I saw my first Kindle today.

GA Russell · 03-17-2011, 11:26 PM

I was shopping at BJ's today and saw my first Kindle. (I've never seen one in the wild; and this Christmas I did all my shopping online, so I never bothered to visit a store that carries them.)

I am posting this here on the jetBook forum because I don't want the Kindle fanboys to think that I'm a troll trying to pick a fight.

The display unit was working. The price is $136 (plus tax, I'm sure).

Here are my impressions:

1) It was smaller than I imagined. The space devoted to the keyboard didn't bother me at all.

2) It was lightweight compared to the JBL. Judging the weight of display units is difficult for me, because all of the ones that I have seen (Sony and now Kindle) have been attached to a spring-cord which tugs rather strongly.

3) I was very disappointed with the eInk pearl screen. I have an Astak EZReader with last year's eInk vizplex screen, but this was the first time I saw the new pearl screen.

People talk about contrast, but what is important to me is the blackness of the text - and the Kindle's text is not nearly as black as that of the jetBook Lite (and its siblings).

4) In sum, I can imagine that someone with arthritis would prefer the lightness of the Kindle, but for the screen I would have to choose the jetBook.

Catlady · 03-17-2011, 11:54 PM

When I first saw a Kindle, after I got my JBL, I hated it. The page flash would've made me crazy. There was nothing about the Kindle that made me regret buying the JBL.

booklover6 · 03-18-2011, 01:57 PM

I have both and I prefer the Kindle's screen. The whiter background is really nice.

booklover6 · 03-20-2011, 08:22 AM

Cat what I really like about the kindle is the wifi. I email docs to it all the time.

I saw my first Nook today. Like the Kindle better. The Nook Color was really cool. I would love to have one of those, rooted to surf the web with. Beautiful!

mmread · 03-20-2011, 11:46 PM

I tried the kindle, nook, kobo, sony, aluratek LP & literati at several stores. I saw the velocity cruz and pandigital but they were non-operational displays. I asked for Cmas the ALP because of price. I bought the literati because I got it on clearance for $30 BEFORE my $20 gift card. I have not used my ALP since I have the literati updated. My turn page buttons on the ALP is jumpy like the old TI calculators with the bubble buttons. I have to press the button on the corner edge rather on the middle to get it to turn pages. I like the literati's better because it is such a soft touch. I read mostly in bed at night. I don't have any lights on and the literati offers enough backlit light to read the full page. I have a sony cover for my ALP. It has a flex neck light but it does not cover the full page coverage. I have to keep moving the light or I just read landscape. But when I use it on landscape, I can see the light bulb reflection of the screen so I miss the words where it is center target. I hate the size of the literati but I am accustomed to it. I love the size of the ALP. But I chose price as my #1 reason of choosing an ereader. The wireless is no big deal for me as I don't buy ebooks but just borrow from the library.

For some reason, I prefered the Sony over kindle when I initially looked but I never saw the newer released versions of the Sony.

GA Russell · 04-11-2011, 06:25 PM

I was in BJ's again today, and saw that they are now selling the Kindle 3G as well as the WiFi. I think the 3G was priced at $184.

They also had the lighted covers, but I forget what their price was. $49? The covers were in their boxes, with none on display. Their boxes seemed surprisingly heavy to me. So much so that it offset the advantage of the lightness of the device itself.

GA Russell · 04-12-2011, 01:40 PM

I went back to BJ's today and verified that they are selling the Kindle 3G for $184.99 and the lighted cover for $49.99.

Personally, I would rather deal with Amazon directly, considering that Amazon has the reputation for such excellent customer service, but I can understand someone who would prefer to buy from BJ's, and return it within 30 days if he didn't like it, without the hassle of having to ship it back.

Meemo · 04-15-2011, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I went back to BJ's today and verified that they are selling the Kindle 3G for $184.99 and the lighted cover for $49.99.

Personally, I would rather deal with Amazon directly, considering that Amazon has the reputation for such excellent customer service, but I can understand someone who would prefer to buy from BJ's, and return it within 30 days if he didn't like it, without the hassle of having to ship it back.

I prefer dealing with Amazon myself, and in my case because it's easier than having to return it to a store - none of the outlets that sell Kindles in my area are closer than the local UPS Store - Amazon emails you a UPS label for returning it to them, you slap the label on the original box and drop it off with UPS. Had to do that when my daughter dropped hers & broke the screen and Amazon replaced it - free - and overnight. And I didn't have to return the broken one until after I'd received the replacement. So the "convenience factor" can vary according to where you live, even for a 30-day didn't-like-it return.

jbcohen · 04-15-2011, 11:05 AM

You can also read just about any format you come across, not really possible on a Kindle.

Meemo · 04-22-2011, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

You can also read just about any format you come across, not really possible on a Kindle.

Well, not without a conversion. Then again, Kindle handle some formats that other readers don't. So they all have their advantages/disadvantages.

