• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Amazon Kindle |OT| of eInk superiority

M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
jayb said:
I don't see the problem. The screen seems pretty close to the size of a mass market paperback to me. If the font is too small you can increase it. And if you want a larger screen there is the DX.

Are you saying you want a screen size that is between the kindle and DX?
Click to expand...

yes. And enough resolution in the display to have a font similar to a paperback book. As it is, the density of words means I'm turning pages more often, and scanning left/right faster. Its not uncomfortable, but just a little different. I'd prefer something more closely aligned with physical book reading
 
V

VistraNorrez

Member
The_Technomancer said:
Okay, so I'm looking into getting the $79 $109 version (fuck ads). My only question is: does it have touchscreen functionality at all, for turning pages and such?
Click to expand...
You can now get rid of the ads by paying the difference. You might want to get the $79 model and see if they bother you. Or at least take advantage of a few deals before going ad free.
 
T

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
VistraNorrez said:
You can now get rid of the ads by paying the difference. You might want to get the $79 model and see if they bother you. Or at least take advantage of a few deals before going ad free.
Click to expand...
Really? Okay, probably going to do that then.
 
E

EmptyCanO'wupass

Member
My Kindle broke today. :(

When I flicked the switch to turn it on the sleep screen image just broke into weird lines. Now it seems, from reading reports of others with the same problem, that I have to send it back and get a replacement. This sucks....
 
P

Phantast2k

Member
Roy G. Biv said:
My Kindle broke today. :(

When I flicked the switch to turn it on the sleep screen image just broke into weird lines. Now it seems, from reading reports of others with the same problem, that I have to send it back and get a replacement. This sucks....
Click to expand...
Had the same thing happen to me too. But after a day's rest it just revived itself :O
 
A

Angst

Member
Roy G. Biv said:
My Kindle broke today. :(

When I flicked the switch to turn it on the sleep screen image just broke into weird lines. Now it seems, from reading reports of others with the same problem, that I have to send it back and get a replacement. This sucks....
Click to expand...
Try restarting it. Hold the switch until it turns off and then restarts, hopefully that fixes it. Doesn't sound hardware related so you might get lucky.
 
J

JoshuaJSlone

Member
suaveric said:
Is there someway to turn the clock on so that it's there while you're reading a book? There must be a way to do it, while else would they let you set the time in the options.
Click to expand...
I don't think it follows that because it keeps track of time, they must have this specific use for it available.
I've got the latest, non-keyboard Kindle.
Click to expand...
Unless something changed (Keyboard model here) it doesn't show by default, but you can see the time by hitting the Menu button while reading.
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
:lol What kind of surfing were you going to do on it? It's definitely not that good of a browser to do all your browsing, especially with eink...
Click to expand...
I'm pretty happy with the browsing I've done with my Kindle 3 over the last year, versus the minimum possible expenses for having a smartphone and data plan in that time. Doing so with a Touch could've been even better, but that's probably why they decided to drop the feature.
 
J

jayb

Member
I haven't used the web browser much, but when I first tried browsing full websites (facebook, espn, etc.) it ended up freezing and I had to reboot. the browser seemed to work well on mobile versions of websites though.
 
J

JoshuaJSlone

Member
jayb said:
I haven't used the web browser much, but when I first tried browsing full websites (facebook, espn, etc.) it ended up freezing and I had to reboot. the browser seemed to work well on mobile versions of websites though.
Click to expand...
Yeah. The fact that the default bookmarks are for full versions of sites rather than the mobile versions seems like some sort of misguided brag.
 
W

WowBaby

Member
x-Lundz-x said:
I have a question about ordering kindle books from Amazon. Does anyone know if there is a way to purchase a book using any other method than one click? I have a 5.00 credit for kindle books and I want to verify it's going to be used before I complete the order.

Every book I have ordered using one click it's immediate.
Click to expand...

The credit is used up as soon as you make your 1-click purchases.
 
W

WowBaby

Member
Captain N said:
I'll be getting 2 Kindle Fires on launch. Will I be able to have them both connected to the same Amazon Prime account?
Click to expand...

Yes. I'm not sure if there is a limit, but you can have enough devices for everyone at home and then some.
 
K

Kurdel

Banned
I am loving my new Kindle. It's such a nice reading experience. I admit I was fooling myslef thinking reading on the iPad was great. It was ok and a neat solution for ebook reading, but compared to the Kindle, it's horrible. The eInk is just so gentle on the eyes, it's unbelievable. Plus it's so fucking light!

I can't wait to see reviews for the light cases.
 
