The Kindle

[jwidahonurse]

OK, so the books are stored on some mini chip..right? so all of the down loaded books will be accessabel..right?

[Hud3]

J,

You can download books directly to the Kindle over the 3G wireless network while in the States, but not outside the States. When outside the wireless coverage area, you can download books to your computer over an Internet connection, and then upload to your Kindle. So all the books are stored right there on the Kindle.

The Amazon literature says that the new Kindle can store over 1,500 books. That's a lot! Let's see, at $9.99 per title, that's almost $15,000.

[hellosailor]

Yes, the books you have already bought and downloaded are stored IN your Kindle, so they stay in it and with you wherever you are. Amazon also keeps a registry for each customer, so if you break it or throw it overboard, you can download the books again at no extra charge, to another device. They go into all that stuff on their web site.

[jwidahonurse]

Awsome..thank you.

[muttnut]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth. I've got the Sony Reader, and love it. I can get books over the internet through my computer, then sync them to the reader. It's very handy for travel, and I can even check books out online from the state library. I'm thrilled to have it. I can put it in a ziplock baggie when I read in the tub with it, and you could do the same on a boat if you were worried about spray. It doesn't connect to the internet, but if you're in a marina with a good internet connection, you can download books from Sony or the library.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by muttnut

I can put it in a ziplock baggie when I read in the tub with it, and you could do the same on a boat if you were worried about spray.

And you haven't experienced any over-heating when you did this? (Of the devise in the plastic bag, I mean.)

TaoJones

[anotherT34C]

Ziplock bag shouldn't be a problem. Basically, if the device lacks a fan, then it doesn't need to get rid of that much heat (e.g. cellphones, digital cameras...).

Love the idea of the Kindle, and I hope it manages to save the newspaper industry, but the price is a bit too high for a lowly working class schlub like me.

I'd pay $100. Or $300-$500 if it were color, and could web-browse.

Of course, what I'd really like (in case Steve Jobs is reading) is a reader incorporated into my eyeglasses. Also add voice recognition, a google toolbar, a GPS, zoom feature, and night vision please. I'd pay real money for that. You can call it i-glasses.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Agur's Wish

Q: Also will I be able to upload books from other sites such as libraries?

A: Technically, yes. Of course, it depends on what format the library books are in and if they are compatible with the Kindle.

Libraries have to protect the books they lend so that they aren't giving away free copies. They do that with digital rights management software (DRM). There are several types of DRM software that are common for libraries.

Kindle has pointedly created a device that will NOT work with protected (DRM) books and thus will not work with most library systems.

Sony eReader will.

I personally think the Kindle is cooler but am leaning toward purchasing the eReader because Amazon's anti-library stance has me pissed.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Livia

Libraries have to protect the books they lend so that they aren't giving away free copies. They do that with digital rights management software (DRM). There are several types of DRM software that are common for libraries.

Kindle has pointedly created a device that will NOT work with protected (DRM) books and thus will not work with most library systems.

Sony eReader will.

I personally think the Kindle is cooler but am leaning toward purchasing the eReader because Amazon's anti-library stance has me pissed.

So the Sony eReader can "take" books from libraries?

[cabo_sailor]

I was rather hot to trot about getting a Kindle but I read mostly sci-fi for novels and the missus likes certain romance and vampire(?) novels. But before buying I thought I should look to see if any of the available books are one's I'd like to read - buy. Unless I did something wrong it would appear that the number of available authors in those genre's is extremely limited. Bottom line, it will be a while before we get an e-book.

Rich

[Talbot]

I quite like the idea of these books, but made a decision that being able to read while on watch in the middle of the ocean, at night, and still retain night sight, was a major consideration. I therefore have been purchasing audio books instead. These with an Ipod mean that I have to slow down to the pace of the person reading, rather than my more normal speed reading, so each book lasts much longer.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Therapy

So the Sony eReader can "take" books from libraries?

I'm not certain what "take" means for you

My understanding after reading up on the Sony eReader is that it can check out ebooks, legally, from libraries. Of course, the library has to have ebooks (most do) and the book will expire on your eReader at the due date*. And you need an internet connection and computer (obviously) to download the ebook from the library.

The DRM supported expiration/check out maintains the legality of the library owning a certain amount of electronic copies and only checking out that number to patrons.

*reportedly if you change the date on your eReader and don't sync it with your computer you can keep the checked out books for longer...for example if the book has a 2 week due date or a 30 day due date and you want to check out 10 books for a 3 month trip.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Livia

I'm not certain what "take" means for you

My understanding after reading up on the Sony eReader is that it can check out ebooks, legally, from libraries. Of course, the library has to have ebooks (most do) and the book will expire on your eReader at the due date*. And you need an internet connection and computer (obviously) to download the ebook from the library.

The DRM supported expiration/check out maintains the legality of the library owning a certain amount of electronic copies and only checking out that number to patrons.

*reportedly if you change the date on your eReader and don't sync it with your computer you can keep the checked out books for longer...for example if the book has a 2 week due date or a 30 day due date and you want to check out 10 books for a 3 month trip.

I am so far behind the times that I did not know libraries could do that.

I thought all books on an e reader had to be bought some how.

<edit>

I just went to my local library and was linked to a site where I can see books on my computer. I did not see an option to download it or "check it out". Could be there somewhere.

The books are not exactly what my wife (I want to get her an ereader) would be reading. There are lots of old things Shakespeare, Emerson, Freud etc. and some stuff like:
1996 International Symposium On Bacterial Polyhydroxyalkanoates,
1910, the Emancipation of Dissonance,
1999 Assessment of the Office of Naval Research's Air and Surface Weapons Technology Program,
201 Ways to Turn Any Employee Into a Star Performer

Cannibal Talk: The Man-eating Myth and Human Sacrifice in the South Seas

I don't know what to buy.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Talbot

I quite like the idea of these books, but made a decision that being able to read while on watch in the middle of the ocean, at night, and still retain night sight, was a major consideration. I therefore have been purchasing audio books instead. These with an Ipod mean that I have to slow down to the pace of the person reading, rather than my more normal speed reading, so each book lasts much longer.

I thought the new Kindle could "read" the books to you.

[muttnut]

I download books from the state library (Maryland). There is a link from the county library's website. I can reserve books that are checked out electronically, and they send an email when they are available. They don't have the selection a bookstore has, but the selection is getting better. I checked into electronic books several years ago, and all that was availabe was non-fiction.

Also be aware that there are a number of books that can be downloaded for free - books that are out of copyright - so you can get the classics for free. guggenheim.com is one such site, if I remember correctly. Also, the older a book is, the cheaper the copies are. I bought copies of the Chronicles of Narnia series for just a couple of dollars each. New releases are much more expensive, closer to what you'd pay at a discount book store.