does anybody out there use kindle or ipad

genessa

Sat, Jan 29 2011, 1:30 pm

]Hi. This is my very first post (do I say shehecheyanu?). I just discovered imamother two weeks ago.
I was wondering if anyone out there is reading ebooks on ipad or kindle? I'm tempted to get one of them, but I don't know what the experience is like. And I know that Shabbos is a problem!
Any input from anyone out there? Thanks!

SavtaHelen

Sat, Jan 29 2011, 2:23 pm

I recently ordered a kindle...from the reviews I read on line it was the best value for the money. I had it shipped to my parents' house and I will receive it as soon as I see them, so I can't tell you anything about the xperience.

I ordered accessories from Hooked on "something" can't remember the last word, I think it was "digital", I ordered a wall charger and a case...it was much cheaper than the stuff from Kindle Store.

My friends have kindles and love them, it is much cheaper than buying books in Israel. I am so lookiong forward to receiving mine!

JAWSCIENCE

Sat, Jan 29 2011, 6:56 pm

I got a kindle as a gift. I really like it for travel/commute. So far I have stuck to the free books and there are plenty of them.

The ipad and kindle are very different. The ipad had a lot of other features and functionality. If you are looking for a stam book reading device then get a kindle but if you are interested in other things then you won't be satisfied unless you get the ipad.

anon for this

Sat, Jan 29 2011, 8:39 pm

I also received a kindle as a gift. I agree with JAWSCIENCE that it's not comparable to an ipad but the higher end kindle can also access the internet.

I really like mine--I don't work outside the home so no work commute but it's great to use while waiting for appointments and such. If you put it in a zipper bag (quart size is perfect) you can use it in the bathtub.

dveikus

Sat, Jan 29 2011, 10:04 pm

I have an ipad and I like it better than kindle because I can have apps on it and also internet, ipod, videos from your computer, etc. A kindle ONLY lets you read books. Also, the kindle app for the ipad is free, so all the kindle books can be read on the ipad as well. So it's the best of both worlds!

Fox

Sat, Jan 29 2011, 10:59 pm

Oh, Genessa -- you asked the wrong person! I am such a big Kindle fan that Amazon should pay me. Here's a post I wrote earlier this month regarding e-books in general and the Kindle in particular

Fox wrote:

I'll start by saying that I'm such a big proponent of the Kindle that I might as well work for Amazon. I bought mine about a year after they first came out, and I bought my 81-year-old father one a few years ago. By my calculations, my father has "sold" at least 20 Kindles to his friends.

I researched all the options (although the Nook wasn't available at the time), and here's what I came up with:

General Ebook Advantages

Space
If you're a big reader, books take up a lot of space. Plus, most of us have a lot of books that we don't exactly want to give away, but we don't quite want to keep, either. Ebooks are the perfect solution. They let you keep everything and refer back to it whenever you want.

Privacy
While everyone has slightly different hashkafas on this, my own personal experience is that there are books that I read that, for whatever reason, I don't want my kids to read. An Ebook reader allows you to read what you want without having it out for public perusal.

Cost
Okay, this depends a lot on your personal book-buying habits. I happen not to live near a good library, and I just don't have time to drive to one on a regular basis. When my kids were younger, I would try to make a library trip a weekly event, but it ended up as a disaster. I could never round up everything to get it back on time, so I racked up fines. In addition, the library had to order almost everything I wanted. So the "free" library just wasn't a bargain for me.

On the other hand, books have become crazy-expensive. An Ebook reader was the perfect compromise for me. Amazon offers tons of books for free, including classics as well a new authors. Even hardcover bestsellers are rarely priced higher than $10, and that price often goes down even before the paperback version is released.

Availability
It is true that not everything is available in Ebook format. But you would be amazed at how much is available on Ebooks that is not available in print form. For example, most well-known authors write a ton of stuff that never sees the light of a bookstore. Why? Because there isn't enough of a market for it. For example, one of my favorite authors writes lots of short stories in addition to her novels. But short story collections simply don't sell well enough for her publisher to put them into a book. So she publishes them in Ebook form for about $1 each, and they're great!

I mentioned free books from new authors, and I consider this part of the "availability" issue as well as a "cost" issue. I've found so many new authors I love by downloading freebies. These are writers who don't sell well enough to justify big-bucks promotions by their publishers. But many of them are wonderful, and I have lots of new favorites that I'd never have run across in a library or bookstore.

Convenience
If you have to wait a lot, an Ebook reader is essential. I'm constantly waiting at doctor's offices, outside school, for airplanes, etc. My Kindle is always in my handbag, and I consider a wait to be a blessing. I pull it out and can choose from approximately 300 books I currently have stored.

General Ebook Disadvantages

Shabbos
As other posters noted, you can't use them on Shabbos. I don't consider this to be a show-stopper, however. I have plenty of regular books, including lots of Judaica, that I read on Shabbos. I recently whined that I wished there was a Shabbos Kindle, and one of my DDs gave me a withering look and said, "There is, Mom. It's called a 'book'."

Cost
If your other alternative is free books from the library, then the cost is obviously an issue. Personally, I'll happily wear Paula Young sheitels and spend my money on my Kindle, but each to her own.

