11 ms·

Kindle is OK

133 points by brilliant 16y ago

JoelSutherland 16y ago
One of the coolest things I do with my kindle is send my instapaper articles to it. It costs $0.15 per send (not per article), but it is great to have a bunch of really good, long form articles available. As an example, I read this great article about Lincoln the other night: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2005/10/lincoln-apos-s-great-depression/4247/ http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2005/10/lincoln-ap... There is no way I would read that on a computer.
- jsulak 16y ago
  One way to avoid kindle fees is to use USB to sync. If you're on Mac, use Ephemera (http://goephemera.com/ http://goephemera.com/), or if you're on Windows, use Wordcycler (http://www.wordcycler.com/ http://www.wordcycler.com/). (I'm the developer of Wordcycler.) Another great benefit of these programs is that you can sync individual articles, not just the pre-made bundles that Instapaper provides. You can plug in your device, have the program download the articles, and automatically eject it. Later, when you finish reading an article on your device, delete it, and it will be archived on Instapaper the next time you sync.
  - w1ntermute 16y ago
    And for Linux, check out calibre: http://calibre-ebook.com/ http://calibre-ebook.com/
    - briandarvell 16y ago
      I second Calibre. I supposedly works for Mac too. I use it for Windows and on my Sony PRS-600. Calibre offers lots of ready-to-use web subscriptions which gathers articles from other websites like an RSS Reader.
  - WarDekar 16y ago
    I tried to get Ephemera, but it crashes on launch any time I try to open it. Unfortunate because it looked pretty useful to me. I realize you (probably) aren't the author, but thought maybe others on here were having problems with it. Gonna send in a crash report, no idea what's causing it.
  - JoelSutherland 16y ago
    I'm aware but consider the $.15 well worth it. I maybe sync with instapaper 6 times a month. It is really nice to treat the kindle as a stand-alone device. The last thing I want to do is stress about hooking up to my computer just to save some change. That sounds REALLY lazy, but I have to say, deciding to be lazy in this instance feels great. As long as I remember to click 'Read Later' once and a while I know I'll always have something great to read wherever I am.
- minouye 16y ago
  Thanks so much for mentioning Instapaper--I had an account but forgot about it. Just finished queuing up some reads I've been meaning to get to!
- sh1mmer 16y ago
  This is also true on the iPad and it's way cheaper. I could never quite stomach the Kindle delivery fees.
jswinghammer 16y ago
I bought a Kindle recently even though I have an iPad. I enjoy the Kindle far more. I also don't mind taking it with me on the train because if something happens to it then I didn't just lose something super expensive-just fairly expensive. It's also nice that I don't get distracted playing "Plants vs. Zombies" or "We Rule" on it when I intend to be reading.
- doron 16y ago
  same for me, It affords little distraction,ideal for reading a book. The weight of a paperback (as opposed to my ipad, which is more like a hardcover) and in natural light the reading is a pleasure. I have the Kindle App on the ipad as well, it doesn't afford the same pleasure or ease.
- HSO 16y ago
  I find it fascinating that people these days are willing to pay (a premium) for less features or less choice. It's counterintuitive, but if you look at e.g. Leica's exploding sales, or Macs, or indeed bare-featured Kindles, there's a pattern. In a perfect world (or, at least, one with perfectly consistent people) less features could never be worth more. People would do what they want and whether the device offers more choices or not wouldn't matter. Distractable as we are, however, every feature introduces a new decision calculus we need to make, and one more temptation against which we need to fight.
  - Xurinos 16y ago
    It could also be that with fewer features, we expect the manufacturer worked really hard to do those features well.
  - makmanalp 16y ago
    Well, it's more the difference between a swiss army knife / leatherman and a Wusthof chef's knife. Yes, the former have a ton of more features but if I'm mainly going to cook, and I cook a lot, the leatherman's or the swiss army knife's blade is going to be an annoyance (even though it's great for occasional use). Obviously, I'll choose the specialized device. That's basically the advice I give to my friends who ask me about the Kindle. If you read a lot, it's a great investment but if you don't read much, you'll be wasting your money.
jordanroher 16y ago
Very seriously considering a Kindle, but all my eBooks are non-DRM ePUBs. I know Amazon has a feature to get your existing files on the Kindle, but has anyone tried to import ePUBs? Do they transfer 1:1 to Amazon's format?
- ruchi 16y ago
  Kindle supports MOBI/PRC/AZW but not ePUB. You could use the free conversion tool calibre and batch convert your books from ePUB.
- mhd 16y ago
  Most books are pretty easy to convert. As mentioned elsewhere, calibre does a good job at it, although the GUI looks like it crept out of someones mid-90s Tcl/Tk nightmares. A problem I've seen with epub books is missing hyphenation, which really messes up the display. And this was on "native" devices (Sony PRS, nook). Haven't seen really good typography on any of the ereader devices. This includes the iPad…
  - quadhome 16y ago
    calibre also comes with an "ebook-convert" CLI program. It works as advertised. $ ebook-convert book.epub book.mobi ... $ cp book.mobi /media/Kindle/documents/
- jmelloy 16y ago
  The nook support ePUB.
  - angstrom 16y ago
    This is one of those things that surprises me about technology people that push openness. I won't buy a Kindle until it supports ePub as a default format. Amazon went out of their way to create a proprietary format for a reason: lock-in. There are plenty of official ways to convert to AZW, but the format is owned by Amazon and can change breaking any of the unofficial ways to convert back.
