E-Reader-Reviews.com

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Really good product. I never had the original Kindle, so I can’t compare it, but the Kindle 2 works really well. Pages load quickly, it’s light weight, easy to learn to use, the battery lasts a long time, delivery of content is pretty quick and most importantly the content available is impressive.

There are only two things I would improve upon, and the reason for giving it 4 stars instead of 5. First, the menu selections/selection process is a little clunky. It only takes a few minutes to learn, but it isn’t as intuitive yet as an Apple product. I know it’s hard to compete with Apple, but I feel like this product could get better with respect to the programming. Second, loading of personal documents such as word files or pdf files is also clunky and slow. You have to email yourself, wait for Amazon to convert the file and then upload to your Kindle. It would probably be better if you could download conversion software so you could convert on your PC including batch conversions.

Other than that, this product is really fantastic.

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I cannot believe all the fuss about a backlight. One of the main reasons for purchasing the Kindle was I wouldn’t have to read into a backlit computer screen. I work for an online company and stare into the light in my computer all day long and my eyes really suffer. I’m enjoying reading again, I love that I don’t have to hold a book open and therefore I can multi-task, I’m a obsessive multi-tasker and when I could only read books I had to hold open I rarely read. I will do it much more often with the Kindle! I don’t want to play music on it, I have a clip on I-Pod mini that’s very small and I use it. My ITouch is irritating to use to play music and do applications as it cuts off the music so even with that 32 gig Itouch I use my mini 1Gig as my music player! I often don’t want music playing when I read.

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Wow! Very bright, easy to read and downloads in seconds. With the addition of the leather cover it feels like a comfortably sized book in your hands. It would be nice to have a color screen, but hey 90% of what most of us read is probably black & white ink anyway. All in all, a very good purchase. I’ll be using the “read to me” feature during my drive time into work too. Very nicely done!

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I finally got a Kindle in February 2009. I have bought enough technology (and am a software Product Manager myself) to know to wait for the second generation, but having been dying for one since it came out. And overall, I have been thrilled. I have gone from having stacks of books piled on my nightstand to having one tiny device that goes with me everywhere. I no longer have to decide which book to take on a trip (since I am usually reading more than one at a time) because I have a whole library at my fingertips. When someone recommends a book to me, I don’t even write down the name. I simply download it using the fabulous Whispernet connection. The device is very intuitive to use and the ink technology does not tire my eyes the way my computer does – and I am on one all day during the week. Yes, I love the smell and feel of a real book – and have nothing against the former technology, but the convenience of the Kindle and having my favorite book(s) with me at all times is very hard to beat. The availability and pricing of books – and the one click purchase from Amazon is also wonderful. I’m know that I’ve spent more money on books (even at the discount) and read more since I’ve had my Kindle.

However, there are a few improvements that Amazon can make. I have had a few device lockups that are annoying and would love to have a way to organize my library instead of scrolling through numerous page. I already have around 40 books on my Kindle and would love to group them by subject or category (fiction, non-fiction). I would also like to see a touch screen version, but have to believe that one is already in the works to address competitor products. Although most people I know still prefer the Kindle to the Sony devices, that may change with the new wireless Sony – and the latecomer Plastic Logic is definitely a company to watch.

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The kindle is quite possibly the best purchase I ever made. I was going to get the Sony Reader, which my best friend has, but after doing a lot of research on the two I finally decided that the Kindle was more bang for my buck. And it really is. I recommend buying a cover with it because I haven’t done that yet and I wish I had. Don’t buy the Amazon one, because it can crack your screen… it has problems. Other than that Amazon can do no wrong in my world… my Kindle never ceases to amaze me and all of my friends. I was worried that the book wouldn’t grab me and keep me absorbed as a regular paper book would do, but there was no difference it was perfect. Some people complain about the page-turning blink of the screen – it really isn’t noticeable and it’s very fast. Just like turning a paper page. I highly recommend a Kindle over the Sony Reader. My best friend is pretttttty jealous.

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I got my first Kindle a few months back and loved it at once, however a few weeks ago for reasons completely unknown, the front and back plastic began separating at the top right-hand corner. It seemed like they should have just snapped back together, but they didn’t, so I went ahead and called customer support yesterday, and in less than 24 hours there was a brand new Kindle on my doorstep! Now that’s customer service! I turned on the new one and at once noticed something was different about it, I got my old one out and compared the design and it was identical, but as soon as I turned them both to identical pages I realized the digital ink is a LOT darker on the new one- this is a good thing! The contrast in this September kindle is so much better than in the July kindle, and I feel it’s important to make this point because I’ve read reviews here that speak specifically about how the contrast on the kindle 2 is inferior to that of the original kindle. I wanted to put the information out that though this may have been the case a few months ago, it no longer is. I’m looking forward to being able to read on my new kindle just that much better than on my old one!

