Oprah and Amazon Kindle

[Zoraida]

Did anyone watch Oprah yesterday? She promoted the Amazon Kindle yesterday along with Jeff Bezos the Kindle creator. I almost felt like going to her website to get the 50.00 off the Kindle because of her enthusiasim. I decided not to buy one because a friend said that Kindle 2.0 was supposed to be released soon and it would have more cool features than the first Kindle. Did anyone purchase one after her show?

 

Blessings

 

Zoraida

[elegantlion]

No, but she has been on the front page of amazon.com for a few days. :glare: She is finally gone today, sorry not a big fan of Oprah. I love amazon.com however.

[Kari C in SC]

I saw the show and have to say I thought it was pretty cool. I am not a big reader, but my sister-in-law is. I was at an Avon party at her house last night... I told her she had to find a way to get the money for one of those. She would love, love, love it! I am sure eventually the price will go down and it will become a standard way of have college texts, etc. Very, very cool!

[Big Buckin' Longhorn]

No, but she has been on the front page of amazon.com for a few days. :glare: She is finally gone today, sorry not a big fan of Oprah. I love amazon.com however.

 

Oh, I heart Oprah, but too poor to worry about getting a Kindle. I keep saying I love real books, which I do, but *SIGH* other things as well.

 

I wish I could afford one, I've broken the handles off of several purses because I like to carry books around with me.

 

Maybe I should get a kindle with my new purse fund.

 

There's a thought.

[Susan in TN]

...the Kindle could have an enormous impact on the entire print world in just a few years. Like the Ipod and digital music, but even more dramatic. Think books/bookstores, libraries, magazines, newspapers, college texts, etc. Books are far more expensive to manufacture, store, and ship than music CDs and publishing companies can increase their profit margins dramatically by going digital. It would take only one big "Harry Potter runaway hit kind of book" whose publisher decides to publish only digitally. Kind of makes me sad. I have a Sony digital reader, and while it is handy, I don't think I could give up my "real" books.

[Rhonda in TX]

I want a physical book in my hands. I want them stacked up on my nightstand. I want them filling up my bookshelves. I want to be able to grab one and flip through it to see if it's what I'm in the mood for. I want a first edition, signed by the author. I want to buy it used and see the "happy birthday" note written to the original owner. I want to browse the library shelves and come out with a treasure of a book that I've never heard of.

 

There are so many reasons I love books. It will be a sad, sad day when books are purely digital.

[Janet in Toronto]

I'd LOVE one, and was getting ready to put it on my Christmas list (for DH to get me) but am in Canada and you need a US credit card with a US address to get one. I"d even fore go the wireless downloading for the time being (I think you can still load books through your computer), but we don't have the payment system they need.

 

I always thought I wouldn't like it, but after hearing Oprah and then reading some of the reviews on Amazon, I"ve been reeled in. I hope they get it available in Canada soon, but I'm not holding my breath. There are international copyright/digital rights issues in play. It's the same reason I can't watch some US shows on the internet...they know my connection is coming from Canada and give me a (very polite) message that the programming is not available from outside the US.

[Chris in VA]

I think I've heard the same arguments against the Kindle that I heard against the CD-Rom encyclopedia. Just like those who used to snuggle up with a volume of the encyclopedia (yes, really) and couldn't imagine losing that pleasure to the computer, many can't even think of losing the pleasures (tactile, etc) of paper books to a small, digital device.

 

I'm not sure where I stand! I think I like books better. I know I like looking at catty's in that form, rather than online. I guess if I had to carry the book with me, I'd rather have a Kindle for convenience. And then have another copy of the book at home in book form, maybe!

That's me, havin' my cake and eatin' it, too. :001_smile:

[BritAnnia]

I have no desire for one either. I love to smell the pages of new books. I love to hear the sound of the pages turning. Unless a newer model of Kindle comes with a scented screen and speakers with realistic page turning sounds it's just not going to replace the place of paper pages in my hands.

[Rhonda in TX]

I can see it being nice for things like some college textbooks. Or even taking a book on the road. I don't mind the option. I just don't want it to replace printed books completely. And I don't see myself spending over $300 on something like that. I could buy a lot of books for that much money! :)

[Susan in TN]

I have no desire for one either. I love to smell the pages of new books. I love to hear the sound of the pages turning. Unless a newer model of Kindle comes with a scented screen and speakers with realistic page turning sounds it's just not going to replace the place of paper pages in my hands.

 

My guess is that print books will eventually become a niche market - like vinyl record albums. Still available, but limited and expensive. Can you imagine read-aloud time; snuggling up on the couch with your kids and the digital book? Yuck. Even when they come out with a color model. Double yuck.

 

Handy for some things, though, like travel, technical manuals, and college texts.

[lauranav]

I don't watch Oprah (we haven't had tv in 9 years and I work) and I would not spend the money on the Kindle because I would keep thinking about all the books that money could have bought.

