13 Comments

  1. Amanda P
    November 29, 2013 @ 12:32 am

    I actually don’t use my Kindle very often, but it definitely does have value for traveling. If I read on a device at home it’s usually on the iPad since I can read with the lights off.

    If you have short fiction that you’re looking to get published, I have a note on my Facebook page with some of the sites I use to find places to submit to http://www.facebook.com/notes/writer-amanda-papenfus/calls-for-submissions/183100345095617

    • Andrew
      December 2, 2013 @ 10:56 pm

      Thanks for the link. I will look through there, but at the moment I am looking to write novella length stories to self-publish in e-book form.

      I am even getting used to read the kindle at home. I like being able to up the font size if I want to. I do miss being able to flip to the maps quickly though.

      • Amanda P
        December 18, 2013 @ 10:39 pm

        You’re welcome. Good luck 🙂

        Ah yeah that is a good plus. Being able to quickly flip through pages in general is a drawback to the kindle.

  2. Steven
    September 5, 2013 @ 12:24 pm

    I switched to a Kindle about five years ago, because I’m sort of pathological about uncluttering my stuff, and I’ve really enjoyed the experience.

    Fun fact: My circa-2008 Kindle has the international “Whispernet,” so when I first arrived in Germany and had no Internet connection, I was able to use the rudimentary browser on my Kindle to post an “Arrived in Germany” note to Facebook.

    I bought an iPad Mini back in March and where before I used to travel with a laptop and kindle and ipod touch, and sometimes an ipod classic as well- now I travel with just the iPad Mini. I leave the laptop and other devices behind now and just carry the one. This is a win, in my opinion. I do agree that the non-backlit screen of the Kindle is nice, but having fewer devices to charge up is even nicer.

    • Andrew
      September 9, 2013 @ 2:50 pm

      I like unclutter too. It makes the organization in the Kindle very important.

      I have never tried the browser. I have other devices far more suited to it than the Kindle. I can imagine the Tablet Kindles being interesting in that fact ,but I love the non-backlit and battery life of the one device. There are certainly reasons to combine features and reasons to have dedicated devices.

      We still travel with the laptops and all the other stuff, though no tablet as of yet. We tend to go for longer times though. Weeks or months instead of just days. I can imagine for a weekend or even a week only a table could be really nice.

  3. Judy
    August 22, 2013 @ 2:34 pm

    Just a couple of points to add. You don’t necessarily need to buy a physical Kindle. You can open a free Kindle account with Amazon and then download the free app to your smart phone, tablet or computer. Although the screen is small, I find reading on my phone is a more pleasant than you’d think.

    Also, if you find a book you want in another format (ie not the .mobi file used by Kindle) you can easily find a free file converter online. If you go to your Kindle account online on Amazon you have a unique Kindle email address and can then email the converted file to your Kindle account. If it doesn’t appear automatically on your Kindle or app, check back in your Kindle account to see if you have to enable the file for other devices.

    • Andrew
      August 24, 2013 @ 2:30 pm

      Good points. I like the Kindle device though. I personally find reading on my phone very painful with the tiny type and the lit background. I stare at computers enough that having that non-lit Kindle is very calming.

      Thanks for the other tips. I have yet to run into other formats for a book that I wanted, but nice to know about converters.

  4. Ace
    August 21, 2013 @ 9:42 pm

    Does Kindle allow you to bookmark multiple pages? I have an Barnes & Noble Nook ereader that allows me to do that, and I’ve used it for the same map-referencing while reading fantasy fiction.

    • Andrew
      August 24, 2013 @ 2:29 pm

      I honestly don’t know. I have heard there is a bookmark feature, but I have not yet learned to use it. It would be nice though. I’ll see if I can hunt down instructions.

  5. beerandbratwurst
    August 17, 2013 @ 2:49 pm

    I fought the Kindle for forever….as in, I regret not switching sooner. I would likely NOT have made the switch had I not moved to Germany. But yeah, books are waaay cheaper on Kindle. I watch the Amazon sales since I read so much, and have set alerts for the books I´d like to read. I´ve bought a TON of books for less than $3.00
    I have Kindle Fire, which also has an amazing camera for Skype, and is damn good for movies/TV.
    I do miss that I can´t do http://www.bookcrossing.com/ – one of my FAVORITE things to do with paper books while traveling. Too fun.

    • Andrew
      August 19, 2013 @ 9:04 pm

      I don’t think I fought it so vehemently, but I was not really interested in one for a long time. Then I tried Ali’s and got into it.
      I probably should have switched a lot earlier being abroad, but oh well.

      Do you have your account with COM or DE? How do you like the tablet? My big complaint there was the battery life. If I only use it for books, it seems annoying to have to constantly keep it charged.

      I miss being able to go into bookstores and buy 3 for $2 style clearance books to get to know new authors. I am having to learn new authros in other ways.

  6. Gillian @GlobalBookshelf
    August 17, 2013 @ 1:27 pm

    A great list of pros and cons Andy. I agree, there are definitely things I miss about ‘real’ books but when you’re on the road the Kindle’s pros outweigh the cons for sure. Thanks, too, for the shout out for The Global Bookshelf; I hope people will visit and find the perfect book!

    • Andrew
      August 19, 2013 @ 9:02 pm

      Thanks for the complement. I have a few complaints, but overall am happy with it.