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Update regarding Kindle DX:
Since the purchase the Kindle 2, I have also purchased the Kindle DX and the Kindle DX is a much better device than the K2 in my opinion. The text is darker and clearer and the buttons are more like the Sony — both on one side (many kindle users HATE this feature but that is what I’m used to). So though I have sold the Kindle 2, I’m keeping the DX which has become my new primary reader.

Why a Sony Reader fan loves her Kindle

I have TWO Sony PRS-505 readers and a Cybook Gen 3 and you would think I would have enough ebook readers. However, being addicted to gadgets AND being addicted to books makes for a deadly combo… so you would be wrong.

I love my Sony Reader. However, the Sony reader is lacking in one very important department — available content. Unfortunately, there is no reader that has access to the sheer volume of material as the Kindle. The Sony bookstore is ok but the amount of content available in the store is a fraction compared to Amazon.com. In addition, the prices for books are often more expensive — particularly new releases. While Sony does support other formats, those non-sony-specific formats will often not display properly (line breaks in wierd places, pagination messed up etc) so that it really interfers with your concentration.

I would have to say in terms of actual “reading” experience — the tactile feel of the readers and the comfort of holding the device and moving around throughout the book — Sony still has the Kindle 2 beat (though the Kindle 2 is a vast improvement over the Kindle 1). However, those considerations will have to take lower priority until Sony takes the issues with their bookstore and reader software (how you get books onto the Sony device) seriously.

So if I had to rank the eBook readers at this point, the nod goes to Amazon. We’ll see how Sony Responds!

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Ok I can’t read book because the ink breaks me out. I love to read. so I tried the computer and only to find out that it gave me bad headache that would leave me without able to talk or be around light or sound for hour or days.
I was looking into kindle and other items like it and found out. I am not one who buy anything over 50 without really looking into it. I found out that kindle was best out their and cheapest too. I would had too pay 300-400 if I had went with other kind that was good. I Also found out that I didn’t have to serves to get just to get the books with kindle ,you buy book and it’s yours. all other at time i looked (i don’t know now) you had to buy for serves and the books.
Downloading books from amazon does from time to time take more then min. but it’s not that long still. I never waited more 5 mins.
I like that I own over 200 book (on my kindle)and I didn’t have that kind of room. and killing all young trees which we are finding out a lot animal need. I think that kindle i great item to have. reading to me is apart of human connection to past, a idea, now, future, to nature, to almost anything. the kindle gave me back that connection.
The first one I own less then month when something with screen messed up. they had kindle next day ship for me. what can I say. they are good. hell I would been happy with ground shipping.

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It was just great experience. You open the box from amz and press a button, you can download books right away! But mind you, int’l users, you need to pay $2 extra for using the wireless downloading (not for sample). To avoid extra charge, remember to d/l to your computer first.

To my surprise, the screen is really paper-like! It would not strain your eyes as much as your laptop or iphone when you are reading extensively.

You can listen to mp3 while you are reading if you have d/l mp3 on your kindle.

Kindle is really light. The problem for me is that i have got a leather cover which is heavier than the kindle! So if weight is a problem for you, pay attention when you are choosing your cover, sleeve or pouch.

But for academic reading, reference etc, paper books are still more convenient as you can have all the books around you at the same time, flipping here and there.

I think kindle is particularly good for leisure reading, best-seller, etc, which require no need to do a lot of referencing.

Same price for a more advance machine – Nook. So in this respect, I think amz knows its competitor well. Despite the good machine, B&N does not have so many books, more important, it is not for user outside US. So with what we are paying, we should have got a machine like Nook, touch screen and color! (only 1 oz heavier) With its comparative advantage, amz is getting the most out of its supporters!!! So I am looking forward to a next improved and advance generation of kindle.

The most INconvenient feature is the 5-way button. You feel like going back to at least 15 years when you had it only 5-lb laptop (which was already great and hooray! at that time.)

Content-wise, amz has no competitor. But still it is not infrequent that you will be disappointed that many of the books you want are not available in kindle yet. Sure, if you are reading best-sellers mainly, then it’s no problem.

To buy the convenience of e-book and at the same time want to have the real hard copy, it will be great if amz can allow us to buy kindle version + hard copy (of coz same title) at a much better price. Big publishers offer this kind of purchase model for libraries; amz can also do it for its supporters!

