Linux Format forums

Re: The Kindle.

leke — Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:29 am

Author: leke

Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:29 am

M-Saunders wrote:

wyliecoyoteuk wrote:

I have a real problem understanding people who read the same book more than once, or watch the same DVD over and over again.

You should totally watch Jackie Chan's Project A then. I guarantee you'll want to watch it again and again just to watch the outrageous stunts. I've probably watched that at least twice a year since I was 15.

And I'm going off-topic. In the forum that I run. Shall I permanban myself?

M

No, we should start a Jackie Chan tread Here's my favourite (An official Youtube movie!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSTZEy71Ah4

Re: The Kindle.

nelz — Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:57 am

Author: nelz

Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:57 am

The Kindle store does include free books, Amazon want as much as possible available to improve sales of the devices and improve the market, so it's probably down to publishers' decisions.

I've noticed that when a book is not available in electronic format, Amazon's page for it includes a link to petition the publisher for a Kindle version.

Re: The Kindle.

dandnsmith — Wed Feb 02, 2011 7:45 am

Author: dandnsmith

Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 7:45 am

It's possible that some will be missing because they've been offered (free) elsewhere, while others are withheld because of potential film rights or just that the publisher/copyright holder doesn't feel the time is right.

There is a similar pattern in other fiction and non-fiction.

Re: The Kindle.

AndyBaxman — Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:41 am

Author: AndyBaxman

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:41 am

The big issue with the kindle book store is that it is a bit hit-and-miss whether they have the books you want. Some authors are entirely missing, while some are patchy, even within series.

I'm a bit of a sci-fi / fantasy fan and have noticed:

No Raymond E Fiest (Riftwar, etc)
No Anne McCaffrey (Pern, Talent, etc) (though they do have Arcona)
All of David Eddings, except the last book of the Tamuli (go figure)

Also like historical novels. Kindle store:

Has all Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe books.
All Alexander Kent's "Bolito" books.
A few of Dudley Pope's "Ramage" books.
None of Patrick O Brian's Aubrey / Maturin books (again, go figure, as these are probably the biggest bestsellers in paper)

Re: The Kindle.

nelz — Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:32 am

Author: nelz

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:32 am

It does warn in the docs that only simple PDF layouts can be handled, the translation process seems quite primitive.

Re: The Kindle.

dandnsmith — Tue Feb 01, 2011 7:45 am

Author: dandnsmith

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 7:45 am

Quote:

Only complaint so far is PDF handling - the ones I've tried so far are rendered very small. Even though I can zoom bits, its not too good for that sort of thing.

My wife expressed the same complaint - but others say they have no problem. I feel it must depend on the source and the way the pdf is formatted.

Re: The Kindle.

paulm — Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:39 pm

Author: paulm

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:39 pm

nelz wrote:

Kindle isn't locked into a single format, it's just the books that Amazon sell that are DRMed. At least their DRM works, the Sony reader had problems with its own DRM even when using their Windows software.

Well, I finally stopped procrastinating, and I'm now the proud owner of a wi-fi Kindle (couldn't justify the extra for the 3G). I'm really impressed - I've got it loaded with a lot of science fiction from Baen books, all of which works well. I've also got a couple of books from other sources which are also good.

Eventually, I'll probably buy some books from the Kindle store as well.....

Only complaint so far is PDF handling - the ones I've tried so far are rendered very small. Even though I can zoom bits, its not too good for that sort of thing.

I'll be trying to build calibre in the next few days, see if I can get a clean conversion for some PDFs that I need on the machine.

Quote:

A tablet suffers the same problem that a laptop has, a screen that gets uncomfortable to read after a while.

I didn't think that would worry me too much, but I've got to admit, I do like the Kindle screen when used for a few hours.

Paul.

Re: The Kindle.

NoNameWill — Sun Nov 28, 2010 10:05 pm

Author: NoNameWill

Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 10:05 pm

Rhakios wrote:

nelz wrote:

If I do, you're never more than a few hundred yards from a Starbucks (don't they say the same about rats?).

On the whole, Starbucks coffee tastes marginally better than rat though.

Have to agree. Starbucks blah.

Back on topic.

Nobody has tried the Nook?

Bought one for the wife a few weeks ago. She really likes it and so do I. For the first time in 8 years she was willing to sell her dime store romance novels without kicking and screaming. (using novel loosely)

Re: The Kindle.

nelz — Sun Nov 28, 2010 7:41 pm

Author: nelz

Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 7:41 pm

Kindle isn't locked into a single format, it's just the books that Amazon sell that are DRMed. At least their DRM works, the Sony reader had problems with its own DRM even when using their Windows software.

A tablet suffers the same problem that a laptop has, a screen that gets uncomfortable to read after a while.

Re: The Kindle.

paulm — Sun Nov 28, 2010 11:19 am

Author: paulm

Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 11:19 am

nelz wrote:

I use .mobi files from O'Reilly with mine and they work fine, as do .mobi uploads from Calibre.

Thanks nelz. Looking at the Baen site, the mobi/palm/kindle version are all .prc files.

I like the idea of the Kindle, but would almost prefer to go to something like an Android tablet, since it wouldn't be locked into the single, drm infested format. Trouble with that idea is that most of the tablets I've looked at seem either horribly expensive or very limited - resistive touch screens, no easy upgrades to later versions of Android, problems with access to Android Market, etc... Not to mention short battery life due to the higher power requirements of TFT screens. So a dedicated e-book reader looks like it may still be the best option.

Once I get over the shock of having to buy a new car battery at very short notice and great expense, the Kindle may be the next item on the list...

Paul.

Re: The Kindle.

nelz — Sun Nov 28, 2010 10:55 am

Author: nelz

Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 10:55 am

I use .mobi files from O'Reilly with mine and they work fine, as do .mobi uploads from Calibre.

Re: The Kindle.

paulm — Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:13 am

Author: paulm

Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:13 am

I'm still thinking about a Kindle purchase. One question - how well does it handle mobipocket format? From what I've read, the native Kindle format is mobipocket with DRM added, so it should work.....

For anyone owning a Kindle who wants to try, the Baen Free Library (http://www.baen.com/library/) offers quite a few science fiction titles in what they list as mobi/palm/kindle format.

Paul.

Re: The Kindle.

nelz — Fri Nov 26, 2010 11:10 am

Author: nelz

Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 11:10 am

I've had the non-3G model for a couple of months now and don't miss the 3G at all. The only time I think I'd find it useful was if I had the urge to shop for books while overseas, any other time I connect via the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot or my Mi-Fi.

Re: The Kindle.

dandnsmith — Fri Nov 26, 2010 9:54 am

Author: dandnsmith

Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 9:54 am

As I previously forecast, I've tried out the 3G on the Kindle in SouthEast Spain (where we've had problems with 'ordinary' mobiles on occasion), and found it worked well - both for browsing (very hard on the eyes, and I need new reading glasses I've concluded) and talking to the Kindle shop (amazon)

Kindle

ladi — Fri Nov 26, 2010 8:29 am

Author: ladi

Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 8:29 am

Just wanted to clarify something nelz said.

If you send a document for conversion, there is a charge only if you send it over the 3G connection. If you send it through your own network, then there is no charge regardless of how the converted document is received.

If you don't plan to send documents for conversion, then your kindle don't really need a computer at all. That extra 40 GBP for the 3G is definitely worth it. I just wish they'd improve the web browser.