Kindles

[Dickled]

Amazon have a sale at present, and their kindles are being discounted.
I'm tempted to buy one but am wondering which is best.
I don't want anything too advanced, just for reading online books basically.
I'm not able to post links but I'm undecided about buying the cheapest one, or spending a bit more on the Paperwhite version.
What would members recommend?
Thank you.

[Strawberry]

My Kindle is 9 years old, really like it just for reading, little bit of YouTube, and some social media. The YT and SM media apps are behind android, but it is what it is and 9 years old! Tool it on my London trip last week, leaving main tablet at home did the job.

[contentguy]

Axxxxxx have a sale at present, and their kindles are being discounted.
I'm tempted to buy one but am wondering which is best.
I don't want anything too advanced, just for reading online books basically.
I'm not able to post links but I'm undecided about buying the cheapest one, or spending a bit more on the Paperwhite version.
What would members recommend?
Thank you.

I’ve got a couple of old paperwhites.
I bought a spare in case i dropped one in the bath or pool on holiday.

The new ones are waterproof!
I’d spend the extra for the waterproof, backlit display and higher dpi display.

[lostandfound]

What's the advantage over using the Kindle app on a phone or tablet (or laptop / desktop)?

[lamboman]

I have a FireHD 8 at the moment love it,great for reading books/browsing and the paper I read is nearly a third of the price in digital form.
Just make sure you get one with sufficient memory

[fisherofsouls]

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab, few years old now but still going, and the Kindle Android app works absolutely fine.

Not quite sure why you'd splash out on a dedicated device...

[hamchang]

What's the advantage over using the Kindle app on a phone or tablet (or laptop / desktop)?

I have an Kindle Paperwhite Waterproof, 6" High-Resolution Display for over a year now. Difference is that there is no glare and they really are like reading a paper book. At night as well they stay more or less the same in a dark room. If you have Prime you get loads of books for free as part of that and can borrow 2 a month like a library from the Pay4 section.

I'ce tried others as well, had a couple of Sony's in the past. They were OK.

[aberdonian]

I have an Kindle Paperwhite Waterproof, 6" High-Resolution Display for over a year now. Difference is that there is no glare and they really are like reading a paper book. At night as well they stay more or less the same in a dark room. If you have Prime you get loads of books for free as part of that and can borrow 2 a month like a library from the Pay4 section.

I'ce tried others as well, had a couple of Sony's in the past. They were OK.

Don't you need to sign up to kindle unlimited for that?

[contentguy]

Don't you need to sign up to kindle unlimited for that?

They are similar but different, unlimited gives more choice and consistency.
This covers it quite well:
External Link/Members Only

[einzwei23]

if you're talking about the Kindle as in the eBook reader, i would highly suggest the backlit one. I have a 4yr+ old Kindle with no backlight. As much as i appreciate the quality of the screen when i am reading off it, i cannot use it properly unless it's well-lit.

[Rick2468]

Axxxxxx have a sale at present, and their kindles are being discounted.
I'm tempted to buy one but am wondering which is best.
I don't want anything too advanced, just for reading online books basically.
I'm not able to post links but I'm undecided about buying the cheapest one, or spending a bit more on the Paperwhite version.
What would members recommend?
Thank you.

I would go for the paperwhite. Had mine 5 years and it's great. The Oasis version is very high quality but in a way it's too nice! The reason being I like being able to just chuck my paperwhite into my bad and not worry about it getting scuffed. I do recommend getting a case for it as well.

I had the original grayscale version and the paperwhite and the paperwhite is so much better it's worth the extra £.

[Dickled]

Many thanks for the suggestions. The Amazon Prime sale ends in three days, so should get a hurry up, I suppose.
The thing is though I have quite a few physical books to read, so I may put off buying until later in the year, when you can guarantee there will be another sale.
However, after reading the advice on here, I'm now convinced the paperwhite will be the best option for me.
Thanks again.