 

But, I got a Kindle as a gift earlier this year so I have had some time to use it. A friend of mine travels almost every week for work and he loves the Kindle because he can carry several books with him without carrying several books in his luggage.

 

My husband loves all kinds of gadgets and immediately set up the Kindle and started looking at things to read on it. I purchased and read one book on it just to see how I liked it.

 

Cons:

1. I don't like that the book I purchased isn't sitting on my shelf with all the other books it should be next to

2. I love to mark up certain books so I can find things and capture what I was thinking - the Kindle allows that and it's easier to find the things you marked, but it isn't as convenient or meaningful as opening the book and skimming through to find my marks

3. I buy a fair number of books each year, but I borrow many more books through the library. If I could borrow books onto my Kindle then I would be all over it. But if I'm going to spend the money on a book, it means I want to keep it and that means that points 1 and 2 apply.

 

Pros:

4. I have been doing some back exercises lately and they require I lie down on the floor for about 30 minutes. The Kindle is a bit easier to hold up and read from than a physical book.

5. If we have to have digital books, the Kindle is a very good device as far as form and function goes.

 

I think the Kindle (or something like it) will find a place beside physical books because people are different and some will find the Kindle much more convenient for them than the books. It just isn't a heavily used device in my house.

[ChristusG]

I have never heard of this! I love to read and it looks really neat. I'm just sooooo picky about what I read though.

[Kari C in SC]

My guess is that print books will eventually become a niche market - like vinyl record albums. Still available, but limited and expensive. Can you imagine read-aloud time; snuggling up on the couch with your kids and the digital book? Yuck. Even when they come out with a color model. Double yuck.

 

Handy for some things, though, like travel, technical manuals, and college texts.

 

I would not like it to replace story books, but it would not bother me for a chapter book read aloud. You need the real pictures for storybooks, imo.

[Pink Fairy]

How does the Kindle handle illustrations? Especially color illustrations like you see in children's books? I just don't know how Kindle could replace books for children, but I could see the latest, fat novel would be okay to read that way. No doubt the libraries will eventually catch up with the technology, and that's when I might be tempted to buy one.

[Vida Winter]

...the Kindle could have an enormous impact on the entire print world in just a few years. Like the Ipod and digital music, but even more dramatic. Think books/bookstores, libraries, magazines, newspapers, college texts, etc. Books are far more expensive to manufacture, store, and ship than music CDs and publishing companies can increase their profit margins dramatically by going digital. It would take only one big "Harry Potter runaway hit kind of book" whose publisher decides to publish only digitally. Kind of makes me sad. I have a Sony digital reader, and while it is handy, I don't think I could give up my "real" books.

 

My husband got me a Kindle for our anniversary. I preferred my "real" books so now he uses the Kindle and he loves it. I know what you mean about its impact though. It is so ultra-efficient to receive books electronically - there's literally nothing to it, they appear as soon as you buy them. My dh also gets the Wall Street Journal on Kindle, delivered electronically, automatically. We stopped getting the print edition of the WSJ. It's akin to the impact of the internet on printed newspapers.

 

~Dana

[Veritaserum]

Star Trek anyone? It reminds me of their little data pad thingies....

 

I could definitely see using it for big hefty books like textbooks, but I'm fond of real paper books for stories. How does it prevent eye fatigue? I find I can only read a computer screen for so long, kwim?

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[Plaid Dad]

When she worked for a big computer company, my dw had a PDA (which I still read as "public display of affection" ;)). It was easier for her to carry than a big agenda book, and she could play games on it on the train, but I never had any desire for one. I watched her lose data repeatedly due to battery problems, software glitches, and damage to the machine itself. You can imagine my amusement when the Hipster PDA and Moleskine notebooks became all the rage in her field.

 

I feel rather the same way about the Kindle. From a publishing standpoint, I can see the appeal, but as a consumer, not so much. I'm sure it would be useful for certain types of reading - college textbooks, definitely - but it doesn't fit into my reading or buying patterns very well. Besides, I can't figure out most cell phones, let alone a digital book readers! ;)

[Susie in CA]

Did they discuss illustrations on Oprah? As fas as I could tell when we looked at Kindle it does not have illustration capabilities. While there are many chapter books for adults without pictures I would like to have illustrations for non-fiction books and children's books. Until then I am not sold.

 

Susie

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

A few years ago, there were a few devices on the market for electronic books. None lasted. What makes the Kindle different from those?

[TraceyS/FL]

A few years ago, there were a few devices on the market for electronic books. None lasted. What makes the Kindle different from those?

 

Probably the fact that you do NOT have to have a computer to use it. Part of your purchase price (probably a huge chunk) goes to the built in wireless it has. I *think* (without going and hunting it down), it's riding on Sprint.

 

That to me is the big difference - you can be sitting in and airport and decide to buy a book, and buy it!

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

That to me is the big difference - you can be sitting in and airport and decide to buy a book, and buy it!

 

Yup, I can see that as a huge selling incentive. And that's probably why it's not available yet in Canada. We don't have Sprint. Or at least not under that name.