S

Spinning Plates

Member
Does anyone know how I can reset my Kindle to display the original introductory screen?

amazon-kindle-3-010_medium.jpg
 
G

GoutPatrol

Forgotten in his cell
I seem to be having some strange metadata problems with Calibre. My metadata has the author sorted last name first, like so:
kindlecalibresnafu.png


But when I send it to my device, it comes out sorted under M instead of T. What am I doing wrong? I have 30 books brought over using Calibre and only 1 book comes up sorted correctly. I have tried deleting all of them off my Kindle and re-adding them after making sure the metadata is correct, but it still comes up the same way.
 
3

345triangle

Member
The_Technomancer said:
What kind of issues are we talking? Actual rendering issues, or just size issues?
Also, I know this is a Kindle thread but if someone has a recommendation for a reader that has great PDF support I'd be all over it.
Click to expand...
i don't know if kindle does this, but sony readers have a text reflow feature for PDFs which basically just strips out the text and formats it for the screen, kind of like instapaper. it's pretty good for anything that doesn't rely heavily on pictures.
 
S

SleazyC

Member
Verdre said:
Kindle supports pdf, but I would personally never use it for them. It just doesn't handle them very well. Especially the few I've tried with small text. You'd be constantly zooming in or scrolling around.
Click to expand...
The Kindle DX handles PDF's just fine. I read a lot of scientific papers on my DX and have had no issue.

My wish is for a revamped DX with touch screen functionality. Not sure if we'll ever see that though.
 
K

Karish

Member
For those of you who got the new Kindle (4?):

I love it, but are you having problems with the page turn buttons? They're almost too small and too off to the sides for comfortable use...
 
W

Wurst

Member
Karish said:
For those of you who got the new Kindle (4?):

I love it, but are you having problems with the page turn buttons? They're almost too small and too off to the sides for comfortable use...
Click to expand...

The next page button is a bit too short for me. It's still comfortable but I have to move my hand the extra bit sometimes. Not perfect, my only gripe with an otherwise wonderful device!

Love to read Dance with Dragons on it! <3
 
M

Manics

Banned
Karish said:
For those of you who got the new Kindle (4?):

I love it, but are you having problems with the page turn buttons? They're almost too small and too off to the sides for comfortable use...
Click to expand...
I've adjusted the way I hold the Kindle. I like the fact the buttons aren't flush with the face of the Kindle now since I don't accidentally press the page turn buttons picking up the device. It's a tad more difficult to find a comfortable hand position to be sure but once you do there's no looking back.
 
N

Nerevar

they call me "Man Gravy".
Karish said:
For those of you who got the new Kindle (4?):

I love it, but are you having problems with the page turn buttons? They're almost too small and too off to the sides for comfortable use...
Click to expand...

I actually feel the same way about the page turn buttons in the kindle 3. It's perfect when used with an official case, but awkward when you're just holding the kindle by itself.
 
P

patrickthehedgehog

Member
Well, not much of a reader, but I finished my first book on my Kindle 3 today. Based on Shane mentioning it on his Twitter I picked up Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I enjoyed it enough, but the ending left me feeling pretty meh. I'm thinking I'm going to read I, Robot next. Any other sci-fi recommendations that wouldn't be as dense as say...Dune?

It's so nice to read on the Kindle. Bye-bye books -- forever (provided they are available in this format). I'm so happy the Seattle Public Library is now doing Kindle book check-outs.
 
C

chickdigger802

Banned
Are there any kindle cases worth recommending for 4?

The light one looks interesting, but I'm not too sure if I would ever be reading in a 'dark situation', I'd rather take a nap ;P
 
M

Manics

Banned
patrickthehedgehog said:
Well, not much of a reader, but I finished my first book on my Kindle 3 today. Based on Shane mentioning it on his Twitter I picked up Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I enjoyed it enough, but the ending left me feeling pretty meh. I'm thinking I'm going to read I, Robot next. Any other sci-fi recommendations that wouldn't be as dense as say...Dune?

It's so nice to read on the Kindle. Bye-bye books -- forever (provided they are available in this format). I'm so happy the Seattle Public Library is now doing Kindle book check-outs.
Click to expand...
Try reading "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman for a decent sci-fi book. It's easy to read and isn't very long.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
patrickthehedgehog said:
Well, not much of a reader, but I finished my first book on my Kindle 3 today. Based on Shane mentioning it on his Twitter I picked up Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I enjoyed it enough, but the ending left me feeling pretty meh. I'm thinking I'm going to read I, Robot next. Any other sci-fi recommendations that wouldn't be as dense as say...Dune?

It's so nice to read on the Kindle. Bye-bye books -- forever (provided they are available in this format). I'm so happy the Seattle Public Library is now doing Kindle book check-outs.
Click to expand...

