Thoughts on Kindle?

[CMoon]

I'm trying to stick pdfs of manga in the kindle reader right now and honestly it is pretty dissapointing. Haven't had it long enough to take in much yet, but it is doing a fine job with pdfs; and if the text looks too small you can just view in landscape. Comics, as an artform though, just get butchered by this kind of thing. Perhaps with a DX, or a super DX where the screen could be as big as a comic page. This seems great for text, but with comics, the frame-flow would be mangled.

[CMoon]

Very quick first impression. Overall very positive about it, but there are a lot of negatives:

1. There just aren't enough books on kindle yet. So many titles aren't there it's kind of staggering.

2. $10 for Huxley's Island? Who the fuck is the $10 going to? Screeewwww Yooouuuuuu!

3. The interface is just kind of clunky (this is 3rd generation.) What's wrong with page #'s? A dedicated button (other than menu navigating) for jumping to a particular chapter or page would be nice. I'm sure I'll get the hang of all this, but right now it does feel a little bit of a step backwards.

Really, #1 is the biggie. I'd been surveying this before, but I swear the total absense of so many e-books didn't become apparent to me until I started trying to download some books.

Now on to the good shit. The best thing about the Kindle is by far the screen. Digital ink is god! Read for about an hour last night and it felt just like reading a book. That plus I could adjust the text size, orientation, line spacing, etc. I am enjoying being able to read some books with anonimity--an issue that may not sound important to many of you, but as a teacher having a big brewing book sitting on my desk is gonna start conversations I don't wan't.

Calibre also seems to be a valid option--I converted a couple .lit files into mobi last night, and although they aren't a thing of beauty, they work.

[CMoon]

Wow, triple post. Just wanted to mention that I have found several titles available at Amazon UK that aren't availabable on the US site. I'd caught wind of this via the whole 1984/Animal Farm fiasco, but it seems rather silly and draconian. Worse, US customers can't download UK books. What a crock.

Even with more books on the UK site, there is still far too much that isn't on kindle.

[xris]

Sounds like you have some mixed feelings so far.
I can't say I've thought about trying to put manga on my Kindle, I've only started reading manga online recently, and I've thought that it's still prtty lack luster that way. I would imagine putting it ona kindle would make it rather distorted. If it was coded correctly, than maybe. You could try emailing them a file to convert, maybe that'll help. Also, anything that you really must have in a more suitable sizing you may want to run through them. Supposedly there are a few comics on it, but I haven't looked. Not really the format I would want to read comics on any way.
Price is set by the publisher unfortunately, I recently forked over $18 for two Rex Miller books that I have been looking for for many years. It still would have cost more to mail order used copies. I guess the price is a personal choice depending on want/availability.
On the topic of number of books available, e readers did not really come into notice until recently. Most everybody bad mouths them and say that they will never work as a replacement for books. Many publishers are late getting stuff up due to this, but really seem to be warming up to digital distribution, mostly due to cell phones I think.. People are also getting used to downloading stuff finally, and are now looking at e readers.
The number of books available is going up on a daily basis. One of the first books I looked for was Starship Troopers, so I could give away my hard copy to a friend. It came up on the Kindle about a month later, just keep looking, hit that suggest button a whole bunch. Or, send out an email, it's working for me, a couple of books I really wanted are now being considered for the Kindle. Mind you these are small ass publishers that I contacted.
When I first got mine, late October early November, when I pulled up the store front it listed 724,000(ish) books available, not counting public domain (Amazon insist this is not included in final count), I pulled it up today to download, The King in Yellow, the number of books available was at 812,000. So, it's always going to go up. Plus some of these books may have rights held by multiple people, or only the publisher. There's a ton of work involved iv getting the legal distribution rights to books. I would say that Amazon is doing a good job at trying to secure and deliver as many books as they can.
Yes, the page number thing is strange, it's the way it's coded so it can find a certain spot no matter what the user settings are for font size, line count, page spacing. I've noticed that if I flip back and forth between a couple pages quickly, a few words will jump around, ie, be on the bottom of a page, then on the top of the next. If it's something you need to try and find consistently just start adding bookmarks. Yes, the interface is a little strange, but the search function within the book seems to work okay. I'm okay with it, because I'm not expecting to do any thing fancy on it, just read something from start to finish.
Still, I really do hope you enjoy it. It's awkward as hell at first, but it really is a piece of magic.