far33d 16y ago
Rough anecdotal polling from my experience on the Boston-area commuter rail in from the suburbs: I see more iPhones than Kindles, but way more Kindles than iPads. People on iPhones are often playing games, not reading. Kindles are surprisingly popular with older women. I suspect it's because it does its one task really well and is much less technically intimidating for non-savvy users. I own one and use it periodically, but prefer traveling with the iPhone so I avoid having 3 devices at all times. I think the Kindle will continue to be popular with older commuters - it's easy on the eyes, simple to use, and doesn't have a lot of technological baggage.
- brilliant 16y ago
  Go to the park or beach. You won't see too many people using tablets or phones with backlit screens because they don't work in sunlight.
  - CamperBob 16y ago
    People love to keep saying that, but it's horseshit. The iPhone screen is perfectly usable in the brightest sunlight if you crank up the brightness to the max.
  - swombat 16y ago
    I've never had any issue using my iPhone in sunlight. Granted, I live in London, where bright sunlight is like a rare delicacy, even in the summer (glances out the window... yeah..), but still, the point remains - I have never had any trouble reading my iPhone even with direct sunlight on it.
- jacoblyles 16y ago
  The iPad is supply-constrained. Apple has sold every unit they've made. So, even if it were twice as popular you wouldn't see any more on your commute.
pragmatic 16y ago
I don't think it's a zero sum game. It's not either/or. For most it's both. You will have a smart (brilliant) phone and if you read a lot, a dedicated reader. The 2 form factors just don't overlap enough to do both well.
- mechanical_fish 16y ago
  At this point the Kindle is so cheap that if I actually commit to buying any quantity of Kindle books, I might try one.
  - wwortiz 16y ago
    I have a kindle and buy most of my books through the local used bookstore but the kindle is great for all those free classics that I haven't read.
  - mingyeow 16y ago
    Agreed, but the order is wrong. The truth is that you will almost certainly buy way more kindle books if you actually have a kindle
  - camiller 16y ago
    Don't rule out the nook. Since the nook supports ePub(with DRM) you can probably check out eBooks from your local library. Since the Kindle is a closed ecosystem that does not support ePub that channel is cut off from you.
- jsulak 16y ago
  Agreed. It's definitely not a zero-sum game. Most of the time I read my kindle books on the kindle, but at night in bed it's great to be able to read on my iPod touch without any light.
maw 16y ago
When I read on tech blogs that Kindle is a goner, I think these people must not read very much. Yeah, pretty much. It is snobby and rude to say it that way, but being snobby and rude myself I'm fine with that. In fairness, while e-ink devices offer what I believe is the best reading experience in the present for texts read linearly, they're less pleasant when used to read texts where you're likely to bounce around: technical texts, books with lots of footnotes, and even omnibus editions of linearly read texts. Then again, this looks to be true of the iPad as well. The faster and more colorful screen was used to make a chintzier experience, classy the way casinos are classy, which they aren't, not a better reader.
- ojbyrne 16y ago
  If you read the article that Dave links to, it's pretty obvious that the author doesn't read very much, because he clearly can't write.
  - maw 16y ago
    But I said that I have no problem with rudeness and snobbiness, and I was being more than half serious.
    - ojbyrne 16y ago
      I was just pointing out that the specific article Dave points to is even more proof that we're dealing with the illiterate (I also have no problem with rudeness and snobbiness).
pilif 16y ago
Three reasons why I personally think the Kindle is superior to the iPad as a reading device: 1) It's lighter and smaller and thus easier on your hands to hold it. My hands begin to hurt after holding the iPad for more than two hours. Reading is something I can do for hours without interruption. 2) I thought that an advantage of the ipad would be that I can read with the lights already out. I was wrong - staring at the illuminated screen quickly hurts my eyes in an otherwise dark room. Interesting: Watching videos is no problem, but reading apparently is something I use my eyes differently than watching a movie. 3) The distraction factor is huge if reading your mail, hacker news or google reader is just a small home button press away. I can't. get. any. serious. reading. done. For me, reading a book is an activity I'm doing for hours at a time if I finally find time. Then, being distracted, having to carry a heavy device or hurting my eyes all are not optimal solutions. Hence, if I'm reading, Kindle is my device.
- sprout 16y ago
  Are you reading black-on-white or white-on-black? Google recently updated the Android maps application so everything is white during the day, which really annoys me. black-on-white is kind of obnoxious and wastes battery unless you're in full sunlight. But of course it's shinier, and shiny always beats functional...
  - Confusion 16y ago
    It's not just shinier: in general people find it somewhat easier to read, as these blog posts with references to research suggest[1][2]. I know the halation effect mentioned in the second post completely ruines white-on-black for me, in most incarnations. My Gnome terminal is white-on-black, but that only works with a sufficiently large monospace font and the fact that terminal data is, well, different from a novel or blogpost. [1] http://www.joedolson.com/articles/2006/08/on-the-readability-of-inverted-color-schemes/ http://www.joedolson.com/articles/2006/08/on-the-readability... [2] http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2005/07/code-colorizing-and-readability.html http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2005/07/code-colorizing-and...
