Is Kindle Worth the Money?

[bingo296]

Hi everyone!

I am going on a trip soon and am thinking about buying a Kindle. For anyone who has one, which version do you have and do you personally feel like it is worth the money? Like most people here I've very budget conscious, so any advice is appreciated. Do you think it helps you save money on books in the long run? Is it durable? Is it worth it to spend extra money for the Fire?

Thanks so much

 

[Ravynmagi]

I got the basic $80 model. And it wasn't just for the price. I wanted it for the physical buttons.

For me I saw zero reasons to go with the touch model. It's thicker, heavier, more prone to accidental page turns, and more expensive. Other than the initial setup, I never need to type on the Kindle.

The sleep screen has an ad and there is an add at the bottom of my list of books, but 99% of the time I'm using a Kindle, it's reading a book and there are no ads there, so I'm fine with the ads I almost never see or notice.

I love my Kindle. But I just got a Nexus 7 and I use the Kindle app on that. I find the Nexus 7 light and comfortable enough to use for reading. But the downside is it's easy to get distracted by a tablet with all the other things it does too. So I may still use the Kindle when I want to avoid temptation of distractions or if I'm reading outside.

 

[luv2liv]

i got a Kindle DX from cl, $150 2 years ago.
worth every penny if all you want to do is read pdf and books. so easy to carry all my books. not that i read all of them in a single day, but nice to know i can swap books around on a whim.
it is big! feels like holding a magazine

 

[soccerballtux]

personally I don't get it. Nobody read books before, so why would they now? Because they bought a tech gadget? I guess that flies, and it seems to have worked...

 

[cl-scott]

I have a Kindle Keyboard or Kindle 3, and love it. I like to read, but I don't have room to store a lot of physical books, so the Kindle works great for that.

Can't really say how durable it is, as I have never really put it to the test, but on the whole I'd say it's slightly more durable than the average tablet (including the Fire).

Not sure that it would really help you save money on books, though I suppose there are now these library lending things, and you can find a lot of public domain books to download for free that might cost a few bucks in paperback.

One thing I will point out, that is very difficult to find anywhere until you actually have a Kindle. The 3G models only work for downloading books. You can't go browsing the Internet using the 3G connection, aside from probably Amazon's Kindle book store. So, probably little point in getting a 3G enabled model, since how often are you out of range of a public wifi hotspot these days if you want to download a book?

I would also highly recommend the program Calibre if you come across free books in PDF or ePub format. The UI is a bit... odd... to say the least, but it's free and quite good at converting books between formats. It might not be so bad on a Kindle DX, but reading PDFs on a regular Kindle is not exactly a pleasant experience IMO.

Finally, my biggest problem with the kindle is dealing with dust. It tends to get caught under the molding on the edges and is kind of annoying... To me at least. So maybe consider something to cover the display.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I have a kindle fire and like it a lot for reading. I was used to reading on LCDs already though. As long as I can set them for black backround white text (I actually prefer black backround blue text usually), I can read on them forever. If you have Amazon prime, it's definitely worth it for the book a month.

 

[Dulanic]

personally I don't get it. Nobody read books before, so why would they now? Because they bought a tech gadget? I guess that flies, and it seems to have worked...

Just because you don't read books doesn't mean others didn't. Did you think B&N, borders etc... all made money selling nothing?

And IMO yes a Kindle is worth it. I'd rather not have a bunch of books on a bookshelf. I'd much prefer a digital copy.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

personally I don't get it. Nobody read books before, so why would they now? Because they bought a tech gadget? I guess that flies, and it seems to have worked...

I didn't read books for a long time. I only bought a kindle fire when I wanted to start reading while in the bath tub. The need came before the device : p

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I have both the basic Kindle and the Kindle Fire. Both are used just for reading. I prefer the basic Kindle with case and attached led light.

I forgot to add, yes they are worth the money if you enjoy reading.

 

[Skel]

One thing that was pointed out to me yesterday, if you have the kindle fire you'll need a network to get content. It doesn't come with a cell service like the basic kindles can.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

One thing that was pointed out to me yesterday, if you have the kindle fire you'll need a network to get content. It doesn't come with a cell service like the basic kindles can.

I don't think it's worth it to get cell service for a kindle anyway personally.

 

[Phokus]

If you're a heavy bookreader, getting a regular kindle isn't a bad idea, the e-ink screens are easier on the eyes. I don't think you'll save money on books though, arne't paperbacks cheaper?

 

[ControlD]

If you're a heavy bookreader, getting a regular kindle isn't a bad idea, the e-ink screens are easier on the eyes. I don't think you'll save money on books though, arne't paperbacks cheaper?