[CMoon]

Yeah Xris, I don't mean to sound negative. I really do feel like this is something amazing, but also something that hasn't 100% come into its own yet. The digital ink is definitely the answer, and the size and weight feel surprisingly good (I was thinking about the DX, but now I feel very comfortable with this.) It clearly isn't suited for everything (again, I am not sure what the perfect comic reader would actually look like), but with a normal book it does feel incredibly natural. I will probably favor e-books over physical books in the future simply to cut down on the amount of matieral stuff I own. I wish that amazon could work a deal where if you have purchased a physical book from them in the last couple years that you could also get a kindle version (I hate buying things multiple times), but I guess there'd be some legal problem with that? I dunno.

The hardware is very solid, the interface probably needs some tweaking, and time will solve the whole e-book availability issue.

[brentsg]

I find e-ink amazing, and frankly my family hasn't had any issue with book availability either. But I'm sure if we were buying older content then we'd run into it. If you're after new releases then you should be in pretty good shape.

I use my iPad for an e-reader, amongst other things of course. But I needed something more multipurpose than the wife.

[hzt]

I played around with manga on the Kindle a little, found some application that basically optimises images for viewing on it so you can read all your legally obtained scans. It turned out better than I'd expected; the screen is not much smaller than a bunko edition would be, so personally I don't think size is a problem, and the art turns out really well provided you don't mind the bits that should be white being the grey screen colour (the contrast is quite good otherwise), but most anything that uses a small font, or a gray font, or is handwritten - in general anything that's not in a speech bubble - is impossible to read.

The interface annoyed me at first but I got used to it and stopped caring pretty quickly. The only problems I have now are that it seems to get much slower when you have a lot of files on there, and that adding and removing things from collections is a bitch, especially a lot of things at once. (Maybe I should just not put so many files on it...)

[Ex-Cyber]

time will solve the whole e-book availability issue.

For new books, yes. For old books, too many people and companies are crap at tracking which rights they own (it doesn't help that copyright is automatic, so it's even possible for there to be a copyright with no authoritative documentation at all). A few cranky contrarians might even hold out just because they dislike the idea of electronic distribution (ISTR that Ray Bradbury already took this stance), or play one platform vendor against another for exclusive rights.

[CMoon]

I played around with manga on the Kindle a little, found some application that basically optimises images for viewing on it so you can read all your legally obtained scans. It turned out better than I'd expected; the screen is not much smaller than a bunko edition would be, so personally I don't think size is a problem, and the art turns out really well provided you don't mind the bits that should be white being the grey screen colour (the contrast is quite good otherwise), but most anything that uses a small font, or a gray font, or is handwritten - in general anything that's not in a speech bubble - is impossible to read.

Thanks for pointing this out. It seems I have underestimated what the Kindle can do. I'm looking at Berserk on it right now and it is very satisfying. Definitely better than reading off the computer.

http://bgz.tv/how-to-get-manga-on-your- ... tep-guide/

Edit: should add, manga obviously used up TONS of memory on the kindle. I have no clue what the limitations are, but I may not want to have more than one or two volumes on here at a time.

[xris]

Thanks for mentioning the program Calibre. This is probably my new favorite thing, the ease of use to get stuff onto my Kindle is amazing. Yay, for simple conversion! Screw that convoluted mess that was mobipocket, that didn't make any sense to me.

[Danza]

Thanks for mentioning the program Calibre. This is probably my new favorite thing, the ease of use to get stuff onto my Kindle is amazing. Yay, for simple conversion! Screw that convoluted mess that was mobipocket, that didn't make any sense to me.

Awesome! Glad you are getting some use out of it! I've found it really easy to use. It is perfect for books that aren't on the Kindle store. In Australia especially, the selection is not so good. If I want to read Ender's Game or something somewhat obscure like that it just isn't available, so Calibre was a god-send to me.

[CMoon]

Time to rename this thread--Kindle: Growing pains.

I still love the thing and it is super convienant, but as much as Amazon wants the technology between you and the author's word to dissappear, little (and occassionally big) things keep cropping up. Most of these things are not Amazon's or the Kindle's fault, but more about the lack of care put into e-books as a whole.

There is an innitial cost about gripe (should an e-book be slightly cheaper than a physical book), but I'll let that one go. Non-fiction is almost always cheaper on kindle, but there's a downside with that I'll get to shortly. First off, I need to point out I haven't read a single e-book yet without typos. As an avid reader, I expect typos, but it starts becoming very apparent that books are simply scanned in, then sold at full cost. I don't get why the publisher, if they have the manuscript, don't convert that directly to e-books, but regardless, e-books pretty much equals typos.

