Kindle - 3G only for shopping Amazon?

[bZkindle]

Originally Posted by stickybuns

On the K3, you can switch to "article mode", which switches you to a (mostly) graphics free version of the web page you're looking at. If I can remember how to do a screen shot (help?) I'll post a picture of a website in regular vs. article.

Unfortunately, article mode doesn't work for every site.
Plus the fact you can't change the font size drives me nuts.
alt + shift + g for a screenshot.

Originally Posted by blue_skies

Oh, that's disappointing. Have they announced plans to update the firmware with the K3 features? I thought they came out at the same time.

I also noticed that the DXG has an auto-rotate feature. Would I be able to turn that feature off so I can read in bed while I'm on my side, with the Kindle turned to the side but not rotated into portrait mode?

Chances are there will not be 3.x on the DXG. However, a MR member has just managed to port it over to DXG and says an installer is on the way.
You can turn off auto-rotate, yes.

[wvcherrybomb]

Originally Posted by stickybuns

Psst... Kindle Notepad.

This is a must-have for Kindle! Best 99 cents I've spent.

Blue_skies, I think it is exactly what you are looking for.

As for the K3 browser, I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be. I use it all the time to check my email or facebook. I haven't had any problems with any sites as of yet. I think $50 for lifetime free, almost-anywhere internet is the best deal out there.

Additional note: Since you read in bed often, I would consider the K3's lighted cover. I think it's essential equipment for my Kindle. I don't think they make them for DX.

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

Blue_skies, I think it is exactly what you are looking for.

As for the K3 browser, I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be. I use it all the time to check my email or facebook. I haven't had any problems with any sites as of yet. I think $50 for lifetime free, almost-anywhere internet is the best deal out there.

Additional note: Since you read in bed often, I would consider the K3's lighted cover. I think it's essential equipment for my Kindle. I don't think they make them for DX.

Thanks! I think I am really leaning towards the Kindle 3G at this point, even though the larger screen for PDFs would be nice.

I took a look at the comparison chart and saw that the battery life for the DGX is much shorter, which I guess makes sense because of the larger screen, but it's disappointing. The long battery life is one of the major draws for me.

[blue_skies]

I just thought of another question. I have been accumulating ebooks from Amazon and Barnes and Noble on my PC for a while now. (Free books - some were PD, but some were just free promotions.)

To read the books from BN on my future Kindle, I will need to use Calibre to convert them to mobi format, right? This may be a stupid question, but will Amazon or Kindle have a problem with them or wonder whether they are legit because they are mobi but not purchased from Amazon?

Also, will I be able to sync those books also and have Kindle remember where I left off, even across devices, even though they weren't purchased from Amazon?

Can any text files or PDFs be synced and backed up also?

Sorry if these are stupid questions. I will probably have a better idea how this all works once I get my hands on an actual Kindle.

[ProfCrash]

Amazon has not said anything about my non-Amazon purchased books on my Kindle. I have no idea if Amazon even knows what is on my Kindle if it was not purchased from them. Plenty of folks email books from Mobi that have had the DRM stripped and the books converted.

Only Amazon purchased files can be synced and are backed up on Amazons servers. There is a way in Mobi2Mobi to make non-Amazon backed books sync but I have never done it.

[terencek]

I have about 1,500 non-DRM .MOBI books on my Kindle and it works an absolute treat! (Apart from the fact that the device is now starting to protest by slowing down noticeably when pulling up the Home screen -- and I've not even used half the available storage capacity....)

[susan_cassidy]

Originally Posted by bZkindle

Now that I think about it though, I'm pretty sure that all notes (including the blank book) would be stored in the 'my clippings' file.

To clarify, "My Clippings" is an extra copy of notes, highlights (annotations), bookmarks, etc, in .txt format. The original notes, etc. are stored in the .mbp file accompanying the book file where the note, etc was made.

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by terencek

I have about 1,500 non-DRM .MOBI books on my Kindle and it works an absolute treat! (Apart from the fact that the device is now starting to protest by slowing down noticeably when pulling up the Home screen -- and I've not even used half the available storage capacity....)

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Amazon has not said anything about my non-Amazon purchased books on my Kindle. I have no idea if Amazon even knows what is on my Kindle if it was not purchased from them. Plenty of folks email books from Mobi that have had the DRM stripped and the books converted.

Only Amazon purchased files can be synced and are backed up on Amazons servers. There is a way in Mobi2Mobi to make non-Amazon backed books sync but I have never done it.

Thank you terencek and ProfCrash, that is good to know. I wasn't sure if when it whispersyncs, it checks out everything stored on the Kindle and flags things not properly DRM-ed through the Amazon store. It seems buying from Amazon is the easiest, but I would like the option to buy EPubs and convert them to read on the Kindle.

Is Mobi2Mobi an app that you can buy? I've never heard of it.

