Why should I keep this thing?

[GalinAZ]

I got a Kindle as a gift. Why should I keep this thing? Here's the list of issues I have with it:

1) I can't add library e-books to it.
2) It doesn't have page numbers for the books like everything else published in the last 5 centuries
3) It has a teeny tiny keyboard instead of a touch screen like half a million phones manage to have
4) I can't read PDF documents (not the way they look on a PC anyway)
5) It's not a reading device it's a Amazon e-book selling device
6) I've got a PC (4, in fact) and a BB. I don't NEED another wireless device.
7) Searching for a "free" e-book on Amazon is frustrating. I don't want to read romance or "undiscovered" authors or born-again.

I figure I can sell this thing on Craigslist and for $200 get enough used paperbacks to last me until they come out with something truly useful.

Please convince me otherwise.

[lilac_jive]

You could try swapping it for a Sony 300. It reads library books, has page numbers, doesn't have a touch screen but doesn't need one, it's a device that's whittled down to a basic ebook reader, it's not wireless (i'm with you on that one), and searching for free ebooks on the Sony site is a piece of cake (they have a section for it). Plus it reads DRMed ePub so you can buy from many other places, like Kobo.

PDFs, well, it's going to be tough to get an ebook reader that does those well. The 300 is about an inch smaller than the Kindle, FYI.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by GalinAZ

I got a Kindle as a gift. Why should I keep this thing? Here's the list of issues I have with it:

1) I can't add library e-books to it.

yes you can! you just have to ask nicely for help
2) It doesn't have page numbers for the books like everything else published in the last 5 centuries
the rest of us get around it and unless you are using it for research, what's the issue?
3) It has a teeny tiny keyboard instead of a touch screen like half a million phones manage to have
it's not a phone!!!
4) I can't read PDF documents (not the way they look on a PC anyway)
it's not a PC!!!
5) It's not a reading device it's a Amazon e-book selling device
that's where you are confused, that's the PC!
6) I've got a PC (4, in fact) and a BB. I don't NEED another wireless device.
can you read your PC in bed? at the beach? on a ski lift? in an airplane?
7) Searching for a "free" e-book on Amazon is frustrating. I don't want to read romance or "undiscovered" authors or born-again.
oh please! by ALL means don't get to know this site and all of the resources for free and cheap reading material. please PLEASE don't! you have such a perfect negative track record thus far!
I figure I can sell this thing on Craigslist and for $200 get enough used paperbacks to last me until they come out with something truly useful.
I figure you can't!

Please convince me otherwise.

but don't let the screen door hit you in the ass on your way to an attitude adjustment!

[Sydney's Mom]

1) I can't add library e-books to it. I have mostly library books on mine
2) It doesn't have page numbers for the books like everything else published in the last 5 centuriesBut it has that neat percentage left bar, which is what I really care about.
3) It has a teeny tiny keyboard instead of a touch screen like half a million phones manage to haveNever use the keyboard, myself
4) I can't read PDF documents (not the way they look on a PC anyway)I always convert my pdfs with mobicreator pro, and so I can change font, etc, just like with any book
5) It's not a reading device it's a Amazon e-book selling deviceUnfortunately, it is easiest to buy from Amazon, but I always shop around for the lowest price
6) I've got a PC (4, in fact) and a BB. I don't NEED another wireless device.I like it because it can fit in my purse and go everywhere with me.
7) Searching for a "free" e-book on Amazon is frustrating. I don't want to read romance or "undiscovered" authors or born-again.Go to Amazon Kindle books, enter -domain in the search, then search lowest price. The free books are the first several pages. At least Amazon tells me I have already ordered the book-I never remember

If you don't think you will use it, you can probably get $200 on Craig's List. You could get closer to $250 on ebay, which I don't understand. But if reading is what you turn to when you are commuting, waiting in line (waiting in security at the airport is one of my favorites), you can't beat an ereader.

JMHO

[GalinAZ]

Okay, I'm coming around. How do I get library books. I tried following the Visual Kindle wiki but its been "de-commissioned" at Amazon's request according to the authors.

I should admit I don't buy books unless I intend to keep them for reference or intend to pass them on to someone else (another shortcoming of the Kindle, I can only share books I buy with a "family"? Kindle. I figure my taxes pay for the library and I can get just about any book (eventually) there.

