• 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

K

Kosmo

Banned
Kindle Lending Library just blew my mind - I totally forgot about it, being a Prime member. I had a bunch of gift card money at Amazon, so I bought Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential for my Kindle. For some reason I happened across the lending library page, double checked the title I just bought "yep, eligible." So I returned it, got my credit back, and "borrowed" the same book free.

Also, got the Dodocase for Xmas for my Kindle 3 - <3 Looks just like a moleskin and it just feels right and how reading a book should feel. My wife no longer gives me the "why is your face always buried in a screen" look either.

DODOcase-Kindle-50.jpg
Safari74.png
 
M

Manics

Banned
AndyD said:
Apparently, there is a fan made dictionary for the Game of Thrones universe. Its mostly names and locations to give a quick memory jolt but it works the same as any other dictionary.
Click to expand...

I haven't been able to find this. Anyone know where you can get it?
 
C

Clever Pun

Member
Nymerio said:
I have the Kindle Keyboard WiFi: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B003DZ1Y8Q/
Click to expand...

Yeah it seems like it works on all the Kindles except the Touch, at least until it releases outside the US.

Manics said:
I haven't been able to find this. Anyone know where you can get it?
Click to expand...

Same here - the only thing I've been able to find is this: http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/54132-kindle-dictionary/ but it doesn't give a download to it. I guess it's something I could try to build myself I have time.

Also today is the last day my book A Selective History of Max Werner (see my original post) will be free for the Kindle if there's anyone else who is interested:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006J7CD26/?tag=neogaf0e-20

It should also be free in the European/UK stores if you search for the title.

Edit: It's not free anymore, but if you want to read it send me a PM.
 
K

Kosh

Member
Just a heads up, one of the current special offers is Rob Lowe's audiobook for free on Audible. It's not any kind of sign up deal, so you can get it free even if you're already an Audible member.
 
bengraven

bengraven

Member
Kosmo said:
Kindle Lending Library just blew my mind - I totally forgot about it, being a Prime member. I had a bunch of gift card money at Amazon, so I bought Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential for my Kindle. For some reason I happened across the lending library page, double checked the title I just bought "yep, eligible." So I returned it, got my credit back, and "borrowed" the same book free.

Also, got the Dodocase for Xmas for my Kindle 3 - <3 Looks just like a moleskin and it just feels right and how reading a book should feel. My wife no longer gives me the "why is your face always buried in a screen" look either.

DODOcase-Kindle-50.jpg
Safari74.png
Click to expand...

I'm in the market for a Kindle 3 case and this looks right up my alley. Is it worth the price?
 
C

Chorazin

Member
Needed a replacement for my Kindle Touch 3G with ads, because using anything that required the contact points on the back caused it to short out. Caled Amazon and a new Kindle will be here Tuesday, and apparently without ads! Woohoo upgrade!
 
E

el retorno

Member
I´ve got a question about the different stores. I see there is an option to change countries. How many times can you do this and does it delete the other regions purchases? Can I switch between the Spanish and the US store to get books in their repective languages?
 
W

WowBaby

Member
el retorno de los sapos said:
I´ve got a question about the different stores. I see there is an option to change countries. How many times can you do this and does it delete the other regions purchases? Can I switch between the Spanish and the US store to get books in their repective languages?
Click to expand...

You can only purchase Kindle books from other countries if your registered credit card has an address that matches that country. So I find the option to change countries useless to almost everyone.
 
M

Manics

Banned
WowBaby said:
You can only purchase Kindle books from other countries if your registered credit card has an address that matches that country. So I find the option to change countries useless to almost everyone.
Click to expand...

Not correct. My credit card is only in Canada and I can purchase US books by specifying a different mailing address.
 
J

Jenga

Banned
so my kindle is fucked up

fired it up and the screen went cah cray cray

anyone here have experience with amazon support? hopefully they'll be bro and let me replace it

or have anyone else experienced this shit? tried reset but no avail
 
N

Narag

Member
Jenga said:
so my kindle is fucked up

fired it up and the screen went cah cray cray

anyone here have experience with amazon support? hopefully they'll be bro and let me replace it

or have anyone else experienced this shit? tried reset but no avail
Click to expand...