    - 16y ago
varjag 16y ago
1984 in July, 2009.
dododo 16y ago
i only wish that i could annotate a kindle by pen or touch. this is super clumsy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200322620 http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=2... i read a lot of papers and text books: typically i want to draw pictures for intuition or write math. you can't do that with a keyboard easily.
ganley 16y ago
Like him, I read outside, in the sun when possible. Thus, any LCD screen is a nonstarter.
fragmede 16y ago
>Further, I have a backlog of unread books I bought on Amazon, and I don't see why I should replace them (or if I can) using Apple's store. To clear that piece of FUD - there's a Kindle app in the Apple app store which lets you read all your Kindle books on your iPad. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kindle/id302584613?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kindle/id302584613?mt=8
- bonaldi 16y ago
  If you read the comments Dave is busy shouting at people who make that point. Apparently there's some sort of additional reason why the Kindle hardware is staying around.
  - fragmede 16y ago
    And those additional reasons are the 4 paragraphs surrounding the paragraph I quoted (and I don't disagree with the points made there). But that paragraph is wrong.
  - telemachos 16y ago
    A sidenote, but when is Dave not shouting at the people who comment on his blog? He should really disable comments entirely, since they only bring out the worst in him. Edit: As further proof, see his latest post today - http://scripting.com/stories/2010/07/29/doYouThinkBeforeYouComment.html http://scripting.com/stories/2010/07/29/doYouThinkBeforeYouC...
gamble 16y ago
The Kindle is best at reading straight-forward linear text with minimal formatting, like novels. You can't go wrong with a Kindle if you read plenty of novels, especially if you read outside. OTOH, the iPad is far superior for heavily formatted text and graphical content. Even the Kindle DX has terrible support for PDFs and the eInk screen is inherently bad for graphics, so for the person who wants to carry textbooks, technical papers, other structured PDFs, or comic books, the iPad is the only viable option.
- ruchi 16y ago
  Amazon has improved support for PDFs. Here's from their Kindle page: "Improved PDF Reader Now with new dictionary lookup, notes and highlights, and support for password protected PDFs. Easily carry all of your documents on the go."
- Herring 16y ago
  Yeah, it should be emphasized that it matters what you're reading. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/07/26/ipad.university.ars/index.html http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/07/26/ipad.universit... >Students at Reed College complained of the slow refresh rate of e-Ink displays, problematic input, inability to load PDFs over the network, and inability to view more than one text at a time as major sticking points. Reed faculty found converting documents to work well on the Kindle to be particularly difficult in most cases. >Students participating in the test at Darden School of Business, while loving the Kindle for personal reading, overwhelmingly felt the Kindle didn't pass muster in its current state for academic use -- about 4 out of 5 would not recommend a Kindle DX to incoming MBA students.
- maxjg 16y ago
  > iPad is far superior for heavily formatted text True in theory, not so much in practice. After having read a couple of books in iBooks, the books mostly seem like hasty OCR jobs (Ender's Game, while a fantastic book, definitely showed this). The iPad has the capability to do great formatting, but publishers don't seem to be doing a whole lot with it. For example, in Ender's Game, there's a little snippet of conversation before each chapter. In print it's very clearly differentiated with italics, the iBooks version lacks even that. Curiously, I seem to notice far fewer formatting problems with the Kindle app.
Xurinos 16y ago
I guess I am in the minority. I found that the eInk displays of these readers made for a poorer reading experience than reading straight off my iPhone with the help of Stanza. (1) I can read with the lights off. (2) The default font is not as grating. (3) I can adjust the brightness. Without giving my preference, I had an older gentleman compare the experience of trying to read with both devices. He usually needs to wear glasses to read things close up, and even then, he has trouble making out words at times. To my surprise, he was able to read the iPhone text much more easily than the reader's text, and keep in mind that the iPhone text by default is fairly tiny -- smaller than the reader. I am guessing that the high resolution and the contrast helped him make out the letters. I have not tried this on an iPad; I imagine it will be the same good experience as on the iPhone except with more of a book feel. On the other hand, I have no interest in an iPad any more than any other touch tablet. The iPhone was novel since it was a computer that fit in my pocket. But the Kindle was a thumbs down for me with all its DRM limitations and the lack of reading improvement that was promised with eInk.
- 2mur 16y ago
  Yes, but did the older gentleman get to adjust the Kindle's text size. That's a killer feature that has sold Kindles to 6 of my older relatives who have used mine for more than a minute or so. I read at the 2nd to smallest font (probably about 10pt) but you can adjust it up to what seems like 32 pts or more. Older readers really love that.
  - Xurinos 16y ago
    To be fair, the iPhone readers can also change the font size, the background and foreground colors, and so forth. We experimented. The real killer feature should have been the ease on the eyes of the eInk for long-term reading.
- johnyzee 16y ago
  What DRM? You can copy a Kindle book around as much as you want to.