I'm not a reader of pulp fiction, the new book every year author's, for the most part, though I do get through about 50 a year. And, I read a good amount of technical docs.

So, I'm willing to keep trying...how do I get library books?

So far I've downloaded and installed Mobireader and Calibre and got an e-book from the public library downloaded. But Calibre says its DRM protected, so that's not going to work.

[JMikeD]

Originally Posted by GalinAZ

I'm not a reader of pulp fiction,

Good news then: the pulp fiction market collapsed in the mid-1950s and none of it is available for the Kindle.

[GalinAZ]

John Grisham, Sue Grafton, Carl Hiassen (sic), Tony Kellerman...my idea of pulp

[GalinAZ]

I got a Kindle as a gift. Why should I keep this thing? Here's the list of issues I have with it
1) I can't add library e-books to it.

yes you can! you just have to ask nicely for help Done
2) It doesn't have page numbers for the books like everything else published in the last 5 centuries
the rest of us get around it and unless you are using it for research, what's the issue? That's precisely the issue. If it's suppose to be a publication it should conform to the standard so that it can be referenced.
3) It has a teeny tiny keyboard instead of a touch screen like half a million phones manage to have
it's not a phone!!! My point was a touchscreen would make more sense than the teeny keyboard
4) I can't read PDF documents (not the way they look on a PC anyway)
it's not a PC!!! I realize that. I still would rather read PDFs on it than on a PC.
5) It's not a reading device it's a Amazon e-book selling device
that's where you are confused, that's the PC! As I experience it, it's only good for overpriced reading material in a closed loop environment, for purchase from Amazon. Hardly a way to encourage reading.
6) I've got a PC (4, in fact) and a BB. I don't NEED another wireless device.
can you read your PC in bed? at the beach? on a ski lift? in an airplane? Yes, yes, why would you read on a ski-lift? and yes.
7) Searching for a "free" e-book on Amazon is frustrating. I don't want to read romance or "undiscovered" authors or born-again.
oh please! by ALL means don't get to know this site and all of the resources for free and cheap reading material. please PLEASE don't! you have such a perfect negative track record thus far! You are assuming you know my attitude. I merely listed issues I have with the device. I did explore the site and I am looking for quality reading, that may also be free, like I find in a library or used bookstore.
I figure I can sell this thing on Craigslist and for $200 get enough used paperbacks to last me until they come out with something truly useful.
I figure you can't! Since you still have your Kindle, how do you know whether it would sell?

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by GalinAZ

I got a Kindle as a gift. Why should I keep this thing? Here's the list of issues I have with it:

1) I can't add library e-books to it.
2) It doesn't have page numbers for the books like everything else published in the last 5 centuries
3) It has a teeny tiny keyboard instead of a touch screen like half a million phones manage to have
4) I can't read PDF documents (not the way they look on a PC anyway)
5) It's not a reading device it's a Amazon e-book selling device
6) I've got a PC (4, in fact) and a BB. I don't NEED another wireless device.
7) Searching for a "free" e-book on Amazon is frustrating. I don't want to read romance or "undiscovered" authors or born-again.

I figure I can sell this thing on Craigslist and for $200 get enough used paperbacks to last me until they come out with something truly useful.

Please convince me otherwise.

You know what? Why bother? It's clear you cannot grasp the central concept behind ebooks - so please, do the world a favor - sell it at a loss.

Millions of people use Kindles every single day to read ebooks. Ebooks they purchase without having to tie themselves to a PC, covering just about every single book category on Amazon. And yes, they even manage to buy the books on the Amazon website using their PC and have the Kindle download them via Whispernet.

I used the PC for years. Then I added the miniscule screen on my Axim x51v to my reading-platform repertoire - and managed to increase my headaches. Yet within 15 minutes of receiving my first e-ink reader I was reading comfortably for hours on end - thanks of course to massive battery life that one cannot get with a cheap PDA - and with the ability to start reading in the bedroom, wander to the living room, sweep outside to the back porch and not ONCE have to unroll massive amounts of cable to keep a PC happy.

Please, give up the Kindle now. And lose the attitude.

Derek

[HarryT]

Galin,

If you don't like it, I'd suggest you get rid of it. No point in trying to "force" yourself to like something that's no for you, and eBook readers certainly aren't for everybody.

