Thanks for that Angela, but I'm not from the UK. However, as I'm now leaning towards the Nexus 7, it may not be a problem. I'm hoping to hear from other SFN members about this Nexus - the pros and cons, etc., before I jump!
Do you not have someone in the UK where you could get the kindle fire sent to and then sent on to you? Just a suggestion, that's what I did when I bought my husband his kindle reader last year. Worth noting that if you end up with two kindles (ie one for a partner or other family member) if you register them both to the same account you can have all or some of your books on both kindles.
Hi Norman and thanks for that. I hope someone takes up your offer. Just to clarify - the Kindle Fire is available in France - you can buy it from amazon.fr. The offer on amazon.co.uk was a better offer, but they won't ship to France and redirect you to the French website, so apologies for any confusion caused.
Sandra,
This site looks useful but only seems to work with amazon.co.uk or amazon.com - I found that if I note down the title and move to amazon.fr and search for the book then I can download it - but not necessarily free.
Have you found a cunning dodge for those who buy books from Amazon.fr?
You can't get cheaper than free and there are many contemporary books available on this link
http://www.kuforum.co.uk/free_ebooks/latest/:
These are todays free books - updated several times a day.
http://www.kuforum.co.uk/free_ebooks/latest/?catID=15&period=today
I've just ordered a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday, for its simplicity and readability. I don't want a tablet. They are bigger and ony useful to do emails and surf the internet. I have no space in my apartment for more books so this seemed like a good alternative to read wherever I am. Hope it's easy to download stuff as I'm not that tech savvy.
The battery life appealed to me and most books are in black and white. We'll see.I like things that make life easier- not more complicated and beginning to become a bit resistant to all these gadgets that keep coming out promising this or that feature. Sometimes its all a bit much and I just want to unplug myself but the Kindle seems nice and passive
This is great for me as although we publish large format, fact-based massively illustrated with colour pictures, we have been holding back on our releasing them as e-Books, mainly because of the mono limitations of the then Kindle (and other) readers.
We are offering them now as KindleFire seems to suit our purposes plus of course amazon are now the world's leading booksellers, so you can't ignore the gorilla in the front room can you? Incidentally I have received a mailing that KindleFire IS now available in France.
However we would like to do a bit more research on this, and would like to test one of our ebooks for efficacy with a wider range of readers (humans and technical). To this end I have produced a test ebook from our Advertising History Worldwide series - just six pages, and if anyone would like to help and tell us how they found it worked on their units I would be very grateful. It will come as a .PDF file.
If any of you would like to receive this and help, we would need an email address to send it to, and sorry it's a 'no-fee' offer, but you might even like the presentation! It might even impress my Publishers in Australia!! If you find you like the first issue, I am offering them as a FREE series to anyone who would like to receive them. No harvesting, no follow-ups, and you can feel free to copy and forward them on to anyone you like. YES, it is a promotional piece but not massively - just on the last page.
Please contact me on norman.clark@wanadoo.fr if you are more comfortable that way. I have no problems with hotmail or gmail addresses either. Of course through these pages is also fine by me.
NB I am NOT a techie, just the writer and designer of these things, and all I really want to know is that the pictures are clear and acceptable, nothing more than that. If you want to do a little checking beforehand take a look at my termporary website (a new one is being prepared in Oz, but it seems to be taking forever!) www.mosaicbooks.hostoi.com
Oh, Carol, you make me laugh. (Could be a song in that). Fortunately (or maybe not), my darling Henry is a complete Luddite, so currently I enjoy using all the gadgets tout seul. I am a "geek" and really wanted an iPad. I already have two iPhones (3 and 4), three laptops, etc., etc., so whilst palms were itching to get my hands on some sort of tablet, I have spent the last two years muttering in a mantra sort of way, "you do not need, you do not need" but now I WANT! Hope all is well with you - haven't spoken for ages. You still in UK? Talk soon. xx
Hi Maria. Long time no speak. Hope all is well with you. xx
Thanks to everyone for their replies. I'm leaning towards the Kindle Fire. Unfortunately, amazon.co.uk has a special offer of £159 plus gift voucher of £15 but guess what..... yep, they do not have this offer in France. I have to go to Amazon.fr, where there is no gift voucher and allowing for exchange rates, it is dearer. However, in looking at everyone's suggestions, I have come across Nexus 7 which seems to be quite good in that it would give me an e-reader (which is what I started out looking for) but also the functionality of a tablet/iPad. So, am still in confused.com territory!
wow....that is scarey...as we have two Kindles....one 18 months old the other 3 months...I wouldnt consider the outlay for them reasonable for 14 months...jeez...imagine the number of books you could buy for that outlay! I will work with mine and hope they live longer. I think its sometimes down to luck...Ive had a Dell expire in 2 years....and one last 12 years...so I guess its a piece of string scenario...