  - 16y ago
luffy 16y ago
I agree with Dave on pretty much all of this, except for one sort of off-topic point: though speech is protected by the First Amendment, Apple's behavior towards other parties is irrelevant as far as 1A protections go. The 1A doesn't apply unless there is a government actor involved... just sayin'.
zandorg 16y ago
Not a real complaint, but I got my DX too soon, had to pay custom charges, and the model I got is US-only. I figured they'd never have all-Web access in the UK, as my previous Kindle 2 only did Wikipedia. Then they fixed it in the 2.5 upgrade, and I can't go webbing on this. My silly fault for rushing in, but I figure 5 years' reading will pay off that £300 investment, and it's great for Japanese comic books!
berrow 16y ago
I concur with Dave's points. I'm very happy with my Kindle DX. I love to read and I love that it is focused so well on that activity.
Encosia 16y ago
I often wonder how many people are actually spending much time reading outdoors in bright/direct sunlight, versus just regurgitating that well-known point in favor of eInk. I find my iPad quite a bit more readable than the Kindle or Sony reader indoors, which is where I do nearly all of my reading. It's nice not needing to find a light source too.
- jasonlotito 16y ago
  It doesn't have to be bright, directly sunlight to impact performance. I love the iPad, but I'm still considering the Kindle... if I weren't so addicted to audiobooks.
- ryanricard 16y ago
  I do a lot of my reading on the bus or waiting for a bus, which tends to involve sunlight on a semi-regular basis.
- tedunangst 16y ago
  I don't spend all that much time at the beach, but I'm still sure as hell not going to buy a gadget for reading at the beach that can't be read in sunlight.
thought_alarm 16y ago
I think Conan O'Brian said it best: http://mobile.twitter.com/ConanOBrien/statuses/19842630249 http://mobile.twitter.com/ConanOBrien/statuses/19842630249
cschneid 16y ago
My girlfriend has a kindle 2, and I have an iphone. I've found that the iphone has one killer feature that the kindle doesn't: It's in my pocket all the time. For whatever reason, my reading happens in 15 minute spurts while waiting for someone or something. The kindle app for the iphone allows me to do that, along with all the book options that amazon provides (and synced up to my girlfriend's kindle too, so we share books).
- Naga 16y ago
  Personally, when I read, I read for hours. The vast majority of the time I read, it is in my house, where my Kindle always is, so it is always 'with me'.
- judofyr 16y ago
  This is what I love about Amazon: They know that they can't make "one device to rule them all", so they've simply focused on making Kindle available everywhere. Very often when people talk about Kindle vs. iPad, they actually talk about Kindle (device) vs. Kindle (on iPad).
slowpoison 16y ago
The Kindle is great. But I'll wait. I like the product, but, it doesn't quite fully solve the problem I have. Here's what will really tip the things over for me: 1. I love to read, but I don't want any dead trees around me anymore. What I need is a way to convert all my past Amazon book purchases into e-books without cost. Or better yet, all book purchases I have. 2. Have a better way to input text, notes etc. That awkward keyboard coupled with the holding position doesn't help. 3. Have a way to share things. May be share a quote, a passage or a page with others.
JoCoLa 16y ago
I think in a couple years time, these large, 9 inch readers and tablets are going to look the way those old, chalk board eraser-sized cell phones, or the original ipod looks today. They just seem unwieldy and awkward. I think we'll see a market open up for devices that are larger than a cell phone, smaller than a tablet, like the Dell Streak. Personally, I have a Sony Pocket Edition and it's the perfect size-about 6'1/4 by 4 1/4', with a 5 inch screen- about as big as paper back. True to it's name, I can put it in my jacket or back pocket and carry it anywhere with ease.
nazgulnarsil 16y ago
the kindle offers a fairly straightforward utility. if you don't grasp the utility of the kindle (or see only marginal utility in a dedicated reading device) it isn't for you.
sh1mmer 16y ago
I just sold my Kindle DX, and while I really liked it I find having a single unified device much more convenient. I tried to read my iPad on a beach and it sucked, but frankly, I do most of my readings in bed, on planes or indoors. Reading on the Kindle is definitely easier on the eyes, but the iPad handles technical books much better, even with the Kindle PDF support.
kenjackson 16y ago
Two questions for Kindle users: 1) How is it for reading programming books? I have a bunch of PDF programming books that I'd love to load on it, but fear that the screenshots (mostly B&W) and code snippets will look horrible. 2) On occassion I'd want to read a lengthy blog entry in the backyard -- how easy is it to read blog pages on it? So clearly not Flash pages, but web based text. I had looked at a Nook, and it didn't seem to do a satisfactory job with technical books.
- wazoox 16y ago
  I can't say about the Kindle, but I have a Sony PRS and it's pretty good. PDF are usually better seen in landscape. However you may want to convert them to ePub for better readability. BTW, I won't EVER buy any DRM-laden book, music or anything else. It seems that the Kindle pretty much propose only that...
  - kenjackson 16y ago
    I haven't thought about the Sony readers, although I also don't want DRMed books. How would you compare the ease of getting content on the Sony reader vs the Kindle (given that I have the PDF already on my desktop).
    - wazoox 16y ago
      I only read public domain books from gutenberg.org (more than enough great material to read 20 hours a day until you die), and PDFs I download here and there. I simply copied them the the PRS using it as USB storage, usually, though now I'm using Calibre to keep a list of what's on my reader and organize it.