They replaced my kindle 2 out of warranty after some phone support. They seemed pretty decent all told.
 
C

Chorazin

Member
Jenga said:
so my kindle is fucked up

fired it up and the screen went cah cray cray

anyone here have experience with amazon support? hopefully they'll be bro and let me replace it

or have anyone else experienced this shit? tried reset but no avail
Click to expand...

Tons of posts about Amazon great CS in this thread, just give them a call and explain what happened.
 
E

el retorno

Member
WowBaby said:
You can only purchase Kindle books from other countries if your registered credit card has an address that matches that country. So I find the option to change countries useless to almost everyone.
Click to expand...

But if I do have a card from both I can buy from both stores and have both books on the kindle at the sametime? And swich whenever
 
L

Like the hat?

Banned
Woke up this morning to find my 2nd gen kindle broken. The top quarter of the screen is frozen. Anyone know what amazon charges to fix these things?

edit: and Amazon is replacing it with a kindle keyboard 3G for $40. I love Amazon.
 
C

Chopper

Member
Err... I can't get the Harry Potter books on my girlfriend's Kindle? I can't find any information since July. Any news on a release date?
 
Bboy AJ

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Chopper said:
Err... I can't get the Harry Potter books on my girlfriend's Kindle? I can't find any information since July. Any news on a release date?
Click to expand...

No. Check out pottermore.com
 
H

Hypertrooper

Member
I think this is the right topic to ask. I pre-ordered the kindle version of book that will come out tomorrow. When will I be able to read it? At Midnight, or do I have to wait till early in the morning?

Book is pre-ordered at Amazon.de.(Release date is January 3rd.)
 
B

Benedict

Member
I got the Special Offers to work for me, even though I live outside of the U.S. All it took was to write an address in U.S as one of my shipping addresses.
Signed up to borderlinx.com and used the address I got there.
Now I just bought a Special Offers book from Amazon that I never would have bough otherwise. The Windup Girl
 
T

The Culture Vulture

Member
Benedict said:
I got the Special Offers to work for me, even though I live outside of the U.S. All it took was to write an address in U.S as one of my shipping addresses.
Signed up to borderlinx.com and used the address I got there.
Now I just bought a Special Offers book from Amazon that I never would have bough otherwise. The Windup Girl
Click to expand...

Bought A Confederacy Of Dunces through that sale for 99 cents, was planning on buying it full price eventually anyway.
 
BFIB

BFIB

Member
My local Target has the new Touch in the clearance rack for $65.

I have the Kindle Keyboard, so I am debating on whether this is worth the upgrade.
 
C

charlemagne

Member
Angst said:
In those cases the price is always set by the publisher, not Amazon. Publishers want you to buy the paper book, not the e-book.
Click to expand...

I probably shouldn't have said it was a problem with the amazon store, but that's where the issue manifests. I don't understand why the publishers do it...

I've always thought that a really cool model would be to include a code or voucher in every hardcopy book to buy the ebook for a couple of dollars. I'd nearly always take them up on that, just for the sake of having a portable, backup-able copy of the book.
 
A

adam.chance

Neo Member
charlemagne said:
I probably shouldn't have said it was a problem with the amazon store, but that's where the issue manifests. I don't understand why the publishers do it...

I've always thought that a really cool model would be to include a code or voucher in every hardcopy book to buy the ebook for a couple of dollars. I'd nearly always take them up on that, just for the sake of having a portable, backup-able copy of the book.
Click to expand...

I could not agree with you more. I know publishers would say that people would just resell the codes and deprive the publisher more direct sales, but it would make me so happy if this happened. I like having books on my self, but the Kindle is just so sweet.
 
A

Angst

Member
adam.chance said:
I could not agree with you more. I know publishers would say that people would just resell the codes and deprive the publisher more direct sales, but it would make me so happy if this happened. I like having books on my self, but the Kindle is just so sweet.
Click to expand...

Publishers are just stuck in the past and are afraid of people reselling codes or pirating books. So instead they make ebooks more expensive than paper books, thus pushing some people into piracy out of frustration/anger.
 