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When the first Kindle was announced my Christmas list was immediately complete. It was populated with one request: Amazon Gift Certificates. My excitement was difficult to measure and probably difficult for people to tolerate. A device that carried 250 books? With an “onboard” dictionary? That’s all I needed to know. What surprised me, though, was that none of my family or friends knew what I was talking about. “What’s a Kindle?” they would ask, to which I would squint my eyes and reply, “Huh?”

How so many people could be unaware of what was to me a revolution – many of whom were avid readers – was puzzling. Even after receiving the Kindle (finally – after months of waiting) people who saw me with it would ask, “What is that?” When my answer, “It’s Amazon’s Kindle!” succeeded only in deepening the creases in their foreheads I was dumbfounded. This is the Kindle! Hello?

Apparently Amazon’s website, one of the most heavily trafficked web sites on the internet, wasn’t enough marketing. The Kindle wasn’t close to being a household name, even a year after its release. And people to whom I showed the Kindle often weren’t that impressed.

That has all changed with the release of the Kindle 2. Big change in the so-called impression department.

The Kindle 2 arrived about an hour before I left for a class and I took it with me intending to explore the Kindle 2 during the break. I arrived at class early and with the extra time started familiarizing myself with the new device.

I didn’t have it out for more than ten seconds before someone asked, “Is that the new Kindle?” Another, “Is that the one that talks?” All seven classmates were keenly interested in this second generation Kindle, and all had heard of it – the Kindle 2, that is, not just the Kindle. They all knew that a second had been unveiled, and at least one wasn’t aware of the first until they became aware of the second. Class started, and I had to put the new Kindle away.

When break time came, I thought I’d have a bit of time. Nope! People stayed in the room, demanding that I,”Make it talk!” or “Show me the dictionary!”

While I understand that there’s been a good deal of time for word-of-mouth to advertise the Kindle, there’s something else at work here. This device has caught people’s attention; it’s a head turner. The design is slick, attractive, thin and, I would say, sexy! That it doesn’t have the quirky, clunky, annoying buttons that filled ¾ of each side of its predecessor, buttons that caused dozens upon dozens of accidental page turns makes it that much sexier. I found that the Kindle 2 is immediately appealing to the eye and once described in the barest of terms people want one for themselves. And I mean everyone. Every single person that has seen my Kindle and heard my thirty-second advertisement of its features has expressed a desire to own one NOW. That wasn’t the reaction the first Kindle had, and my thirty-second advertisement was roughly the same.

Congratulations, Amazon. You’ve just invented the equivalent of the iPhone for e-books.

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I’ve owned the first Kindle since it started shipping over a year ago. Despite it’s quirks, I loved it… so when Amazon announced the Kindle 2, I pre-ordered right away. I received my shiny new Kindle 2 this past Friday (2/27/09) and started putting it through it’s paces. Functionally, it’s a huge step up from the previous Kindle – but when I went to do one of my favorite activities this weekend, lounge around in the backyard reading, I discovered a major problem. When exposed to sunlight, my Kindle 2′s screen didn’t render properly. It was badly faded, streaked, and blotched like an especially terrible Xerox copy… utterly unreadable. Strangely, if I shaded even a portion of the screen with my hand or a piece of paper, the shaded portion rendered clear as a bell… while the portion exposed to the light remained so faded it was unrecognizable.

Update: After contacting Amazon’s customer service I was sent a replacement Kindle right away. This one does NOT have the bizarre sensitivity to sunlight that my previous one had and now I couldn’t be happier. As a user of the original Kindle, I really do have to stress how much better the user experience is in this device than the previous one. Amazon claim’s it’s only 20% faster, but it FEELS almost twice as fast – and the menus are much better organized and easier to navigate. Unfortunately Amazon won’t let me change the rating of this review, but I’d otherwise officially give it 4 stars. The only thing holding Kindle back from utter perfection (ie: 5 stars) is the lack of native PDF support (still!). Sony recently patched in full native PDF support for their own reader – so we know it IS possible, even if you lose some of the devices inherent scaling technology. But since PDF is a lossy format, that’s just the trade off you have to make if you want to read native PDF files. Still, now that there’s a competing reader on the market with that (rather important) feature, that’s really the only area that Kindle needs to improve in order to catch up. On the other hand, Kindle DOES give you wireless access to Amazon’s library anywhere, any time… and that’s the clincher. At least for me it is.

