I am looking at buying an e-book reader like a Kindle. Can anyone give me advice? Is this the brand I want or should I be looking elsewhere?

Was considering the same and a Lady at work asked me to go over the one she had just bought and tell her about it.

I loved it. I don't know if it's the best out there, but it's pretty sweet. I don't think you'll be dissappointed with it if you buy one. My only suggestion is to get a 3G/wifi one, not just a wifi version.

Brady: All I know is those of my friends who own Kindles wish they had spent their money on an iPad when I show them all that the iPad does in addition to being a book reader.

Just so you know. Amazon offers the Kindle software for Mac, PC, Android... and i think iOS. That way if you have any of these devices, you can download kindle books like a kindle would, and read them.

I bought the Sony ereader. I am happy with it, but I don't use it as much as I thought I would. However winter is on the way maybe I will now.

Get an Ipad instead of a Kindle.

I purchased a Kindle for my mom for her birthday. I was not as impressed with it as I thought I would be. I would not purchase one for myself, if that helps. I have no experience with the IPad, but it looks more promising.

What about the Nook from B&N? Has anyone heard any feedback from them?

I agree with you guys on the I-Pad but me thinks that it is a little out of my price range.

Too much glare on an iPad. There are great deals on kindles available. If you're thinking iPad, hold out until the next gen arrives.

I have a Nook from B & N and I love it! It is so nice not to have to wait to go to the bookstore to buy a new book, plus when I travel it is much easier to pack. It is very user friendly, easy to understand and figure out. I am thoroughly enjoying mine.

I am pretty sure you can now download college textbooks to both the Kindle and the Nook. I heard that if you only want to read either one of the e readers is great. If, however, you want to do more than just read, then the iPad is the way to go.

I hope the ipad does more than the kindle since it costs about 5X as much.

People who are serious about reading books and don't need a mini-computer will be very happy with a kindle and in many ways it is a far better book-reading experience than the ipad. The kindle screen can be read outdoors in bright daylight (ipad cannot) and the ipad is too heavy to read comfortably for a long period of time (1.5 lbs vs. 8.5 oz kindle). In addition this, the 3G Kindle can access books over 3G for free, where the ipad requires a monthly data subscription. The battery life on the kindle is far longer as well.

Price? Kindle is $139/$179 for wifi and 3g respectively, vs. $499-$829 for an ipad.

Of course the ipad can do a great many things that the kindle can't, but if you're just looking for a way to read books, the kindle is a very good option.

Too much glare on an iPad.

Guess it depends on where you are reading. I don't have a problem using it outdoors to read plant keys. I guess if you are reading in the tanning booth you may have a problem.

but if you're just looking for a way to read books, the kindle is a very good option.

After my experience with the Kindle, I'd just as soon actually buy the book.

Always an option as well. That's what I do, I like having something to put on the shelf afterwards. What didn't you like about the kindle?

What I don't like about any of the ereaders is that when you buy a book you don't actually buy the book just the right to read it. In other words you can't Sell, trade or give it away when you are done with it like you can if you buy the book. what I do like about my ereader is I can go to the library in the comfort of my own home and checkout a book, Or go to the internet and choose from thousands of boks the copyright has expired on (published pre 1923 I beleive). I can also take hundreds of books with me where ever I go. I own a commercial fishing boat and I am gone all summer, so it saves a lot of space in reading material.

I'm using my second Kindle, having gone through the Sony Reader and an eBook reader (all this over about 10 years).

The Kindle is very nice because it allows me to shop online and get the book in a matter of a couple minutes. If I find myself without reading material in an airport or at 10pm on Sunday night, I can quickly find a new book and get it in a couple minutes.

I carry the Kindle with me almost every where I go...and really enjoy it.

Levi, I found that it was too slow for my taste. It would lag behind, especially if you were trying to flip more than one page at a time. Many times, you'd miss what you were trying to find because of the lag time. I also had problems with ghosting at times. I also don't like the constant flipping of pages. With a book, you have two full pages of text before having to flip the page. With the Kindle, you have the book equivalent of about a half a page before needing to flip which leads back to the lag time and ghosting. It is also not nearly as easy to go back and find a passage after the fact, as it is with thumbing through a book. I also felt it was very cheaply made and not very sturdy.

I guess I just had high hopes for it, and found that a simple old book was so much more enjoyable to own and read.

It is handy for those who travel a lot, although when I travel, I'd just as soon take a book and not bother with the Kindle. I'm never gone longer than the length of time one or two books takes to read, so I don't feel the clunkiness of books is an issue for me. Months on a fishing boat, however, would probably change my mind.