133 points by brilliant 16y ago

One of the coolest things I do with my kindle is send my instapaper articles to it. It costs $0.15 per send (not per article), but it is great to have a bunch of really good, long form articles available. As an example, I read this great article about Lincoln the other night: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2005/10/lincoln-apos-s-great-depression/4247/ http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2005/10/lincoln-ap... There is no way I would read that on a computer.

jsulak 16y ago
One way to avoid kindle fees is to use USB to sync. If you're on Mac, use Ephemera (http://goephemera.com/ http://goephemera.com/), or if you're on Windows, use Wordcycler (http://www.wordcycler.com/ http://www.wordcycler.com/). (I'm the developer of Wordcycler.) Another great benefit of these programs is that you can sync individual articles, not just the pre-made bundles that Instapaper provides. You can plug in your device, have the program download the articles, and automatically eject it. Later, when you finish reading an article on your device, delete it, and it will be archived on Instapaper the next time you sync.
- w1ntermute 16y ago
  And for Linux, check out calibre: http://calibre-ebook.com/ http://calibre-ebook.com/
  - briandarvell 16y ago
    I second Calibre. I supposedly works for Mac too. I use it for Windows and on my Sony PRS-600. Calibre offers lots of ready-to-use web subscriptions which gathers articles from other websites like an RSS Reader.
- WarDekar 16y ago
  I tried to get Ephemera, but it crashes on launch any time I try to open it. Unfortunate because it looked pretty useful to me. I realize you (probably) aren't the author, but thought maybe others on here were having problems with it. Gonna send in a crash report, no idea what's causing it.
- JoelSutherland 16y ago
  I'm aware but consider the $.15 well worth it. I maybe sync with instapaper 6 times a month. It is really nice to treat the kindle as a stand-alone device. The last thing I want to do is stress about hooking up to my computer just to save some change. That sounds REALLY lazy, but I have to say, deciding to be lazy in this instance feels great. As long as I remember to click 'Read Later' once and a while I know I'll always have something great to read wherever I am.
minouye 16y ago
Thanks so much for mentioning Instapaper--I had an account but forgot about it. Just finished queuing up some reads I've been meaning to get to!
sh1mmer 16y ago
This is also true on the iPad and it's way cheaper. I could never quite stomach the Kindle delivery fees.

jswinghammer 16y ago

I bought a Kindle recently even though I have an iPad. I enjoy the Kindle far more. I also don't mind taking it with me on the train because if something happens to it then I didn't just lose something super expensive-just fairly expensive. It's also nice that I don't get distracted playing "Plants vs. Zombies" or "We Rule" on it when I intend to be reading.

doron 16y ago
same for me, It affords little distraction,ideal for reading a book. The weight of a paperback (as opposed to my ipad, which is more like a hardcover) and in natural light the reading is a pleasure. I have the Kindle App on the ipad as well, it doesn't afford the same pleasure or ease.
HSO 16y ago
I find it fascinating that people these days are willing to pay (a premium) for less features or less choice. It's counterintuitive, but if you look at e.g. Leica's exploding sales, or Macs, or indeed bare-featured Kindles, there's a pattern. In a perfect world (or, at least, one with perfectly consistent people) less features could never be worth more. People would do what they want and whether the device offers more choices or not wouldn't matter. Distractable as we are, however, every feature introduces a new decision calculus we need to make, and one more temptation against which we need to fight.
- Xurinos 16y ago
  It could also be that with fewer features, we expect the manufacturer worked really hard to do those features well.
- makmanalp 16y ago
  Well, it's more the difference between a swiss army knife / leatherman and a Wusthof chef's knife. Yes, the former have a ton of more features but if I'm mainly going to cook, and I cook a lot, the leatherman's or the swiss army knife's blade is going to be an annoyance (even though it's great for occasional use). Obviously, I'll choose the specialized device. That's basically the advice I give to my friends who ask me about the Kindle. If you read a lot, it's a great investment but if you don't read much, you'll be wasting your money.

jordanroher 16y ago

Very seriously considering a Kindle, but all my eBooks are non-DRM ePUBs. I know Amazon has a feature to get your existing files on the Kindle, but has anyone tried to import ePUBs? Do they transfer 1:1 to Amazon's format?

ruchi 16y ago
Kindle supports MOBI/PRC/AZW but not ePUB. You could use the free conversion tool calibre and batch convert your books from ePUB.
mhd 16y ago
Most books are pretty easy to convert. As mentioned elsewhere, calibre does a good job at it, although the GUI looks like it crept out of someones mid-90s Tcl/Tk nightmares. A problem I've seen with epub books is missing hyphenation, which really messes up the display. And this was on "native" devices (Sony PRS, nook). Haven't seen really good typography on any of the ereader devices. This includes the iPad…
- quadhome 16y ago
  calibre also comes with an "ebook-convert" CLI program. It works as advertised. $ ebook-convert book.epub book.mobi ... $ cp book.mobi /media/Kindle/documents/
jmelloy 16y ago
The nook support ePUB.
- angstrom 16y ago
  This is one of those things that surprises me about technology people that push openness. I won't buy a Kindle until it supports ePub as a default format. Amazon went out of their way to create a proprietary format for a reason: lock-in. There are plenty of official ways to convert to AZW, but the format is owned by Amazon and can change breaking any of the unofficial ways to convert back.