[Jonestown]

Many thanks for the suggestions. The Axxxxxx Prime sale ends in three days, so should get a hurry up, I suppose.
The thing is though I have quite a few physical books to read, so I may put off buying until later in the year, when you can guarantee there will be another sale.
However, after reading the advice on here, I'm now convinced the paperwhite will be the best option for me.
Thanks again.

If you seriously intend to get a Kindle at some point it is worth signing up to Axxxx and starting to build up a library. They regularly offer newly published books and old best sellers at 99p which are well worth snapping up at the time. I've also found it beneficial to create a list of books you are interested in buying, particularly a run of titles by one author, as you often find that later on they get reduced in price to encourage you to buy them up.

[Rick2468]

If you seriously intend to get a Kindle at some point it is worth signing up to Axxxx and starting to build up a library. They regularly offer newly published books and old best sellers at 99p which are well worth snapping up at the time. I've also found it beneficial to create a list of books you are interested in buying, particularly a run of titles by one author, as you often find that later on they get reduced in price to encourage you to buy them up.

Well I can't say how because I think it would be giving too much info away but I actually legally get most of my books for free anyway and before their release date too! I only get this for new publications so if I wanted a copy of, say, 1984 I would have to buy it. I am a member of the City Of London Libraries and their collection is very good.

[Dickled]

If you seriously intend to get a Kindle at some point it is worth signing up to Axxxx and starting to build up a library. They regularly offer newly published books and old best sellers at 99p which are well worth snapping up at the time. I've also found it beneficial to create a list of books you are interested in buying, particularly a run of titles by one author, as you often find that later on they get reduced in price to encourage you to buy them up.

I do have partial membership for movies and tv at £5.99 a month, which I think is good value compared to what Netflix and NOW TV charge.
Full membership isn't a great deal more, so presume that is the membership I would need to gain access to online books?

[Jonestown]

I do have partial membership for movies and tv at £5.99 a month, which I think is good value compared to what Netflix and NOW TV charge.
Full membership isn't a great deal more, so presume that is the membership I would need to gain access to online books?

I would imagine you can just start buying books, which will be stored in an online library for you to down load as and when you have a device to read them on.

[lostandfound]

I do have partial membership for movies and tv at £5.99 a month, which I think is good value compared to what Netflix and NOW TV charge.
Full membership isn't a great deal more, so presume that is the membership I would need to gain access to online books?

I don't have a Kindle but I do have Prime and I've read many books through the Kindle app on an iPad, so I think yes, upgrade to Prime and I expect you will have it.

Always find Axxxxxxx cust services very helpful and available to chat online - I would suggest checking with them, rather than relying on me!

[sir wanksalot]

The argument over why should you pay for a Kindle device when you can get the Kindle app free on your own tablet/phone depends on your conviction that a dedicated Kindle device has been specifically designed to make reading as comfortable and similar to a real book reading experience as possible. The E-ink, the background, everything has been designed to make this the ultimate reading experience.

Yes, you can get the app on your tablet but the display is different and there used to be a school of thought that your eyes will tire quicker using a tablet screen than a Kindle screen.

Personally, I wouldn't get too hung up about the storage of your Kindle. It only becomes an issue if you're going away for a few weeks and want to store a shit load of books. A few gigs of storage is plenty.

[advent2016]

Out in Berkshire I've seen kindles re-purposed as bus arrival time indicators in vandal resistant boxes. A nice touch is you can still read free books on them

[Rick2468]

The argument over why should you pay for a Kindle device when you can get the Kindle app free on your own tablet/phone depends on your conviction that a dedicated Kindle device has been specifically designed to make reading as comfortable and similar to a real book reading experience as possible. The E-ink, the background, everything has been designed to make this the ultimate reading experience.

Yes, you can get the app on your tablet but the display is different and there used to be a school of thought that your eyes will tire quicker using a tablet screen than a Kindle screen.

Personally, I wouldn't get too hung up about the storage of your Kindle. It only becomes an issue if you're going away for a few weeks and want to store a shit load of books. A few gigs of storage is plenty.