Well, I was rather excited about the kindle being able to replace some of my bulky reference books, only to find that the publishers haven't bothered hyperlinking the indexes in the backs of the book. I mean, why bother even including them if they do nothing? The good news is you can actually search the book just like any electronic file, but all you academic types know that have a reference book without a working index is nothing short of a big mouth full of dicks.

I should add that the quality of illustrations is highly variable. We've seen with a little manipulation, b&w images can look absolutely beautiful on the kindle, but this doesn't mean the publishers are going to be bothered to scan them in for shit. Be prepared to squint and strain your eyes especially if there are tables or graphs. Why can't publishers who take the time to put out handsome physical books be bothered to put the slightest effort into e-books?

As a final gripe, the one thing amazon fucked up themselves is the keyboard. My cell phone has a better keyboard than the kindle. In general I have nothing but praise for the design, but kindle should definitely reconsider the keyboard.

My current take remains that e-books aren't 100% there yet. When publishers finally decide to get behind this, and make a good product available, I think the e-book revolution may be well under way. I will still buy e-books for the time being, but probably not for all titles and am a little scared off by the lack of care found in even high profile books.

[CMoon]

As an aside, I should mention that I just got off the phone with kindle's customer service and they had no problem refunding me for three non-fiction books that had non-functional indexes. I stressed over and over that I would be happy to purchase these as e-books if the publishers could actually produce working indexes; maybe my message will get through.

[GaijinPunch]

How's the iPad Kindle App? I need to read more. I don't really like reading fiction though... but maybe I should so I don't get stupider. I read somewhere that since the margins are so thin on digital content, Amazon may pull service from the Steve Jobs Store.

[Vexorg]

Given some recent developments with Apple rejecting a Sony E-reader apps because they've decided to allow only E-Reader apps that route their book purchases through Apple's system (which basically amounts to demanding a 30% cut of all book purchases) there's a good chance the Kindle app for iPad will soon be removed. Quite frankly, this is the type of thing that makes me seriously consider just getting rid of my iPad entirely. It's too bad most of the Android tablets coming up look to be overpriced, or I'd be ditching my iPad at the first opportunity.

[CMoon]

Apple does some great innovation, but they're too goddamn controlling for their own good.

[xris]

I was able to apply the screensaver hack, so I put about a hundred new pics on it. A couple don't really look right, I'll take them off, and put a bunch of new ones on now that I know how. It's mostly a mix of gaming images, scantily clad women, some movie stuff, comic book images, and assorted awesomeness!










I use my kindle so much now, reading 2-3 books a week. I was so very tired of seeing the really lame default images (I did keep a couple of them in rotation actually), being able to personalize it like this was so dope. I was rather nervous screwing with the software, but it was easy, and it seems really common for people to do this. Amazon seems to look the other way about this, but I think they would react differently if you did it with their new consumer advertisement model they just announced.

[CptRansom]

Wow, that looks awesome! I just got a free Kindle not too long ago (one of my best friends bought it for his girlfriend, they split, she left it with him, I offered to take it off his hands to ease his emotional pain) and I'd love to get some new screensaver pictures on it.

As far as reading goes, I've taken to it much faster than I thought I would. My mother has a Nook, and now that I've been able to directly compare the two, I prefer the Kindle (and mine's a 1st-gen AFAIK). I prefer the Kindle's screen (the Nook is nice, but after a while I start to feel like I'm looking at a screen versus the paper feeling I get from the Kindle). I prefer having a keyboard and arrow keys and whatnot to the Nook's touch screen (not to mention how much better it is for battery life). I haven't done anything in the store because, but Calibre + EPUBs = awesome.

Needless to say, it's worth every penny I paid for it.

[xris]

It was easy, I fallowed the guide on How-to-Geek, but I had to do a little cross referencing, like how to reset it when finished. I just spent a couple of hours editing some of my images down to size, and changing them into black and white. (stoopid Picasa..) Next, I'm going to collect up a couple shmup screenshots to edit for it. It was well worth it! It has been so cool just to have a screen that I prefer waiting for me when I pick it up, instead of a pic of Agatha Christie.. There's a ton of premade images available already, thats what I started with. I think kindlescreensavers.com, and the ones on tumbler were where I got most of them.

[CMoon]

I'm really surprised amazon doesn't already have something for uploading new screen savers to the kindle. They do indeed get old. I like the bird one though.

