Kindle 2

[grizzle]

Anyone else excited?

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[Fretty]

As cool as that is, there's something to be said about reading a book with pages on paper.

I can't wait for the day children ask or say "They use to make books out of paper? Why?" or "Dad, we're you alive when trees made books?". heh

[Slamz]

It's a lot more tempting. I didn't want to get the Kindle partially because I knew it wouldn't be long before they came out with an updated/improved version of it.


I still probably won't get one, though, because I simply have no use for one. There isn't any situation I find myself in where I would like a book that I couldn't just carry a book with me. If I took the metro to work or something, I'd do it for sure.

[grizzle]

Oh I agree. And I'm one of those odd ducks that actually likes the smell of really old books.

On the other hand, carrying around an entire library on something that weighs 10oz... I likey.

[Skelas]

So, $359 bucks for the kindle, and then you still have to buy books for close to hardcover prices?

Am I missing something?

[Vanraw]

The concept of not killing trees is cool. It also can play audible books. Cost per book seems allot cheaper.

The concept of having the daily paper right there is cool too. Im reading that it uses att 3g network but there is no cost to using the network. Is there a kindle monthly subscription or something?

[Jodah]

I'm with the rest of the people here I would rather have a paper book to read. I can read a 1000 page book without flinching but a 5+ paragraph forum post requires me to force myself to read it, no matter how well its written. Kinda weird.

[Fretty]

I can read a 1000 page book without flinching but a 5+ paragraph forum post requires me to force myself to read it, no matter how well its written. Kinda weird.

[grizzle]

The concept of not killing trees is cool. It also can play audible books. Cost per book seems allot cheaper.

The concept of having the daily paper right there is cool too. Im reading that it uses att 3g network but there is no cost to using the network. Is there a kindle monthly subscription or something?

Nope, no monthly fee. You buy the Kindle. Then you buy the books at a price cheaper than paper books). That's it.

The only monthly fees are for various subscriptions, like to newspapers or magazines (Alfred Hitchcock Mysteries, etc.)

So, $359 bucks for the kindle, and then you still have to buy books for close to hardcover prices?

Am I missing something?

For me, I've usually got 3 books going at a time. I read like I game - jump from one to another depending on my mood. So it'll be nice to be able to carry them all around at once.

Plus, instead of a heavy, War & Peace sized book, this thing is 1/3 inch thick, so easily carried with me.

I have a bunch of books lying around because I was bored certain weekends and had the urge to read a book. So I ordered it from Amazon. And it arrived a week later, when I was no longer interested, or was distracted, or sidetracked, etc. So, with Kindle, I can download the book in 60 seconds right when I am ready to read, instead of waiting for it.


I think it's just a natural progression. I remember years ago when I was first thinking about buying a cell phone. I remember thinking the cell phone makes and takes phone calls, just like my home phone. Other than portability, which I never needed a phone outside of home anyway, what was the point. But now I have a cell phone and couldn't imagine not having it.

[grizzle]

I'm with the rest of the people here I would rather have a paper book to read. I can read a 1000 page book without flinching but a 5+ paragraph forum post requires me to force myself to read it, no matter how well its written. Kinda weird.

That's cuz you're drunk when you read the forum posts.

[Jakensama]

So, $359 bucks for the kindle, and then you still have to buy books for close to hardcover prices?

New releases are listed as $9.99, hard covers often go over $20. The kindle would pay for itself after 40 or so books, which is 2-3 months for someone like my dad who absolutely loves the thing. The adjustable fonts and e-ink display are apparently good for older folks with shitty vision too.

[Skelas]

so, 9.95 a pop, which is more than a paperback, and I can't loan a book out? I don't know about all of you, but half of my books are being read by other people, and half the books I have were loaned to me.

I'd hate to lose that, sharing a book with a friend is just one of those cool, simple acts in life.

[Slamz]

"New releases" != "paperback".

Older releases are cheaper.

I couldn't find a book that wasn't $2-$3 more for the paperback than it was for the Kindle.


Not being able to lend books out is really the only drawback.

[Snowreap]

when you buy a kindle book, do you buy it, or do you rent it for only as long as your kindle functions (or amazon.com abandons that line of business)?

that is, if the kindle doesn't take off and amazon.com shuts that division down, then a little later your kindle stops working, can you get the books out of it?

I'm curious if buying a kindle book is like buying a dvd, or if it's more like buying a movie from amazon unbox, where you're not really buying it and can lose access to it for a variety of reasons outside of your control?

-ken

[Jakensama]

You always have the rights to get it off Amazon, but yes, I suppose you have to worry about Amazon collapsing. You certainly don't get rights to a paper copy, no.

[1000xZero]

I've liked the idea and I've been waiting for the Kindle 2 to come out.

Not sure when and if I'll buy it though.

[Dustie]

I like this idea, but I'm really tired of "rights management" and paying for the same thing 5 times.

1. Movies: You buy a Beta Movie, then comes VHS, then comes DVD, then comes HD DVD, then comes Blue Ray. So if you bought Star Wars in 1978ish and thought you'd have this classic to watch "forever", boy were you wrong. You didn't realize that you were spending 1/5th of what you'd eventually need to spend.

2. Music: 8 tracks, records, tapes, CDs, MP3, WMA, protected MP3 -- again 5 times we have to re-buy the same thing. Bruce Springsteen (who I'm a fan of) takes this further and realeases the Seager sessions CD but then re-releases it later with one additional song (the best one) so we have to re-buy the whole thing). In other words, a lot of these artists are getting paid 5 times for the same songs.

3. Books: I'll be damed if I go down this rat hole with books. I have a copy of "The Swiss Family Robinson" that I bought 10 years ago and I didn't need to re-buy it each time I bought a new shelf or moved from one house to another.

All that said, man this thing looks neat. I really love how thin it is and the wireless "anywhere" part.

[Diggles]

until they can make startrek like datapad, i'm not interested

power seems to be the bottleneck at this point

[grizzle]

so, 9.95 a pop, which is more than a paperback, and I can't loan a book out? I don't know about all of you, but half of my books are being read by other people, and half the books I have were loaned to me.

I'd hate to lose that, sharing a book with a friend is just one of those cool, simple acts in life.

It's got a USB port, and you can download books to it via a USB drive. So, I'd suspect people can trade books using that. But it also has a wireless capability that conencts with other Kindles. In their example, they say it makes it easy for people upgrading from a Kindle 1 to a Kindle 2 by connecting them both and transferring books from one to another. If that's the case, then I assume (but don't know for sure) that books could be transferred the same way.

[Jakensama]

until they can make startrek like datapad, i'm not interested

power seems to be the bottleneck at this point

You can't get the Atlas Shrugged coloring book on this thing yet anyway.

[Dustie]

until they can make startrek like datapad, i'm not interested

power seems to be the bottleneck at this point

You can't get the Atlas Shrugged coloring book on this thing yet anyway.

I was actually about to buy that book (in paper form).

[Jakensama]

Have you ever read her works before?

[Dustie]

Have you ever read her works before?

I'm sure you won't beleive me, but no, I haven't. I only really learned about her Rand a few years when I started really getting interested in economics and taking classes. Mainly I know about here through reading books like Greenspan's Age of Turbulance.

[Jakensama]

Have fun making it through all 1000+ pages, its a page turner... I read it back in high school when I was a little Reaganite and agreed with Objectivism and it still took a bit to force my way through it.

[Dustie]

I doubt I'll actually get the book, but it would be on my list in case I finish everything else I have now. Snowball is 900 pages and I'm wipping through that right now.