far33d 16y ago

Rough anecdotal polling from my experience on the Boston-area commuter rail in from the suburbs: I see more iPhones than Kindles, but way more Kindles than iPads. People on iPhones are often playing games, not reading. Kindles are surprisingly popular with older women. I suspect it's because it does its one task really well and is much less technically intimidating for non-savvy users. I own one and use it periodically, but prefer traveling with the iPhone so I avoid having 3 devices at all times. I think the Kindle will continue to be popular with older commuters - it's easy on the eyes, simple to use, and doesn't have a lot of technological baggage.

brilliant 16y ago
Go to the park or beach. You won't see too many people using tablets or phones with backlit screens because they don't work in sunlight.
- CamperBob 16y ago
  People love to keep saying that, but it's horseshit. The iPhone screen is perfectly usable in the brightest sunlight if you crank up the brightness to the max.
- swombat 16y ago
  I've never had any issue using my iPhone in sunlight. Granted, I live in London, where bright sunlight is like a rare delicacy, even in the summer (glances out the window... yeah..), but still, the point remains - I have never had any trouble reading my iPhone even with direct sunlight on it.
jacoblyles 16y ago
The iPad is supply-constrained. Apple has sold every unit they've made. So, even if it were twice as popular you wouldn't see any more on your commute.

pragmatic 16y ago

I don't think it's a zero sum game. It's not either/or. For most it's both. You will have a smart (brilliant) phone and if you read a lot, a dedicated reader. The 2 form factors just don't overlap enough to do both well.

mechanical_fish 16y ago
At this point the Kindle is so cheap that if I actually commit to buying any quantity of Kindle books, I might try one.
- wwortiz 16y ago
  I have a kindle and buy most of my books through the local used bookstore but the kindle is great for all those free classics that I haven't read.
- mingyeow 16y ago
  Agreed, but the order is wrong. The truth is that you will almost certainly buy way more kindle books if you actually have a kindle
- camiller 16y ago
  Don't rule out the nook. Since the nook supports ePub(with DRM) you can probably check out eBooks from your local library. Since the Kindle is a closed ecosystem that does not support ePub that channel is cut off from you.
jsulak 16y ago
Agreed. It's definitely not a zero-sum game. Most of the time I read my kindle books on the kindle, but at night in bed it's great to be able to read on my iPod touch without any light.

maw 16y ago

When I read on tech blogs that Kindle is a goner, I think these people must not read very much. Yeah, pretty much. It is snobby and rude to say it that way, but being snobby and rude myself I'm fine with that. In fairness, while e-ink devices offer what I believe is the best reading experience in the present for texts read linearly, they're less pleasant when used to read texts where you're likely to bounce around: technical texts, books with lots of footnotes, and even omnibus editions of linearly read texts. Then again, this looks to be true of the iPad as well. The faster and more colorful screen was used to make a chintzier experience, classy the way casinos are classy, which they aren't, not a better reader.

ojbyrne 16y ago
If you read the article that Dave links to, it's pretty obvious that the author doesn't read very much, because he clearly can't write.
- maw 16y ago
  But I said that I have no problem with rudeness and snobbiness, and I was being more than half serious.
  - ojbyrne 16y ago
    I was just pointing out that the specific article Dave points to is even more proof that we're dealing with the illiterate (I also have no problem with rudeness and snobbiness).

pilif 16y ago

Three reasons why I personally think the Kindle is superior to the iPad as a reading device: 1) It's lighter and smaller and thus easier on your hands to hold it. My hands begin to hurt after holding the iPad for more than two hours. Reading is something I can do for hours without interruption. 2) I thought that an advantage of the ipad would be that I can read with the lights already out. I was wrong - staring at the illuminated screen quickly hurts my eyes in an otherwise dark room. Interesting: Watching videos is no problem, but reading apparently is something I use my eyes differently than watching a movie. 3) The distraction factor is huge if reading your mail, hacker news or google reader is just a small home button press away. I can't. get. any. serious. reading. done. For me, reading a book is an activity I'm doing for hours at a time if I finally find time. Then, being distracted, having to carry a heavy device or hurting my eyes all are not optimal solutions. Hence, if I'm reading, Kindle is my device.

sprout 16y ago
Are you reading black-on-white or white-on-black? Google recently updated the Android maps application so everything is white during the day, which really annoys me. black-on-white is kind of obnoxious and wastes battery unless you're in full sunlight. But of course it's shinier, and shiny always beats functional...
- Confusion 16y ago
  It's not just shinier: in general people find it somewhat easier to read, as these blog posts with references to research suggest[1][2]. I know the halation effect mentioned in the second post completely ruines white-on-black for me, in most incarnations. My Gnome terminal is white-on-black, but that only works with a sufficiently large monospace font and the fact that terminal data is, well, different from a novel or blogpost. [1] http://www.joedolson.com/articles/2006/08/on-the-readability-of-inverted-color-schemes/ http://www.joedolson.com/articles/2006/08/on-the-readability... [2] http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2005/07/code-colorizing-and-readability.html http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2005/07/code-colorizing-and...
  - 16y ago

varjag 16y ago

1984 in July, 2009.