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

To clarify, "My Clippings" is an extra copy of notes, highlights (annotations), bookmarks, etc, in .txt format. The original notes, etc. are stored in the .mbp file accompanying the book file where the note, etc was made.

Do you have to manually copy your notes, hghlights, bookmarks etc. into "My Clippings"? Is "My Clippings" a single text file that is automatically included on the Kindle or just a file you made?

[ApK]

Originally Posted by bZkindle

I'm of the opposite opinion myself.
The K3 webkit browser looks nice, but do you really need to see websites as they normally appear?
I prefer the way the DXG browser strips websites down to the bare text.
Webkit is faster though.

I agree. While the newer browser can certainly work with more sites, simple text based stuff (like the Google Mail mobile view) was even more usable in our K2, which I presume has a similar browser to the DX, than it is now in my K3.

I do not have a 3G smart phone, and think the cost of data plans for what little I want would be silly.
The 3G Kindle has given me all I need, and I'm very happy.
In addition to using it to check email just about every day, I used the integrated Google and Wikipedia look up quite a lot while reading, but I think the best thing the Kindle 3G offers for a reader is the ability to directly download books from sites like Project Gutenberg or MR and others.


"My clippings" is automatically created and appended to whenever you make a note on the Kindle. You can search it directly on the Kindle, or copy it off via USB.
If you delete it, it will be recreated the next time you make a note.


So, did you get your Kindle yet?!?
ApK

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by ApK

The 3G Kindle has given me all I need, and I'm very happy.
In addition to using it to check email just about every day, I used the integrated Google and Wikipedia look up quite a lot while reading,..


"My clippings" is automatically created and appended to whenever you make a note on the Kindle. You can search it directly on the Kindle, or copy it off via USB.
If you delete it, it will be recreated the next time you make a note.


So, did you get your Kindle yet?!?
ApK

Thank you for the info about "my clippings". I haven't ordered yet because the gift certificate promotion has to be mailed to the same address, and I'm not sure when I will head back to Alabama. Still no power where I live, I think.

How long does a typical charge last for your K3 with the little bit of G3 usage each day?

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Yes you would. I know at least one person here used it to contact a family member who had forgotten to pick her up in Mexico. Her cell phone service did not work but the Kindle 3G did.

No one knows when the next generation of Kindle will be released. the K3 is not even a year old and they just launched the AdvertKindle at $114. I would be surprised if the K4 is announced in the next 6 months but I have been known to be wrong.

Personally, I made it through the K2 with my K1 and ended up buying the DXG when they were announced because the price dropped and it had the new screen. I just recently bought a K3 for travel. My point? There are many folks out there with K1's nd K2's that are working very nicely and have no real problems with them. If you get a K3 and the K4 is announced you are likely to be just fine.

that was me! ;o). there were many final decisions that went into my decision to finally get a Kindle, traveling to remote locations was one of them. I ski a lot and cell phones are notoriously bad about reception on the slopes. I also backpack, camp and travel a great deal. the chance to have yet another lifeline if I got into a dodgy situation sure removed any doubt I had!

welcome to the world of Kindle!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ApK

I do not have a 3G smart phone, and think the cost of data plans for what little I want would be silly.
The 3G Kindle has given me all I need, and I'm very happy.
In addition to using it to check email just about every day, I used the integrated Google and Wikipedia look up quite a lot while reading, but I think the best thing the Kindle 3G offers for a reader is the ability to directly download books from sites like Project Gutenberg or MR and others.

I agree with you on smartphones. WiFi is more than sufficient for my needs. The money saved from not having to pay for a forced data plan is enough to buy the latest generation 32GB iPod touch every year during Apple's refresh.

I also don't need 3G for my Kindle. First off, I find the browser very painful to use, so I rarely do so. Second, if I do need to log on, free WiFi is everywhere. With a gazillion locations around me, it's extremely easy to find a nearby McDonald's, Starbucks, or public library to log on.

[blue_skies]

It would have been very useful in an emergency situation where there was no power and therefore no wi-fi. I found that out the hard way.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by blue_skies

How long does a typical charge last for your K3 with the little bit of G3 usage each day?

Hard to say. I think I typically find my self plugging it in every two or three weeks.

If I forget to turn wireless off when I'm done, it seems to need a charge within a week.

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by abookreader

If I were going to place a bet, I'd venture that Amazon's next big release will be a tablet of some sort to compete with the nook color and also to optimize their new Android App store.

Nobody without insider information really knows though, we all just make our guesses. Last year there was much speculation about "color eInk" and mirasol and all kinds of stuff and from what I can tell all that conjecture has really died down to almost nothing. I don't get the feeling that they are close.

Part of me is thinking no. I am trying to work out how a tablet would fit in with amazons strategy. Their android market already works on any android device as well as the kindle app. I feel a tablet would dilute their Ereader market. I could be wrong though as a replacement for the dx is plausible.