Comparison please: Kindle vs. EZReader ?

[smallhagrid]

I must admit I am delighted with my EZReader; it is lightyears better than the awful Mentor was and I like it's size and layout very much.

So just out of curiosity I've looked around and noticed that Astak is among the missing and the latest/best deal on anything seems to be the -new- Kindle.

Attractive deal, and I've been tempted to try one - but several questions come to stop me from hitting the -buy- button:

1. Form factor/size: How much bigger is it than the EZReader (that keyboard...?) ?
2. It has no removable media so is cable transfer fast or ?
3. Can the wireless be shut off completely (I have no wireless access) ?
4. Is it very, very, very 'married' to Amazon and/or is that a hindrance to using one's own content in any manner ?

I am trying out a Foxit eSlick right now - and even though it is really a Mentor with Foxit FW it seems very nice EXCEPT for the unavoidable sleep mode, which baffles me...why would an e-ink device have that at all ?

Thanks for any info !

[susan_cassidy]

1. 7.5" x 4.8" x 0.335" for Kindle 3. Don't know about Astak.
2. Yes, cable transfer is fast. USB speeds. I believe the write speed for the internal memory is usually faster than for SD cards, for example.
3. Yes. For Collections to be enabled, you have to connect via wireless one time. You can do that from a hotspot at McDonalds, public library, etc. You can also buy the 3G enabled one, which can be handy, in addition to the wi-fi only version.
4. Not sure what you mean, exactly. You can put your own documents on the Kindle in .txt, .pdf, or .mobi format. There are conversion services available through either Amazon or via free software like Calibre and Mobipocket Creator, Publisher edition.

You can buy any DRM-free .mobi format books from places like Baen Books, Smashwords, download from mobileread.com (here, the great free library), etc., in addition to buying books from Amazon, which may or may not have DRM. I recently bought a bunch of backlist Aaron Elkins books from Amazon, and none of those had DRM. The new ones do.

[smallhagrid]

Thanks Susan.
Regarding 'collections' - what does that mean ? (It must be a Kindle thing because I have no idea what it is ?)

By 'married' I mean that I already have a zillion things to read on hand - does the Kindle continuously 'poke' it's user for an internet connection, like say - the Pandigital ones do ?

Dimension-wise:
EZReader: 7.2" x 4.7" x 0.3"
Kindle: 7.5" x 4.8" x 0.335"

Wow - close indeed !

I am still sort of put off by the lack of a built-in card slot and I forgot to ask:

Does the Kindle mount a drive letter for itself in windows without having to add ANY additional software program ?

Thanks again !

[susan_cassidy]

Collections are a mechanism for organizing your books on the Kindle. They are like tags. You can create a "Mystery" collection, for instance, and add all your mysteries to that Collection. There are sorting options for Collections, too. You can add a book to more than one Collection.

If the wireless is turned off, of course it does not look for anything via wireless. You only need wireless to download new books, search the web, etc., not to read. The wireless is strictly controlled by the user. If you buy some new books, for example, you can turn on wireless, click on "Sync and Check for New Items", let them download (takes only a minute), then turn the wireless back off. Or, of course, you can transfer books to the Kindle via USB.

No special drivers needed. The Kindle just looks like a thumb drive when connected to the computer. Books go in the "documents" folder of the Kindle drive. Background music goes in "music", and audio books go into "Audible".

It has 4GB internal storage, with approximately 3GB available to the user. That will hold a lot of books. No real need for a card slot, unless you want to store many thousands of books on the Kindle. I only keep a hundred or so on mine, at any given time. Plenty to read. Some people that use a lot of audio books can run out of room, but I'm assuming you are more interested in ebooks.

You can download the User's Manual from the Kindle Support Documentation page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...deId=200317150 (pdf format, for reading on the computer). It comes pre-installed on the Kindle, too.

[Blossom]

I upgraded to a Kindle 3 from my Astak Pocket Pro. I've never regretted it. The Pearl screen makes a huge difference between the two. The Astak devices are like reading a washed out newspaper. On the pearl screen the text is so nice and dark. Not to mention it's overall faster and just looks so much nicer. The page turns are super fast and it has less flashing.

I will say it will take some getting use to not having a SD Card to just pop in and out. It's better if you have WiFi because you can just email the ebooks to your Kindle. The Kindle and Calibre work great together for adding books by USB. However if you get the 3G model you can use that to access a service like Dropbox to access your library wherever you are at, If you have 3G in your area. This is great for adding a few books to the Kindle. The Kindle 3 has a built in Browser that works pretty well so you can download any mobi file directly from the browser using 3G.

You can use any non DRM Mobi/PRC on the Kindle 3. I originally bought the Pocket Pro because it handled Mobi books. I thought I would miss being able to choose my own font but I don't. The fonts on the Kindle are so nice looking. They are not squashed or stretch out like on the Astak firmware. They are render beautifully and unlike Astak whose Customer service was only dependent on getting in touch with the right person. Amazon Kindle CS is top notch. I mean how many companies will replace a Kindle after you broke it? Not many.

As for the size I have 5" not the 6" so it was a big change in size and weight but not too drastic. The Keyboard takes some getting use to but you will really like the dictionary feature on the Kindle. I use it alot. lol

[smallhagrid]

Excellently clear info - thanks folks !!!

I don't plan on ever connecting via wireless/3g, and desire the simplest possible layout for finding my own documents...which is why I generally prefer using an SD card (but I am adaptable !).

Perhaps it is time to try out a Kindle, hmmm...

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by smallhagrid

....I am trying out a Foxit eSlick right now - and even though it is really a Mentor with Foxit FW it seems very nice EXCEPT for the unavoidable sleep mode, which baffles me...why would an e-ink device have that at all ?

Thanks for any info !

i know nothing about the device (is it a device?) you're talking about but i've always assumed that the kindle has screen-saver mode (kinda like a sleep mode) to tell the user that the keyboard is locked out (to prevent panic when the keys don't respond).

[Starko]

Originally Posted by smallhagrid

...I don't plan on ever connecting via wireless/3g, and desire the simplest possible layout for finding my own documents...which is why I generally prefer using an SD card...

I don't miss an SD card at all... one less thing to worry about. I use Calibre as library application and can send a book to my Kindle wirelessly just by clicking one button. Also Calibre's library is setup in my Dropbox folder, that means that i can access all my books from Kindle (and from my mobile phone and from any other PC) at any time and in any place in the world as long as there is WiFi available/accessible.
And of course you can always put your books on Kindle via USB and charge Kindle in the process.