Who here has a Kindle?

The Kindle DX – the price difference is well worth it.

I purchased my first Amazon Kindle (6” latest generation, global wireless) back on January 8th of this year. I resisted it for a long time because I was so accustomed to reading books the old fashioned way but I finally gave in and made the plunge. I haven’t even looked at a regular book since I’ve had my Kindle and I’ve read right around 25 books on my Kindle since I’ve bought it.

I think it is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made and, in my opinion, it’s one of the neatest devices that I’ve ever owned. I read books like there’s no tomorrow so that’s probably a good thing. There are thousands of free books you can put on the Kindle right away and then most books I’ve shopped for and purchased haven’t been over $9.99 and these are books that sell in bookstores from 15 to 30 dollars.

Flaws could be no backlighting (although that’s not so bad because it causes additional eyestrain which iPad users are going to find out) and several books from some of my favorite authors aren’t on the Kindle yet.

As of right now, the Kindle DX is a little overrated and overpriced in my opinion. Yes, the reading area is larger and it holds more books but the 6” version does exactly the same things in all other regards and is much more affordable and less cumbersome.

@DarkScribe Ok, what makes it well worth it to you?

@Bluefreedom Thank you for your insight!

@ShiningToast DarkScribe Ok, what makes it well worth it to you?

I have used both, without doubt the DX is better. It is the size of a large format novel or textbook, easier to read in low light, easier to handle and holds more data. There are a lot of available types of material that are not easy to see on the smaller screen.

I am curious about this device as well. Someone I know has the early stages of macular degeneration, but loves to read. I was wondering if it would make a good gift for someone. Those of you who have one, would you mind advising? Can you enlarge the type? Would it be accommodating to someone who needs large print or has some vision problems? Is the screen very dim or easy to see?

@escapedone7: You can set the print size, yes, and some books also have a text-to-voice option so it will read to you. The screen isn’t lit, so you can’t read in the dark; that part is exactly like a real book.

@escapedone7. There are several levels of magnification for the text and it is very convenient. The text is very appealing and readable with the e-ink technology but the lighting needs to be decent also. The Kindle can be read well out in the sunlight, surprisingly and Amazon also sells affordable lights that clip to the Kindle for when additional lighting is needed.

I have a Nook, so similar product and I love it. It has at least tripled the amount I read and has made discovering new books really easy.
You won’t regret buying it.

@MacBean & @Bluefreedom Thanks for the information. This sounds like a perfect gift to give my friend then. I will order one immediately (her birthday is coming up on May 1! )

@escapedone7. She’s going to LOVE it, trust me. They are great devices. =)

I use it primarily for school where I find it extremely useful. I load it with all the scholarly papers I need to read, in PDF form, and that obviates the necessity for printing out and carrying hundreds of sheets of paper. It is imperfect, in that charts and images aren’t always entirely legible, but my backpack weighs half a ton less, and at a dime a page I have saved enough on printing to have a nice dinner out,

I have bought a few books, and that is an easy, fast, transparent process. I only have one textbook on my Kindle this semester, but next Fall I start graduate school, and will try to buy all of my books for Kindle if I can.

What I have found fascinating is that if you search on Fiction: Average Customer Review, they are nearly all women’s romance etc. I am surprised that women seem (on that basis) to outnumber men with regard Kindle use or ownership. Gadgets are usually a guy thing.

My mom has a Kindle and my dad has a Kindle DX.
They’re both a bit obsessed with them.

My dad likes the DX because he’s just into bigger, better things (he is male, after all). My mom likes her original Kindle because it fits better in her purse.

I’d say worth every penny.
The only reason I haven’t saved up for one yet is because I share the books I read with my friends and I have a thing for the smell of new paper. :) But sometime in the future it would probably be more logical for me to purchase one myself.

@DarkScribe
The reason people buy Kindles to read romance novels is because they’d be too embarrassed to be seen reading them otherwise. ;)
After all, no one can tell what you’re reading on the Kindle.

I have a good friend who’s a senior editor at Penguin Putnam. He likes the Sony Reader better. He reads all day for a living.

Compare and contrast.

@gailcalled He likes the Sony Reader better. He reads all day for a living.

I read all day (and write) and I went from the Sony to the Kindle.

BTW, that compare link is inaccurate in at least one area, the Kindle has far more titles nowadays.

Thanks for your POV. He told me this on Sunday. He can upload the new books that he needs to read from his office computer, apparently.He finds the Sony screen and lighting easier on his eyes, he said.

@gailcalled He finds the Sony screen and lighting easier on his eyes, he said.

My wife says the same – but I find the Kindle to be fine. More like a paper based book than the Sony. I had one of the first Sonys and loved it until I got my hands on a Kindle.

I have a Kindle and I love it. I find myself reading one book on the Kindle, then one book on paper, then switching back. It’s great to travel with, and just so much fun to download a book when the whim catches you.

I have a Nook and absolutely adore it. I have rediscovered my passion for reading again. It’s always with me. It works extremely well.