[professor ganson]

Haven't used it much yet, but I do love my Kindle. Not sure about the screen protector I put on, though, because it creates a bit of glare.

[CMoon]

Kindle is $80 now. Damn. I think the touch screen idea is great (I'd like to see if it interferes with the immediacy of the digital ink presentation at all). Sort of dissapointed that half a year after buying a kindle, mine is kinda obsolete, though it will still do the job.

Not sure I get where Amazon is going with Kindle Fire. Its just another tablet. OK.

[xris]

I'll agree that I really like the look of the new low end kindle. I could do without the silverish colour, but it looks awesome without the keyboard. I do not like that the touch screen one does not have the page turn buttons.. I had already put a small ding in the ink pixels of my kindle, I bounced my keys off of it, but it's very small. I would be more interested in sporting for the $109 version without the advertisement screensavers, and it would also be a big deal to me about being able to apply the screensaver hack to it as well, it just makes it feel like it is much more mine.
So, yeah even with already having the kindle 3, I really do want the new one, I really don't need a keyboard on my book thanks. I don't think I'll get one this year, but I probably will sometime within the next six months.
I could care less about their tablet, but it should do really well at such a low price point.
On the price point tip, what the hell is up with it being so much more expensive in the U.K.?
edit: They are saying that the page turn is even faster. But, even as is I barely notice the negative flicker most of the time.

[mesh control]

didn't want to interrupt the "what are you reading" thread.

^ I'll still buy the occasional book as well, even though I really prefer to read on my kindle. But, it's only really when it is unavailable, too expensive for a digital copy (over $10 for an author that is currently active), or can't be bootlegged. So, sometimes it's a lucky find in a used bookstore, but usually it's mail order from amazon. Most recently a cheap hardcover of Batman No Man's Land, which I loved - I like the slightly more adult version with people getting their heads shot off and what not.
A few books I keep, but most I just get rid of. I'm older now, and don't really see the need for stuff. So, I really have come to prefer digital copies for some media types. I sure as hell never want any more cd's.
As long as you are reading something that you enjoy, it doesn't matter how or what you prefer. This is just my two cents on the matter.

Yes, It's definitely a personal thing. I find the kindle's tech to mind blowing, but it's much more convenient for me to lurk though a used book store or library to discover things.
Is there a book preview option for any kindle books?

The convenience it offers is a double edge sword. I often find myself downloading things on a whim, not thoroughly researching what I'm looking at; being compulsive doesn't help either. However, when I was writing psychology reports I found it great that I could jump on the kindle store and download a Oliver Sacks book in a matter of minutes.

[xbl0x180]

Once this thing is able to read manga and other comics, I think I'll use it more

[CMoon]

The manga reader issue is an example of how the kindle isn't quite there yet. It also is horrible for reference books, so right away it is limiting itself to being something you're going to use for fiction.

The main advantage I see in it is being able to save yourself the shelf space that books take up. If you are going on a long trip, being able to save the space on multiple books is also helpful. Its nice sometimes if you are between books you can just take it along and find something on it that you wouldn't mind reading (instead of having to choose a specific book.)

Other advantages are more subtle. Want to read 'The God Delusion' at church, no problem. Want to read (as I do) children literature and not get strange looks and weird comments, you can do that too. If you never enjoyed the 'what are you reading?' comments, you will find they completely evaporate when you start reading kindle.

There's also the very obvious cheapness of books if you want to read public domain stuff. So many complete collections of various authors for $2, and individual works for free. It was nice to put Moby Dick on there since it is a book I periodically reread.

There are weird omissions in the kindle library and it is worth noting that typos abound. Be ready! Pirating books is now possible, but typos increase exponentially!

Finally there is the issue of used book stores. If you have a good local used book store this is a whole different matter. Growing up in midwest, strangely, I had several. Much of my collection is built from those book stores. Bigger cities are often more picked over, and living in LA I am convinced these pagans don't even read. Many of the used book stores have gone out of business here and the ones that are left end up being quite remote. Ultimately it is easier for me to buy a book online than rummaging.

Edit: Oh yeah, there's always the moment when you have to move and you've been holding on to books for 20+ years. The idea of e-books does solve this problem. I've actually been whittling down my collection for a while and I've tried to get a few of my favorite books on kindle anticipating the loss.

[Vexorg]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/23/amaz ... ember-6th/

Might want to keep an eye on this...