Monday, October 31, 2011

To Kindle or Not to Kindle?

To Kindle or not to kindle is a questions that I am considering.  I am a bookworm whenever I get the chance.  It is not unusual for me to read a book a day in the winter months especially.  Often, I will start reading and get lost in a book during the night when I am sore and cannot sleep. 
 
Months ago, Joe asked me if I would like a Kindle.  I must admit that where technology is concerned I have the attitude of one who is skeptical of any form of technology.  I have been thinking about it though.  Let's face it.  My beloved is a very smart cookie.  Want me to consider a new form of technology? Just mention it's benefits to me and drop the subject.  I will eventually get around to stewing over it and give it a lot of consideration.  He mentioned how much I love reading and how it might be easier on me. 
 
Well, here we are, months later and I have been thinking about it.  I went to a store that sells both the Kindle and the Nook.  This gave me the chance to see them both side by side and compare them.  Between the two brands, I know the Kindle is best suited for my needs.  I do still have some questions to consider before getting one however.
 
Is there a good way to back up the books your download, such as on a flash drive, so that they are not lost if something happens to your computer or Kindle?  I would hate to replace books already purchased due to a technical problem with the computer or Kindle.
 
If you ever have problems with the Kindle battery, how easy are they to replace?  I realize they are likely to be easy to install, but how pricey are they?
 
How often does the Kindle's system upgrade?  During the upgrades, do the changes ever affect the ability to read older downloads?  Another words, do you have to be concerned that an e-book is no longer able to be read due to the new upgrades?
 
Can you only read books downloaded from Amazon on a Kindle?  Often I see e-books on websites such as our library's which offer free downloads.  Would I be able to read those on a Kindle?
 
Can you find children's books for Kindle that I can download for the kids?  Abbie loves books like the Little House series and I would like to have those for her also. 
 
What would be a good way to incorporate the Kindle into our homeschooling?  Likely, this is where the children's books would come in, but what other ways does it benefit?
 
Lots of questions in my mind.  But I am considering it.  Joe thinks I would enjoy it.  He has Kindle on his netbook.  Of course, he has it for a whole different set of reasons.  Mainly to have ready references for his blogs so he can easily write quotes from a book without having to have a hard copy of the book handy.  On the truck, he listens to audio books instead of reading while shut down.  With a student in the truck, they are on the go too much for him to read.
 
I would love to hear your thoughts on a Kindle if you have one.
 
Blessings,
Paula
 
 
 

3 comments:

Denise said...

I have the first version of kindle. It is wonderful. I've had it for years and have never had to replace the battery yet (knock on wood). Any books you get from Amazon they store for you on their site so if your kindle goes down and you have to replace it, you just have to reload the books you already bought back onto the new kindle. You can load free books you find on the internet too. The way I do it is to find it on the internet on my desktop, download it there and then hook my kindle up to the desktop and download it to it. You can either save it on a jumpdrive or on your desktop. Libraries are supposed to have versions of books that the kindle can read but they have a limit of days you can read them so I understand. I havent gotten into that yet. I download a lot of free books from Amazon too. You also can get cookbooks and history books and such from them as well. And if you do a search on Amazon they have a lot of books that are in the public domain for free as well like Jane Eyre, etc. Not sure about the children's books but I'm sure they have them as well. The only advice I would give you is to wait on the brand new books as they are more expensive to buy. If you wait 6 months to a year, they sometimes come down in price and some authors let Amazon offer the first in a series for free. They have a lot of the Christian Amish series available too. Oh and I dont think the new kindles come with a cover so you might have to either buy one or make one. Need to protect it from accidently hitting the floor. I order all my books from the kindle as well. They just charge my debit card through paypal. Did you look at the brand new one they have coming out? It's got color!

Anonymous said...

Another option you may want to consider is a Pandigital, I have one that I use for reading and I love it. You can also use it to get online, if you have wireless web, play games, listen to music, and so much more I haven't even discovered. If your going to sink that kind of money into a reading device, IMO it should give you a lot of bang for your buck. The pandigital screen is large just like the Kindle, and very simple to use. It downloads from Barnes and Noble, and offers free books already downloaded when its purchased.( at least mine did.)

Karla B said...

Yes to Kindle.
I have never had an update on mine and have had it since the second year it came out. So no update fears. You can back up the books you have on it with a thumb drive if you like. I have them on my computer or on the Kindle site if I purchased them there. They keep a link to every book you have purchased for that very reason. If it is a book that you get from the library or a friend then save that to your thumb drive and save it in PDF form. That will let you email it to your Kindle for pennies and you have your book. You can get e books from any site and can go online to the site from your kindle to download the book. To save battery life I keep the wifi button off on mine except from when I am actively downloading a book as it last much longer that way. I read SEVERAL hours every day on mine and a charge will last about a month just reading. The newest reader is only 79.00 Can't be that price. I am thrilled to have a Fire on order that is a notebook and Kindle in one. Touch screen and does everything aside from making a phone call. I think you should consider this option as it is a light weight computer and easy to handle. You can put it in your purse and have access to the web anywhere there is wifi like a restaurant or library and such. As I have much of the same health issues you have. (gotta love it girl) It will make your life simple and easy. Honestly just a blessing. God's gift to readers if you ask me.
Love ya
Karla