e-book reader? Kindle? which one? how do they work?

[Momma Aimee]

Can a Kindle read e-books. Is there a better e-book reader?

I don't download books, i see a ton as i read threads here, and look at sites. But I hate reading on the laptop and as for books to read to the boys -- nope i don't want them on the laptop. there area ton of books i'd love to read but i do not want to have to try to read on the laptop. i know in a few years when we are in to more meaty homeschooling we will really start to want and need to access more e-books,

i know there IS such a thing as a reader for e-books. but i don't know what they are, where to get them, how they work or anything.

DH asked if i would ever want a kindle. i was surprised, they are a lot of money.

I don't Think the kindle will read e-books but i don't know.

i don't know how it all works or what is best.

educate me

[elizawill]

hi aimee, i don't have a kindle - but i was just reading a blog that was discussing this very thing. http://bringinguplearners.com/chronichomeschooling/

hth.

[Momma Aimee]

thanks i will read that later -- i have to say i am totally clueless about all of it (kindle, e-readers? whatever) I am not even sure what questions i should ask.

[CallMeMommy]

Just chiming in with Kindle experience, you aren't limited to strictly Amazon books and it does work with PDF files. Actually, I think right on the Amazon Kindle site it gives instructions on how to download books from other public domain sites. I like my Kindle because I'm not tied to a computer to get my books, but if you're cool with that you could look into the Sony E-Reader, too. It's cheaper and you can get it at brick-and-mortar stores (I know Staples sells it, if you have one of those near you).

[Jen+2monkeys]

I also have a kindle. I received it for Christmas and i absolutely LOVE it!! The Kindle has a built in PDF reader, but it can be kind of hard to read PDF documents on the kindle. I have found it easier to convert any PDF files I want to read to kindle format. This can be done for free through amazon and it only takes 1-2 minutes. I really think the kindle is one of the best purchases we have made.

[Momma Aimee]

so the kindel CAN read all the free e-books out there? cool.

but the $$$$

I need to look at the sony reader too i guess.

the sony read ONLY reads PDF? (are most free / public doman e-books IN Pdf???)

cool

[RoundAbout]

I looove my Kindle. Yes it can handle PDF, but I mostly use it to download books directly from Amazon. There are also free versions of classics available from Amazon for the Kindle. I dowloaded the original Sherlock Holmes for free a few weeks ago.

The Kindle version of books are significantly cheaper than paper books, usually only $9.99 so I read a lot more with it. It's so slim and portable that I can keep it my purse all of the time and its way handy for trips to the playground, doctor's office, etc. Oh and they also have some kids' books. I would never use it as a substitute for real picture books but I have a few Curious George books on it (around $3) and they've save the day on a few occasions when we're stuck somewhere and I forgot to bring anything for DS.

[justthinkn]

We're excited to get an iPad, though probably not for a month or so. My understanding is that it's great for kids, with its touch-screen, and mimics the "real book" experience better, showing pages before the end, etc.

[mangopassion]

I've been wanting the Kindle, but the cost is prohibitive. I have an iPod Touch, so I have the Kindle app on there. I don't know if you have the iPhone or the Touch, but if you do, get the Kindle app! It's FREE!

The only reason I still want the Kindle even after getting the app for Touch is because the Kindle is bigger. And I don't know if the Kindle app for the Touch/iPhone has a PDF function... maybe I'll try that today.

[SoCaliMommy]

Dont forget about the Nook
You can buy it at a barnes and noble store

[linclane]

We have the Nook. Just got it for Christmas. I bought it for my dh, so mostly he's used it. I'm using it to read a book for my book club this month - just to try it out. So far I like it. I wouldn't love it for young kids. I played with a friends iPad, and it was awesome. And I could imagine it being great for kids. My kids can use the apps on my iphone well - so I think they'd be able to read on the ipad easily.

[MamaMonica]

Moved to books

[maddymama]

Also, Amazon puts some books for free for a limited time to get readers hooked on something (first in a series, etc.). I have over 100 free books to read on my kindle, probably close to 200. I've bought less than 20 books total, which is awesome for me.... I ususally buy 10 books a month. Other ereaders like the sony one lets you borrow books from your library or a digital library. Often only a few people can check out a book at a time, and it gets deleted off of your ereader after the time frame is up (1-3 weeks), so it isn't quite as good a deal as it sounds. also, a ton of pre1923 books are available for free from many different sites.
Hmmm.... how does it work. Basically, you email books to yourself from Amazon (or download them to your computer and then upload them to your Kindle if you purchase from another site.). The kindle runs a few ebook formats, and other formats can be converted using a program to then run on your Kindle.
One nice aspect of reading on a Kindle rather than the ipod or ipad is the ink technology does not cause eyestrain like reading on a computer does. Also, many books are text to speech enabled and have the ability to enlarge or decrease the size of the font.
It stores tons of books on it, you can switch from book to book with out losing your place. You also put your kindle to sleep at night and it picks up on the same page when you turn it back on.
In short, I heart my Kindle. It is awesome, and I've loved it everyday since I got one.

[Momma Aimee]

also, a ton of pre1923 books are available for free from many different sites

for the Kindel?

[maddymama]

Yup for the Kindle.... some are available at Amazon and some are available though other projects (Gutenberg, manyboooks.net, etc.). They are fairly easy to obtain.... esp. the ones through Amazon.
Check it out. Go to Amazon's Kindle section,down on the left there is a link to free book collections and browse from there.
Check out these links, too, to show you what is available for free for limited time offers:
http://ebooks.addall.com/amazonfree.html
http://booksontheknob.blogspot.com/
These two links are where I've learned about the vast majority of free books.
~maddymama

[maddymama]

I forgot to add the battery life on this thing is amazing. I read for hours and hours a night while nursing DD2 and I charge up the battery less than once a week. Amazing.
~maddymama

[Momma Aimee]

if you get a kindle -- can you "download" e-books you have saved in PDF on your computer? or do they have to be downloads directly from websites?

[maddymama]

Originally Posted by Momma Aimee

if you get a kindle -- can you "download" e-books you have saved in PDF on your computer? or do they have to be downloads directly from websites?

Either, or both.... but some pdf work better on my Kindle once they are converted to the kindle type file using a converter program, i.e. Calibre, and then downloaded to your Kindle. The only thing Kindle's don't do are DRM'd files but there are supposedly python scripts for removing the DRM. For the record I don't know what DRM stands for, and have never tried to strip the DRM, but I've seen talk about it on various sites.

[onlyboys]

I adore my Kindle. Worth every penny.

[Owen'nZoe]

I just posted a long bit about the Kindle on another thread, so I'll keep this brief, I've had the Kindle for 2 weeks, and in general, love it. The only things I don't like are the fact that it is incompatible with my library's e-library and that you don't own your e-books in the same way that you own a regular book. You can't sell it or give it to someone else, for example. I love sharing books with people.