E-reader recommendations?

I know a lot of us here have a Kindle.  I bought mine for several reasons.  One, it was hard to have all my kids huddle around the computer while we read.  If I let them sit in another room they’d goof off.  Two, I wanted my boys to read a lot of “old” books by Henty and Ballantyne, etc.  Those are hard to find in print, and if they are being re-printed they’re like $20 or more a book.  That adds up.  Three, we have 9 bookcases and I’m trying really hard to not buy another.  I’ve been able to get rid of physical books by storing them on the Kindle.  Four, it’s so fun to grab my Kindle on the way to the doctor or whatever and have hundreds of books to choose from, books for me, books for the boys to read, books to read outloud.  Five, when we move (which we do every few years) we have our homeschool curriculum in one small book,)

As to why the Kindle…The price was fairly similar to other eReaders out there.  The reviews were consistently good.  There were mixed reviews about some of the others.  Amazon is huge, so there is a lot of content ready to go.  Amazon also constantly makes improvements to the software.  I liked the way it looked the best!  I also trust Amazon’s customer service so I knew if I had a problem it would be taken care of.  I had read that the screen was easy to read, and it is.  I liked the feature that you could download anything, anywhere with the 3G, instead of having to hook it up to a computer every time.  I’ve used that feature a lot.

I looked at a lot of eReaders online.  The Kindle fit my needs the best, but I know there are others out there that people really like.  

Heather

I also bought a Kindle and love it. I did recently sell my computer, mp3 player and kindle to buy an iPad (because I hated having so many contraptions). I like that the iPad has so many capabilities but on it’s own it’s quite expensive. I’m not posting to recommend the iPad actually but the Kindle. 🙂 It’s great!

I am another Kindle user and I also love it.  I have over 100 books on it and only had to purchase 2, these rest were free and are a diverse collection which give me lots of pleasure.  I like the kindle because as a straightforward reader it has a great screen and has all I need.  Linda

Of the current Kindle readers  (The Kindle Next Generation (nicknamed the Kindle 3)) there are 3 types. 

1. Kindle WiFi
2. Kindle 3G
3. Kindle DX

The Kindle WiFi is the least expensive.  To connect to the internet (and therefore sync new books etc) you will need to have access to a WiFi (Wireless) Internet connection.  It isn’t a bad choice if you have one of those at home.  Other places with WiFi will vary, but likely includes places like Hospitals, Libraries, Airports, Hotels, and even coffeeshops.  You can also download the books to your computer, and use the USB cable to move the books to your Kindle.

The Kindle 3G is middle in expense.  It has the WiFi connection and uses it when there is a WiFi network available, but it also connects to the internet via the Cell Satalite system – usually 3G.  Unlike a lot of other devices, there is no subscription fee for that connection.  This is likely the one you want if you want to do things like read your email, check your google calendar, download books anywhere, etc.  I almost bought the WiFi only version (we have WiFi at home, and I was thinking… “How often am I going to absolutely want a new book just anywhere?”) and in fact I had ordered the WiFi only… but then read about the other things people have been using a Kindle for, and splurged the extra money, and I’m SO GLAD I did.  (It was a gift for my birthday, and it was either buy the basic Kindle and something else, or get the more expensive Kindle….)

The Kindle DX is the most expensive.  I don’t know as much about them…. I think they have the 3G as well, but am not sure.  They are bigger.  I understand that reading PDF’s on it is much nicer because of the larger size.  Not sure if the experimental web browser is on it or not…?  I didn’t research it as much because of the cost, and I didn’t think I’d want to carry it around so much.  To me, it is the difference between carrying around a slim paperback book or a slim 8.5″x11″ binder.  I don’t think it is quite that big, but that was how I looked at it.

There are older Kindles… nicknamed the Kindle 2 and the Kindle 1 (or Original Kindle).  Those might be available cheaper on ebay or other places… but they don’t support PDF files directly – you have to send a PDF file for conversion.  Not sure the other differences… I think they are a bit larger.

The other thing that I did buy was a case to keep it safe.  I probably could have sewn something, but figured it wouldn’t be as good.  There wasn’t much selection when I bought, as the Kindle 3 was new and older cases wouldn’t fit it… so I have the official Kindle Leather Case and I splurged and got the one with the light.   It is really nice when I need it, and it slides right in the case.  The case does make it a bit heavier and thicker, but the Kindle is nice and safe in it, and as I’ve always had it like that, the extra weight doesn’t bother me.  The cover folds behind it for one-handed reading.

btw – for those with a Kindle…. I found that my battery life is a LOT longer if I turn off the internet connection when I’m not using the internet.  And of course, the light uses the battery too.