G

Gambit

Member
Quick, probably dumb, question:

How do I buy an audiobook for Kindle? Or maybe the question should be "where".

Does it only work with audible?

I have bought audiobooks before, I think at least one from audible, and when I transfer them to my kindle via USB, it doesn't even recognise them.

Do I have to "activate" the account somehow?

(I have the keyboard Kindle and it's registered at the US-amazon, even though I am back in Germany by now)
 
V

VistraNorrez

Member
charlemagne said:
I've always thought that a really cool model would be to include a code or voucher in every hardcopy book to buy the ebook for a couple of dollars. I'd nearly always take them up on that, just for the sake of having a portable, backup-able copy of the book.
Click to expand...
I think a good compromise would be to sell the cover art with a code for the ebook. The authors could still autograph something. The collectors are fulfilling a need (and saving space). It would keep bookstores relevant so we could have that environment.
 
S

Sethtimus Prime

Neo Member
These days when you buy a dvd or blu-ray, you often get a free digital copy of the movie as well. I see no reason not to do something similar to this with books.
 
C

Clever Pun

Member
Angst said:
In those cases the price is always set by the publisher, not Amazon. Publishers want you to buy the paper book, not the e-book.
Click to expand...

Why would they want us to by the paper book, though? Wouldn't they make more money on an appropriately priced eBook when printing, shipping, etc are factored in? Are they that afraid of piracy? Seems utterly ridiculous.
 
V

VistraNorrez

Member
Sethtimus Prime said:
These days when you buy a dvd or blu-ray, you often get a free digital copy of the movie as well. I see no reason not to do something similar to this with books.
Click to expand...

Most studios tack on extra cost for that digital copy (which most don't use). I guess the book industry could do that but e-books are still a new thing that they have no idea how to really deal with. They are dumb and resistant to change in other words. But they are also smart, they want to get people used to paying a similar price for e-books as paper books.

Here's an article on e-book costs versus paper books.
 
bloodydrake

bloodydrake

Cool Smoke Luke
ultron87 said:
I love my Kindle, but everytime I see a book that costs a few dollars more as an e-book than as a paperback I am enraged.
Click to expand...

This is due to Apple and some publishers adopting the Agency model..aka price fixing to try and destroy amazon and try and force everyone to accept that the convenience of the ebooks should have a large fee associated with it. They're doing the same thing the music industry did in the 90's trying force retail to keep price of CD's above 22bucks ect.

UK and US department of Justice are investigating them for Price fixing which is obvious in full effect.
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/7/2619048/us-justice-department-also-investigating-apple-and-others-for-ebook

Basically way it was is . Distributors like Amazon buy bulk books and eBook licensees at 50% of MSRP then sell as low as they want.

Apple came out with their own ebook store and worked with the publishers to setup the agency model where the Publishers themselves set the saleprice and the distributor gets 30% cut.
This allows apple to shutdown all third party ebook sellers in the IOS world since there was only a 30% profit and now these indies have to pay apple all the profits.. Apples own store doesn't incure the 30% fee.
as well this makes amazon sell there books at just as high a price as Itunes since now the publishers are setting the global price of the product higher.
 
D

dralla

Member
nemss said:
My local Target has the new Touch in the clearance rack for $65.

I have the Kindle Keyboard, so I am debating on whether this is worth the upgrade.
Click to expand...

is this a nation wide thing? i've been thinking about getting the Kindle Touch and this would push me over the edge
 
A

AndyD

aka andydumi
Cyan said:
Ah, I get it. I'd been thinking of it from a different perspective. Yeah, that is pretty shitty for consumers.
Click to expand...

And it also has crappy implications for businesses as well. Because contracts under the agency model specify the price needs to be uniform across the board in all stores, you cannot have small e-book stores or businesses compete with the larger ones. And you effectively put out of business all competitors on the Apple and Android store due to the revenue sharing models.

So you end up with 4-5 large publishers controlling a vast majority of books and prices, and those books are only sold in the 2-3 major e-book stores, each of which have restrictive DRM locking you in to a particular device or family of devices.

Its very similar to the early days of the mp3 vs. cd market and sooner or later it will collapse, but in the meantime it will infuriate consumers and drive a lot of people into piracy.
 
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