it very handy for him, as well as the fact that he can read it easily outdoors and on the bus to and from school.
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I got my kindle for Xmas last year and think it's great. The main reason for the purchase was because of an upcoming trip overseas and needing something to read on the long haul flights. Hardcover books are so bulky and heavy, whereas with a kindle you can carry heaps of books with you and it doesn't weigh much more than a couple of hundred grams.
There are limitations, of course, but I am more than happy with mine - the main drawback for me is that I find it hard to select books on Amazon - I still love to drop into the bookstores to browse their shelves.
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I've used the iPad for reading since the first one was released. They are great because you are not limited to Amazon, can borrow from libraries and read colored magazines and pdf's. The downside for my is the relatively short battery life, I do a lot of international travel for work and I am always scrambling to charge the iPad or having to sit awkwardly on the plane so I can have it plugged in. I bought a kindle a few months ago and love it - I can now read outside, it's lighter than the iPad and not lighted so there is an additional cost for either a detachable light or cover. Depending on your main use they are both great but they both have their limitations.
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I don't know if it is available in Australia yet but the kids around here with iPads are all carrying the Cinch Power 5000 mAh External Battery that costs about $50.00
It will charge iPhones, iPods and several smart phones, Droid, Blackberry, etc. It only weighs 5 ounces (145 grams) and is about 4 inches by 3 inches and less than an inch thick, so it fits easily in a pocket.
The young man who does my yard says it will power his iPad for a day and a half and it has a fast charge so takes less time to charge itself.
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I'll have to have a look for it Andie. When i travel these day's I need a bag for all my chargers and power adaptors, it would be great if you could have one that does the lot!