Amazon Kindle

[grawk]

duct tape

[shellylh]

I have the leather cover from Amazon and I am happy with it. I like that you can completely fold back the cover. You do have to make sure not pry it open from the back though (as Wayne mentioned above in regard to other similar type covers). I would prefer to have something that has a hard cover and zips closed (to keep out dirt) but haven't found one that I would like. I usually keep the Kindle naked at home and only dress it when I take it out in public.

Amazon.com: Amazon Kindle Leather Cover (Fits 6" Display, Latest Generation Kindle): Electronics

[The Monkey]

Shelly, I was going to get that one, but isn't it the one that contributed to the cracking screen problem?

[shellylh]

It seems that if you try to open the cover from the back (for example, if you pick it up and it is "upside down") that it could damage the Kindle. I have tried to do this a couple of times but I am pretty gentle and once I felt something was off, I stopped and turned it around. Nothing happened to mine. I could imagine that if you yanked it open from the back, some damage could be caused. Now that I think about it, since you have little monkey(s), maybe you may want to look into a different cover.

[Wmcmanus]

Shelly, I was going to get that one, but isn't it the one that contributed to the cracking screen problem?

That was my understanding, which is what led me to this one (as posted previously): Amazon.com: (9 Color Option) Mivizu Amazon Kindle 2 2nd Generation Leather Book Cover Case accessory travel package with reading book light: Clothing

Now that mine has arrived and I've used it for a while, I'd have no hesitation in recommending it. Costs a bit more (an extra $15, but $20 really when you consider shipping) relative to the Amazon cover, but it's nicely padded and eliminates the risk of accidentally cracking it since it doesn't use the hinge holes.

[tkam]

new kindle firmware update coming, adds better battery life and finally native pdf support

[morphsci]

... and finally native pdf support

Could make me switch from my Sony if it is done right.

[matt fury]

My Reader Pocket Edition was stolen and I was gonna wait to replace it with a Nook, but I didn't pre-order and general availability dates keep getting pushed back. Fuck.

[HeadphoneAddict]

That sucks. I hate thieves.

[thrice]

In case this sort of thing matters to anyone:

Is Your Kindle Spying On You? (Yes.) - Kindle - Gizmodo

[blessingx]

I'm waiting to see what Apple offers up next month, but this is an interesting sign...

Slashdot News Story | Amazon Sells More Ebooks On Christmas Than Real Books

[Wmcmanus]

I'm waiting to see what Apple offers up next month, but this is an interesting sign...

Slashdot News Story | Amazon Sells More Ebooks On Christmas Than Real Books

Interesting. I've got a Kindle and quite like it. I've been using it more than I thought I would at home. I knew that I would use it when traveling and that's where it's really great, but I've found that one book leads to another when you have an inventory of them stored. Not so true with real books. It's much easier then to put one book down and not pick up the next one for a while.

About the Slashdot report: I wonder if perhaps the Kindle just happened to make the perfect Christmas gift this year? It has now been around for long enough for nearly everyone who likes buying "special" and "trendy" gifts to know that it exists because everyone has a friend or two who swears by it. It is likewise priced just about right for conspicuous consumption without going completely overboard.

So it was the perfect gift for urbanites this year, and Amazon helped their own cause by pimping it endlessly. Every time you logged on, you had to look at a Kindle in a pretty bow and read about how it was their #1 best selling gift of the season. That would drive anyone who was trying to keep up with the Joneses completely mad until they added it their shopping cart!

My guess is that it will settle down a bit now that Christmas is over, and that "normal" books will outsell ebooks again for a while. But there is no stopping the overall trend. Soon nearly everyone who has a cell phone will have an ereader, until they come out with an all-in-one device that adds an ereader feature to some other multi-function gadget.

[boomana]

I like my phone to be small. I like my books to be bigger. I think the Kindle's size is perfect. It would make me nuts to try and read on my phone or on a smaller screen.

I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would as I can easily read five or six books at the same time, switching back and forth as I like to do, without having a pile of books next to me. I do miss flipping back through the pages for some passage I want to read again. It's not nearly so easy or fun when in electronic form.

[n_maher]

I think the Kindle's days are numbered. I think that if Apple enters the tablet arena with anything approaching affordable ebook readers could die a swift death.

[jinp6301]

Why do you think so? I think the Kindle and the iSlate (or whatever the name is going to be) are focused at very different things

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah, unless they use that electronic reading paper that the Kindle and the Nook and the Sony reader uses, whatever it's called, they're targeted at a very different market.

EDIT: iParchment? iPapyrus?

[shellylh]

I agree with Jin. I almost always have my computer with me but hate reading on it even though it has a nice big 15" screen. On the other hand, I absolutely love reading on my Kindle DX! After having my Kindle for some time, I had to buy a real paperback book (a book in a series that I am reading that is not out in Kindle format). I have about 20 pages left in the book and have vowed never to read a paperback again. Hardbacks are ok because the font size is reasonable and they tend to stay open without much force. I may buy a Apple iSlate iTablet iBook (whatever it is called) but I don't see myself reading complete books on it. Also, I like that I am not distracted by media or the internet when I am on the Kindle and love the *long* battery life.