You reminded me of something that I really like about my Kindle, Denise...when I travel overseas, it's a lot easier to load the Kindle ahead of time with several books rather than carry the books with me. On those longer trips (a month or so) I was bringing 7 or 8 books, and it took a lot of space. The ebooks don't take up any more space no matter how many books you put in it.

You can't shop over the air overseas though, so you have to buy the book on Amazon with your computer then download to the Kindle through the USB cable, which is also what you use to charge it anyway, so it's not a big deal.

I work in the oilfield and it is alot simpler to carry a kindle in a workbag than several books. Also I enjoy owning books. I do not want to damage them by being thrown or subjected to harsh weather. We are very fornutate to have an excellent book store at home and while home recently, I went to a book signing and purchased several books to help support the store. The kindle is for convenience. I still buy books for the future.

Have had my Kindle for about a year and love it...use it all the time but more so in the winter because of the weather obviously...would highly recommend it to all you readers out there...If you are a person that only reads one book every 6 months it isn't worth it IMO, but if you read a lot it is definitely worth it...

I have something called a Cruz Tablet which is a glorified kindle with a color screen. http://www.cruztablet.com/index.php It costs about the same as a higher-end Kindle, but you can add Nook and other Android Apps to it (Microsoft Office and Facebook are a couple I have added). I bought it over the Kindle because the local library system utilizes the Nook App, so I can download books from the Library for free. I can also download Kindle books (there are tons of free classics on Amazon and Barnes and Noble). You can also type on it as if it's a computer, but I don't think it is as responsive as an iPod. I don't use it for that anyway, as I like a real keyboard. I have also been told you can watch movies on it, but I haven't done that yet.

The pros of the Kindle type devices are that you can carry around the equivalent of about 200 books everywhere you go in one small package (I carry around the Bible, Foreign Language Phrasebooks, Cookbooks and Picture Storybooks for my kids along with about 40 books I will hopefully get around to reading, as I have been on one called The Moonstone for the past 3 weeks). It saves your page so you can come back to it later (in case I am lured away from a tedious chapter of The Moonstone by "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"). If you are reading a book which has a sequel, you don't have to go to the bookstore to buy the series and can download and read them all in one sitting. If you are traveling overseas where it is hard to find books in English, you have an endless supply at your fingertips. If you are discussing a subject with someone and want more information, it takes less than 3 minutes to download a book on the subject if you have a wireless connection. It's truly wonderful to have that flexibility!


The cons: You don't dare put it down to save your seat at the airport or leave it lying around anywhere even for a minute (say to pick up your food at an Airport restaurant) for fear of it being stolen. You have to be fairly careful not to put it in a bag that gets knocked around or dropped frequently, as it's fragile. It can be dropped or get wet, thus making it unusable. If you have kids, they follow you around waiting to pounce on your eBook the minute you set it down, thus giving you moments of panic as you envision it being dragged into the bathtub or left outside in the rain by said hooligans. Also, for bestsellers, I've found that downloading the e-book costs about as much as a brand new paperback, and after you've read it you can't just pass it along to a friend. The final thing is that sometimes after you've been carrying it around and reading it for a few days, there might be a great opportunity for a good read but your E-Book will need recharging, which means you have to waste that time searching around for an outlet to plug it into (or if you are in the car, look out the window instead.

Overall, If you can keep track of it and have fairly good luck with electronics (as in no history of losing or breaking them) I think you would enjoy it. I think they make good Christmas Presents for "the spouse who has everything".

I will hopefully get around to reading, as I have been on one called The Moonstone for the past 3 weeks). It saves your page so you can come back to it later (in case I am lured away from a tedious chapter of The Moonstone by "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo").

Hmmm.... that explains so much

I have small children, so my reading is interrupted often as I want to be present for them and not isolated from them, which probably explains it more.

I was given a kindle by my daughters and husband. I LOVE IT! So far I have read several books and haven't had to spend a penny. There are many, many free books on Amazon.com which you can instantly download on your kindle. It also has some games and you can download more. They have occupied my time on several occasions where I had to sit in the car and wait for someone. And it's very easy to go between books, games, etc that you have on your kindle. Best gift I've gotten in a long time!

If you're only interested in reading eBooks, then I would recommend a Kindle. The cheapest one is only $79, a touch screen one is $99, and one that adds free 3G is $149.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051QVESA/

The thing to realize about the Kindle is that its E-Ink display is quite remarkable. It is viewable very much like a normal book in virtually all light conditions. Bright direct sunlight is absolutely no problem.