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gooooooooooooooooooooood

I haven’t used the Kindle 2 but am an addict of the Kindle for Iphone app (I actually have the Ipod Touch). This was a smart move for Kindle because they can now sell books to Iphone and Itouch users, which are ubiquitous these days. It’s a free app, as are the other 2 ereader apps I have Stanza and B&N reader. Kindle app is easier to use and has an excellent collection when accessing free classics in the public domain or bestsellers for less than 10 bucks. In other words, great for casual reading. My only complaint, actually a complaint for all 3 ereader apps I have and the other ebook catalogs and websites I checked is that it is still lacking in selection. I teach English to grades 6-9 and was excited about not having to bring all my books with me as I grade their essays (which they sent by email) and plan the curriculum for the next few novels they’ll read after break. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any of the well-known novels I was looking for. They’re too old for bestsellers and too new for classics but commonly read in most middle and high school curriuculum, so if you teenager has sold you on the idea of an ebook reader or an Itouch or Iphone and you think it might help them read more or do more HW, it won’t help in the reading department. Likewise, while I thought this would be a great boon to college kids who are English majors or have tons of reading and have to lug their schoolbooks around everywhere, like I did, EReaders or EReader apps, like Kindle isn’t as helpful as you think because most of the novels and texts I looked up weren’t available. Hopefully as the ereader becomes more popular publishers and ebook retailers will expand and I can read lit and grade lit essays from the palm of my hand.

I am curious. Can you enlarge the print for a person who has sight problems? Would it be ruined if she dropped it? When do you think the colour version will be released. Ditto, the touch version because I assume they will want to compete with Sony.

Hi Yvonne,
I moved your question to the forum and also tried to answer your questions.
BR, Thomas

BTW link is here:
http://www.e-reader-reviews.com/forum/amazon-kindle-dx/questions/#p50

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I love my Kindle, I have had it for 6 months and have been reading from it daily. I keep checking out the other e-readers and haven’t seen one yet that compares with the Kindle for ease and usability. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.

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I really love my Kindle! I made the mistake of buying myself a Nook just last week, and it’s not even close when you compare the two. The Kindle is just so userfriendly, it makes it really easy for beginners to get into the whole navigation. Also a plus is the big newspaper range the amazon store offers, which is especially nice when you live in the US where there pictures as well.

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Actually the newspaper range is not so bad for europe as well, but it is tru, there are no pictures here, I really wonder why (will post this in the forum now as well!:-))

Kindle for life!!!

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I was really excited about receiving my Kindle 2 but in the end was disappointed. Its design is great and it seemed easy to use. The dictionary is good and same with the access to wikipedia- love that. Having the full keyboard is pretty awesome too. However the fact that I cannot get DRM licensed books (ie rent from the library) was annoying. The “web browser” it has is useless to me because, at least when I tried, said I was unable to access that function (I live in Canada). The PDF conversion is also annoying, in having to send it to amazon to convert and then have it sent back to you- I agree being able to download your own converter would be much more pleasant. I know you can have amazon send it directly to your kindle for a fee but I’m a student and therefore cheap.
Basically the device just wasn’t what I expected it to be. I guess it’s my own fault for not researching the product enough.

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Thanks a bunch for all the E-Reader reviews, I bought myself a Kindle based on these Reviews and I couldn’t be happier!
The Kindle Review is by far the best, along with the IPad review, so thanks a lot!

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Flawless, just simply flawless. Except for the LITTLEbit “un-apple” design, but usability wise this is the best reader I have come across. Buy it!

I love my Kindle (2nd Gen). It arrived Fri, Feb 12. Still going on 1st charge! I use it several times daily. I dont mind that I need a clip-on light to read while my husband is sleeping or watching TV at night. It is so easy to use. I loved that when I got it I just turned it on and a couple of books I purchased at the same time I got the Kindle were loaded and ready to roll as soon as I turned it on. I liked the tutorial also. I’m getting ready to get the .25 shortcut ebook also. One flaw is that I would like some kind of filing system to move the books or hide them b/c I have kids and I dont want them turning on my Kindle and seeing what books I have . Also a locking pin id would be good too so that they cant just turn on my Kindle and see what I’m in the middle of reading. Other than that I’m a happy reader!! Best Value! My husband and my sister wanted me to get an IPad but I said no. I dont want tons of bells and whistles. All I want to do is read, read, read! My Kindle aka “Kinny” ROCKS!

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Sorry I forgot to rate it with stars! I give it 5 STARS in all areas!

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Overall Good!

i am planning to buy a kindle ereader and i was wondering if we can download ebook onto your ereader from somewhere other than amazon? and is this the same for thge sony ereaders? can we add books that are not there on the sony ebooks?

Above question is also available in the Forum: http://www.e-reader-reviews.com/forum/amazon-kindle-dx/other-books-than-from-amazon-possible/#p88

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i am planning to buy a kindle ereader and i was wondering if we can download ebook onto your ereader from somewher