Who has a Kindle?

[Siren]

I am thinking of getting my 12 year old a Kindle for Christmas. She loves to read and a friend suggested it and I think its a great idea. I'd love to hear from people who own them though.

I know B&N has their own version, Nook, but after some comparisons, I think Kindle is better suited for us.

Looking for opinions, good and bad on owning one.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Now, I don't have a Kindle, but I can tell you why I don't really want one. I thought the idea was great at first, but then I realized that it just wouldn't work for me. I can easily read things online, but I feel that I actually need the physical book to read. It may sound weird, but I love the smell of books and the way I turn the pages and see what's coming up. I just feel like that aspect would be lost with a Kindle or any other electronic book reader. Believe me, I don't want to discourage you, and this obviously isn't what your asking about, but I just wanted to give you my two cents (whether you want it or not ). I think the Kindle is a great idea, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's perfect for everybody. I don't know any of the benefits or disadvantages to the Kindle, but I'm sure there are plenty of both.

[Siren]

I can understand that. I don't plan to replace her current entire library or never get her another physical book. There are plenty of books she enjoys they aren't any good on the Kindle. Art books for instance, I prefer in hand. But a regular chapter book, I read them on my iPhone and she has too.

I appreciate your opinion but not exactly the kind of opinion I am looking for. I am looking for actual physical advantages and disadvantages to the Kindle. For instance, I read the battery lasts for a month on ONE charge. But a disadvantage is when you have to have the battery replaced, you have to send the Kindle back to Amazon and they send you a NEW Kindle of the same model, and this can be a little pricey. No where near buying a new Kindle, I am trying to find the exact price. But the battery wears down in 3-6 years, by then, a new model of Kindle will be out so it may just be better to buy the new model.

But that's more what I am looking for in opinion wise. Not the absence of feeling the paper or smelling the book. I totally understand and feel the same way, but her room is not very large and her current library already is way more than we have space for.

[pap64]

Have you tried typing Kindle FAQ into Google? I am sure someone at least has done a detailed review of the product in order to compare it to other e-readers.

[Coolmanio]

I am thinking of getting my 12 year old a Kindle for Christmas. She loves to read and a friend suggested it and I think its a great idea. I'd love to hear from people who own them though.

I know B&N has their own version, Nook, but after some comparisons, I think Kindle is better suited for us.

Looking for opinions, good and bad on owning one.

I currently work at one of the biggest book stores in Canada(Indigo) and from what I have heard of from other employees and customers, is to stay away from the Kindle. Although it is true that the Kindle is faster than the Nook, or the Kobo, it has issues with performance. There are many cases of Kindles breaking down, and the fact is, Amazon is an internet company, and so their customer service is not as good as an in-store company.

I don't know about the USA, but Kobo's have free books attached to it, and their are constant promotions, and giveaways through the stores. I may be biased, but I would say go with a Nook.

[tightlacedboots]

Amazon usually has awesome customer service. So I dunno if that is fair to say.

I heard that Target carries the Kindle. But if there are problems I don't know if Target would deal with them. However, I can say that it is recommended you check out the models in the store where you can actually get a feel for them/test them out.

My hesitation would be that it is such an expensive item I would want to consider other gifts in its place. Once you get the Kindle you still have to pay for the books you download. In the end I don't know if it would make more sense to just go to the library and/or buy the occasional book.

However, if you think this is the gift then good luck with your search.

[tightlacedboots]

I don't have one but hopefully this will lead you to a helpful video review:

http://www.cnet.com/1770-5_1-0.html?que ... e&tag=srch

[SillySymphony]

@Siren I've never used one personally, but my best friend has one. She's a college student and the Kindle helps immensely with school; she doesn't have to haul around as many books for classes. Another person I know uses his Kindle for schooling purposes too.

So, I can't say how good/bad they are, I just know that they're gold for people who need it for intensive study.

Something else you could check into is if they have the books your daughter likes to read. They provide the classics of course (most for free) but they might not have everything she likes.


@TheSequelOfDisney Exactly my problem. I won't buy a Kindle until it comes with book smells. I also can't get over the fact that it doesn't come in color.

[Scarred4life]

I don't personally own a Kindle, (and probably never will) but I've heard good things about it from friends. But any form of e book does not suit me for a number of reason. Number one, I collect books, and having them stored in an electronic device has no appeal for me. Second, I need the actual book. I need to be able to flip the pages, feel them, and yes, smell them. It's just not the same if you don't have an actual book-in-hand. Number 3, I would always be worried about taking my Kindle places. Since it's electronic, I would be afraid it would get stolen, or broken in my bag. And if you left it somewhere, you would be losing alot of books. With a real book, if you lose it, you just go to the bookstore and pay 10 dollars to replace it. And with a real book, it's really not worth it to steal, and the worst that will happen is the pages will get a bit crushed/ripped.

