Kindles on the Beach?
 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...uL._SL110_.jpgSo has anyone succumbed & bought a Kindle? If you're blissfully unaware of what this is (where have you been?), it's Amazon's electronic gadget that lets you store & read thousands of books. It's about the size of a thin paperback & weighs even less. Battery life is phenomenal & you can get a version with both Wifi & FREE 3G (even in Spain). Not only can you use this to access Amazon & download new books but you can even surf the 'net. Admitedly the browser if quite basic but you can do it.

My brother-in-law who travels regularly for business has one. He has just bought one for his son who is currently studying in Hong Kong. My youngest son has just bought one with his birthday cash & the eldest has asked for one for Xmas.

I can see the advantages:

it saves on luggage space & weight, you can purchase a new book whilst sitting on the beach, stranded at the airport, it saves on clutter...

but I do like the look & feel of books, I think I'd find the thought of a whole bookshelf in my hand rather overwhelming but you may find one on my Wish List this year. Have a look at the Amazon Kindle & see what you think.
:cool:

I would love one Pollensa. Maybe Santa will bring me one, you never know!
I think its a brilliant idea for all the obvious reasons but I do love 'real' books too. I was thinking of getting one for my Mum who lives in Spain & can't get all the books she likes unless she orders them from Amazon anyway. This would save on postage & time for her.

I've often toyed with the idea of getting one, but can't bring myself to do it. Call me old-fashioned but I like the feel of a book, the snap of the spine as you open a new one for the first time and I spend enough time looking at a screen as it is without curling up with one on the sofa or in bed. I love seeing the shelves groaning with books and stacked up in different places in the house!

I can definitely see the advantages for travel, with regards to weight and space but I doubt very much whether I'll ever be swayed into getting one. I have a feeling, though, that I'll be the only one saying this!

You are not alone! I agree with everything you have said. It just wouldn't be the same and I just love to be able to grab a book at the right page and read for 1 minute to 3 hours without having to think about it. As an English teacher i'm afraid books are an extension of my body. Anything else would seem somewhat foreign!
I suppose in time they will become the norm. Pet hate = audio books!

Kind of destroys the Charity Shops secondhand book trade though!!!!!

It's just so easy to pick up a book and shake the sand out of it - nothing for the grit to get onto! And what happens when your belongings are hit by a freak wave...as happens...often!

.... and I bet no one will leave their kindle behind for me to read in the apartment!

I am a novice to all these devices but am I right in thinking to have full use of the kindle you need to be near a wifi network so you can connect your kindle to be able to read these books. If your apartment doesent have wifi or you are on the beach how do you connect.......

I'm about as "expert" as yourself but I'd guess that once you've downloaded a book it stays put until you delete it? Therefore once on the Kindle you would not need to be near any wi-fi area etc.

I'm sure the techno people on here will know for sure ?!

Yea hadn't thought of that. See I am a novice ha ha xx

Nickpaulanoah has it spot on,once downloaded the books remain on your kindle and the only time you would need wifi would be to archive or order more.

Thank you so much for answering such a simple question. I am definitely going to get one me thinks xxxx

Can not praise kindles enough! As a teacher I was totally against them! I LOVE books- most def did not want a computer book. Then my husband bought me one. It is the best! No more suitcase space taken up by all my holiday books. Downloaded n primed- ready to be read! Looks just like paper- no eye strain and best off all, no more being bashed on the head by heavy hardbacks.
I even have a waterproof cover so I can read in the bath - doubles up perfectly on the beach!
Seriously as someone who was so against them, I should now get commission from Amazon!
Buy one, you won't regret it! But only an original kindle or paper white- the rest are glorified iPads :)

I have a first-generation Kindle but I must admit I am not a fan - the screen on mine is quite hard to read (no built-in light), meaning I have to pack a fiddly clip-on light if I want to read in bed, or outside in the evening. I totally agree that nothing beats the feel and usability of a 'proper' book - I love everything about them, the look of the jacket, the smell of the paper even. But then I am a crime fiction editor, so I may be biased! I took my Kindle to the beach a couple of times but found the whole experience really unsatisfying - especially when I didn't spot that my battery was about to conk out on me just as I got to the real cliffhanger. I know books are a bit heavy in the suitcase but I tend to take ones that I know my husband will enjoy too - you can't pass a Kindle on once you have read it!