I completely agree with you. The kindle is also lighter to hold. You can read it in light rain (I think the latest models are water proof). I read some graphic novels and books with lots of annotations on my tablet and it is not the same. If you read a lot you should get a kindle.

When kindles first came out I hated the thought of them and wanted them to not take off but I'm converted. You can read them even on a busy train. There are some disadvantages, say a book has an index you have to refer to it is hard to skip between pages. A book I read recently had such an index so I ended up printing it out and tucked it into my kindle case. Bit of a faff but it worked.

[hamchang]

Agree as well. I simply can not read books especially at night on a tablet.

Backlit it vital

Don't go for the biggest one but the lightest. Get an open /  close case to hold like a book.

I am fine with Prime because I'm not fussed about reading what the media says I should be reading. I rarely actually buy books but sometimes if a free one on prime has a few more in a series that cost I will buy them.

I don't keep books though. Read and delete. The prime borrowing works well for me as I have no inclination to keep read E- Books

[Dickled]

Apologies for resurrecting an oldish thread, but I thought I'd mention I finally got around to buying a kindle, from Argos.
In fact, they seem to be around £20 cheaper at the moment, my main reason for posting....

External Link/Members Only

[PunterNumber69]

Apologies for resurrecting an oldish thread, but I thought I'd mention I finally got around to buying a kindle, from Argos.
In fact, they seem to be around £20 cheaper at the moment, my main reason for posting....

External Link/Members Only

That's because they're clearing stock ready for the new version to be released.  Sounds like a good price. Amazon Black Friday may not be so good this year due to the shortage of chips.

[timsussex]

yep lots around at discount prices from £40 here

External Link/Members Only

[sir wanksalot]

yep lots around at discount prices from £40 here

External Link/Members Only

Not sure how much more they can improve it. It does what it's supposed to do very well.

[Bopcrown]

I like the paperwhite ones, as you can read in the dark and the battery lasts forever.

For online books without having to go through the amazon store:

Download the out of copyright ones from Project Gutenburg
External Link/Members Only

Use Calibre to arrange your collection and convert as needed.
External Link/Members Only

You'll get a free amazon email address with the purchase e.g. [email protected] and can email the .mobi / .azw3 file straight to your device.

[Dickled]

I like the paperwhite ones, as you can read in the dark and the battery lasts forever.

For online books without having to go through the Axxxxxx store:

Download the out of copyright ones from Project Gutenburg
External Link/Members Only

Use Calibre to arrange your collection and convert as needed.
External Link/Members Only

You'll get a free Axxxxxx email address with the purchase e.g. [email protected] and can email the .mobi / .azw3 file straight to your device.

Thank you. Will investigate.
 

[catweazle]

Mentioned this in the books thread, but it's worth signing up to The Fussy Librarian site.

They send an email every day with a list of free ebooks, always kindle, but other formats  included.

Some  are rubbish - but they're  free so easily deleted - but I've picked up quite a few decent  books from the site, which sometimes lead me to buy others from the same author.

[Marmalade]

Some of the discussion seems to overlap on the books thread just now:
(from) https://www.ukpunting.com/index.php?topic=321697.msg3388517#msg3388517
(Where I’ve also posted my pros and cons.)

[I often just click on the ‘replies’ tab and reply to what’s there rather than check the most appropriate thread, which is easy to do on a phone — a bit annoying but it’s done.)

I find the new iPad ok to read in bed, partly as print size can be adjusted in low light and it’s an easier hands-free than a physical book.

So far the arguments on the books thread are persuading against getting a kindle though.

[sir wanksalot]

For fiction books the convenice of a Kindle is great.

For non-fiction books it's a pain in the ass. I like to mark pages, re-read passages I like etc etc. Now all of these things you can do with a Kindle but somethings just don't right when the process is digitised.

Same when I write a shopping to do list. I can do the same on my phone but I prefer the paper and pen in my hand

[Marmalade]

Same when I write a shopping to do list. I can do the same on my phone but I prefer the paper and pen in my hand

A bit of paper that then goes in the bucket on the way out of the supermarket. Same for many a punt. Disposable items are more secure!