Why I Love My Kindle

Convenience
Amazon's Kindle uses cell phone technology, so you don't need to hook it up to a computer -- ever. You just link a payment type (credit card, gift certificate, etc.) to your Amazon account, and you can download a new book almost anywhere, including Israel. Oh, I understand that if you are in Iraq, it only works within the "green zone" of Baghdad. Just so you realize!

Customer Support
Absolutely amazing! Crazy amazing! When my first Kindle developed a fatal illness, I called to see what, if anything, could be done. I received a new Kindle the next day via FedEx with my books already loaded and waiting for me. My father had an identical experience.

Book Availability
I don't know the statistics now, but when I bought my Kindle, Amazon had far and away the largest number of titles available. I'm sure this will change, but Amazon continues to try to upgrade the product and the books/newspapers/magazines available on it.

Is there anything I don't like about my Kindle? No! I love it. In fact, I'm planning to buy my 11-year-old DS a Kindle for his birthday. He is a voracious reader, and this is an easy way for me to get him books that I approve of as well as keep an eye on what he's reading.

I paid $350 for my Kindle, and the price has now come down to $189. But truthfully, it has been worth every penny I paid for it, and I don't begrudge Amazon one bit.

Good luck with whatever you choose! My Kindle has added so much enjoyment to my life, and I can't help be a bit over-the-top about it and about Ebooks in general.

TwinsMommy

Sun, Jan 30 2011, 2:12 am

I just opened my ipad tonight-- it arrived Friday. So I vote ipad. Smile

Sherri

Thu, Feb 24 2011, 8:14 am

Bump- anyone else want to weigh in please?

mom4life

Thu, Feb 24 2011, 8:42 am

I have the nook from barnes and noble. I like it! But I can't really compare it as I've never used the other two. B&N has a bunch of free books that are really easy to download onto it.

Barbara

Thu, Feb 24 2011, 9:06 am

I love the Kindle's non-glare screen, which mimics a book to a great extent. Even using the Kindle App, reading on an iPad still feels more like reading on a computer.

I also didn't feel comfortable with the idea of throwing an expensive piece of electronics in my purse, lugging it around with me, and pulling it out on subways, etc. The Kindle, while not cheap, is not nearly as expensive.

Of course, the Kindle is not a web-based computer. But I have a smartphone for that, so I'm OK.

drumjj

Thu, Feb 24 2011, 3:32 pm

?how do u get free books on the kindle? I have it on my iphone and I love it but I didnt know u could get free books

Fox

Fri, Feb 25 2011, 11:42 am

I generally select them from the "Free Book Collections" category on Amazon's website under the Kindle | Ebooks page. I'm not familiar with how the Kindle app works on an iPhone, so I don't know if this is helpful or not.

life'sgreat

Fri, Feb 25 2011, 12:23 pm

Sherri wrote:

Bump- anyone else want to weigh in please?

I've never tried the kindle, and have the iPad. I like the iPad a lot. But depending on your needs, I'd choose according to what I want out of each of these. I wanted to have net access, so that's what I chose.

zissy2004

Sat, Feb 26 2011, 4:14 pm

Im a big fan of ebooks!
I used to read them on my palm (Isilo) then got an iphone so im using iBooks (u can use the same for the ipad).
Its all in epub format, I download them in all formats and convert them to epub with calibre.
I dont know about kindle but if you buy an ipad, you will use it for anything, not only ebooks, its the coolest thing ever.
But the ipad u will not be able to just slip it in ur handbag to take along...
The great thing about my iphone is that I always have it with me and can read anywhere I am.

If u have Ipad, u can always PM me about where to get ebooks...

genessa

Sun, Feb 27 2011, 5:25 am

SavtaHelen wrote:

Have you gotten your kindle yet? I heard there are problems downloading some ebooks if you live in Israel? Is that true?
My birthday is coming up and I want to know how much I should hint that I want a kindle!

soulful music

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 11:04 pm

Does anyone have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1? How does it compare to the Ipad?

Would love to hear any reviews.
TIA

bluebird

Wed, Feb 22 2012, 12:01 am

Fox wrote:

Cost
If your other alternative is free books from the library, then the cost is obviously an issue. Personally, I'll happily wear Paula Young sheitels and spend my money on my Kindle, but each to her own.

If you're in the US a lot of libraries now lend books in Kindle format: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/.....47550

And you can also borrow books from Amazon directly: http://www.amazon.com/gp/featu.....9811. You have to have Amazon Prime. I had it already because I buy a lot from Amazon and the shipping is cheaper that way.

bashinda

Tue, Mar 13 2012, 10:38 am

My sister bought me the small one for Chanukah. I think I've purchased maybe one book on it and it was a $1.99 special. I live in Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Public library lets you check out kindle books. The mailah is no overdue books. The chisronah is there's no automatic renewals either. I really like the screen although you need a little light to read in the dark, which I probably should just buy. It's tremendously easy to purchase books, in fact it's almost too easy but if you catch right away you can return it right away so I guess it's not too bad.

Another chisronah is I end up reading more secular books and I'm someone who went a year without reading any. If you already read secular books a lot and it doesn't bother you obviously this isn't a chisronah.