I've had two kindles 'freeze' in 14 months and Amazon have washed their hands saying the warranty is over and I need to buy a new one. I don't think so. I'm back to books. Apple on the other hand I find reliable, easy to use, practical and a pleasure to hold.
Agree with everything you've said Carol, it's fabulous.
Hi Sheila, how are you??? We have recently bought Ipad2 and love it. I downloaded kindle from Amazon for free and now can buy IBooks straight on to the IPad. There are so many apps that can be downloaded free that to me it made sense to get the Ipad. It is just like a mini laptop only better, absolutley love it. Good Luck and I'm sure you will be happy with either choice...
ah...now you have hit the nail on the head Brian....Android devoid of Flash...it took me no less than half an hour to load Dolphin...I now have a few other steps to get Flash finally loaded....nightmare but do-able....if there is a problem...there is always a way around it. The original Kindle Fires...first couple of thousand had Flash on them...the rest not....but its something someone savvy can do in an half an hour....they are power hungry...but using as a book I can manage without power for a few days...using as a radio....(8hours a day) needs re charging every 36 hours...but if you keep plugged in, not a problem.
Oh...where to start! I love technology...I love computers...had a BBC when they first came out and the first Sinclair too. At present I have an old Dell...(5 years) an old mac stand alone (8 years)...we have a 4 year old Mac computer...my husband has a 10 year old Dell....I have a MacBook 2 years old....husband an ipad and a kindle...and at Xmas I had a Kindle Fire....I love the Kindle fire. Most importantly....he has my old kindle...so when one of us buys a book...as they are both registered to me...both Kindles have the book...so he is in France reading the book I am reading in the UK. I use the Kindle as a radio in France...plus use it to read...having spent a fortnight learning how to download half a dozen different bl**dy systems...I can now use Filmon to watch tv...and iplayer when I use my UKTV broadband. The screen is fabulous for tv....better than my MacBook....I can carry the Kindle in my raincoat pocket when in the UK and travelling on the tube/train...much lighter than an Ipad...and smaller to fit into a bag or pocket. At the end of the day Shiela you have to play around with the bits of kit. If you go to the UK ...Waterstones have the Kindles in their bookshops to play with...it was visiting Winchester and spending half an hour with a wonderful computer nerd who showed me the magic of Kindle that persuaded me.....as far as I am concerned...the Kindle Fire has superior tv graphics...and the sound for radio beats my macbook..and the size is fab for travelling.....so its a winner for me.
For cheapskate reading enthusiasts who read modern (ie in copyright, <75 years old) it still remains cheaper to read real books, which you can get second hand for 3-4€ delivered from abebooks amazon etc. Kindle books are priced more like a full price paperback.
It's nice to be able to up the print size if your eyes are struggling.
I think it's a mistake to try to kill two birds with one stone. An e-ink, clear black on white, very long battery life is great for reading. A tablet which does loads of other stuff (ie Kindle Fire) is too compromised and loses out with respect to being able to read it easily sat in the garden/beach, and being able to travel for hours without worrying about finding power.
They do say the Fire is a nice tablet though.
Hi Sheila,
My husband bought me a kindle fourteen months ago and it is amazing. Take it everywhere with me (doctor's surgery, train etc) and would not be without it. I love my books and they are still used at home occasionally but I am really hooked on electronic books now as we travel a lot of the time and so much more convenient. Hubby has recently treated me to the kindle fire and all my kindle books were automatically transferred onto the new device. This is as good as an i-pad as I have set up my e-mail accounts and also use it for web browsing etc. The kindle fire has the bright white screen which is good in strong sunlight. It weighs much less than a conventional laptop (not such an advantage for me as I have the Macbook air which only weighs 1.1kg) If you go for the kindle fire go for the 64G version, well worth it. You can store all your photos and music on it, access UK daily papers etc.
My mum age 91 bought a kindle fifteen months ago and hasn't looked back. She's an avid reader and with many local libraries closing in the UK it has solved the problem of getting out to buy or borrow books. It's very easy to use and she can change the font size to suit her requirements. She finds going online to buy from the kindle store very easy and once an Amazon account has been set up it couldn't be more simple. Hope this helps.
I've had a kindle for a while and in fact I have just had to replace it, as the screensaver burnt into the screen and it was past the warranty date - I do recommend the 3 year warranty (mine was a gift with only a 1 year warranty).
I've repurchased the kindle with e-ink for ease of reading and the long-life battery, also having read that back-lit screens can delay the release of serotin and therefore sleep. I do find the computer screen hard on the eyes after a while and it is so much more relaxing to read on the kindle.
If you are looking for book recommendations, do come and visit my blog Word by Word, where I write book reviews.
Thanks Brian. Flash not essential. Have been doing a bit of research and Nexus 7 would appear to be a very good buy.