However, I think personally there are a number of much, much better devices on the market than the Kindle (and I say that owning a Kindle myself). You may wish to sell the Kindle and put the money towards a device which meets your personal requirements better.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by GalinAZ

I got a Kindle as a gift. Why should I keep this thing? Here's the list of issues I have with it
1) I can't add library e-books to it.

yes you can! you just have to ask nicely for help Done
2) It doesn't have page numbers for the books like everything else published in the last 5 centuries
the rest of us get around it and unless you are using it for research, what's the issue? That's precisely the issue. If it's suppose to be a publication it should conform to the standard so that it can be referenced.

Ummm... If you need a page number stick to dead-tree. If you want to READ, let go of the concept of page numbers. Yes, this can be a difficulty for non-fiction, but fiction page numbers, who needs them?

3) It has a teeny tiny keyboard instead of a touch screen like half a million phones manage to have
it's not a phone!!! My point was a touchscreen would make more sense than the teeny keyboard

Sure, if you want to take copious notes or to compose complete doctoral theses on the device. But for a READING device, a tiny keyboard usable to find new titles at the store works just great! MOST people hardly ever use the keyboard.

4) I can't read PDF documents (not the way they look on a PC anyway)
it's not a PC!!! I realize that. I still would rather read PDFs on it than on a PC.

Then re-format the PDFs to fit a 600x800 pixel display. It *CAN* be done, although with great difficulty.

5) It's not a reading device it's a Amazon e-book selling device
that's where you are confused, that's the PC! As I experience it, it's only good for overpriced reading material in a closed loop environment, for purchase from Amazon. Hardly a way to encourage reading.

I buy most of my ebooks from BAEN and Amazon, it is true. I also buy books from eReader.com and Fictionwise (epub and ereader) and run them through Calibre to create mobipocket versions. Of course, the books have to be DRM-free for this to work.

6) I've got a PC (4, in fact) and a BB. I don't NEED another wireless device.
can you read your PC in bed? at the beach? on a ski lift? in an airplane? Yes, yes, why would you read on a ski-lift? and yes.

Why NOT read on a ski-lift? It's just as suitable as reading in a dentist's chair while waiting for the novacaine to kick in.

7) Searching for a "free" e-book on Amazon is frustrating. I don't want to read romance or "undiscovered" authors or born-again.
oh please! by ALL means don't get to know this site and all of the resources for free and cheap reading material. please PLEASE don't! you have such a perfect negative track record thus far! You are assuming you know my attitude. I merely listed issues I have with the device. I did explore the site and I am looking for quality reading, that may also be free, like I find in a library or used bookstore.

I prefer to buy my reading material. Could be because I'm in the process of WRITING two novels and hope to earn money from their sale just as current authors do.

But even so, there's nothing stopping you from finding free ebooks in non-Kindle format and running them through Calibre to convert them to mobipocket and loading them onto the Kindle.

I figure I can sell this thing on Craigslist and for $200 get enough used paperbacks to last me until they come out with something truly useful.
I figure you can't! Since you still have your Kindle, how do you know whether it would sell?

[rcuadro]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

You could try swapping it for a Sony 300. It reads library books, has page numbers,

It doesnt have page numbers really. It is more like screen numbers since the number changed as you change the font size...

[Sydney's Mom]

My daughter gave up her kindle, partially because it didn't have page numbers, and that didn't work in 6th grade. But I am sure the colleges that were trying ebooks worked out some format for citing ebooks. However, if you have a need to cite to material, you better check out what formats are acceptable first.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by rcuadro

It doesnt have page numbers really. It is more like screen numbers since the number changed as you change the font size...

You're right, unless it's ePub, of course. I prefer the Sony method over the Kindle one. I can actually tell how long the books are.

[rlparker]

Originally Posted by GalinAZ

I got a Kindle as a gift. Why should I keep this thing?....

I'm not going to try to talk you into keeping the Kindle. I'm sure that reading on an electronic device doesn't suit everyone. Even if it does suit someone, there might be a better choice than the Kindle--as HarryT pointed out.

I'm kind of surprised at how much flack you got from your comments/questions. We usually welcome newcomers before we start flaming them!

So, welcome to MR! and best of luck with your decision.