But what it does do - it does so in a way that is SOOOOOOOO far ahead of any of it's competition.

 

Indeed. I've tried web browsing via WiFi on my Kindle and it's okay, if pretty slow. If you needed to get online "right now" to sort a problem (eg plane tickets) it should do the job.

Sure a tablet might do more but I bet it would need charging up every one to two days, not every few weeks. IMHO, a £200 tablet is a much more considered buy than an £85 Kindle.

 

eInk devices will have far better battery life than a tablet, that's a given.
If you just want to read, and you're not worried about colour, fixed layout epubs (typically funky full colour, with sound, video and interactive content) then a dedicated reader would be best.
If you want full colour content when reading (excepting mags, newspapers and kids books, there aren't that many reasons you'd want colour for reading - how many actual books do you have with colour in them?) and the ability to surf / read emails, run games, then a tablet does look to be a better solution.

As to which one, again, depends what you want. You're into the whole Fire / Nook / Vox / iPad / Tab / AnyOtherTablet debate which is probably best for another thread.

 

But no-one has yet answered the two main questions:
How much do books cost?
And how much does a daily paper cost?

My wife is nagging for one for Christmas, but reads a book in two days when on holiday.
We buy them for BOGOF from supermarkets etc, or similar deals from Smiths, Waterstones etc.

So if Kindle books arte going to be the price of a hardback, no deals, it's going to be a non-runner for us.

 

Look on Amazon?

Newspapers - Telegraph is £9.99/month

Books - Paid bestsellers are anything from 99p to £5 or so

 

the tablet is $200 so around £125 that's why i thought i would give one a try

 

Kindle with keyboard and 3g was 160, thats what i was looking for when i decided to get a tablet

 

i bought my dad a Kindle last xmas and ended up sending it back as he said that the selection of books was to limited.

I have also looked at prices of books and i tend to buy 2nd hand a lot now money is tight and that means the Kindle is a lot more expensive and obviously you cant sell the books on once you have read them.

 

Let me help you!

 

Between .86p and £20.00 if you can actually find a book you want.

 

As well as the 1000's of free books as well.

 

show off!! (well done thou)

 

Wife and Daughter love theirs but there are no parental controls. Means that as we buy books on the same account the mrs books appear on the daughters kindle too. Can't stop it so it has to be a trust thing that she doesnt read something unsuitable.

 

Well I have my kindle fire and I love it.


For $200 dollars you really can't go wrong.

I have rooted mine and running ice cream sandwich with full apps store, really reccomend anyone to try one.

 

Was thinking about one, but the battery life puts me off.

We already have an iPad, the benefit of the kindle was a small reading device that has a battery that lasts ages.

 

The battery does last ages on mine - I turn WiFi off to help as well.

Random search result from Google with somebody getting around 68 hours use from a single charge

 

I've had my Kindle for the last year and I love it. Friends clubbed together and bought it when I was ill as they knew I couldnt get out to buy books - great idea.

It's lightweight and fits in my smallest handbag - these things are important and I wouldnt be without it. Battery life is amazing if you switch WiFi off. You can send documents to it, just need a bit of time to set it up properly - probably the first time I've actually read the instructions

I have an iPad but dont use it for reading books as it's a bit bulky, heavy if you're holding it in the same place for a while and the screen gets mucky/reflects light badly.

Kindle is cool

 

mine came yesterday, fantastic

within 4 mins it was on, and I had copied a PDF book to it

no syncing no bloatware on my laptop, just a simple file copy

and I love the "appliance" architecture, it just displays text in the most beautiful clear and readable way imaginable

I love the fact that it does not have a "youtube app", and it has unusable internet browsing capability, -- if I want to see a goat fvcking a cat, I can do it on my laptop

and at 87 quid not much more than a decent bottle of wine

 

you said it so much better than I did, love it

 

Well just bitten the bullet and bought the GF one. Got it from Tesco online for £79 (with voucher). Someone will be happy on 25/12.

 

You got a link for that?

 

Well,I got one for Christmas and I love it!

Surprised me because i bloody hate gadgets and love real books

 

I bought a kindle for the wife. We are 200 miles in the Norwegian country side and it still works. I subscribed to several uk papers. Only charged it once this week. Wife has read two books aswell as me using it. Free international 3g connection The Matt screen and easy adjustable font size makes it a breeze to read. As others have said. Look at it only as a book replacement and you will be mighty impressed

 

One thing I never hear people complain about is the fact that Kindle is the most locked down proprietary system that makes Apple look positively open source!

Essex library actually allow you to borrow ebooks online but Amazons locked down format doesn't allow for anyone else's DRM to be used on it for this reason I have a Sony ereader and can buy DRM books from anywhere or read the latest books for free by borrowing them from my library website (download is valid for 30 days, just like borrowing a physical book)

 

I thought ebooks from the library! great idea so just looked in the history section essex they have 12 titles!

 

So do I, but let's be honest, the iPad screen sucks for reading books.

Any hint of sunshine and it becomes a massive pain to read, where-as the kindle is fully readable in bright sunlight.

I'm thinking of getting a kindle to go with the ipad myself, but not sure if I can transfer the books I have for my kindle for ipad.

 

I use Kindle on my iPad as well and it isn't so much the screen as the weight. It isn't convenient to hold for long periods.

Steve

 

Try here:

http://calibre-ebook.com/

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you on that point. iPhone screen is too small to read on, iPad is a little too heavy to read on. I did try it for a month or so but switched to an eInk device, far better in the weight area, and I've been using one since.

 

Good thread.

I look forward to read the reviews here on Kindle Fire before I splash my money on it. Some of the people I know have got Kindle to read the Twilight Saga on it, which I am remotely interested in.