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Need data/opinions about eBook readers...Kindle, etc


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Actually, I'm shoving some of this here so I know where to find it.  Mebbe someone else finds it helpful too?

 

56 page PDF Kindle User Guide 4th edition

 

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/customerdocumentation/EM/Kindle_User_Guide_EN-US.pdf

 

So with the new PaperWhite, there is 8GB but an option for +$30 for 32GB.    About 2,000 books per 4GH.......8,000 books with 32 GB.    :rolleyes:    Very rough calculation but....it's a general idea. 

 

They say the new PaperWhite has such fantastic battery power that it will go for  "blah, blah, blah"....  What it really says is if you use it with light at #10 and in airplane mode.....FOR A HALF HOUR A DAY....it will go for 6 wks. 

 

TRANSLATION:  21 hours of battery time.  I can live with that.  Prolly less cuz I read with light fairly bright.  :shrug: 

 

 

MtRider   :pc_coffee: 

Edited by Mt_Rider
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4 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Our library has an app you can download to get their books. I THINK it's called Overdrive.

 

Aw Mt. Rider. I get it. Just step back for a day or two and come back to it. All the info will still be here.  :hug3:

Yup, Overdrive is my friend.

 

Now, something that really blew my mind (don't look until you're over the overwhelm, Mt) is the Library Extension in Chrome and Firefox.  When I look at a book on Amazon or B&N, it tellsme if it's available from my local library in either hard copy or digital!

 

 

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3 hours ago, Mt_Rider said:

Actually, I'm shoving some of this here so I know where to find it.  Mebbe someone else finds it helpful too?

 

56 page PDF Kindle User Guide 4th edition

 

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/customerdocumentation/EM/Kindle_User_Guide_EN-US.pdf

 

So with the new PaperWhite, there is 8GB but an option for +$30 for 32GB.    About 2,000 books per 4GH.......8,000 books with 32 GB.    :rolleyes:    Very rough calculation but....it's a general idea. 

 

They say the new PaperWhite has such fantastic battery power that it will go for  "blah, blah, blah"....  What it really says is if you use it with light at #10 and in airplane mode.....FOR A HALF HOUR A DAY....it will go for 6 wks. 

 

TRANSLATION:  21 hours of battery time.  I can live with that.  Prolly less cuz I read with light fairly bright.  :shrug: 

 

 

MtRider   :pc_coffee: 

Yup, I want 32GB on my next one.

 

And my translation is that I don't need to worry about charging it while I'm gone if it's less than 5-6 days.  I generally read on 4-5 during the day, unless I'm outside where it's bright.  If I get really into something and have free time, I can half the battery power in 2 days going through 3-4 light novels.

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That's great We2. Consider your self lucky.

 

I don't have an issue with the battery time either. I think it's pretty good. Most times I just stick it on the charger a couple of mornings a week (or the night before if I don't fall asleep) so it's nearly always charged. Just reading takes very little 'juice'. It charges fast too.

 

I might go to 32GB's next time too. Just thinking ahead, something new night be on the horizon that will take up more space and I'll already be ready. I'd probably load some important Word docs too for safe keeping. 

 

Hey Mt. Rider, you could put your writing in a reader and read it like a book! Now there is an incentive to get writing.

 

I need to get Overdrive installed and learn to use it before I move. That way if I need help I can just go over to my library and let them help figure it out. I have downloaded a couple of things from my library but I can never find them. 

 

Like everything else, be aware of how much you are actually going to spend total. It can be $20.00 for no ads, $30.00 for a upgrade, $50.00 for a cover, $20.00 for a wall plug in etc. etc. etc. All extras you don't NEED but nice to have.  :blush: 

 

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13 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Hey Mt. Rider, you could put your writing in a reader and read it like a book! Now there is an incentive to get writing.

 

Cool!  ....but ....I can never read my stuff without itching to EDIT it...just a little here and there.  It holds documents and I've read of a "keyboard" on the screen.  So...could my itching fingers could be satisfied?  :happy0203:

 

Yeah...I've been adding it up. $$$   Initially I thot of just the base model.  But I have trouble reading paper books now - somewhat cuz the danged print is SO SMALL  [and it never used to be ....]  :whistling:    But also the lighting.  I've tried booklights on my paper books and that helps...it's a pain but it helps.  But I conclude that it means I need the Paperwhite.  Drooling over the 32 GB.  Since reading is my life...due to disabilities....  :shrug:  

 

Now the cover...trying to think of a way around that.  Homemade?  Plug adapter is specialized?  Usual USB adapter doesn't work?  {the thieves!} 

 

Popups....What I've been reading about the current PaperWhite is that there are advertisements on the inactive screen.  Entice you to buy more ebooks.  When you activate it ...you slide finger across and they're gone.  States that they do NOT appear while you're reading.    If true...I could live with that. 