I think ideally older people do like a "real book" but if you read 2 or 3 or more books in a fortnight you cant beat a kindle for holidays, or if you are in PP for longer periods where else can you browse thro potentially thousands of new books whilst sitting outside the Marina and buy one right there(quite a bit cheaper normally) Kate1 yes a little bit biased maybe , err how do light up a real book ,in bed or outside in the evening? and the battery , possibly gets low on a kindle after about 2 weeks from full charge so plenty of time to notice a low battery,, And has anyone left their paperback on the sunbed whilst going for lunch.. yes, book glue doesn't really like 80 degree sunshine. and you CAN pass on a kindle book to your husband/wife if you are on the same Amazon account.Having said all this , I still lik a browse in a book shop and I tend to still buy books as well so plenty room for both. but if a couple of people are packing books for a holiday , a kindle does leave more space/weight allowance in the cases for extra shoes remember

Travelling a lot recently, (France UK, Spain), I am amazed at the number of people who use them. I have a basic one which I love. I still buy books, but it's so convenient when on the move. Husband has the kindle fire , very versatile if you want apps etc as well as books, and it is really a mini computer. It's also quite heavy. As mentioned in a previous post, the more basic models are great for just reading!

I have to say that I was sceptical too and then I won one! My kindle is the original basic one and very lightweight & only costs £69 now. I also bought a very good case for it for about £7 from Amazon. Anyway, I love it! I find that I actually read more now because it's so convenient and I have a good supply of different types of books sitting there. I also download the free samples (normally first chapter) of any book that I hear about or read a good review. Then when I run out, I read one of them & buy if I enjoy it.

As for the original question about reading on the beach, unfortunately I haven't yet had the opportunity but I'll be in PP for a few days in July with a girlfriend so I hope to try it out at Formentor! And once you have charged it, it lasts for days especially if you turn the wifi off (just put in Flight Mode under settings), so just make sure you have downloaded your books onto your Kindle before travelling and you won't need wifi at all.

The newer 'paperwhite' as they call it is much better.
I bought one for my wife a while ago.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...ag=wordlink-21

The battery last ages and is easy to read and it uses the same usb charging lead as my camera and sat nav which is useful :)

The touchscreen is a bit 'old technology' compared to modern mobile phones although is OK for reading stuff.

My mum (a few years past retirement age) has the colour kindle fire HD and she is addicted to it :D
Wi-fi is now a requirement everywhere she goes... (needed as the colour kindle is like a giant android phone without the phone calls ability, all apps and internet etc)

Thanks, Mark - I'm sure you are right - I am a bit of a Luddite when it comes to technology! I think it is the screen which put me off as I am addicted to my IPod, IPad, IPhone... but it's just always annoyed me that it's impossible to read my Kindle at night (I do have the bedside lamp switched on by the way!) I still think an actual book can never be improved upon - it's a format which has survived for many hundreds of years with little alteration along the way, which says something about how user-friendly it is - but I can see that for holidays/journeys the Kindle offers something different.

For your ipad remember that you can install a free app that syncs your kindle account between the kindle, Amazon and the ipad so you can read anything on any of them.

Amazon.co.uk: Kindle for iPad--read Kindle ebooks on your iPad

I use the android app and it works well ( dont have an ipad here)
Amazon.co.uk: Kindle for Android--read Kindle ebooks on your Android device

search the app store from your device for 'kindle' and you will find it.

That might help with the reading in the dark problem and its a good way to share books within the same family on different devices etc.

I brought my Kindle Paperwhite to PP this week...read it on the beach...all brilliant. Had about 10 books loaded on, a lot of which were free to download as well! I still love books but prefer space for bags & flipflops more!!!