I've thought about picking up one of these and lean towards the Kindle Fire HDX. I was curious what someone might recommend.
I've thought about picking up one of these and lean towards the Kindle Fire HDX. I was curious what someone might recommend.
I have a refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7", and I love it. You can use Kindle app to read books. Don't know much about the Kindle tablets, personally.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I use the same as this, it's great.Originally Posted by Scott Bails
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Thanks Scott.
I have a 32g iPad that I love but half the reason I got this instead of a Kindle or other tablet was because we've already got Apple phones and it just seemed easier to have these things using the same OS. Downside, you have to deal with iTunes for loading music and updates, etc. Another downside, despite being impeccably designed and built like a tank, the iPad is far more expensive than its competitors. There's nothing wrong with Kindle, Surface, etc.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I have a Google Nexus 7 (original version) and the advantage that this tablet has (as do any other non-Amazon Kindle tablets, and iPads) is that I can download books from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and any other e-bookstore and read them on my tablet. Amazon Kindles can only handle books purchased from Amazon.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and... clever" -- David St. Hubbins & Derek Smalls, Spinal Tap
The iPad can read most e-book formats, not to mention cbr. files for comics. You just have to load the right app.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I have a Kindle Paperwhite. I never thought I would ever use an e-reader or prefer an e-reader over the real thing, but the Kindle is awesome. It is lighter than a paperback and has a glare-free display. The Paperwhite is perfect if used only for reading. It is not a tablet and would fail miserably as one. The cost is only $99 w/ wi-fi. My wife has an IPad and the thing is too cumbersome and heavy to read with IMO compared with the Kindle.
I got a Kindle Fire HD from my girlfriend for my birthday last October. I actually wanted the Paperwhite, but one of her sons convinced her that I'd rather have the Fire HD. He was wrong; I wasn't really interested in having a tablet. I'm not complaining, it works fine as an eReader, although I'm sure the Paperwhite works even better. Hell, maybe I'll get into the tablet aspects of it someday, but I haven't yet.
I'm a frequent flier who can't sleep on an airplane, regardless of how tired I am, so I do a lot of reading. I used to carry 1,000+ page books around with me and thanks to my Kindle, I don't have to do that anymore!
Me too ... 4 to 6 flights per month. Even a tablet is getting a bit bulky, and I've read dozens of books, while flying and sitting in restaurants or in my hotel room, on my cell phone. Small screen, but you can't beat the convenience.
I have an old Nook ('paperwhite') which is nice. But if I ever get another tablet, it will be a Samsung Galaxy. I can load the Nook and the Kindle apps, and use it to read practically anything, any time.
Regards,
Duncan
Yeah, e-readers are great for reading e-books. However, you can't sell the e-books after you've read them, and you can't buy somebody else's 'gently read' books. I refuse to pay retail for every book I want to read.
I'm with you on this. However, the great thing about e-books for me is Project Gutenberg, which provides free ebooks of books where the copyright has expired. http://www.gutenberg.org/
Also as an Amazon Prime member, I can borrow ebooks no charge. Also, ebooks are offered for free through my library system. Does it replace the real thing, NO! However, it is a complimentary device if you are an avid reader.
An excellent tip.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
There are other sites, as well, although sometimes you can only get a PDF.An excellent tip.
holybooks.com is a good one to try --- lots of philosophy, world religion, psychology, etc.
For that which is not,
there is no coming into being
and for that which is,
there is no ceasing to be;
yea of both of these the lookers into truth have seen an end.
Bhagavad Gita
Good if you want to read the classics. Personally I read more contemporary stuff. Maybe when I retire I'll have time.Well, "no charge" over the $79 (now $100) per year for your Prime subscription.
The public library has the contemporary stuff. If I want the book for a reference or more than one read then I'll buy the book for the reasons that you stated. Notice I said that an ereader is nice complement to an avid reader and that it doesn't replace the hard copy.
Last edited by Magic Mountain; 04-28-2014 at 06:21 PM.
You only have a short window for that to be possible...books will be entirely digital very soon, within the next couple of years, at most.
For that which is not,
there is no coming into being
and for that which is,
there is no ceasing to be;
yea of both of these the lookers into truth have seen an end.
Bhagavad Gita
The death of the book has been forecast for many many years now.
I'll believe it when I see it.
When e-readers first hit the market and e-books were cheaper than paper, I might've agreed that books were on their way out. But the e-book has become far too expensive with too few benefits (as previously mentioned, can't lend them, can't resell them, etc). I have tried to understand the pricing model on e-books but I just cannot figure out how they can be so expensive, other than a super high profit margin. They had a great thing going and then priced themselves out of the market IMO.
Until the e-book providers figure out the economics of their market, books are here to stay. Unless publishers just simply stop producing them.
I work in publishing. I'm a higher education textbook editor. I also work on trade and school/curriculum content. I work for the largest educational publisher in the world. That company's current mandate is: no print editions by 2015. On a daily basis, I see how that plan is being implemented. It's proving successful and there's no deviation from it. I'm also seeing other publishers turn toward that model.
Again, I'm not speculating. I see this shift every day in my work.
It will take a while but print books are finished. Let's consider it from the bottom-line only: If I'm a publisher, and I have a medium available that (a) eliminates a vast majority of my manufacturing costs; and (b) provides an amazing amount of interactivity with very little expanded expenditure...why would I continue producing print editions?