The technology behind the display is kind of similar to an old Etch-A-Sketch. And because it doesn't really use any power when displaying a page, it will last a month or two on a single charge.

If you want to read the latest Stephen King novel, or whatever, something like the Kindle is the way to go. Grab a book off Amazon with the WiFi connection (or from anywhere if you a have the 3G model [nothing to sign up for, no data connection bills]), books are typically black and white so who cares if it is in color or not, a single charge lasts an incredibly long amount of time, and it's cheap and easy enough to pack around so you don't really have to worry that much about losing or breaking it.

Also, Amazon saves all your books online, so you can redownload them later if you need to, or you can download them to other devices (like your computer, or smartphone, or whatever) and read them there too.

My 2 cents worth.

I'm about ready to pick up a Kindle. Carrying books around in the pickup with me just destroys them. I have read half a dozen books on my smartphone now and it's fine but it kills the battery and you pretty much have to keep the screen shaded to see it very well. I think a larger e-ink screen would be a nicer experience along with the improved battery life and at $79 I wouldn't mind having it banging around the cab of the pickup. Amazon is also coming out with a full-featured android tablet in a couple weeks called the Kindle Fire for $199 which tempts me as well but even if I did get that one I would still probably want the e-ink version for banging around the ranch.

I have found the webmaster is right about the Kindle battery as long as you have the wireless connection thing turned off when you don't need it...somehow that eats up battery time...which isn't a problem as turning it on and off is quite simple...Happy Reading...:-)

The Miles City Public Library now offers downloadable books for the Kindle, Nook, and Sony eReaders (as well as iPads, iPods, and Smartphones).

Latest titles, checkout for 7 or 14 days (your choice), and best of all-- Free!

If you would like handouts explaining the step-by-step transfer process, or would like to get your own library card to get started, please let me know.

Take a moment and browse our collection of digital content:
http://montanalibrary2go.org

I looked but alas... no free books about better sex.

I have a Kindle touch (the $99 version) and we just bought our daughter one for her birthday. I've not experienced the problems that Densise states she has...the only thing that I do not like is that there is no back light so if reading in a darker room it is hard to see....I think the newest version (the kindle fire) coming out does have the backlight. There is quite a lot of free stuff to download - books and games - we're addicted to some of the word puzzle games. I took it with when we went to Texas in January and I think my kids played it more than I did on the trip!

I have met the enemy and it is us.

for my Kindle, I bought the holder for it that has a built-in light you can pull out to read at night in bed...It is wonderful and also highly recommended...

Most folks on this website are considerably younger than I, but I will still put in a plug for the Kindle for the older folks or those with vision problems.
I bought my Kindle a few months ago because I have macular degeneration and the type on the Kindle can be enlarged, making it much easier to read. I dearly love reading a book, but having to manipulate a magnifying glass, finding a well-lighted area, etc., is hard sometimes. I have my Kindle set for the largest type, have a holder for it which stores a light, and I can also read it outside. Another advantage is that some e-books have audio versions, so, if you can stand the "computer voice", you can listen to the book. It also has the capability of using ear phones or buds if you don't want to disturb folks around you.
Lots of e-books from Amazon are free or you can purchase some between $0.99 and $1.99. I have multiple versions of the Bible at my fingertips, dictionaries, and various other types of literature from classics to "warm fuzzy" books. And now I understand I can borrow books from my local library but I haven't been there yet to request this app. The library app hasn't been available to Kindle users until just recently..having only been available to NOOK e-readers.

I think it depends on what your expectations are.....I recently purchased a Kindle, the cheapest of them all, didn't need all the bells and whistles....LOVE IT!! Love everything about it, in fact I enjoy reading it more than I do a book! So far, haven't found one thing I don't like about my new Kindle.

You people are all blasphemers.

Why, Wendy??

Perhaps when it comes to books, Wendy is a "flatearther".

Wendy hates trees.

I love trees. They make great books.

You're concerned weird odors won't have a home?

Only Good thing about a Kindle. Is that you can use it to order an Ipad.

I just purchased a Nook color and I purchased a regular nook for my daughter last Christmas. I went with the color so that I can do more things with it than the regular nook. When I was researching what to get my daughter what I found was that to get books for the kindle you had to purchase then from amazon. With the nook you could purchase from anywhere. I don't know if this has changed or not, but there are definitely alot more books available now then a year ago. I did get the information on downloading books from the library and an reading my first on now. I was easy to do and will definitely do more of it in the future.