Kindle questions

[Tom7227]

First I want to apologize if I am asking something previously covered. I did a search and didn't find anything relatively current on the kindle.

I just got one 'free' by cashing in some skymiles that I would never have used. I was a bit surprised when I fired it up as it seems as if there is a long leash between it and Amazon. Are all Kindle's built with this connection? I haven't played with it much but it seems to want to go to Amazon with an awful lot of stuff.

I also have a free one month subscription to Amazon Prime and I see that it would cost $79 a year to maintain. Is that worth it?

My main purpose is to use it to read books. The free books via Amazon Prime seem to be equivalent to what you would get from the basement at Barnes and Noble or Half Price Books. I only scrolled through the first thousand or so of the quarter million titles but it wasn't very impressive. Is this the norm?

I also checked out the downloadable books from the Ramsey County library and it appears that there is a waiting list for everything I've seen. Again, is this the norm?

I guess I wouldn't mind paying a couple bucks for a newer book but the $10 that seems to be the norm seems a bit steep. Many are available in hard cover at places like Sam's for around that price.

In short - is the Kindle really of any value or is it just another toy that will cost money to own and use?

Thanks for your time.

Tom

[CAMAN]

Well being the Kindle is made by Amazon having that leash doesn't surprise me. Kinda like Apple and their products, and Google with Android. I dont own a Kindle so I can't really comment if it is being intrusive or not.

Now Amazon Prime I can comment on. Being a student I have access to Prime for half price. I use it mostly for the free two day shipping. But like you said they also offer free books and unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows. Like you said most of them are the less popular but there are some titles that are decent. Is it worth $80/year? If you're family is frequent Amazon users then it may, but if you hardly ever use Amazon and their services then it probably isn't very useful and that money can be better served elsewhere.

[CapnJack]

Which Kindle did you get? I have a touch I bought last year for $100 which I love. Having a dictionary with one touch instead of reaching for one and paging through to find a word is worth the price of admission. The Amazon commercials don't interfere as you're reading, only when you turn it on. When you're on the library HSOforum make sure you check the box only titles available. Another little tidbit...the library says their books will delete from your Kindle after 2 weeks, but if wi-fi isn't turned on the book will be there until infinity. Good reading. After 2 weeks the title WILL show back up on the library HSOforum by the way so you're not screwing it up for someone else.

[delcecchi]

Find a program called Calibre. It is an organizer and manager of ebooks and can convert formats as well. Kindle uses a format called "mobi". Nook uses a format called "epub". Books can be converted from one to another, although if they have DRM (digital rights management) it can be a problem unless you remove the DRM.

There are many books available for low or no cost. Amazon will lend you a book at a time, one a month, for free from a pretty good list of books. Public libraries also lend ebooks. Minnesota residents are entitled to get a library card from any library in the state, as I understand it. The more cards you have, the greater selection of books to borrow.

You borrow ebooks by going to the library's web page. Other kindle users can lend books that they have to you as well, so ask here and maybe someone has it.

There is also a certain amount of piracy, like movies and music.

[Tom7227]

Thanks for the info. It is a Kindle Fire and I did download a book yesterday. I liked the way I was able to read it last night without a light on. The tip about checking the box so you only see books that are available at the libraries was also a big help. I guess it is going to take some time to get used to the rig. Thanks again.

[fishyspringer]

I have a Kindle Fire and really like it. It is great for ice fishing trips using the movie rentals. You download a movie and you have so many hours to watch it(can't remember how many). They cost more than the redbox but the selection is good. Haven't used it much for books yet and also thought the same about the prices. I will try the tips mentioned above. I also have amazon prime and the free shipping alone makes it worth it, for me anyway. I find amazon has the best prices on most things I am looking for.

[delcecchi]

Between the library and amazon lending library and free books you can find plenty to read if you aren't set on a particular book. Just put your name on the list at the library or libraries and wait to be notified.

[MN Shutterbug]

I don't have a Kindle but do have a different tablet that I use mainly for reading books from Amazon. I subscribe to this http://www.ereaderiq.com/free/ and everyday I get an email with a link to hundreds of free kindle books. I have hundreds of books loaded on my Galaxy Tab and can't see myself actually paying for a novel again.

[Whoaru99]

You could always root the Fire and considerably lengthen or break the Amazon tether.

[Tom7227]

You could always root the Fire and considerably lengthen or break the Amazon tether.

I don't know what that means. Could you explain it and advise on what to do. Pointing out the negatives would help also.

[delcecchi]

Not clear why you would want to root a kindle. You can load books on it anyway, using something like calibre or just drag and drop.

[Whoaru99]

I don't know what that means. Could you explain it and advise on what to do. Pointing out the negatives would help also.

It essentially means you put on an open version of the operating system so it could use apps and or content from other sources....break the Amazon tether.

Drawbacks, well, you break the Amazon tether which probably provides some greater reassurance of "it just works", and there is a very slight possibility you could "brick" the unit rendering it a boat anchor.

[Whoaru99]

Not clear why you would want to root a kindle. You can load books on it anyway, using something like calibre or just drag and drop.

Because it would open it up to apps and content available to pretty much any Android-based device, not just what you can get/pay for from Amazon.

There is some risk, albeit it slight, so it's not for everyone but it would open up lots more potential.