me and George

[erastes]

So Vashtan bought be a Kindle (I've done all the grovelling and thanks, he knows how grateful I am) and I absolutely love it, and I hate to say that! I feel like such a hypocrite! I love it and I have called it George.

But the reasons I love it are not simply because I no longer have to read the Speak Its Name review books in front of the PC – it's the other features that really kick it for me.

--I can read my emails on it which is great—means I don't have to lug my laptop upstairs every night for a start. I'm sure the applications will be extended, but frankly I don't need "angry birds" and "here's what star" and "what's my cat saying?" – email is sufficient. I'm glued to the laptop for 14 hours a day in general!

--music! I love that i can listen to a choice of music while reading, it's delicious. I don't have a CD player or an ipod or anything like that, so it's great to download a few soothing pieces of classical music and have them playing very softly.

--audio books!!!!  I've adored audio books for years and years. I used to get them on cassette (you'd get about 20 of them per book) and listen to them in the car or in bed with the light off. But finding unabridged books in the library has become more difficult recently and I absolutely REFUSE to listen (and indeed, to read) abridged books of any kind. The Kindle downloads a massive audio book in seconds and again I'm listening in the car and in bed with the lights off. I've loved bedtime stories since I was too young to know about it, and so it's something very visceral to have a voice read you off to sleep. The only thing I will bed the Kindle makers to invent is some device that cuts off the voice when it notices you have gone to sleep so I don't have to either turn it off or have the voice wake me up again!!!

Haven't read anything with it yet, but I have 20 books already downloaded onto it, and I'll get stuck into that today. Need to investigate the note making etc, which sounds VERY useful.

It will never never never never never take the place of paper books (unless they stop making such) but for what Indeed it for, it's lovely.

and yeah. I feel like a big fat hypocrite.

Comments

[jl_merrow]

My Sony is now quaking in its faux-leather case; it knows its days are numbered! I was vehemently anti-Kindle at the start, but I have to admit, all those features are very seductive! :)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

and the battery life is huge too - a whole week!

[aigooism.livejournal.com]

One of the youths I work with had a Kindle, and I finally got to try it out. It was . . . okay. It certainly won't be a good portable manga reader (and that makes me incredibly sad!), but the E-ink technology is BEAUTIFUL for actual e-books. Though I was kind of bummed that there was no light support to read in the dark in case I ever have a blackout and no candles or battery-operated light source. Oh well. :D

[essayel.livejournal.com]

It's brilliant for reviewing. Even with the bog standard Sony ereader you can highlight the bits that make you go 'WTF?' or 'OMG that's good'. Which I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do on paper. It feels sinful to write on actual paper books.

Paper is still the way to go for books to keep forever though. I'm betting these will be obsolete within five years.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

i hve a little clip on reading light for books anyway - a lighted screen isn't good for the eyes.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I admit that i do write on reviewing books and fold the corners down and use post its...so this will keep my paper books tidier! The sturdy cover V included saved its life today as I dropped it from a height of four feet and it just bounced!

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, I guess it depends on the book. There have been a few novels - like HP Order of the Phoenix and Twilight - where it has been great fun to go through with a blue pencil and cut out the waffle. But I usually treat my books with reverence and am infuriated by my huband's habit of breaking spines and falling asleep on the book and crushing all the pages. I'm never getting him a Kindle - he'd tread on it.

[sarahblack5.livejournal.com]

the first time I went to the kindle store, ordered a book, downloaded, and started reading without ever leaving bed- I thought- hmmm, they may be on to something here!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

heh yes! I never thought of that - buying books in bed! Now I just need takeaway teleported into the bedroom and i'm set for life!

[dargie.livejournal.com]

I love books, always have. But it's reading I love most of all, and however I get my fix, I'm good with it. Congrats on the new Kindle. I have two and I doubt I'll ever stop enjoying them.

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

*hides behind fingers* Good we got that cover! AND the insurance. Jesus. :)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

LOL - warned you. but the cover protected it beautifully. :D I'm thinking of putting it in a bag inside the cover, too.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I just wish I'd had one 20 years ago when I was backpacking around the world!!! iremember thinking that it would be a good idea at the time. had a walkman and wished they could do the same for books.

[beckyblack]

If you turn the wifi off when not using that it can last up to three weeks! I'm on my travels right now, away from home for 10 days and I don't have the Kindle charger with me.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

....

turn the....

wifi...

off???

*wibble*

[beckyblack]

I was dead dubious about eBooks for ages. The Sony never convinced me otherwise even when I played with other people's. But with the Kindle it was love at first sight! I have no room for any more books in the house - it's one in one out right now. So the Kindle means I get to keep them rather than giving them to the charity shop or library.

[beckyblack]

Hey, you can't order books all day every day. :D It's easy to switch on when you want to synch or download then turn off again.

If you're at home and can just charge up any time, then it's no big deal. But it does mean that if you're off on a two week holiday you can go without yet another damn charger in your luggage.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

What i particularly like is that is doesn't have a charger, just a usb lead, which plugs into either the pc or a plug which fits the lead. but yes, fabulous that it lasts so long without charging--not that i'll ever get to test that out.

[beckyblack]

Yeah, it is nice that it doesn't have one of those big chunky heavy chargers.

At least you've worked out, or read, that the USB lead is the thing plugged into the plug. The number of people on the Kindle discussion boards who come on complaining "I don't have the USB lead it says I should have!!" isn't even funny any more.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

stupid people are stupid!

[oceankitty1.livejournal.com]

I felt like you do when I first got my e-reader . "*growl* nothing can replace paper books *snarl*"
But I soon realized what a fantastic thing my little reader is. Not only is my hunger for books instantly satisfied, but I can listen to music and watch movies!
I'm getting a new one soon, with a different screen, so that I can read outdoors too.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Don't let it get cold! Seriously! I bought mine last November so I could read on the bus to work and it barely functioned for the next three months. Sure enough the product page says that the operating temperature is 0-35°C so no reading on the bus in winter. It works fine now it's spring :)

[josephine-myles.livejournal.com]

I think I want a Kindle too *sighs* They do sound rather spiffing.

[cerisaye.livejournal.com]

I don't have a Kindle yet, though probably will ask for one next Christmas; however, I do listen a lot to audiobooks, on my wee Sansa clip with its handy Sleep function. I've listened to A Song of Ice & Fire all the way through twice already, with the lovely Roy Dotrice.