But, that's just me.

[PixarFan2006]

I will personally NEVER buy a Kindle. I would rather physically own a book and not have the text stored onto an electronic device that will likely break within a couple years).

[Siren]

I will personally NEVER buy a Kindle. I would rather physically own a book and not have the text stored onto an electronic device that will likely break within a couple years).

Though I understand that to a point...its like saying you wouldn't own a computer because it might break later. Do you have an iPod? Or a cell phone? Those can get broken too. According to everything I read so far on the Kindle, their battery cannot be replaced by the user unless they wish to break the warranty. When it needs a new battery, you send it back to Amazon and they send you a new one (same model). But the battery lasts 3-6 years. And by the time most batteries die, the warranty is done, and there is a website that shows the user how to replace the battery themselves. So short of treating the Kindle badly its likely not going to break. I have not heard of any breaking for no reason.

[Scarred4life]

Though I understand that to a point...its like saying you wouldn't own a computer because it might break later. Do you have an iPod? Or a cell phone? Those can get broken too.

But on a computer, you can back files up. Any music I buy I put on a USB port, and I do the same to any large, important files. If the Kindle gets broken, you can't get those books back. So then what happens if you had spent $200 on books that you can't recover?

[pap64]

Though I understand that to a point...its like saying you wouldn't own a computer because it might break later. Do you have an iPod? Or a cell phone? Those can get broken too.

But on a computer, you can back files up. Any music I buy I put on a USB port, and I do the same to any large, important files. If the Kindle gets broken, you can't get those books back. So then what happens if you had spent $200 on books that you can't recover?

No offense, but do you really believe that Amazon would design a device without thinking about back ups and how to download the books back if the device breaks?

I'll be surprised if the Kindle doesn't have a way to backup your files if it breaks.

[Scarred4life]

No offense, but do you really believe that Amazon would design a device without thinking about back ups and how to download the books back if the device breaks?

I'll be surprised if the Kindle doesn't have a way to backup your files if it breaks.

Well, like I said before, I really don't know that much about the Kindle, but as with anything electronic, things can always malfunction, and I am absolutely paranoid when it comes to storing files on electronic devices, and not being able to make my own backup copy is not something that appeals to me.

[Siren]

With the kindle once you buy it, that's it. No need for back up. If I buy a book it goes directly to my kindle if for some reason my kindle doesn't save it I simply redownload at no extra charge. If I get two kindles and have them on the same acct I can download the same book to both and only pay once. When it comes to losing the download amazon does have you covered

[Elladorine]

This article may be of some help to you if you haven't already seen it.

[yamiiguy]

I got a Kindle 2 last Christmas. I'm 14 years old and love it.

Pros:
-Free public domain classics
-Takes up less space, I have 148 ebooks, imagine if they were physical
-Free 3G internet connection (for the 3G model)
-More eco-friendly
-USUALLY cheaper than the physical product
-Quick searching through books and dictionaries
-No ripped/missing pages, no worn bindings or covers

Cons:
-A book won't run out of charge, this will
-Damage, this isn't really a con as like I said above books can be easily damaged but a book doesn't cost as much as a Kindle
-Agency Pricing is now becoming more common

I think that readers in my age group will be quicker to adopt e-readers than others, mainly for some of the reasons outlined that some older generations are concerned about such as the "feel" and "smell" of the books. I can tell that what I'm holding in my hand is just dead plant matter though

[SillySymphony]

I think that readers in my age group will be quicker to adopt e-readers than others, mainly for some of the reasons outlined that some older generations are concerned about such as the "feel" and "smell" of the books.

Hey, I'm just a few years older than you so don't go making the assumption that just by preferring physical books it makes us the "older generation."

I'm not against technology: I have a MP3 player, a MacBook, etc. I've also have read and listened to some books digitally. I just have a preference towards having a solid book in my hand. I may be old-fashioned, but last time I checked books were still being bought/sold primarily in hard copy.

[yamiiguy]

I think that readers in my age group will be quicker to adopt e-readers than others, mainly for some of the reasons outlined that some older generations are concerned about such as the "feel" and "smell" of the books.

Hey, I'm just a few years older than you so don't go making the assumption that just by preferring physical books it makes us the "older generation."

I'm not against technology: I have a MP3 player, a MacBook, etc. I've also have read and listened to some books digitally. I just have a preference towards having a solid book in my hand. I may be old-fashioned, but last time I checked books were still being bought/sold primarily in hard copy.

I said that the older generations would be slower to adopt because of those reasons not that some of our generation wouldn't do the same. I wasn't meaning to offend anyone I have a friend that is quite obsessive over literature that will not even look at an e-reader for the same reasons.

What I don't get is author's withholding their books from digital release because of their own opinion. Sure, it's their right to control their properties but they are alienating a now substantial user base and many resort to pirating OCR'd copies of their works.