Of course, I may be totally wrong. I didn't think I would like the Kindle very much.

[n_maher]

Because I think that at some point we're going to come to a point of convergence where people don't want 50 devices to do 50 different things.

If you could get a tablet for roughly double the price of the Kindle (who knows how accurate that statement is but I'm guessing it'll have to be cheaper than your average macbook) that was full color, allowed you to be able to watch HD video content, surf the web, write emails, take notes, take care of all of your scheduling, manage your music library and a whole host of other things why would you buy the Kindle? Most folks that I've come into contact with are pretty ok using their iPhone as a reader so I'm betting e-ink isn't turning out to be the advantage that the ebook man'f thought it would be.

[shellylh]

I could definitely see the iTablet replacing laptops and home computers for the average person (as the iPhone has already started to do).

[thrice]

I think the Kindle's days are numbered. I think that if Apple enters the tablet arena with anything approaching affordable ebook readers could die a swift death.

Why do you think so? I think the Kindle and the iSlate (or whatever the name is going to be) are focused at very different things

A lot of the people I know with Kindles don't seem to be the target market for an Apple tablet. Anything Apple puts out will probably have a standard display (unless there's a killer touch enabled color e-Ink display out there). A device with that kind of display will never be able to compete with the Kindle battery-wise.

I don't think the Kindle is the most important part of Amazon's eBook effort. I think it's a device that they are using to leverage their ebook marketplace. Amazon is already on mobile phones with their Kindle app that syncs across your devices (phone and Kindle). While the Kindle is a great device for reading books, it can't handle color or larger media (newspapers and magazines well). While I have no doubt that Apple has some sort of plan for those sorts of media, I don't think their tablet will trounce the Kindle.... yet.

But beyond all of this, it seems like the Kindle and other devices that are trying to get newspapers and magazines on them and faithfully display their content are missing the boat. Instead of trying to put old wine in new bottles, it seems like they could take this time to re-imagine themselves and create some new form of media with a new format that's based on these sorts of devices. Instead they're trying to recreate an old model on something that's far more robust and capable.

One thing is for sure, whatever Apple is planning, if it targets newspapers and magazines, it might just be the spark that really kindles the fire.

[Hopstretch]

It might just be the spark that really kindles the fire.

I see what you did there.

[Sherwood]

I really prefer reading on an eInk screen, honestly. I use my iPhone for reading as well, but I vastly prefer the nook (of which I am a contented new owner) and the Sony PRS-500 I had before that. I am willing to suffer through a specific device for that comfort, though I agree with Nate that many folks might not feel it's worth it to them.

That said, anything that popularizes the digital book format is a net plus for eInk devices, in some ways. I'd own one if they cost twice as much, and at that price point I imagine there will always be someone selling them.

[jinp6301]

Yeah, unless they use that electronic reading paper that the Kindle and the Nook and the Sony reader uses, whatever it's called, they're targeted at a very different market.

EDIT: iParchment? iPapyrus?

Yea, they cant do that. If they did, the refresh rate would be so slow that you couldnt do anything beside read books (which would make it another e-reader)

[Dusty Chalk]

Because I think that at some point we're going to come to a point of convergence where people don't want 50 devices to do 50 different things.

...I'm betting e-ink isn't turning out to be the advantage that the ebook man'f thought it would be.

Sorry Nate, I understand your premise, but the two screens are completely different. I don't see the convergence of which you speak. Sure, a (non-flash or otherwise dynamic) web page reader -- you know, the web pages with actual content that needs to be read might be a nice addition to the kindle, but it's a specialized device with a specialized function. Until they figure out how to make it a USB device...wait a minute, they already did! Until they figure out how to ... oh, I don't even know, make a screen that is easier on the eyes than LCD, I don't see it being replaced. I agree that there's a large market -- I would even go so far as to say majority -- that will eschew a Kindle (or other e-reader) because of your first point. But for those of us who actually read a lot, and to whom the LCD screen is hard on the eyes (again I should point out that this is not everyone, and a lot of people who have no problem with LCD screens won't be part of this target market, but it's just like people who are light-sensitive vs. people who are not -- some will be bothered by fluorescent bulbs, some will not be), this will be a nice little godsend.

Of course, take this with a grain of salt -- I haven't purchased one. Yet.

IMHO, YMMV, &c.

[postjack]

I straight up hated the idea of a Kindle, or buying eBooks, because I'm a book lover and collector. Posts in this thread will bear me out. But after talking about it with my dad, he surprised me with a new Kindle a few weeks ago. I absolutely love it! I primarily love the e-ink, and the ease of holding the device and turning pages. Second I love being able to highlight and take clippings, as well as easily look up words. And I actually love shopping in the Kindle store.

Yay amazon, boo me, I'm done with turning physical pages! and while you're at it, until you invent a lunch gun, i'll take my sadness pile in a failure bowl! ammmeeerrriiccaa, eatin all my food in just one bowl!!!