What about these gadgets like Kindle , etc? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Saltheart · 10-05-2011, 02:50 PM

My Chinese language partner was very happy with a Kindle. I now see there are $100 and up to $300+ Kindles , etc. Apple makes some too as does HP etc.

Whats the deal with these things? I would like something to read e books on and also if possible do internet and maybe basic MS office type apps. Is this possible to get in a kindle type thing. The idea would to have a kindle type thing instead of a laptop.

Also while we are at it , are these new phones good instead of a lapyop? can you get you promary ISP with the fancy 3G , 4G phones and plug them into a desktop computer? Will they work with internet things like Netflix?

Theres probably a million things to know about this stuff but recently the Kindle, HP, Apple things and these new do all 4G phones have caught my eye.

likwid · 10-05-2011, 03:25 PM

Had a kindle to mess around down in the Caribbean last year, as far as ebook readers, it can't be beat. No issues reading it in the sun.

zacs · 10-06-2011, 10:05 AM

i also love my kindle.
If you want the kindle just for books it is now $75 I believe. It is awesome. 3g wireless so you just choose what you want and boom. SO much free content available, and you can find great stuff on sale.
If you want to do apps and stuff, I read/saw the new kindle that is $299 does all of that, but I have no experience with it.
And of course the leader of the pack is the Ipad, but I try to remain apple free.

Zac

JohnR · 10-06-2011, 10:17 AM

Pure book reading - Kindle is great.

For stuff up to and just under a laptop, iPad is best assuming you don't need Flash.

Joe · 10-06-2011, 11:05 AM

I've had a Kindle since they first came out. You can look up words you don't know with its built-in dictionary, and get the back story of a person, event, or whatever you want, through Wikipedia. So it improves your vocabulary and comprehension greatly. Magazine and newspaper subscriptions are available at 1/3 the cost - often more. It has a web-browser and email functions, but it falls short in that area.

The type size is adjustable and the page turning mechanics are far superior than that of a printed and bound media artifact. So you can read faster, a lot faster.

You can also load music into it - I read to a relaxation recording, or Cool Jazz.
Books average around $10 but the Rhode Island Library System has recently launched a loaner program. You get the book for two weeks, then access to it is gone, unless you renew or take it out again. I think the book count is 5000 at this point, but they expect it to be quite vast in time. I prefer it to traditional books to the degree where I almost never read a traditional book any more.

I think the IPAD Kindle feature is back-lighted which causes eye strain, same with the smart-phones. You don't want a back-lighted e-reader.

Duke41 · 10-06-2011, 11:06 AM

I love my Kindle!!

blondterror · 10-06-2011, 11:16 AM

The B&W kindles use e-ink technology which only uses power when it switches a page... it is a magnetic ink technology that was developed in cambridge (fresh pond area and the company is about to move to Billerica) E-ink was bought by a Korean firm about 18 months ago.

Very cool technology... plus you can read it under bright sunlight... can't do that with an iPad.

InTheHole · 10-06-2011, 11:23 AM

Wife and kids got me a kindle last xmas with 3G, it's awesome.
I don't get a lot of (any) time to browse through book stores, so if I hear of book that sounds interesting or someone recommends something, chances are it is available online in the kindle store and you can download a preview, usually a chapter or two for free to see if you really want to buy it.

Saltheart · 10-06-2011, 03:34 PM

So I get that Kindle is great for e books. Does the $75-$99 one do the internet? If yes , does it do it as wireless through your own ISP or do you need their ISP? Where can you get it for $75?

Joe · 10-06-2011, 03:43 PM

It connects to the server and the internet on its own free cell-phone like connection called, "Whispernet."
I would not get one of the cheap ones with the ads, personally. I'd pay the extra for a more pure reading experience.

zacs · 10-06-2011, 03:44 PM

it does internet poorly. very poorly. but the cell/3g is free.

If you want anything more than a reader you have to get the $199 one. As far as I can tell the wireless is still free on this one too.

All kindles come from Amazon.com.

zacs · 10-06-2011, 03:46 PM

its $79 with adds.
$109 without adds.

I have to agree, i have mine without adds.

TheSpecialist · 10-06-2011, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnR

Pure book reading - Kindle is great.

For stuff up to and just under a laptop, iPad is best assuming you don't need Flash.

If they got flash done it would make life so much better....

I was thinking either a Kindle or Ipad for xmas

WESTPORTMAFIA · 10-07-2011, 03:54 AM

Picked my girl up a nook color for Xmas last year. She loves it. Great reader and great for the Internet. Battery is great also.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Raven · 10-07-2011, 06:05 AM

wait 6 months

likwid · 10-07-2011, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSpecialist

If they got flash done it would make life so much better....

Won't happen unless Apple gives Adobe ALOT of money.
Apple pissed off Adobe bigtime.

Matt D · 10-07-2011, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WESTPORTMAFIA

Picked my girl up a nook color for Xmas last year. She loves it. Great reader and great for the Internet. Battery is great also.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I bought one in the spring and flashed the ROM to CM7 (a version of Android 2.2) . Makes a great tablet now. Runs both Nook and Kindle apps, as well as Flash. Runs all the Android apps I've tried (some need the "fake GPS" app first as the Nook has no GPS).

Does the internet well, but it's wifi only. No cell (3G, 4G) service available. I take that as a plus since I don't want to pay for it.

Often available for under $200 on the big auction site, from B&N themselves.

There will probably be a bunch of tablet deals around Black Friday if you can wait. The category hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire.

Saltheart · 10-07-2011, 10:47 AM

Saw one on HSN last night with Android and Flash for $199. I didn't buy it but like Raven says , wait a little and you get more for your money. Around Christmas sales days may be the way to go. I got a feeling they will be cutting prices big time this year!

fishbones · 10-07-2011, 11:05 AM

I just found out that I have Kindle on my phone. There are a bunch of free books available (mostly classics), so I might check one out to see if it's worth doing on the phone. I usually just play Hockey Fights and Angry Birds, so this is opening up a whole new world to me.

DMenace · 10-08-2011, 12:53 PM

Ive had a kindle for a year and a half. I love it. I read a ton, read a bunch of free books that I should have read yrs ago for the first six months I had it. I've had zero issues with it. My wife gave it to me for fathers day with a black leather holder with a built in reading light. I read every night for an hr at least, charge it once or twice a week, it has never been an issue. They are starting to make sharing books from Kindle to Kindle available as well, but from what I've read it's up to the books publisher, not Kindle.

striperman36 · 10-08-2011, 01:51 PM

My library has 11,000 kindle plus a few thousand other epubs availble for takeout. You have it for 2 weeks and then it's gone unless you renew.
Very nice, I have the kindle app for my Ipad so I have both.

spence · 10-08-2011, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishbones

I usually just play Hockey Fights and Angry Birds, so this is opening up a whole new world to me.

Yea, but when you're not at work you'd think you could just pick up a real book.

-spence