GA Russell · 09-29-2011, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

1) It was smaller than I imagined. The space devoted to the keyboard didn't bother me at all.

People are funny! Over the past two years I have read many posters expressing dissatisfaction with the Kindle's size because of its keyboard.

Yet since the new Kindles were announced yesterday, I have seen a substantial number of posters say that they prefer the keyboard!

I guess they were keeping quiet while the others were speaking out.

booklover6 · 09-30-2011, 08:23 PM

A lot of people on the kindle forums have stated they don't want the touch, they want the keyboard. So Amazon has provided a Kindle to satisfy all of them!

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03-17-2011, 11:26 PM	#1
GA Russell Montreal wins Grey Cup! Posts: 7,584 Karma: 31484197 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I saw my first Kindle today. I was shopping at BJ's today and saw my first Kindle. (I've never seen one in the wild; and this Christmas I did all my shopping online, so I never bothered to visit a store that carries them.) I am posting this here on the jetBook forum because I don't want the Kindle fanboys to think that I'm a troll trying to pick a fight. The display unit was working. The price is $136 (plus tax, I'm sure). Here are my impressions: 1) It was smaller than I imagined. The space devoted to the keyboard didn't bother me at all. 2) It was lightweight compared to the JBL. Judging the weight of display units is difficult for me, because all of the ones that I have seen (Sony and now Kindle) have been attached to a spring-cord which tugs rather strongly. 3) I was very disappointed with the eInk pearl screen. I have an Astak EZReader with last year's eInk vizplex screen, but this was the first time I saw the new pearl screen. People talk about contrast, but what is important to me is the blackness of the text - and the Kindle's text is not nearly as black as that of the jetBook Lite (and its siblings). 4) In sum, I can imagine that someone with arthritis would prefer the lightness of the Kindle, but for the screen I would have to choose the jetBook.

03-17-2011, 11:54 PM	#2
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	When I first saw a Kindle, after I got my JBL, I hated it. The page flash would've made me crazy. There was nothing about the Kindle that made me regret buying the JBL.

03-18-2011, 01:57 PM	#3
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,535 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre 1, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle, Kobo Libre Colour	I have both and I prefer the Kindle's screen. The whiter background is really nice.

03-20-2011, 08:22 AM	#4
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,535 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre 1, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle, Kobo Libre Colour	Cat what I really like about the kindle is the wifi. I email docs to it all the time. I saw my first Nook today. Like the Kindle better. The Nook Color was really cool. I would love to have one of those, rooted to surf the web with. Beautiful!

03-20-2011, 11:46 PM	#5
mmread Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 78 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: none	I tried the kindle, nook, kobo, sony, aluratek LP & literati at several stores. I saw the velocity cruz and pandigital but they were non-operational displays. I asked for Cmas the ALP because of price. I bought the literati because I got it on clearance for $30 BEFORE my $20 gift card. I have not used my ALP since I have the literati updated. My turn page buttons on the ALP is jumpy like the old TI calculators with the bubble buttons. I have to press the button on the corner edge rather on the middle to get it to turn pages. I like the literati's better because it is such a soft touch. I read mostly in bed at night. I don't have any lights on and the literati offers enough backlit light to read the full page. I have a sony cover for my ALP. It has a flex neck light but it does not cover the full page coverage. I have to keep moving the light or I just read landscape. But when I use it on landscape, I can see the light bulb reflection of the screen so I miss the words where it is center target. I hate the size of the literati but I am accustomed to it. I love the size of the ALP. But I chose price as my #1 reason of choosing an ereader. The wireless is no big deal for me as I don't buy ebooks but just borrow from the library. For some reason, I prefered the Sony over kindle when I initially looked but I never saw the newer released versions of the Sony.

04-11-2011, 06:25 PM	#6
GA Russell Montreal wins Grey Cup! Posts: 7,584 Karma: 31484197 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I was in BJ's again today, and saw that they are now selling the Kindle 3G as well as the WiFi. I think the 3G was priced at $184. They also had the lighted covers, but I forget what their price was. $49? The covers were in their boxes, with none on display. Their boxes seemed surprisingly heavy to me. So much so that it offset the advantage of the lightness of the device itself.

04-12-2011, 01:40 PM	#7
GA Russell Montreal wins Grey Cup! Posts: 7,584 Karma: 31484197 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I went back to BJ's today and verified that they are selling the Kindle 3G for $184.99 and the lighted cover for $49.99. Personally, I would rather deal with Amazon directly, considering that Amazon has the reputation for such excellent customer service, but I can understand someone who would prefer to buy from BJ's, and return it within 30 days if he didn't like it, without the hassle of having to ship it back.

04-15-2011, 11:05 AM	#9
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	You can also read just about any format you come across, not really possible on a Kindle.

09-30-2011, 08:23 PM	#12
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,535 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre 1, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle, Kobo Libre Colour	A lot of people on the kindle forums have stated they don't want the touch, they want the keyboard. So Amazon has provided a Kindle to satisfy all of them!

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