Are kindles worth it? Thinking of buying one

Hi guys,

So thinking of getting a kindle when the new one comes out. Are they worth it? I can't decide whether I should fork out £109 for it.

Also if you have ebooks on your computer, can you email them to your amazon account to read on your kindle? is that allowed?

Look forward to hearing your thoughts. I especially look forward in hearing from the kindle owners amongst you and in how often you use it or any kindle stories whatever (good or bad) :smile:

Thanks!

Reply 1

amberjenkins

I got a Kindle for free from a uni competition. I put uni documents on it, it was really easy to do and I definitely think you could put your ebooks on it.

I find my kindle really useful, I have to travel a lot to visit family and as an avid reader it comes in real use. I went on a weekend break recently and as the baggage weight was tight it came in handy as I read 3 books while I was abroad (I know, i'm quick) and I couldn't of taken that amount of books with me any other way.

However, I would never pay £109 for it, if you want it for reading the version 1 ones are just as good. I see no point for touch screens and back lights... hope that helps :smile:

Reply 2

lordtom_

There's software you can download to convert the files and put books not downloaded from Amazon onto your kindle

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Reply 3

simeon

Kindle app on my phone is more than ok for me.

Reply 4

GreatSnowman

if you plan to do lots of reading then yes it is as there are loads of authors out there that only publish on the kindle store or other ebook stores, and es you ca email documents to your kindle via an emal address that will be supplied by amazon when you register it. i had pdfs of some books i got off friends and emailed them to the kindle using the pdf converter that they have as well :smile:

if you dont plan to do much reading then just get the kindle app as mentioned above for your pc or iOs/Andriod devices.

i got the £69 kindle and have over 150 books on it :biggrin:

Reply 5

Plainview

Yes. There are situations where they are much more useful than books (holidays, reading in bed, etc.). There's nothing to stop you buying one, then continuing to buy paperbacks too – which is what I do. You don't have to pick a side, and if you don't, then you'll have more options.

Reply 6

andbeyond

you can download the kindle app on tablets or some modern phones. probably laptops too..

Reply 7

blubimnotafish

I've got a Kobo Glo, so another type of ereader, and so far I'm quite pleased. I've had it for a couple of months but not used it very intensively yet as I still had a lot of books lying around that needed reading.
I think it will be worth the money :smile:

Reply 8

MagicNMedicine

Yes I use my kindle a lot. I read a lot of books and living in a small flat means I don't have the storage space to accumulate loads of books and then lug them round with me when I move out etc. I still read paperbacks too but I use the kindle for most new book buys and I have it with me whenever I'm out and about on trains etc so if I am ever stuck waiting for stuff I can continue on with my latest read.

Reply 9

Huskaris

I've recently bought a kindle fire HD having accidentally put my hand through my kindle. It's brilliant.

Reply 10

Ham22

I have a Kindle Fire, which I intended to use primarily as a tablet (web, apps), rather than for books. I have a few books on there though. It blows my mind a little that it's so easy just to download a book you fancy from the store, rather than going to a shop or waiting for the post to arrive. It's really convenient. My Kindle has a poor battery life though (I think 10 hours for a Kindle is pretty pathetic).

^ Also, 'accidentally' put your hand through your kindle? *Cough*

Reply 11

grt

It depends on the Kindle you're looking for.

The original version (£49?) is fine if you like to read a lot and have a light source somewhere around you. It's an easy to use device and not too expensive to be worried of getting your investment back.

If you're looking at the Kindle Fire (HD), well, it's a different story. It's kind of half a Kindle and half a more serious tablet - with the limitation that amazon controls whatever you're doing with it. So if you really just want to read books, go for the original Kindle or Kindle Paperwhite ("passive" background light, ie you don't need another light source and it strains your eyes much less than normal LED screens). If you want a tablet to also read books on, I'd suggest a "real" tablet, ie the recently released Nexus 7 (or Nexus 10 if you want a bigger one) or even iPad (Mini) if you think it's worth it.

