Hi everyone! I am going on a trip soon and am thinking about buying a Kindle. For anyone who has one, which version do you have and do you personally feel like it is worth the money? Like most people here I've very budget conscious, so any advice is appreciated. Do you think it helps you save money on books in the long run? Is it durable? Is it worth it to spend extra money for the Fire? Thanks so much
I'd say it does in the long run, particularly if you buy a lot of books. E-books will save you all the cost of printing and shipping books to your home or local bookstore. I don't have a Kindle myself, but I do plan to buy one in the future. So far, I'd say it's worth it to put in the money now and save later. You can save even more if you're computer-savvy and can get books in less than standard manners. Heck, my local library has a system where you can even check out digital copies of library books.
That is actually really helpful to know! I had no idea libraries are doing things like that I do know some ways to get e-books online but what appeals to me about the Kindle is that it is more easily transportable and (from what I understand) there is no glare on the screen- it looks like you're actually reading a book. Thanks for your input. I appreciate it
For a person like me, I'd say it is because all of the fiction I read is classic fiction and a large majority of them are free. So that aspect is definitely a plus for me. Another thing I like from Kindle are the features it has to enhance your reading experience, such as highlighting a word to find its definition, synonyms, origin, etc. I love words and this is a great function.
I offered one to my middle daughter (one of the most basic model) and she loves it. Now when it comes to save money, it will not beat the library ! ) ) ... But it is very handy for transport, reading comfort ... Myself I prefer to download the book with the kindle software on my notebook ... Even cheaper ... Honestly your choice !
I don't have a Kindle yet, but totally think that they are worth the money. I have a tablet that I use all the time for reading e-books, but the battery doesn't last too long (about 6-7 hours). So, I am planning on buying a Kindle as soon as I can for the battery life alone. My friend has one of the cheaper versions of the Kindle and it is pretty durable. It can also save you money if you use it to read free e-books (check out Pixel of Ink for free books if you haven't already). Also, check with your library to see if they lend out e-books, my library in Nashville does and has been a great resource.
I just bought my Kindle a few months ago and am already in love with it. I can't imagine not having it anymore! I use it all the time for library book downloads, although I will warn you that you may find the waiting lists for some books to be outrageous (I saw one book the other day that had over 200 people on the waiting list - calculate 2 weeks out for each loan and you would have to wait like 7 years to get that book!). But I have over 200 books downloaded that were free from Amazon. The offer a lot of the classics like Wuthering Heights, David Copperfield and such free because of the copyright date, but sometime there are authors that will offer a free download of their book for a day and you can take advantage. There is one site that I can recommend that keeps track of all Kindle free books all the time. It'sLog In. It is updated all day so you can check it once a day or just whenever and find a lot of great free books there. I will also say that if you are looking for an ereader go with the Kindle over the Kindle Fire. If you want to be able to access the internet, watch movies or surf the web get the Kindle Fire. The regular Kindle (I have the one with the keyboard) is only black and white but the text and screen is made for reading and easier on your eyes. The Kindle Fire is more like a tablet so you don't have the advantage of the "real page-like" screen. I also recommend the keyboard version because when I did my research on them I read a lot of reviews that said the touch screen versions can be harder to work with because the frame where you would hold it is so narrow you often turn the page without meaning to. I bought a case for mine so that probably wouldn't be a big deal but I decided the keyboard worked better for me. Oh and one more thing. They offer different versions like with special offers or not. Save some money and just get the one with the special offers. It is just a screen saver when your Kindle is in sleep mode and sometimes a small bar at the bottom of your menu page. It doesn't affect your reading at all and I have actually gotten some good deals from it.
I LOVE my kindle, but I actually think I might spend MORE on books now that I have it. I used to get lot of books from the library and you can get them from the libraries on the kindle but the selections are still small and the waitlists are long. THat being said, the books that I DO buy are cheaper than the books I bought in print.
It depends on what you you really want. In the past, I had owned the original Kindle, but soon after I had found out that the Kindle apps were available on various tablets. My best recommendation would be to purchase the Kindle Fire. The reason I say this is that you will have access to many other apps, such as Netflix and the like. Though I have no personal experience with the Kindle Fire, I would say that it is the better choice of the two you listed. If you want to try something similar and have the cash on hand, try looking at the Samsung Galaxy tablets, they are roughly the same size, and has way more features. The Android market also features a lot of apps that are free as well.
A friend of mine who divides her time between Spain and the UK has a Kindle, and she wouldn't be without it. She always used to buy books to bring away with her, so she had the expense of buying and transporting them, then the problem of storage. With the Kindle, that's not an issue, and she gets a lot of free books. She can read even in the hot sun of Spain, so as far as she's concerned, her Kindle is a great buy. Personally, I'd rather turn the pages on a book, but then I'm always the last to catch up with technology.
I do not think that a Kindle is worth the money for one simple reason: because it only has one function - to read an e-book. I just do not like gadgets that have one function. Now, a tablet/i-pad or something like that...IS worth the money as it is multifunctional. For me, at least.
If you buy books regularly, then it's definitely worth it. Not only will it save you money in the long run, but it'll save you tons of space and you'll have access to all those books later if you want to reread them or reference them. Just make sure you don't lose it on the plane like people often do (they put them in the back of the seat and then forget).
Depending on the timing of the trip, I'd tell you to wait and get a Nexus 7. They just announced it yesterday and it's $200 for 8GB and $249 for 16GB. You can always down load the Amazon and B&N readers onto the tablet to do your reading, but you'd also have a full fledged tablet for the about the same amount of money. The Nexus 7 also has a camera and will simply be faster than either offering from the aforementioned. I say get the device that you can do the most with for the lowest price.
Wow, thank you so much everyone for your feedback and input! I am still torn about which version to get, but I'll definitely be buying a kindle before my trip I'll be sure to drop by here and give a shout about how it works out! Thanks again.
I would definitely recommend the kindle fire. It's basically a dumbed down blackberry playbook running Android. Almost everything from Android can be installed via APKs which can be downloaded from the internet. As for the normal Kindles, they are pretty much standard ebook readers. The only reason I would buy one over a standard ebook reader is the price and the fact that Amazon has some pretty good sales. I know you already decided on buying one, but just posting this here so others can see it.
Kindle is absolutely worth the money if you read a lot. The older versions of Kindle are great ebook readers though they aren't nearly as good as other tablets if you are looking for fancy features. Kindle Fire is a lot better in this respect and it has plenty of powerful features to keep you busy.
My daughter resisted the e book thing for a long time, then someone gave her a kindle and she loves it. She is one of those people who is usually working on several books at the same time, and this enables her to take them all with her when she goes to the doctor, etc. She already had an ipod touch, so wasn't really interested in something to surf the web with. I have a kindle fire and really like it. I don't use it much yet for web surfing because I an still trying to figure out if I need an antivirus program for it.
This is a great thread. I love physical books and have resisted buy a Kindle or Nook. I do have the Kindle app on my laptop. This thread has convinced me to get an e-reader. Now, which one? LOL!
Wait and get the Nexus 7 as I think that will be the best bet for your money. Having said that, there is a rumor that a new Amazon Fire will be out in August and there is always the rumor that a mini iPad will come out this year also. But, right now, for what has been announced, don't settle for an e-reader if there is a chance that you will want to also do things on a small tablet, which you most likely will once you have it in your hands.
I think Kindle is worth the money especially if you really are a book worm. I just think that it is a little bit small but of coarse the advantage of it over IPad and other tablets which are bigger is that it is very lightweight it is really advisable for reading ebooks. I would prefer IPad over it though but of coarse the price difference is huge.