 

Still looking at a really high price when my laptop is also dying...  :(

MtRider  ....learning 

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Exactly.  There are ads on the screen when you're not using it and ads (across the bottom) when you're looking through your list of books, but NOT when you're reading.  I've never found it worth it to pay the $20 to get the ads off.

 

I don't think you'd be able to edit on a Paperwhite - the keyboard is generally for searching for books OR leaving yourself notes in it.

 

The plug is a standard micro-USB.  We've used a LOT of different ones on ours.

 

I've picked up covers for $5 on clearance before.  I just ordered a new $10 one off Amazon.

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Yeah but after you get it edited you could read it as a finished product and maybe even sell them to help pay for your reader. Jeepers encouraging Mt.Rider to get back to writing -------> :reading:

 

Okay Ms. I'm normal and don't have OCD lady. Just go ask your dear hubby how those ads will effect his reader enjoyment. I'll bet he will agree with me. Extra stuff not put in its proper folder is an issue that $20.00 can solve.  j/k  :girlneener:

 

Yeah, the covers for the 10 inch Fire can be expensive. I need a new one for the Paperwhite bad. The one I got really irritates my fingers because when I flip it open the side touching my fingers feels rough after awhile. I even got a little fiber sliver in a finger. I couldn't see it but I sure could feel it. It took about 3 days to finally go away. It also made my hands really dry. I'd like one that is leather-ish both inside and out. I

 

When I was going through some of my books to decide which to donate, I realized I couldn't hardly read the print. It is so small and the paper isn't bright white. Maybe because I'm used to reading on a computer. But come to think of it many of my books are those (can't think of the name) cheaply printed books. Or maybe because I'm getting older...naw, couldn't be that.

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20 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Yeah but after you get it edited you could read it as a finished product and maybe even sell them to help pay for your reader. Jeepers encouraging Mt.Rider to get back to writing -------> :reading:

 

Okay Ms. I'm normal and don't have OCD lady. Just go ask your dear hubby how those ads will effect his reader enjoyment. I'll bet he will agree with me. Extra stuff not put in its proper folder is an issue that $20.00 can solve.  j/k  :girlneener:

 

Especially in winter ..I just really am drawn to work on some of my MANNNNY unfinished stories.  With what is sold [seemingly UNedited] on Kindle, I certainly might have made enough.  Especially in the early distopian fiction days.  I think the burden of learning HOW to do the whole deal for Kindle/Amazon stopped me from thinking about it too much.  Would have been more work than writing. 

 

LOLOL  I guess you didn't see me, Jeepers, drooling when you said you could put books into CATEGORIES:cheer:  My one-big-huge-glob of a mess just kills me.  I'm REALLY excited about categories!  :bounce:  Can you do files within files???  Keeping all my series books together??  Yep...OCD tendancies here, for sure.  :lol:     But not DH.  He has an aversion to reading on electronic devices.  Don't know why.  It taxes him in some way.  Reading on laptop is waaay easier for me than paperback or books-on-tape [which is older-speak for "audio books"].  I can't hold hard cover books so I might delve into one of those about once every couple years when a different format is unavailable.  Or it's one of my OLDE classic books.  Not, unfortunately, a First Edition among them, tho. 

 

The CG....it says you can put documents into PaperWhite.  Self-made docs?  No edit for them?  Like a LIST or something?  I haven't read thru that tutorial yet....answer might be in there.  We went to town yesterday - finally and we're having weather today.  :0327:  Oh...and cheaper covers - I can definitely wait for that!  Thanks!

 

MtRider  :pc_coffee: 

Edited by Mt_Rider
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1 hour ago, Mt_Rider said:

an aversion to reading on electronic devices

 

Hubby is about the same way...he likes holding a "real book"! LOL  But, he'll read from his reader if he runs out of "real books" from the Library.  He saves his purchased books for our personal library to read in a life changing event...or he needs a DIY book etc! LOL

Edited by The WE2's
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Isn't that odd with the guys? :scratchhead:   I still love my paper books...and I do read one before bed.  But I use my strongest readers to see the print clearly.  I have to lay in a direction that the light from lamp hits the page.  Those are the disadvantages.  And so many of my paper books are getting old and bindings can break/split.  :(

 

AND.....{does anyone else do this?}  ....when reading paper books and I come across a word I'd like more definition for, I have the impulse to click on the word to bring up the dictionary.  Like with stories set in a long ago time period, and they have garments or something about the architecture of the house or whatever makes me curious.  :rolleyes:   I like that part of reading electronically!  