It depends on the book, but for those that are out in paperback I have generally found the Kindle price to be comparable to the paperback price. In many cases the Kindle price is cheaper.

 

[Skel]

I don't think it's worth it to get cell service for a kindle anyway personally.

The old ones had it built in and Amazon paid for whatever service, far as I know you couldn't surf the web or anything, but you could download a book from whereever you were

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The old ones had it built in and Amazon paid for whatever service, far as I know you couldn't surf the web or anything, but you could download a book from whereever you were

It's included with mine. I don't think I'd use it if I had to pay for cell service. The Kindle Fire requires a wifi connection or, you can dl from your computer.

 

[Silenus]

OP. You really first need to decide what your use case is like. Are you a heavy book reader? Is you primary focus long form reading? Then get a proper ereader with eink display (regular Kindles). Are you a light reader, magazine reader, and also want to do some gaming and video watching? Then the Kindle Fire might is probably a better fit.

 

[jhansman]

I picked up a basic Kindle refurb for $49 (normally $79) and it has proven to be a great investment. It's wireless, and readable in almost any ambient light. If you need to read in the dark, Amazon has a nice case for it that has a fold-out LED. Mine goes everywhere with me and I've never wished it was color or backlit. BTW, my mother-in-law has the Fire, which is nice, but I don't think I'd drop $200 for one. Oh, and the $79 model does come with ads, but seriously, I am completely unaware of them in my daily use, so I would not spend the extra $20 on the ad-free model.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Look into the Nook Simple Touch as well, possibly the Glow Light model with an integrated light so you don't need a clip-on. The Nook supports epub format natively without converting.

 

[pauldun170]

Really like the basic Nook.
We use it for library books as well.
We also have a nook color - meh. Good for young kids.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

personally I don't get it. Nobody read books before, so why would they now? Because they bought a tech gadget? I guess that flies, and it seems to have worked...

Wtf are you talking about?

 

[AstroManLuca]

Wtf are you talking about?

He's saying, if someone never read books before getting an e-reader, why would buying one now change that? But I actually think it does. Especially with e-ink readers. LCD readers/tablets provide too many distractions but I think an e-ink reader really can revitalize someone's interest in reading.

 

[kalrith]

If you like to read and you buy books, then the kindle is worth the money IMO. The limitations vs. physical books are having to buy instead of check out from library (I know there are epubs, but my library has 1% as many epubs as physical books), and not being able to buy a book and then loan to someone else for several months (I know you can loan kindle books, but it's limited).

My wife bought me the basic kindle and said that she was fine if I exchanged it for the kindle touch. I used the basic kindle for about 4 weeks before returning it and getting a kindle touch refurb for the exact same price ($79).

I liked that the basic kindle was lighter, but there were a couple things that I didn't like about it. I have a lot of books on my kindle, so being able to quickly search for a book is great. It's much faster to type on the touch.

On the touch I can press and hold any word, and it will give me the dictionary definition.

The big thing for me is how difficult it was to navigate the Bible on the basic kindle. If there's a footnote, I'd have to hit the arrow keys about 20 times to get to it. If I want to go to another book of the Bible, it took probably 3-4 times longer on the basic than the touch.

I also bought the black kindle lighted cover for $47 in like new condition from the Amazon marketplace, and a stylus/pen that I really like: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052B9QOI/...0_M2C_ST1_dp_1

If you set up a deal alert here for "@title kindle" (without the quotes), then you'll be notified of about 100 free kindle books every day. It's certainly a good way to start one's library.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

He's saying, if someone never read books before getting an e-reader, why would buying one now change that? But I actually think it does. Especially with e-ink readers. LCD readers/tablets provide too many distractions but I think an e-ink reader really can revitalize someone's interest in reading.

Nope. He's saying in his little closed minded world that because he doesn't read books, therefore nobody else reads books and people are only reading books because electronic devices have made it cool again.

 

[obidamnkenobi]

IMO, no it's not worth it. The ebooks usually cost just slightly less than hardcover books, and usually more than the paperback versions.

If you read a ton and don't want to bring several books with you; guess it makes some sense. Only advantage is basically convenience, although you can't read while the plane is taking off..

If you like to buy new gadgets; sure go for it

 

[the DRIZZLE]

personally I don't get it. Nobody read books before, so why would they now? Because they bought a tech gadget? I guess that flies, and it seems to have worked...

It is silly but I started reading books a lot more after I got a Kindle as a gift a few years ago. What can I say?