My daughter now has a Kindle

[spindlegirl]

I don't know where to post this, I hope it's an appropriate forum. But this black Friday sale with the Canadian Paperwhite being $99 (the lowest I've personally seen it in Canadian pricing), enticed me to buy it.

I then instantly de-registered my current PW and gave it to my adult daughter (adult high functioning but on the autism spectrum, among other milder disability) along with a starter budget via gift certificate so she could buy and download whatever books she wants on it, and she is having the time of her life.

She likes it better than the other e-reader I had bought for her many years ago (A sony prs-t2) she loves how convenient it is to buy books and to be able to send herself some other ebooks she happened to have from other sources (MR library, Gutenberg and Smashwords etc) by mailing them to herself so she doesn't have to plug in a USB each and every time. She loves the lighting so she can read at night, and the cover she has on it is "auto sleep" so its opened up a whole new world for her.

I appreciate Kindle for making nice quality kindles in the "lower end" accessible to those of us who have to make a small budget stretch.

[Cinisajoy]

Wonderful.

[JSWolf]

Sounds quite nice.

[Sirtel]

Very nice indeed, good for her!

When I started on e-books back in 2011 (I simply had no more room for paper books in my small apartment), I was on a limited budget too. The then-current model Kindle Keyboard was too expensive for me. I was ecstatic when Amazon announced the (relatively) cheap Basic Kindle in the autumn of 2011! It became my first e-reader and felt like a gift from Heaven.

[barryem]

I wish I'd had a Kindle when I was a kid. Back then, though, even paperbacks were new technology.

I was that kid who always had a paperback in my hip pocket.

I remember thinking how cool it would be to have a thin flat panel for reading. I even did sketches of that. At the top was a scroll wheel and another one at the bottom. Just give it a few twists and you're on the next page. Too bad I didn't pursue it. My name might be Jeff Bezos today.

Computers, phones, the internet, intelligent devices, etc all get talked about a lot in the media but in my life ereaders are the brightest change.

Barry

[Ksane]

Great for your daughter!
I grew up in the 60's, books overflowing everywhere in my room. I'd have so loved an Ereader back then. I used to spend hours at the library all my life until my 1st Ereader 8 yrs ago. My son and I would take empty boxes to the used book store and lug books home by the trunkful. I do NOT miss those days. I hear people all the time saying they want *their kids to read "real" books. Getting kids to read anything at all is a win-win situation. Who cares if it's an Ereader?

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by barryem

I wish I'd had a Kindle when I was a kid. Back then, though, even paperbacks were new technology.

I was that kid who always had a paperback in my hip pocket.

I remember thinking how cool it would be to have a thin flat panel for reading. I even did sketches of that. At the top was a scroll wheel and another one at the bottom. Just give it a few twists and you're on the next page. Too bad I didn't pursue it. My name might be Jeff Bezos today.

Computers, phones, the internet, intelligent devices, etc all get talked about a lot in the media but in my life ereaders are the brightest change.

Barry

When I was a kid in the 70s-80s (I'm 50 now) I remember these hand held stand-alone video games that kids on the school bus used to show off. I remember being laughed at for suggesting, "wouldn't it be cool to have something portable you could hold in your hand and watch something like tv shows?". My peers were unrestrained in the names they called me.

I now have watched at least a dozen things from Netflix that I've downloaded on my 5 inch phone :P ... while commuting on metro.

I am delighted that my daughter is an adult in an age where technology is not entirely inaccessible, and books can be obtained and borrowed rather easily.

Even the borrowing of physical books has become easier due to technology. I can place holds by logging into my library's website. Love it.

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by Ksane

Great for your daughter!
I grew up in the 60's, books overflowing everywhere in my room. I'd have so loved an Ereader back then. I used to spend hours at the library all my life until my 1st Ereader 8 yrs ago. My son and I would take empty boxes to the used book store and lug books home by the trunkful. I do NOT miss those days. I hear people all the time saying they want *their kids to read "real" books. Getting kids to read anything at all is a win-win situation. Who cares if it's an Ereader?

I see a lot of that book snobbery all the time on some Facebook groups (for people who enjoy reading) that I frequent. The same old tired arguments get heated ad-nauseam.

Raise your hand if you've heard any of these at least once:

• "I could never read from a screen! So impersonal"
• "Nothing can match the feel of a REAL BOOK!"
• "You can't curl up with a Kindle!"

I used to get caught up in defending e-readers (I love them!) but now I just grab popcorn and watch the show. ;-)

[Dr. Drib]

Moved to the Deals/Freebies Forum.


Don
(Moderator)

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Moved to the Deals/Freebies Forum.


Don
(Moderator)

Don't know where this was originally, but the Deals/Freebies forum seems completely inappropriate for it?

On the topic of the OP, that sounds terrific. I can only imagine the delight of having an ereader like the PW when I was young (not that we'd have been able to afford it!), but even now I still ocassionally marvel at the joy of being able to buy or borrow a book and get it almost instantly on my ereader, and being able to read easily in bed at night.

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by soulfuldog

Don't know where this was originally, but the Deals/Freebies forum seems completely inappropriate for it?

On the topic of the OP, that sounds terrific. I can only imagine the delight of having an ereader like the PW when I was young (not that we'd have been able to afford it!), but even now I still ocassionally marvel at the joy of being able to buy or borrow a book and get it almost instantly on my ereader, and being able to read easily in bed at night.

I suppose it's because the PW is currently on "Black Friday sale" in Canada and that's where it belongs. It's so hard to tell sometimes where to "put" a post because it's about both a sale, and the results thereof, and about the specific item itself But thanks DrDrib for moving it.

And yes soulfuldog, I do agree with you. I have such an immense appreciation for the whole new world that has opened up through ereading that has trickled down to my children, too. (my kids still love "real books" haha, but they also love the feel and convenience of the technology)

[JSWolf]

Ans when the sale is over, then this thread becomes about how the Kindle is very helpful. Then the thread will have to be moved again.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

I see a lot of that book snobbery all the time on some Facebook groups (for people who enjoy reading) that I frequent. The same old tired arguments get heated ad-nauseam.

Raise your hand if you've heard any of these at least once:

• "I could never read from a screen! So impersonal"
• "Nothing can match the feel of a REAL BOOK!"
• "You can't curl up with a Kindle!"

I used to get caught up in defending e-readers (I love them!) but now I just grab popcorn and watch the show. ;-)

I see it more in real life than in Facebook groups (I use Facebook as little as possible).

I've noticed that most of the people making those arguments typically haven't spent any real time with an e-ink device.

I know I started as one of those people. When you think of e-books you think of your phone or tablet. It doesn't help that B&N and Amazon muddied the waters by releasing tablets in the Nook and Kindle line.

[spindlegirl]

I too have seen it in real life. And yes the definition of "A Kindle" and "A Nook" have been diluted by their tablets. Some people will never know the beauty of e-ink as a result, but I am so glad to be getting a new PW!

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

I too have seen it in real life. And yes the definition of "A Kindle" and "A Nook" have been diluted by their tablets. Some people will never know the beauty of e-ink as a result, but I am so glad to be getting a new PW!

As I mentioned, I was one of those "Nothing can match the feel of a REAL BOOK!" types. For whatever reason the Nook STwGlowlight won me over. I bought it, brought it home and after watching me read on it for a half hour or so, my better half (who initially thought 'great, another gadget') said "I want one of those!" We bought hers the next day.

The best ad for an e-reader is seeing someone use one.