 

MtRider :reading:  

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21 hours ago, Mt_Rider said:

 

Especially in winter ..I just really am drawn to work on some of my MANNNNY unfinished stories.  With what is sold [seemingly UNedited] on Kindle, I certainly might have made enough.  Especially in the early distopian fiction days.  I think the burden of learning HOW to do the whole deal for Kindle/Amazon stopped me from thinking about it too much.  Would have been more work than writing. 

  

LOLOL  I guess you didn't see me, Jeepers, drooling when you said you could put books into CATEGORIES:cheer:  My one-big-huge-glob of a mess just kills me.  I'm REALLY excited about categories!  :bounce:  Can you do files within files???  Keeping all my series books together??  Yep...OCD tendancies here, for sure.  :lol:     But not DH.  He has an aversion to reading on electronic devices.  Don't know why.  It taxes him in some way.  Reading on laptop is waaay easier for me than paperback or books-on-tape [which is older-speak for "audio books"].  I can't hold hard cover books so I might delve into one of those about once every couple years when a different format is unavailable.  Or it's one of my OLDE classic books.  Not, unfortunately, a First Edition among them, tho. 

  

The CG....it says you can put documents into PaperWhite.  Self-made docs?  No edit for them?  Like a LIST or something?  I haven't read thru that tutorial yet....answer might be in there.  We went to town yesterday - finally and we're having weather today.  :0327:  Oh...and cheaper covers - I can definitely wait for that!  Thanks!

  

MtRider  :pc_coffee: 

 

1) The Kindle uses what it calls Collections.  You cannot put a Collection inside a Collection, but you can have a book in more than one collection.  "Homesteading" cannot contain "Gardening", but a gardening book can be in both.  There are a few authors that I have Collections for, but their books are often in more than one collection.

 

2) Sending documents to the Kindle - the Kindle has its own email address.  You can enable it to where you can email yourself documents, such as PDFs, and it can convert them to its format so you can resize them and such, but it screws up by doing things like putting in page numbers and formatting weirdly.  You can send things over to the Kindle directly from the computer, but it won't go through the conversion process.  There is also a very dangerous extension where you can send web pages to your Kindle email address to read later.  I'll try to take pictures of how all 3 appear on my Kindle.

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Oh yes, I've actually pointed on a word on a paper book expecting it to show me a defination. It doesn't.  :blush:

 

I think it takes a little getting used to ereading like anything else. But it really is a lot easier or more user friendly once you get used to it. Especially the back lighting. You can lie in any configuration and still have the same lighting without missing a beat.  I find it a little awkward holding a book now because I'm so used to my 'book' being flat without a spine.

 

You can't put a collection in a collection yet. I wish you could. I asked the question on their website a few years ago and they explained why but I don't remember why now. 

 

I missed you drooling Mt. Rider. LOL. Those category folders are really a great feature. Can you imagine going through 2,000 books to find one.

 

Another good thing about a Kindle is you can highlight by touching a word or dragging your finger across a passage. I've used this a lot with how-to books where I wanted to take notes on a subject to build a Word document for printing out. Such as with gardening or crafts or basic preps or crafts in general. I go back to a marked passage, type it into my computer, print it out and store it one of my binders. You can also just bookmark a page for future reference. 

 

I'm with Mr.We2, I save some real books back for a time when electronics my not be available. 

 

I think TheCG has a newer generation than mine so she probably has more up to date info. I do know that she is WAY MORE tech savvy than I am so I'm learning from her too. 

 

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1 hour ago, Jeepers said:

I think TheCG has a newer generation than mine so she probably has more up to date info. I do know that she is WAY MORE tech savvy than I am so I'm learning from her too. 

  

The Paperwhite I'm using now is the last generation (I think).  It's actually the one I bought for $25 at a pawn shop.  I need to figure out where I've stashed my backup.  It, uh, probably needs charged. 

 

My first e-reader was the original (I think) Nook, but I switched over to Amazon pretty quickly.

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On 1/8/2019 at 8:32 PM, TheCG said:

1. When we say it connects to the cloud, it uses a wifi connection. 

 

2. When I say mine has a cellular connection, it doesn't require a cell phone - it connects to the network all by itself, and there's no extra charge beyond the higher purchase price.

 

3. I can download books on my computer and transfer them over.  I can also transfer PDFs, but keep in mind that it's going to show the whole page at once and not necessarily be as easy to read.

 

4. http://bestereaderreview.org/how-to-use-a-kindle-guide - goes through a lot of basic info

 

5. If you want my phone number, send me a message, and I can talk you through or figure out whatever you're trying to figure oout.

Thank you.  I have asked several times, and never got this clear information.

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20 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Oh yes, I've actually pointed on a word on a paper book expecting it to show me a defination. It doesn't.  :blush:

 

;)  ....and then watch me looking for my cursor to point to the word!  :lol:

 

 

20 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Can you imagine going through 2,000 books to find one.

