Should I get the Touch or the Keyboard?

[ScalyFreak]

My employer hands out service awards if you stick with them for 5 years or longer, and my 5-year anniversary is this month. Among the gadgets they award us (and among the very few I am interested in) are a free Kindle Touch or a free Kindle Keyboard. Since I use the Kindle app on my TouchPad practically daily for their free stuff, I figured, why not just get a Kindle and read on eInk instead of back-lit eye-straining painfulness? I have a Sony for my beloved indie stores, it makes perfect sense to have a Kindle for their store, for the same reason it made sense to me to get both an Xbox 360 and a PS3.

I have checked out a comparison table that lists their features side by side, and so far the Touch seems like a winner. There are a few things I was hoping I can get help clarifying though:

1. The comparison table claims the Touch has "limited kindle apps", while the Keyboard model has "all kindle apps". I have no idea what this means. What's the limitation?

2. The comparison specifically says Touch has no ePub support. Nothing is said about the Keyboard. Does this mean the Keyboard has ePub support?

3. Can I do library lending over wifi to either model? If one of them can't do that, that's an instant deal breaker.

4. Does the Touch have an on-screen keyboard, for searches and note taking?

5. How are the dictionaries on the respective models? How is foreign language support?

6. How is the Linux support?

Thanks in advance, everyone. The rest of the anniversary awards are lame and boring, but a free Kindle... how can I not be excited about that?

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

My employer hands out service awards if you stick with them for 5 years or longer, and my 5-year anniversary is this month. Among the gadgets they award us (and among the very few I am interested in) are a free Kindle Touch or a free Kindle Keyboard. Since I use the Kindle app on my TouchPad practically daily for their free stuff, I figured, why not just get a Kindle and read on eInk instead of back-lit eye-straining painfulness? I have a Sony for my beloved indie stores, it makes perfect sense to have a Kindle for their store, for the same reason it made sense to me to get both an Xbox 360 and a PS3.

I have checked out a comparison table that lists their features side by side, and so far the Touch seems like a winner. There are a few things I was hoping I can get help clarifying though:

1. The comparison table claims the Touch has "limited kindle apps", while the Keyboard model has "all kindle apps". I have no idea what this means. What's the limitation?

Most of the previously existing apps have been updated to work on Touch. And they work much much better with a touch interface. Don't worry about the other apps, you won't miss them.

2. The comparison specifically says Touch has no ePub support. Nothing is said about the Keyboard. Does this mean the Keyboard has ePub support?

Keyboard has no ePub support, except via a hack (Duokan). But ePub converts very well to KF8 format (using kindlegen or calibre), which Touch supports. Keyboard does not support KF8 so you have to convert to mobi and potentially lose some formatting.

3. Can I do library lending over wifi to either model? If one of them can't do that, that's an instant deal breaker.

It works on both, but it is a little painful. On Keyboard, I think you need to turn off Javascript. Just use a computer browser and save yourself frustration.

4. Does the Touch have an on-screen keyboard, for searches and note taking?

Yes, and it supports western European diacritic characters directly (tap and hold to see alternates). You need to hack Keyboard to add such functionality, and it is really not very pleasant by comparison.

5. How are the dictionaries on the respective models? How is foreign language support?

Both support Unicode mostly, Touch's support is broader. You can switch the UI to any of 7 languages (US English, UK English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) and download dictionaries for each. Keyboard doesn't pay attention to language properties of the document so translating dictionaries are a pain (you can set only one dictionary as default). Touch seems to 'cascade' dictionaries so if you have several for one language it will check each until it finds the word. So if you have, say, a technical glossary you can in principle add that.
It seems neither supports dictionary look up for non-Latin alphabets, but Amazon will probably need to fix that if they want to launch in Japan/China/Russia.

6. How is the Linux support?

Not sure what you are looking for there. Touch is hackable and you can do a lot that way with standard Linux tools.

Thanks in advance, everyone. The rest of the anniversary awards are lame and boring, but a free Kindle... how can I not be excited about that?

I would add that Touch has some wonderful additional features, some of which are:
- Better PDF support, including PDF bookmarks and links, TTS.
- XRay (google it)
- translate via Bing
- much easier to highlight text and navigate hyperlinks
- NCX navigator (popup Table of Contents navigation) for most books
- 'report content error' (good for venting frustration with bad formatting)

Get 3G+Wifi if you can. Wifi setup can be a pain, and the web-enabled web features are nice to have all of the time.

[HarryT]

I have both a Keyboard and a Touch. The Touch is enormously better, in my view.

[ScalyFreak]

Thank you both! Karma all around! The Touch definitely looks like the best choice now that I know more about them both.