If you want a book about games, hardcoregaming101's book is on Kindle, about Adventure Games. I can't remember the specific title, but it's a fun read if you want to know a lot about adventure games, both old and new.
 
P

patrickthehedgehog

Member
Sunflower said:
If you want a book about games, hardcoregaming101's book is on Kindle, about Adventure Games. I can't remember the specific title, but it's a fun read if you want to know a lot about adventure games, both old and new.
Click to expand...

Oh, nice! Thanks!
 
Z

Zaraki_Kenpachi

Member
patrickthehedgehog said:
Well, not much of a reader, but I finished my first book on my Kindle 3 today. Based on Shane mentioning it on his Twitter I picked up Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I enjoyed it enough, but the ending left me feeling pretty meh. I'm thinking I'm going to read I, Robot next. Any other sci-fi recommendations that wouldn't be as dense as say...Dune?

It's so nice to read on the Kindle. Bye-bye books -- forever (provided they are available in this format). I'm so happy the Seattle Public Library is now doing Kindle book check-outs.
Click to expand...

What kind of sci-fi have you enjoyed? You only like more modern sci-fi or does the older "pulp" sci-fi interest you also? If you like older style you try John Carter series and stuff like that. You should list some sci-fi books you read/enjoyed.
 
B

btkadams

Member
just finished my first book on my kindle (the shining). man, i love this thing! i feel like i'm finally going to get back into reading again. e-ink is fantastic.
 
H

HeadlessRoland

Banned
I must admit I love my Kindle so much it gives me a boner just thinking about it. So convenient and practical, with such a huge book selection. At first i was dubious about the lack of the physicality one enjoys when reading a paper book. And the lack of smell and touch is certainly a downside. But the Kindle is just so fucking awesome. Basically have a portable mini-library wherever I go. I will never again find myself lacking something on hand to read. My kindle goes everywhere with me.

I have probably read 100 books off it so far (had it about a year). My reading had really started to degenerate with school and no nearby library or used book store. And I read so much paying full price for the material is just no feasible. But with exposure to the awesome that is the kindle my reading has doubled if not tripled. I also got rid of a majority of the books I owned and had on shelves. I have gained so much room having put them back into storage. I have two shelves with my nicer/more interesting books for aesthetic value.

i love this thing! i feel like i'm finally going to get back into reading again. e-ink is fantastic.
Click to expand...

It is truly what is best in life.
 
P

PastorOfMuppets

Banned
Yes, my reading definitely increased tenfold with books. The only books I still keep around are technical manuals and books that have diagrams that don't translate well onto a Kindle. If they ever released a colour e-ink that was the size of the Kindle DX, that might well be the end of physical media for me. The only reason to keep books in my apartment at that point is to impress women.
 
H

HeadlessRoland

Banned
PastorOfMuppets said:
Yes, my reading definitely increased tenfold with books. The only books I still keep around are technical manuals and books that have diagrams that don't translate well onto a Kindle. If they ever released a colour e-ink that was the size of the Kindle DX, that might well be the end of physical media for me. The only reason to keep books in my apartment at that point is to impress women.
Click to expand...

I would have that device implanted into my chest.
 
J

Jintor

Member
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
:lol I asked the same thing a couple pages ago.
Click to expand...

Oh right, I already posted about that

Seriously, I'm doing nothing! First one got stuck on USB mode, second one cracked in my bag, this one the power button just stopped working.
 
H

HeadlessRoland

Banned
Did you hold the power switch down for 60s? Mines locked up several times and that unjams it. But the issue itself was using the unlit standard kindle cover. It still has the metal connectors used to power the light and it drains the power and causes all sorts of issues.
 
M

Manics

Banned
btkadams said:
just finished my first book on my kindle (the shining). man, i love this thing! i feel like i'm finally going to get back into reading again. e-ink is fantastic.
Click to expand...
I know how you feel. I'm an avid reader once again because of the kindle.
 
H

hyp3rlink

Member
Now that the touch is coming am looking to pick it up primarily for language learning, how useful you guys think Kindle is for such an application?

I hope there are some options for adding multilingual dictionaries.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The new DND Player's Handbook is out. I have thoughts
27
2K
goldangelcorp replied
Amazon is partnering up with Xbox to deliver Xbox Cloud Gaming via Fire TV devices
News 2 3
142
10K
SportsFan581 replied
Fans bring iOS classic Infinity Blade back, and it works on Steam Deck
24
4K
ClanOfNone replied
Nintendo DMCA Notice Wipes Out 8,535 Yuzu Repos
2
96
6K
CuteFaceJay replied
Nvidia’s Chat with RTX is a promising AI chatbot that runs locally on your PC
13
2K
Chiggs replied
Top Bottom