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Amazon's Kindle (ebook reader)


Leon

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http://www.thestar.com/article/841616--new-kindle-coming-to-canada-next-month

 

It seems to say that US and Canadian prices are matched, with the wireless version being $140 and the 3G version being $190. It does sound strange, but I think the wireless version is $140 here.

 

I loooooove the battery life. 1 month!

 

Sorry! My bad yah it's 140 here in Canada. Wow not bad at all!

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This thread just instantly finalized a gift idea... thanks lol

 

It's temporarily sold out though.

 

I see people using these all the time on the TTC. How do you get books loaded onto it?

 

I'm still researching that. The wireless function means you can access Amazon's online store as long as you have internet access. I think you can also link it to your computer via USB. If I can load lecture notes on it, that would be excellent.

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someone posted in the review for kindle that if you buy an e-book, it shows up on your kindle (like it should). however, if the publisher for whatever reason decides to discontinue publishing the book, then it will no longer show up on your kindle...which makes no sense since you paid for the e-book and it is YOURS. if you buy a regular paper copy of a book, it's on your shelf forever regardless of the text being discontinued. i dont know how true this is but i'd be wary of buying a kindle until i knew for sure that a discontinued book wouldnt be removed from my kindle.

 

also, can you lend books with kindle?! i dont know about you guys but a lot of the books i read are borrowed from friends. why buy a book when a friend already has it??

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I have the Kobo e-reader which retails at 150 CAD from chapters/indigo. Comes preloaded with like 100 classics (Which are free anyways). Great battery life and very easy to read. Cheaper than the amazon version and you can buy your books anywhere (in ebook or pdf format). No one will ever take away your books.

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Guest p0stman
How much does it cost to download books?

Can anyone give pros/cons?

 

I saw these on display at Chapters but I didn't know whether it would be worthwhile for me to get it....Any help would be great!

 

Books are usually half the price of paperback ones I believe.

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Books are usually half the price of paperback ones I believe.

 

That's only on some selected books. All the ones I've purchased have been the same price as the paperback ones, or almost the same price. Like for other devices, all the books with no copyrights are free, and there's quite a big selection of both free and $ books.

 

Can anyone give pros/cons?

I use kindle books on an ipod & ipad, and on my laptop. I like how the books I buy are available on all devices. It takes up much less room than getting paperbacks. If I buy a novel or a textbook, I can read it anytime on my ipod touch. Yes, it's a bit small for a screen and I wouldn't read whole books that way, but it's actually much better than I would have expected, not a bad reading experience at all, especially when you're stuck waiting unexpectedly for long periods with nothing else to do.

 

Downloads are really easy - just find it on amazon, and do a one-click purchase, and it downloads automatically to your chosen device, within seconds. I like not having to actually go shopping for a book, or waiting for days for it to be delivered to my apt. You can also try the first chapter of every book for free. Easy dictionary access is another pro, when compared to paperbacks. Click on the word and a definition appears.

 

However, it's true that you can't really lend books to others. Your books are available to download from your amazon account with any & all the devices you want, but to lend them you would need to give someone access to your amazon account - something I would only do with really close friends & family members. I think that's one of the biggest downsides.

 

I've seen kindles but don't actually own one. I thought they looked better (more responsive?) than the Chapters Kobo readers I saw on display... but I didn't have them side to side, so it's not a perfect comparison.

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Price are mostly similar to paperback prices (there are some exceptions).

 

I prefer this over 3rd party devices because the new one is vastly improved (wireless and one month battery life + other things). It does restrict your format somewhat but Amazon has pretty much any book you want. Lending is a problem. I never pirate books for various hypocritical reasons so the only drawback, in my case, is the lending to others issue.

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