Kindles

To me the whole premise of purchasing a Kindle is for reading and that it does very well. If you want to have a electronic device to scour the web and do emails I'd suggest an I-Pod or a notebook.

I have a Kindle 3 (now called the Kindle Keyboard) and have had it for just over 1 year. It does have internet "capability" but it's slow, low res and can't handle anything other than the most simple html (no Flash, no QuickTime, etc.).  About the only "surfing" I do is when I buy and download a new book from Amazon or download a free book from The Gutenberg Project.  I do occasionally check the weather from it.

I can't speak for the Fire, but Kindles are e-readers and that is really what they excel at. I mostly really like the e-ink format (occasionally I wish the screen was lit up, but hey it's not a monitor which has its upsides).  If internet capability is important to you then maybe think about about an iPod although I can't really see lugging that thing into bed with me for some late night reading.

As for the wi-fi vs. 3G choice goes.  I saved money and just went with the wi-fi option.  There are plenty of places in town that have free wi-fi (all Starbucks do) and now that I went wireless in the house I can always find a connection.  Battery life is great.  It will 4-5 days of pretty decent use without being recharged and if I'm not doing much reading can last a couple of weeks.  I even misplaced it for about 3-4 weeks once and it still had most of its charge when I found it again.  Just be sure to turn off the wi-fi when not using it as that is a serious battery drain.  Since I don't have any subscriptions through my Kindle I just keep my wi-fi off all the time unless I want to download a new book or set of crossword puzzles.

Kindle?

No, Sony here.

Kindle as an e-reader doesn't work here in Canada, can't buy books without an American Visa account.

That's interesting foodpump.  Since our floors are probably going to cave in to the apartment below due to the tons of books we have (and i can't part with books without feeling a piece of flesh is going with it) i thought to get a kindle on Amazon.it (the italian amazon).  But i read that not all English books are available in Italy because of copyright restrictions.  So i thought to get one in the US.  If you only can order with an american card, then forget it. 

thanks

I have a kindle 3G - I got it for Christmas last year.

I am someone who SWORE that I needed the physical 'feel' of a book to enjoy the reading experience, but I LOVE my kindle!  I can access the internet, but it's a clunky system, in comparison to an Ipad - I had to buy a cover for my kindle, as holding just the tablet felt 'odd'...  now it feels more like a book.

I've got to admit though, I still buy cookery books as I want to see the wonderful illustrations etc.

I have to agree with Pete that Gutenberg is a wonderful resource (in fact, he told me how to access it!) - all in all....  LOVE MY KINDLE!

My kindle will never replace books completely.  There will always be books that I want a physical copy of. I could never see myself buying a cookbook for my kindle and I just can't see reading to my daughter while holding a kindle instead of a real book.  There are some books that have a special meaning to me and I'll always want physical copies of those and of course there always books that have been passed down from 1 generation to the next, but for most everyday reading they make a lot of sense and in our house, with very limited space (much of which is taken up by either my cookbooks or my daughters books), our save on a lot of clutter.

I agree, Pete, there is something to the bookness of books that i wouldn't want to give up. I like to write in books, make comments in the margins, underline, and i like to see it all in my handwriting so it stands out and not just printed (i understand that you can annotate a kindle, but with a keyboard, which is not what i like) and i like to make arrows and stars and sometimes write YES in big letters or B...S.. in the margins.  (rarely for novels but for professional books or non-fiction in general).  And the feel and the smell of paper are all part of the experience.  But I just have too many for my small apartment.  Has anyone in europe had a kindle and had problems getting the books they want?

I have a kindle as well. I like it, but still prefer books.

My reason for buying a kindle is that the selection of books here is just too small!

I bought my kindle in the UK and got it delivered to friends there (who then brought it to me in Africa). I kept it registered in the UK and pay for my books with a Dutch credit card and so far that has been going fine. There is an option on amazon.co.uk to change the country but that seems to result in higher prices. So Siduri, just check out the UK site ...

The prices in the states are a lot lower though, but I don't have a USA credit card and/or address.

Siduri, talk with Ishbel.  She has a kindle and is in the UK.  I don't want to speak for her, but I think she really likes hers.  One bit of warning though, in the past these things have been prone to a problem or 2.  I don't know what it is about their manufacturing but they seem to have a higher than normal percentage of faulty units.  The good news is Amazon's customer support is excellent (in my opinion) and will do everything they can to resolve your issue over the phone, but if they can't do that they don't hesitate to exchange your kindle with a new one.  Luckily once you purchase an e-book from Amazon you always have the rights to it and it is stored, in your account, online so if you ever have to replace your Kindle or want to upgrade your books and such are always available to re-download to your unit.

If you are considering purchasing a Kindle let me give you even more of push.  Do you like to read the classics or older, public domain books then check out Project Gutenberg.  It is a warehouse of thousands of titles that are free to download.  Download, for free, a number of the classics and your Kindle has paid for itself.  I also love my Kindle for traveling.  No more lugging around a bunch of heavy books; it's all in my 8oz. Kindle and I don't have to worry about running out of reading material.

Yes, I know, I sound like an advertisment for Kindle and Amazon.  I swear I get nothing from them for "shilling" for their product.   I'm just someone who really loves their Kindle and think it was one of the best purchases I've made in a long time.

I just got a clever idea!

Just download kindle for pc, it is free

Then check out what you can buy and/or get for free and  even if you buy a book for the pc (to test it out), you can still download it to your kindle later on if you decide to buy one (via the "manage my kindle" page on amazon).

I use the e-reader apps on my Xoom tablet and have been very happy with them and the screen quality.

I think e-books are ripe for convergence to smart devices though the e-ink is somewhat better and lower power than a color backlit screen. But carrying two or more devices, chargers and such plus improving lighting tech such as flexible OLED screens,  convergence is my prediction for the future.

Phatch, I imagine that you are right, convergence will be the wave of the future, but I really enjoy the e-ink.  If it wasn't for the e-ink, I would feel like I am staring at another computer screen, something I don't necessarily want to do after a day of staring at a computer monitor.  Plus e-ink is very easy to read in bright, glaring light.  Of course the downfall to e-ink is that you need a light source to read in a darkened room, just like with a book.  E-ink also uses up less energy which equates to longer battery life.

Does the Kindle handle Overdrive media?  (Adobe Air).   I download books from the library all the time and that would be my primary use for it.

D

Thanks all who answered me.  I think i'll go for kindle through the uk

thanks