Kindle

[Mjolinor]

Well e-book readers are here, like it or not.

Thinking of getting a Kindle so does anyone have one?

Stuck between the wifi and wifi/3g models.

Can you do general browsing on them, anywhere, or is the browser limited in some way. Some useful hacks out there it seems so whatever they tried to do to lock them down seems not to be a problem anymore.

Just looking for some real world / owner feedback that I can trust really.

[Shady]

for the price of an ebook, you can get an android tab.. know what id rather have.

[Jim.Mahoney]

Well e-book readers are here, like it or not.

Thinking of getting a Kindle so does anyone have one?

Stuck between the wifi and wifi/3g models.

Can you do general browsing on them, anywhere, or is the browser limited in some way. Some useful hacks out there it seems so whatever they tried to do to lock them down seems not to be a problem anymore.

Just looking for some real world / owner feedback that I can trust really.

I don't own one but I have used one!

The display is amazing as it looks almost like a real book and the battery life is quite unbelievable also!

As far as I am aware they all come with internet access but only via 2.5G or EDGE which isn't exactly fast but good enough to update your Facebook status for example!

[Shady]

Android 7" ?94.99.loads of ebook readers on android, even kindle software. plus you can do SO much more than read books
[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Touchscreen-Netbook-Google-Android-Notebook/dp/B0045EY3SM/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1294598797&sr =1-8]M001 White 7" Touchscreen Netbook Google Android: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics[/ame]

[Jim.Mahoney]

As an e-book reader the Kindle wins hands down! The display is designed to make e-reading as close to a real book as is possible.

The Android has a glossy display and I'm sure I'd get a headache reading more than a few pages on it.

The Kindle is built for a task and can be used to a few other things whereas the Android is a general purpose device...

[Mjolinor]

I have been reading e books since the palm 5 came out. I currently use a Nokia 810. Don't have any problems with it and use it every day. I have bought tablets before and I know I will not use it for reading if I bought one. It's the battery life and possibly the free 3G browsing that interests me if indeed they are not restricted on the browsing.

[Jim.Mahoney]

I have been reading e books since the palm 5 came out. I currently use a Nokia 810. Don't have any problems with it and use it every day. I have bought tablets before and I know I will not use it for reading if I bought one. It's the battery life and possibly the free 3G browsing that interests me if indeed they are not restricted on the browsing.

My daughter has one and she didn't even take her charger on holiday with her... She didn't need it!

Her one has only EDGE and although it's a bit slow she uses it for Facebook and a few forums so, I guess the browser is unlimited... Not sure what impact 3G would have on battery life!

The display is pretty robust I'm told, well compared to say a cellphone LCD.

[kianniamh]

Set one up for my brother last week (he had no internet access at home).

It is the 3g one - downloads books via the 3g in seconds and he is really impressed with it as he does a hell of a lot of reading. I had a quick go on the browser and it seems to work really well, he also mentioned the battery life is superb.

[Mjolinor]

OK, had one for around a month and read Bernard Cornwell Saxon series on it, 6 hefty books.

Overall verdict is that they are crap. Screen is excellent but holding it and using it is awful. You can't pick it up off a flat surface and though the screen is good it needs more light than a normal book.

I have gone back to my Nokia N810 and find it much easier to read. I can get more text on the screen of the 810 than I can on the Kindle for the same size text because you can't alter the margins on the kindle screen so it wastes about 50% of it's screen space but my Nokia I can set the text to the edge and no blanks top and bottom. Nokia is less than half the size of the kindle. The only pocket the Kindle fits in is the back pocket so that's why there are lots on ebay with cracked screens.

Oh well, in the drawer with it, maybe it will be a collectors item for my grandchildren

[allycoops]

Surprised at your review Majolinor Mate,

The wife got one a couple of months ago and loves it. Think I've put around 300 books on it so far using calibre program downloadable for free.

I've had no need but I'm sure in the settings of the program you can alter the margins etc to suit yourself then transfer to kindle. converts and stores the books for you.

Wife reads by bed side light and hasn't found a problem either but everybody will find different light needed to read comfortably.

Think she has only charged it once or twice since buying it and reads daily.

Just shows everybody's view of products differ.

Cheers Bud

[Mjolinor]

I think my dislike mainly arises from the fact that I haven't read a real book for 10 years, only electronically and having a backlight and being used to it is the killer. That has nothing to do with the buttons being in the wrong places or the fact that you can't pick it up when you (sensibly) lie it face down on a table.

The design is just generally poor considering it is the 3rd generation, they should have got a lot more things correct by now.

Maybe some one going from paper to Ebooks will be happy with it as it is, I can't comment on that.