the kindle - are you kidding me?

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 3:59pm

so i just got a lovely email from amazon offering me a deal on the kindle and hundreds of thousands of titles deliverable in less than 60 seconds for free!

the delivery that is.

the titles start at about $10.

oh and the kindle? $360 + tax and delivery.

seriously? people actually buy this? i could see if you got the library for free, but buy the device and buy the books? thanks, i'll wait for the paperback.

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:03pm

I debated it. The biggest plus I could find was the idea that you can subscribe to magazines and newspapers and the content is delivered to your kindle automatically. If I was still on the road all the time I might have considered it but I finally decided it was just too damn expensive.

I think their perfect business plan would be to get the damn things into people's hands then sell content. I'd buy it if it were half as much.

[danmag]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:04pm

The upside is you get hardcover books at a considerable discount for the kindle. And they do offer some books for free, I believe...

I am still considering getting one. Easier to travel with a Kindle than a bunch of books!

[Calvin]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:04pm

I'm just not on the kindle bandwagon yet. I can see it being useful in some circumstances. Example -- a friend of mine works for an engineering firm and often has to spend several months at a time in far-flung places like New Guinea, so it's a way for her to bring along several books to keep her occupied without actually having to lug them onto the plane.

But I (a chronic late adopter as it is) just don't see the need for it yet.
Updated On: 6/10/09 at 04:04 PM

[Q]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:06pm

*sigh*

I had to google kindle. I am SO getting left behind in the dust as technology stampedes ahead.

[Calvin]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:08pm

You had to do what to the kindle now?

[Q]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:09pm

I'm not THAT far behind! Pretty damn close, though

[Plum]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:10pm

Amazon wants to do an end run around publishers and deliver content directly so it can increase its profit margin. The Kindle is their means of doing so. I've played with one and found it insufficiently impressive for now. I can't even afford to buy books for fun.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:11pm

I got the Sony eReader for free at work. They actually offer hundreds of classics, and when you register your reader with their website (which works almost exactly the way iTunes does), you get 100 free classics.

So I've crammed mine full of Dickens, Austen, etc.

But I wouldn't have bought either the gadget or the books, probably.

[Q]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:16pm

"I can't even afford to buy books for fun."

My library card was free, thank goodness.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:16pm

I've been told they are wildly popular, though I've yet to see anyone using one or knowing anyone who actually owns one. However, I am considering buying one if the price ever drops to something a bit more reasonable. The original model is still $300 minimum on Amazon. I would love to have one simply because I travel so much and I would prefer to have something more lightweight and less bulky than a paperback or a hardback and having access to a variety of books would be a major plus. But I stop at the $300-500 price tag. The Sony Reader is cheaper, but I don't know if the library is as extensive. Do the publishers have exclusive contracts with one or the other or do they often license to both Sony and Kindle?

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:19pm

I want a kindle because I assume Republicans will soon realize libraries are intrinsically socialist and outlaw them.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:20pm

Or the Christian loonies will burn all the books except the King James version of the Bible.

[danmag]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:23pm

Oddly, there is an ad for the Kindle right below this thread....

[Calvin]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:24pm

I see them used on the subways, but rarely. Perhaps if I rode the L train more....

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:25pm

A friend of mine has one and loves it.

I don't get the deal with them at all.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:26pm

Well, as Mister Matt said, I love the idea that on a trip I can have two dozen books with me.

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:26pm

I feel I should make sure you know: I don't read books. Most of them are poorly written crap. Some of you obviously enjoy dragging your line of sight across a page littered with garbage but not me.

not bragging, just wanted you to know of my contempt.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:27pm

You can download all of the same books to your smartphone...smaller and you are already carrying it.

The Kindle seems redundant to me.

My mom just got one and loves it, tho.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:30pm

I actually don't think smaller is an advantage. (Insert penis joke here.)

Seriously, I think both the Kindle and the Sony are more successful than past iterations because they come closer to re-creating the experience of reading a book.

I wouldn't want to read "Dombey and Son" in my palm.

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:31pm

I subscribe to the New Yorker- it's about $60 a year and the magazine takes a few days to get here. A kindle sub is $30 and you get it first thing Monday AM.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:33pm

"I feel I should make sure you know: I don't read books. Most of them are poorly written crap."

Joe, I know what you mean. My mom reads Barbara Cartland, and she leaves the book open all day long.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:34pm

LOL Reg! Brilliant.

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:35pm

Exactly Reg- My mom too. I am glad she has that and it makes her happy, but I can't tamp down my intellect to enjoy that grinding boredom. I'm not better because of it, just different from those of you too stupid to enjoy real art.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 4:35pm

My brother has one and he loves it. I've used it a few times and I can easily see why. It's a fantastic little device.
Highly recommended.