The one where I give in

shrik · 12-24-2010, 03:54 AM

Ah well (backstory).

A combination of getting kicked in the nads at work, and the sheer unable-to-contain-myself-any-more-ness, led to me breaking out my brand spanking new Kindle 3 Wifi about 24 hours before I had planned to.

(Also, there's not much of a Christmas celebration where I am, which means the eve is any other Friday night - i.e. get totally tonked and spend Saturday attempting to recover from the shenanigans of the previous night)

The graphite goodness was paired up with this - http://www.speckproducts.com/kindle/...ustjacket.html (has anyone used this? I didn't find any review in the Amazon page, but prima facie seems nice enough..)

I was dreading working with Calibre, because all the mentions of it online were usually along the lines of "a necessary evil, but it works", but I found it surprisingly easy to set up and figure out.

After dropping in a couple of Mobi ebooks that I had, it was finally time to flex some serious Calibre conversion muscle. Imagine my surprise when I realised that it could handle compressed files also! No need to decompress all of my collection in order to move them across to the K3 - whatay joy! This part of my mucking around was made significantly easier due to my general OCD in file organisation. Not having filenames like 'rdtgd103.pdf' helped immensely.

I messed around with miscellaneous features of Calibre for a bit then scurried away to test out the 'experimental browser' (a major reading activity of mine is long-form posts on Google Reader). This was cumbersome, having to move the hand pointer around with the 5-way thingy, but once into a post, "Article Mode" did the trick very nicely indeed. All that needs doing now is setting up Instapaper and a few custom news sources in Calibre, and I'm golden!

A loud shout out to you folks here at MR for helping me through the buying process, and for all the uber-useful advice and sticky posts!

Once I get more comfortable with the device I'm going to have to start using the Dev section of the forums as well...

TenaciousBadger · 12-24-2010, 04:46 AM

good to hear you're enjoying your Kindle. and for the anticipated Xmas surprise!
trust me we round here know a lot about the

Quote:

sheer unable-to-contain-myself-any-more-ness

merry k-mas!

Figlilly · 12-24-2010, 04:56 AM

Enjoy your Kindle. I wouldn't have lasted either.

Calibre is great. I was a chicken about it at first. My son, who got his Kindle way after me and does not work in a computer-related workplace like I do, talked me into using it and I was surprised at how easy it was. I could have kicked myself for being such a wuss.

Have a great Christmas Day with your lovely Kindle.

xnowimcoolx · 12-24-2010, 06:09 AM

calibre is great. i just got the content server up and running so now all my books are available to me no matter where I go, as long as my computer and calibre are running.

Barty · 12-24-2010, 01:14 PM

Please donate to keep the program developed. (I have zero affiliation, just a happy user)

OtterBooks · 12-24-2010, 06:29 PM

Quote:

The graphite goodness was paired up with this - http://www.speckproducts.com/kindle/...ustjacket.html (has anyone used this? I didn't find any review in the Amazon page, but prima facie seems nice enough..)

I am currently using that cover with my Kindle 3. It is adequate but I wouldn't choose it again. Only reason I have it is because I had to return my Amazon leather cover, and didn't feel like waiting for another online order (I was getting ready to go on vacation) so I just bought one locally and selection was sparse. It uses a mounting design where the Kindle is secured atop a plastic base. This raises the Kindle up over the cover's surface, adding considerable thickness to the cover when closed (also the cover doesn't fully close flush). This mounting system gives the cover a bit of a cheap, toy-like feel imo, though it does away with visible straps typical of some covers. It has a fold-out thing that allows the cover to double as a propped-up stand, which I don't personally have use for.

Build quality of the cover is fairly solid, and it has a pretty nice interior lining that's soft and free of the silly pockets and card holders so prevalent in Kindle covers. The faux-leather is typical faux-leather, which to me feels cheap and plasticky. I would rate the cover as "good enough."

I'll probably wind up buying an Oberon or Octovo at some point, or something similarly fancy.

catsittingstill · 12-25-2010, 03:09 PM

Enjoy your new Kindle and I hope it helps you leave any unhappiness far behind! Books are my favorite escape.

And best wishes for a Happy New Year while I'm at it :-)

shrik · 12-26-2010, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

I am currently using that cover with my Kindle 3. It is adequate but I wouldn't choose it again. Only reason I have it is because I had to return my Amazon leather cover, and didn't feel like waiting for another online order (I was getting ready to go on vacation) so I just bought one locally and selection was sparse. It uses a mounting design where the Kindle is secured atop a plastic base. This raises the Kindle up over the cover's surface, adding considerable thickness to the cover when closed (also the cover doesn't fully close flush). This mounting system gives the cover a bit of a cheap, toy-like feel imo, though it does away with visible straps typical of some covers. It has a fold-out thing that allows the cover to double as a propped-up stand, which I don't personally have use for.