dododo 16y ago

i only wish that i could annotate a kindle by pen or touch. this is super clumsy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200322620 http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=2... i read a lot of papers and text books: typically i want to draw pictures for intuition or write math. you can't do that with a keyboard easily.

ganley 16y ago

Like him, I read outside, in the sun when possible. Thus, any LCD screen is a nonstarter.

fragmede 16y ago

>Further, I have a backlog of unread books I bought on Amazon, and I don't see why I should replace them (or if I can) using Apple's store. To clear that piece of FUD - there's a Kindle app in the Apple app store which lets you read all your Kindle books on your iPad. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kindle/id302584613?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kindle/id302584613?mt=8

bonaldi 16y ago
If you read the comments Dave is busy shouting at people who make that point. Apparently there's some sort of additional reason why the Kindle hardware is staying around.
- fragmede 16y ago
  And those additional reasons are the 4 paragraphs surrounding the paragraph I quoted (and I don't disagree with the points made there). But that paragraph is wrong.
- telemachos 16y ago
  A sidenote, but when is Dave not shouting at the people who comment on his blog? He should really disable comments entirely, since they only bring out the worst in him. Edit: As further proof, see his latest post today - http://scripting.com/stories/2010/07/29/doYouThinkBeforeYouComment.html http://scripting.com/stories/2010/07/29/doYouThinkBeforeYouC...

gamble 16y ago

The Kindle is best at reading straight-forward linear text with minimal formatting, like novels. You can't go wrong with a Kindle if you read plenty of novels, especially if you read outside. OTOH, the iPad is far superior for heavily formatted text and graphical content. Even the Kindle DX has terrible support for PDFs and the eInk screen is inherently bad for graphics, so for the person who wants to carry textbooks, technical papers, other structured PDFs, or comic books, the iPad is the only viable option.

ruchi 16y ago
Amazon has improved support for PDFs. Here's from their Kindle page: "Improved PDF Reader Now with new dictionary lookup, notes and highlights, and support for password protected PDFs. Easily carry all of your documents on the go."
Herring 16y ago
Yeah, it should be emphasized that it matters what you're reading. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/07/26/ipad.university.ars/index.html http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/07/26/ipad.universit... >Students at Reed College complained of the slow refresh rate of e-Ink displays, problematic input, inability to load PDFs over the network, and inability to view more than one text at a time as major sticking points. Reed faculty found converting documents to work well on the Kindle to be particularly difficult in most cases. >Students participating in the test at Darden School of Business, while loving the Kindle for personal reading, overwhelmingly felt the Kindle didn't pass muster in its current state for academic use -- about 4 out of 5 would not recommend a Kindle DX to incoming MBA students.
maxjg 16y ago
> iPad is far superior for heavily formatted text True in theory, not so much in practice. After having read a couple of books in iBooks, the books mostly seem like hasty OCR jobs (Ender's Game, while a fantastic book, definitely showed this). The iPad has the capability to do great formatting, but publishers don't seem to be doing a whole lot with it. For example, in Ender's Game, there's a little snippet of conversation before each chapter. In print it's very clearly differentiated with italics, the iBooks version lacks even that. Curiously, I seem to notice far fewer formatting problems with the Kindle app.

Xurinos 16y ago

I guess I am in the minority. I found that the eInk displays of these readers made for a poorer reading experience than reading straight off my iPhone with the help of Stanza. (1) I can read with the lights off. (2) The default font is not as grating. (3) I can adjust the brightness. Without giving my preference, I had an older gentleman compare the experience of trying to read with both devices. He usually needs to wear glasses to read things close up, and even then, he has trouble making out words at times. To my surprise, he was able to read the iPhone text much more easily than the reader's text, and keep in mind that the iPhone text by default is fairly tiny -- smaller than the reader. I am guessing that the high resolution and the contrast helped him make out the letters. I have not tried this on an iPad; I imagine it will be the same good experience as on the iPhone except with more of a book feel. On the other hand, I have no interest in an iPad any more than any other touch tablet. The iPhone was novel since it was a computer that fit in my pocket. But the Kindle was a thumbs down for me with all its DRM limitations and the lack of reading improvement that was promised with eInk.

2mur 16y ago
Yes, but did the older gentleman get to adjust the Kindle's text size. That's a killer feature that has sold Kindles to 6 of my older relatives who have used mine for more than a minute or so. I read at the 2nd to smallest font (probably about 10pt) but you can adjust it up to what seems like 32 pts or more. Older readers really love that.
- Xurinos 16y ago
  To be fair, the iPhone readers can also change the font size, the background and foreground colors, and so forth. We experimented. The real killer feature should have been the ease on the eyes of the eInk for long-term reading.
johnyzee 16y ago
What DRM? You can copy a Kindle book around as much as you want to.
- 16y ago

luffy 16y ago

I agree with Dave on pretty much all of this, except for one sort of off-topic point: though speech is protected by the First Amendment, Apple's behavior towards other parties is irrelevant as far as 1A protections go. The 1A doesn't apply unless there is a government actor involved... just sayin'.

zandorg 16y ago

Not a real complaint, but I got my DX too soon, had to pay custom charges, and the model I got is US-only. I figured they'd never have all-Web access in the UK, as my previous Kindle 2 only did Wikipedia. Then they fixed it in the 2.5 upgrade, and I can't go webbing on this. My silly fault for rushing in, but I figure 5 years' reading will pay off that £300 investment, and it's great for Japanese comic books!

berrow 16y ago

I concur with Dave's points. I'm very happy with my Kindle DX. I love to read and I love that it is focused so well on that activity.

