Anyone here use one of these and would recommend it? I’m considering one because I know that any books I buy will not move with me.
Any reason for choosing a kindle specifically? I use my iPad for books.
Not really, I don’t know much about these things. I just read that Kindles are designed for reading (something about the light / not hurting your eyes), unlike computers / ipads. I bought one for my gf’s son a few years ago but didn’t have a chance to check how it works.
Back in the day, they didn’t use to be backlit. I’m assuming they are now. I don’t know if it’s made my eyes worse, they’ve been terrible for years already.
I’ve always gone with Kobo over Kindle. They have epub support and I just find them more pleasant to use.
Can’t go wrong either way though.
Been using kindles for 7 years now and read hundreds of books on them, will never go back.
The only thing I don’t like about them is that not having a physical book and repeatedly seeing the cover makes me forget titles and authors. This also goes for other people not being able to see what I read or have read (as I have no shelf), some missed conversations right there.
Other than that, I absolutely love it.
Tried using the phone and ipad, not the same at all; this device is meant for reading text only, and you can tell the difference. Also, they’re quite cheap, so just give it a shot.
Re. eyes: I do most of my reading in bed before sleep, feels nice and doesn’t disturb my SO as it doesn’t light up the room. Normally I’m quite wary about lights and sleep and have f.lux on all my devices. With the kindle I just dim it so there’s no more light then I need, works well.
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Walker’s Chopin bio has made me start thinking about this… I have read one or two books on my tablet, which works I guess, but I don’t find it comfortable, and since I’m staring at a screen 16 hours a day anyway I think it’s nice to be able to put that aside and read a regular book for a change. There are clearly advantages with having a digital library however, and I’ve never seen one of these kindle-like readers. How do they differ from a tablet? Bo says “not the same at all” above, but how? From what I’ve been able to deduce it’s still a screen shining light in your face. It’s not a surface you have to illuminate yourself with a lamp, right? How do they work outdoors on a sunny summer day?
If I get one I’ve decided to go with Kobo (either the One or the brand new Forma, I haven’t looked in to what the difference between them is). Would it feel redundant if I already own a tablet?
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I can’t answer this personally, but I’ve read No, because a reader is softer on the eyes, so you can read for longer and it’s safer. What Bo said about them ‘not [being] the same at all’ is what I’ve understood from elsewhere.
Don’t know the technicalities, but I’ve tried phone and tablet: does not work in the sun, does hurt the eyes.
Kindle: works perfectly in the sun, no worse for the eyes than paper and lamp. Maybe you should try in person, I’m sure you know someone in Antarctica who has one.
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I actually don’t!
But I’ve come to a decision: I’ll buy a Kobo Forma and the book version of Walker. 
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Wow that sounds like a great device!
How is the availability of books?
It is not like a typical screen - no light is involved in the process at all. The ones with a light are merely front-lit so as to be readable in the dark. It’s closer to ink on a page than it is a traditional screen.
This is a good overview of the technology:
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That sounds great!
Can these kindle type devices read pdf? I’m not likely to get one, since I’m basically attached to my phone or tablet as it is, but I’m curious about how versatile they are. Maybe I’ll buy one for my Mum for xmas.
For pdf you’ll need a reader with at least an 8 inch screen. Any smaller and you’ll be constantly zooming and panning. There are a few 13 inch readers in the $600 range that would be perfect for pdf / sheet music / etc.
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I like the kindle dat got da epaper screen
Yes you can, for kindle you send it to some e-mail connected to your kindle account and it’s automatically converted and sent to your device.
Yeah, I would say don’t bother converting a PDF to kindle format. It’ll be absolutely filled with errors and hard page breaks. And that’s if it was OCR’d at all, which many books aren’t. Far better to just try to read it in its original format.
Yes, it almost always fucks it up