An alterantive to the Kindle Paperwhite is, amongst others, the Kobo Glo. From what I've heard, it's the device to buy instead of a Kindle because it read different formats (see below), is not closely interlinked to the amazon environment and, according to more than a few, provides an even better reading experience. I haven't had any of these, but was considering buying an "e-reader" as well in the last month and the Kobo Glo came out as the preferred choice.

Regarding file formats: Natively, you can only use .mobi e-books (and PDFs on some?) on Kindle products. This is annoying as the de facto standard is .epub. However, there are plenty of converters out there which can convert .epub, PDFs and plenty of other formats to .mobi. If you want an ebook library to organise your ebooks, consider looking into calibre (http://calibre-ebook.com/). It takes an hour or so to get used to it but it's well worth it if you plan to not just occasionally read a book.

The issue with amazon is mainly that they put DRM limitations on books, ie you cannot read them on other devices or lend them to your best friend (although you can remove it fairly easily if you would want to). Also, it means that getting ebooks from other sources, especially online stores, is more of a hassle when wanting to read them on your Kindle. Last but not least, do you want amazon to know which books you're also reading on the device?

What's the bottom line? If you're buying stuff - and especially books - on amazon all the time, I guess the easiest solution is to buy one of the Kindles. If you like reading much at night, you might want to go for the Paperwhite version as you don't need an additional light source. If you haven't been an avid amazon customer (and don't plan on becoming one), you might want to look at alternatives such as the Kobo Glo. It would simply make your life easier while still providing you with a product which - at least - meets the Kindle quality. If you wouldn't read that much anyway and want to do more web-browsing and using various other apps on the device, you might want to opt for a more recent Android or iOS tablet instead. Five hour reading sessions on these ones will strain your eyes, but reading for one or two hours without a break on my Nexus 7 has never been an issue for me.

Reply 12

lizlaz350

I have a Kindle Fire HD and I didn't actually pay for it as it was my granddad's and he didn't like it but I really love it when I never thought I would.

I originally just planned to use the tablet side of it to play games etc but now I use it to read books as well. They're really easy to fall in love with.

Reply 13

whisperingtears

I suggest you buy the one with no backlight (which is also cheaper!). Because if you're on a journey reading, you'll probably read for hours and you don't want to strain your eyes. (:

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Reply 14

YellowJane

My dad has one and likes it, he uses it often. It's useful to have a portable one that can store a lot on :wink:

However I find he still buys normal books... Despite me saying 'just download it!' I thin theyre hard to get into

Reply 15

JadeD1990

I love mine... Nothing beats holding a real book but the ease of a kindle, combined with its size and the ability to have your whole library in one place is something I adore... I don't go anywhere without mine though I occasionally spoil myself with a real book :smile:

I don't have much storage space so I can't have too many around!

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Reply 16

Clementine101

I haven't got a Kindle so I can't tell you what they're like. I do, however, have a YellowStone e-reader. I love it. I like e-readers. I do love holding a real book, but the e-readers are so much... easier. Nowhere near as heavy as a book and if you fall asleep or drop it, you wont loose your page.

Reply 17

Being_Awesome:)

I've owned two (as the first one had an unfortunate run in with the pavement) and also a Sony E-Reader in the past, and I can wholeheartedly say that for people who read books a lot, and aren't too bothered about collecting the paperback versions, having a Kindle is the best way to go. Yes, they can be expensive to buy (although you could get second hand ones for much cheaper) but they almost always make that back because books in the Kindle store are so much cheaper than print books. On my E-Reader books were normally the same price as their print counterparts, but with my kindle I've found books that were up to £10 in Waterstones or WHSmith are £3-£4 on the Kindle. Plus, weight restrictions are no longer your enemy when taking books on a flight. Basically, I would recommend one, though people are welcome to tell me why they wouldn't.