Quote:
Originally Posted by krysjez
Hello all,
[clip] - Kindle page on Amazon has a significant number of negative reviews, mostly listing complaints about poor build quality and the Kindle freezing up. Because I'm located outside the US, it means I won't be able to send a broken device back to Amazon for replacements.
- ...and no user-replaceable battery, same issue
- The battery life is apparently nowhere near the full month Amazon touts - about two weeks, at best
- To buy anything on Amazon, I'll have to use a VPN with servers in the US and be extra paranoid when using Amazon.com lest they find out I'm not from an 'authorized country'.
- Kindle doesn't support ePub!
 which my local libraries use
[clip] - Thrifty student (can't afford more than US$150, probably)
- Heavy reader - hours at a go, so need a good e-ink screen with no glare, which I heard Sony Reader's touchscreen has.
- Live in Singapore
- Read a lot of free ePub, PDF books from Project Gutenberg and Archive.org - it'll be useless to get an eReader which can't read my books
- Poor eyesight (I wear progressive addition lenses for 500 deg myopia and 100 deg astigmatism) so adjustable contrast and font size is a plus
- Need a fairly strong/durable reader that can withstand knocks from being carried around in my schoolbag. How well does the Kindle hold up without a case?
- Fairly tech-savvy, so setting up a VPN is all right, just really troublesome
- Need Chinese character support
- Have WiFi set up at home
[clip] |
Here are my thoughts. In response to your first list:
1) Don't worry. Poor build quality: yes. I have found that the kindle is cheap (actually had to return 2). But Amazon honors warranties and gives next day shipping even if the problem is the fault of the user.
2) No user replaceable battery: not a problem. I read mine a minimum of 2 hours a day, normally 3+, and the battery lasts more than a month (never turn it off). I doubt that it will ever degrade noticeably.
3) Not true, unless you leave the wireless on all the time. Battery life is much more than the month that Amazon claims.
4) Don't know.
5) I have heard this complaint from a lot of people but really, I work at a library, and the collection of ebooks is honestly abysmal (tiny and bad books). I would suggest another site as much better to borrow ebooks (kindle compatible):
http://ebooklendinglibrary.com/
Second list:
1) Honestly, if you are a thrifty student, buying a kindle will not save you any money at all. Greedy textbook manufacturers charge the same for kindle texts as hardcover books and you can't resell them. I am a student and I suggest that you do not buy this if that is your goal.
2) Same here. The glare is worse than I expected, but the benefits far outweight that. As a very heavy reader I love my device.
3) No comment.
4) Project Gutenberg has started to offer some ebooks in mobi and most ebooks in txt format. Txt format can easily be read on the kindle, though it does lose italics and other special formatting. But most Project Gutenberg books are also available for free in the kindle store with formatting (though plenty of typos). If you read those classics you won't have any trouble finding them for kindle.
5) Has it, though I am disappointed with the font selection. But size is great. I also have very poor vision and frequently change sizes while reading. Reflow is very quick.
6) Does not hold up well without a case. I would suggest a cheap velcro case from Timbuk2. It does get damaged easily, as I mentioned earlier, but Amazon is quick to respond to any problems.
7) No comment. I'm also tech-savvy, no problems.
8) No idea. Can't and have never tried to read Chinese characters.
9) My kindle receives wifi signals far better than my (even newer) laptop.
Sounds like you are the perfect candidate. Highly recommend.