Kindle e-book reader. Beware....

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Poochops

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Ha Ha please be warned if you buy your better half one of these, you can kiss goodbye to your bandwidth. She's downloading all sorts and I'm trying to browse TP on my iPhone and it's so bleedin slow I could go an have a bath waiting for a few photos to load, the phone wires outside are glowing. Shot myself in the foot there. b****r!
 
I got a Kindle 2 from amazon.com some time ago. I still love it. I only wish that the EU didn't impose VAT on digital books!
 
SteveRob said:
I only wish that the EU didn't impose VAT on digital books!
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Me too, i was quite surprised at the price difference on normal books after i got one for my birthday!
 
I think its rude that they charge more for the ebook than they do for a physical copy!
 
I've had a Kindle 2 and Kindle 3.

The kindle 2 developed a faulty screen and Amazon replaced it with a Kindle 3. They did however first fail to process the replacement request for a month and then when they finally did send it out sent it to the wrong address - so I complained and got an upgrade and the cost difference refunded.

I love my kindle and use it a lot - especially with Calibre to download news feeds. I got my dad one as well and he uses it constantly - great for business trips and the brief holidays he gets to be able to take so many books with you or to grab a new one on a whim. Only thing is the slight clicking noise it makes as he turns the page - irritates my mum hugely at night :)
 
SK617 said:
I think its rude that they charge more for the ebook than they do for a physical copy!
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It's not so much 'their' fault as the publishers, my dad's a librarian and he's told me how there's a massive debate going on with one of the big American ones in particular - where libraries are boycotting them as they will only allow a digital book to be rented out 25 times, since that's how long they figure a physical copy would last. They're completely ignoring the fact that it's longevity is one of it's main advantages, and they think they can charge more when they don't have to spend anything on printing, binding, storage or shipping, it's essentially money for nothing.
 
Superewza said:
It's not so much 'their' fault as the publishers, my dad's a librarian and he's told me how there's a massive debate going on with one of the big American ones in particular - where libraries are boycotting them as they will only allow a digital book to be rented out 25 times, since that's how long they figure a physical copy would last. They're completely ignoring the fact that it's longevity is one of it's main advantages, and they think they can charge more when they don't have to spend anything on printing, binding, storage or shipping, it's essentially money for nothing.
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Amazingly some people have that attitude about photographs as well.
 
IanT74 said:
My 4y/o stepson calls these 'electricity books'
Made me laugh!
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ha ha... he does have a point though.....

I can see the advantage for people who travel a lot, or read a lot (yes I read shedloads) but for me, at the moment, i prefer the tangible quality of having a book to hold.... (and nothing like being the first person to read a book) - though yes you do pay £10 or so, read it once and that's it.
 
Perhaps someone can help me with a question.. I've never used a Kindle, but my dad spotted that they have a qwerty keyboard and asked me if they could be used to input text, he's looking for something to type up travel notes when on holiday or on trips, can anyone tell me if they can be used for this or if they are readers only?
 
Unfortunately not, the kindle doesn't have any standalone app that allows you to make notes like that, instead it is used for making notes in the book you are reading... so you might be able to do it that way. Also the Kindle keypad is, imho, bloody awful to use - I'd sooner use my blackberry for that sort of stuff.
 
Thanks Pickers.. that's what I thought, Ill point him towards a tablet instead.
 
Alastair said:
Perhaps someone can help me with a question.. I've never used a Kindle, but my dad spotted that they have a qwerty keyboard and asked me if they could be used to input text, he's looking for something to type up travel notes when on holiday or on trips, can anyone tell me if they can be used for this or if they are readers only?
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As Pickers said above. It's also so you can search for books on Amazon :)
 
It's true that publishers are charging way too much for eBooks, but there are some authors who are bucking the trend by going independent and setting their own prices on Kindle, etc. I've just finished reading a really great book by British author Scott Mariani who seems to be one of the latest authors to go indie in rebellion against unfair practices of publishers. His book Passenger 13 cost just a little over a quid and was worth every penny and more! Another similar author is Stephen Leather.
 
I love my Kindle I used to read real books and they added to the weight of my work overnight bag, the Kindle is small and light and carries hundreds of books, never noticed the OP's issue with bandwidth either.
 
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