 

:o     ........PLEASE tell me the eReaders have the SEARCH option???????  I have more books than can fit on any device and I find them by

 

1) search for title, author, a word that might be in the title [ like:  potato dumplings] 

2) I search is by "era of time" cuz I have mine organized by when it was last opened or imported to my laptop.  So with series books, I just keep opening all of them to bring them together at the top of the listing.  

3)  Sometimes  I shove the thingie [button moving page up and down] down randomly and look at the books from that era.  Chose one or two that are interesting and long forgotten. 

 

ALSO....do they display with their front covers in your "collections"??????  I recall pictures WAY better than title or author name.  BUGS me when the author changes the cover pic. 

 

So book can be in more than one "Collection"...... 1) does that take up more GB "space" to have one downloaded book in three Collections???   ....2) is there a limit to how many collections you can create/maintain?

 

As for "documents"  .....are we talking just PDFs or does that include documents I've made on Open Office Word Processing format?  :unsure: 

I mostly want to READ on the READER.  But to stash a few other things on there  ???  who am I kidding?  I won't have ROOM to stash anything but books on there!  :laughkick: 

 

Thanks again for all these enlightening posts.  I just got the PDF for "Kindle PaperWhite Users Guide" downloaded at "Past 2AM" this morning.  [doesn't count against our Internet usage ]  Will be looking at that soon.

 

MtRider  :pc_coffee: 

 

Edited by Mt_Rider
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36 minutes ago, Mt_Rider said:

 

 

;)  ....and then watch me looking for my cursor to point to the word!  :lol:

  

 

 

:o     ........PLEASE tell me the eReaders have the SEARCH option???????  I have more books than can fit on any device and I find them by

  

 1) search for title, author, a word that might be in the title [ like:  potato dumplings] 

 2) I search is by "era of time" cuz I have mine organized by when it was last opened or imported to my laptop.  So with series books, I just keep opening all of them to bring them together at the top of the listing.  

 3)  Sometimes  I shove the thingie [button moving page up and down] down randomly and look at the books from that era.  Chose one or two that are interesting and long forgotten. 

 

ALSO....do they display with their front covers in your "collections"??????  I recall pictures WAY better than title or author name.  BUGS me when the author changes the cover pic. 

 

So book can be in more than one "Collection"...... 1) does that take up more GB "space" to have one downloaded book in three Collections???   ....2) is there a limit to how many collections you can create/maintain?

  

As for "documents"  .....are we talking just PDFs or does that include documents I've made on Open Office Word Processing format?  :unsure: 

 I mostly want to READ on the READER.  But to stash a few other things on there  ???  who am I kidding?  I won't have ROOM to stash anything but books on there!  :laughkick: 

  

Thanks again for all these enlightening posts.  I just got the PDF for "Kindle PaperWhite Users Guide" downloaded at "Past 2AM" this morning.  [doesn't count against our Internet usage ]  Will be looking at that soon.

  

MtRider  :pc_coffee: 

 

1) You can search for title, author, or partial title.

2) It naturally organizes them by when you last opened them on the Kindle.  HOWEVER...if you reset it or start with a new Kindle, it will "forget" and go by purchase date.

3) You can make it show the front covers or a list.

4) It does not download it again to have it in a collection, it just adds a "tag" so that when it searches for that collection, it pulls it.

5) I haven't found limits to the number of collections, but I'm sure there are some.

7) PDFs and azw format.  However...you can create a pdf in Open Office: https://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-PDF-File-with-OpenOffice

 

This shows some ideas on how to manage collections: https://www.epubor.com/4-ways-to-create-and-manage-kindle-collections.html#method6 

Ignore everything after the first 3 (from the Amazon website, from the Kindle itself, and from the Kindle app on PC).

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Oh thank you, TheCG.  You have a very clear way of answering questions!  And...good news on all counts!  I hadn't even thot to check on some of those things before getting into a purchase.  I get used to one way and it's every-so-difficult to change these days.  Glad I wouldn't have to.  And a PDF made from my personal document....INTERESTING!  Deliciously new data!  :happy0203: 

 

MtRider  ....so glad this informal tutorial is adding to everyone's knowledge  :) 

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On 1/12/2019 at 8:15 PM, Jeepers said:

Another good thing about a Kindle is you can highlight by touching a word or dragging your finger across a passage. I've used this a lot with how-to books where I wanted to take notes on a subject to build a Word document for printing out. Such as with gardening or crafts or basic preps or crafts in general. I go back to a marked passage, type it into my computer, print it out and store it one of my binders. You can also just bookmark a page for future reference. 

 

Go here (from a computer), log in, and quit retyping everything (unless you just want to): https://read.amazon.com/notebook

 

If you have highlights that are pages long, it starts complaining and cutting them off, but if you're just doing bits and pieces, it's fabulous.

Edited by TheCG
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