Build quality of the cover is fairly solid, and it has a pretty nice interior lining that's soft and free of the silly pockets and card holders so prevalent in Kindle covers. The faux-leather is typical faux-leather, which to me feels cheap and plasticky. I would rate the cover as "good enough."

I'll probably wind up buying an Oberon or Octovo at some point, or something similarly fancy.

After having used it for a couple days, I'm inclined to agree with absolutely everything you've said. While it looks and feels nice enough, definitely not something that would be useful for lugging around frequently, as it makes the entire thing rather boxy.

Also, using the fold-out flap prop thingy seems to damage the spine of the cover, so I won't be doing that too often. Pity, I was looking forward to using the prop to set up the K3 as some sort of digital picture-frame when not in use...

After this one's worn out (might be pretty soon actually..) I think I'll flex some DIY muscle

OtterBooks · 12-26-2010, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shrik

After this one's worn out (might be pretty soon actually..) I think I'll flex some DIY muscle

Feel free to post pics if you do. If I knew leatherworking or had the skills to make a cover that didn't look like some cardboard with a tablecloth sewn to it, I could design a spiffy cover.

12-24-2010, 03:54 AM	#1
shrik Member Posts: 17 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Nexus 7 Wifi 32 GB	The one where I give in Ah well (backstory). A combination of getting kicked in the nads at work, and the sheer unable-to-contain-myself-any-more-ness, led to me breaking out my brand spanking new Kindle 3 Wifi about 24 hours before I had planned to. (Also, there's not much of a Christmas celebration where I am, which means the eve is any other Friday night - i.e. get totally tonked and spend Saturday attempting to recover from the shenanigans of the previous night) The graphite goodness was paired up with this - http://www.speckproducts.com/kindle/...ustjacket.html (has anyone used this? I didn't find any review in the Amazon page, but prima facie seems nice enough..) I was dreading working with Calibre, because all the mentions of it online were usually along the lines of "a necessary evil, but it works", but I found it surprisingly easy to set up and figure out. After dropping in a couple of Mobi ebooks that I had, it was finally time to flex some serious Calibre conversion muscle. Imagine my surprise when I realised that it could handle compressed files also! No need to decompress all of my collection in order to move them across to the K3 - whatay joy! This part of my mucking around was made significantly easier due to my general OCD in file organisation. Not having filenames like 'rdtgd103.pdf' helped immensely. I messed around with miscellaneous features of Calibre for a bit then scurried away to test out the 'experimental browser' (a major reading activity of mine is long-form posts on Google Reader). This was cumbersome, having to move the hand pointer around with the 5-way thingy, but once into a post, "Article Mode" did the trick very nicely indeed. All that needs doing now is setting up Instapaper and a few custom news sources in Calibre, and I'm golden! A loud shout out to you folks here at MR for helping me through the buying process, and for all the uber-useful advice and sticky posts! Once I get more comfortable with the device I'm going to have to start using the Dev section of the forums as well...

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12-24-2010, 04:56 AM	#3
Figlilly Zealot Posts: 122 Karma: 2514066 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis 2&3, Paperwhites, Kindle Touch, Kobo Clara, IPad Air2	Enjoy your Kindle. I wouldn't have lasted either. Calibre is great. I was a chicken about it at first. My son, who got his Kindle way after me and does not work in a computer-related workplace like I do, talked me into using it and I was surprised at how easy it was. I could have kicked myself for being such a wuss. Have a great Christmas Day with your lovely Kindle.

12-24-2010, 06:09 AM	#4
xnowimcoolx Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 3100 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kindle 2	calibre is great. i just got the content server up and running so now all my books are available to me no matter where I go, as long as my computer and calibre are running.

12-24-2010, 01:14 PM	#5
Barty doofus Posts: 2,543 Karma: 13089041 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	Please donate to keep the program developed. (I have zero affiliation, just a happy user)

12-25-2010, 03:09 PM	#7
catsittingstill Guru Posts: 643 Karma: 551634 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle 1.0.8, iPod Touch, Kindle Keyboard	Enjoy your new Kindle and I hope it helps you leave any unhappiness far behind! Books are my favorite escape. And best wishes for a Happy New Year while I'm at it :-)

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