Originally Posted by tomsem

Not sure what you are looking for there. Touch is hackable and you can do a lot that way with standard Linux tools.

I should have been more clear, my mistake. I use various Linux distros as my main PC operating system whenever I can, and I wanted to know how the Kindle is with plugging in and side-loading on that platform. But you indirectly answered that when you suggested using Calibre for converting files for the Touch; I've been using Calibre in Linux for a long, long, time.

[BlueSky77]

The Touch is better than the keyboard in ease of use in my opinion. I've tried both and settled on the Touch.

I can speak to the linux functionality. I've been using Linux exclusively on my pc's and laptop for over 10 years and the Touch connects up fine. I can sideload ebooks, etc... with no problem using Linux (Currently using 64 bit Linux Mint 12).

If you are going to use 3g and want to be able to surf the web without restriction, then you may want to consider getting the keyboard instead of the Touch (Touch is restriced to downloading books, Amazon.com and Wikipedia only). I have the Touch 3g and it's more than enough for me. All I use the 3g for is to download the occassional book when I'm out and about.

None of the Kindle's support epubs but you are already aware of Calibre.

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Originally Posted by HarryT

I have both a Keyboard and a Touch. The Touch is enormously better, in my view.

I totally agree. I had both for a while (and also had the K4NT). Get the Touch. It is way better than the K3. I also have the Fire but I rarely use it to read mobi/KF8 books now that I have the Touch.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by BlueSky77

I can speak to the linux functionality. I've been using Linux exclusively on my pc's and laptop for over 10 years and the Touch connects up fine. I can sideload ebooks, etc... with no problem using Linux (Currently using 64 bit Linux Mint 12).

That's good to know, especially since Mint 64-bit is the one I will be using as well. I expected it to be painless, but thanks for verifying that.

If the touch is restricted to Amazon, will it also let me download from Audible, or will I have to do that via PC?

Originally Posted by jswinden

I totally agree. I had both for a while (and also had the K4NT). Get the Touch.

I especially like hearing from people who have used both, and can compare them. Thanks!

I am definitely getting the Touch now. I'll report back on how I like it, once I've had a chance to play with it a bit.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

If the touch is restricted to Amazon, will it also let me download from Audible, or will I have to do that via PC?

You need to use wifi to download to either Kindle directly from Audible, not 3G.

I prefer the Keyboard model because of the buttons for page turns, but if you like Touch interfaces then go with the Touch.

[RainingLemur]

Originally Posted by Synamon

I prefer the Keyboard model because of the buttons for page turns, but if you like Touch interfaces then go with the Touch.

Same here. The Touch is nice, but I prefer having the page turn buttons and the actual keyboard, since I put notes in like crazy.

Couldn't really go wrong with either, though. Free stuff good.

[WT Sharpe]

Just to be clear, whether you have a Keyboard or a Touch, you cannot download directly from Audible. All audio files must be loaded via USB.

Having said that, I never thought I'd like the Touch, having had a bad experience with the first generation Sony Touch (although I assume their later models are much better). Surprise! I love my Kindle Touch so much that I hardly ever open my Kindle Keyboard any more. Yes, it has a virtual keyboard for searching and notes, and it works beautifully.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Just to be clear, whether you have a Keyboard or a Touch, you cannot download directly from Audible. All audio files must be loaded via USB.

There is the ability to download via wifi from your Audible library to a Kindle registered to your Amazon/Audible account actually. There is even a special enhanced format for that purpose.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by Synamon

There is the ability to download via wifi from your Audible library to a Kindle registered to your Amazon/Audible account actually. There is even a special enhanced format for that purpose.

Excellent! I am all set then, since I used my Amazon account to sign up with Audible.

The award-order confirmation email says "please allow for 4-8 weeks for delivery". Sad panda now.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Synamon

There is the ability to download via wifi from your Audible library to a Kindle registered to your Amazon/Audible account actually. There is even a special enhanced format for that purpose.

Really? When did they add that function? It's news to me—good news indeed.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Really? When did they add that function? It's news to me—good news indeed.

It's been there since I joined Audible in January. I saw them advertising the direct download bit on Amazon before that, "buy from Audible, listen on your Kindle" or something along those lines and I clicked that ad from Amazon for my free trial of Audible (2 free audiobooks was the hook).

If you go to your Audible Library and change the format to enhanced, you'll see a Deliver to... box under the regular Download tab for all your audiobooks. The download directly to your Kindle via wifi is super fast, only a few minutes.

[WT Sharpe]

Cool! Yes, I couldn't see doing it via 3G.