There's another factor that people outside of publishing won't necessarily know about: it's called "repurposing". What I'm seeing is this:
1. an author writes a book; eventually, the electronic content goes into a database
2. five other authors do the same
3. the publisher then starts creating additional books using that pre-existing content, a chapter from one book, a chapter from another, thereby eliminating additional royalty payments to authors
4. the same content is "repurposed" into other products, almost all of which are digital
In other words, the publishers have the ability to create and sell thirty products, having paid contracts for six written titles only, while implementing a digital workflow that eliminates all print-related manufacturing costs.
I never use this term but: no-brainer.
Publishing will follow somewhat the track that the music industry has taken getting into a digital environment. But publishing is moving more quickly because the demand for portability and interactivity, especially in the education world, is huge.
Hey, stone tablets are gone; papyrus is gone; hide and vellum are gone; folio editions are gone. Paper books will be replaced.
If anyone had the capital to do it, though, I'd say opening a used bookstore, with maybe a ten-year plan, is a great idea.
For that which is not,
there is no coming into being
and for that which is,
there is no ceasing to be;
yea of both of these the lookers into truth have seen an end.
Bhagavad Gita
You probably won't believe it when you see it. (Not pickin' on ya personally - I'm generalizing here)
Look at music ... Vinyl records have been dead for decades. Sure, they're available to a small number of die-hards and hobbyists. I hear the numbers of collectors is increasing ... but when the percentage of vinil collectors grows 50% from something like 0.010% of the music buying public to 0.015% ... sorry, kids, but in terms of the real world, vinyl is dead.
Yet there are people here on PE who insist that vinyl is alive and well and flourishing
E-Books hit the scene something like 10 or 15 years after E-Music. So I fully expect E-Books to follow a similar path to E-Music in killing off hard-copy.
YES, I agree - there will be hobbyists and die-hards, and certain formats of books (e.g. coffee-table books and some complex reference books) will persist. So books won't die quite as convincingly as vinyl or (soon) CDs ... but they will fade into relative obscurity, and tragically, the Barnes & Nobles of the world will go the way of Tower Records.
Sad - but unavoidably true.
Rather than hanging on desperately to my wonderful childhood memories of being surrounded by books ... I choose to embrace the changes. All it means is that my reading will continue, but will be conducted via more convenient media.
Regards,
Duncan
Me, too.
I bought a Kindle on a lark. I was subsequently amazed by how great it really is. I get zero eye fatigue reading on it for hours. There's a shitload of free content to be had across the Internet. If I have a wifi connection, I have access to my entire library, plus videos, documents and music. I read a ton of comics and the reading is pristine and beautiful on a Kindle.
As I've said elsewhere, when you use a tablet and purchase digital products through Amazon, you don't own anything tangible. You do get music files but book files, video files and comics can only be accessed via a server. (I'm sure there are ways around this but I'm not tech savvy enough.)
But, as you say, it's the reading (viewing, listening) that I enjoy, not the possessing, so no big deal. Electricity and wifi aren't disappearing from Western culture any time soon...and neither is Amazon.com...
I'll admit, though, I have certain books in print so that I can read them if the lights do go out for a time: Tolkien, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Le Guin, PKD, etc. But I'm just as happy to read them on the Kindle.
My one question is iPad vs. Kindle. The Kindle Fire is glitchy. I haven't tried the newer models. I'm wondering if anyone here uses the Kindle app on an iPad and how well it does/doesn't work?
For that which is not,
there is no coming into being
and for that which is,
there is no ceasing to be;
yea of both of these the lookers into truth have seen an end.
Bhagavad Gita
Why should paying for a book be any different than paying for music or a movie? I have had a Kindle Fire for over 2 years now and I love it. The price for a brand new release is typically anywhere from $8 to $15, which is easily $10 cheaper than the hardcover. Because it's electronic it should be cheaper, or free?
I don't get the thought process. I certainly don't find $15 too expensive to be entertained for days.
"I want to be someone, who someone would want to be." Marillion
I have a Sony e-reader that I love. It's my second one. What I like about the Sony is that I have the option of the touch screen or using real buttons. I find the touch screens on some readers a bit too sensitive.
It is important to make the distinction between a tablet and an e-reader. A tablet will have a backlit computer screen. An e-reader will have a black and white matte finish screen. You will have difficulty reading a tablet outside in bright sun. The matte finish of the e-reader screen is just like reading a paper page...no problem in the sun. You have to first decide which type of device you want. Once that decision is made, choosing the right device will be easier.
Some e-readers have the option of a backlit screen (the paperwhite is an example) that you can light up for dark places. My Sony doesn't have that, but I just clip a booklight onto the case and have no problem reading in the dark. Again, just like a real book.
I also own an iPad, but I never use it for reading because I find that the backlit screen is hard on my eyes. If I am going to be reading for long periods of time, I prefer the screen of my e-reader. There is less eye fatigue.
I agree with the comment about not being able to easily share books. However, most e-reader stores will allow up to 5 or 6 devices on one account for sharing among families, so I have some of my family members (husband, brother, neice) hooked up to my account so that they can access my library. When I bought my first e-reader the e-bookstores advertised "no book over $9.99". It didn't take long for them to start raising prices, and now I can often order the paper books for less than the e-book. But I still love my e-reader for large books (the book I'm currently reading is 1000+ pages and the e-reader is much more comfortable to carry around) or for travelling. We rent a cottage for a week each summer. I used to take 4-5 books with me for the week. Now I just load them onto the reader and my suitcase is reduced by several pounds of paper.
Last edited by ForeverAutumn; 04-28-2014 at 11:27 PM.
Or will them to your heirs -- like MP3s, the rights to the files expire when you do.
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