Encosia 16y ago

I often wonder how many people are actually spending much time reading outdoors in bright/direct sunlight, versus just regurgitating that well-known point in favor of eInk. I find my iPad quite a bit more readable than the Kindle or Sony reader indoors, which is where I do nearly all of my reading. It's nice not needing to find a light source too.

jasonlotito 16y ago
It doesn't have to be bright, directly sunlight to impact performance. I love the iPad, but I'm still considering the Kindle... if I weren't so addicted to audiobooks.
ryanricard 16y ago
I do a lot of my reading on the bus or waiting for a bus, which tends to involve sunlight on a semi-regular basis.
tedunangst 16y ago
I don't spend all that much time at the beach, but I'm still sure as hell not going to buy a gadget for reading at the beach that can't be read in sunlight.

thought_alarm 16y ago

I think Conan O'Brian said it best: http://mobile.twitter.com/ConanOBrien/statuses/19842630249 http://mobile.twitter.com/ConanOBrien/statuses/19842630249

cschneid 16y ago

My girlfriend has a kindle 2, and I have an iphone. I've found that the iphone has one killer feature that the kindle doesn't: It's in my pocket all the time. For whatever reason, my reading happens in 15 minute spurts while waiting for someone or something. The kindle app for the iphone allows me to do that, along with all the book options that amazon provides (and synced up to my girlfriend's kindle too, so we share books).

Naga 16y ago
Personally, when I read, I read for hours. The vast majority of the time I read, it is in my house, where my Kindle always is, so it is always 'with me'.
judofyr 16y ago
This is what I love about Amazon: They know that they can't make "one device to rule them all", so they've simply focused on making Kindle available everywhere. Very often when people talk about Kindle vs. iPad, they actually talk about Kindle (device) vs. Kindle (on iPad).

slowpoison 16y ago

The Kindle is great. But I'll wait. I like the product, but, it doesn't quite fully solve the problem I have. Here's what will really tip the things over for me: 1. I love to read, but I don't want any dead trees around me anymore. What I need is a way to convert all my past Amazon book purchases into e-books without cost. Or better yet, all book purchases I have. 2. Have a better way to input text, notes etc. That awkward keyboard coupled with the holding position doesn't help. 3. Have a way to share things. May be share a quote, a passage or a page with others.

JoCoLa 16y ago

I think in a couple years time, these large, 9 inch readers and tablets are going to look the way those old, chalk board eraser-sized cell phones, or the original ipod looks today. They just seem unwieldy and awkward. I think we'll see a market open up for devices that are larger than a cell phone, smaller than a tablet, like the Dell Streak. Personally, I have a Sony Pocket Edition and it's the perfect size-about 6'1/4 by 4 1/4', with a 5 inch screen- about as big as paper back. True to it's name, I can put it in my jacket or back pocket and carry it anywhere with ease.

nazgulnarsil 16y ago

the kindle offers a fairly straightforward utility. if you don't grasp the utility of the kindle (or see only marginal utility in a dedicated reading device) it isn't for you.

sh1mmer 16y ago

I just sold my Kindle DX, and while I really liked it I find having a single unified device much more convenient. I tried to read my iPad on a beach and it sucked, but frankly, I do most of my readings in bed, on planes or indoors. Reading on the Kindle is definitely easier on the eyes, but the iPad handles technical books much better, even with the Kindle PDF support.

kenjackson 16y ago

Two questions for Kindle users: 1) How is it for reading programming books? I have a bunch of PDF programming books that I'd love to load on it, but fear that the screenshots (mostly B&W) and code snippets will look horrible. 2) On occassion I'd want to read a lengthy blog entry in the backyard -- how easy is it to read blog pages on it? So clearly not Flash pages, but web based text. I had looked at a Nook, and it didn't seem to do a satisfactory job with technical books.

wazoox 16y ago
I can't say about the Kindle, but I have a Sony PRS and it's pretty good. PDF are usually better seen in landscape. However you may want to convert them to ePub for better readability. BTW, I won't EVER buy any DRM-laden book, music or anything else. It seems that the Kindle pretty much propose only that...
- kenjackson 16y ago
  I haven't thought about the Sony readers, although I also don't want DRMed books. How would you compare the ease of getting content on the Sony reader vs the Kindle (given that I have the PDF already on my desktop).
  - wazoox 16y ago
    I only read public domain books from gutenberg.org (more than enough great material to read 20 hours a day until you die), and PDFs I download here and there. I simply copied them the the PRS using it as USB storage, usually, though now I'm using Calibre to keep a list of what's on my reader and organize it.