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sioux4noff

Nov 25, 2010, 11:10 AM

Post #1 of 42 (3536 views)

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Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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I searched past threads and found some info but not much recent.
Any opinions out there as to which e-reader is best suited to someone living in Mexico, and of course, why do you think so?
Also any hints on sharing books, free resources, etc, would be much appreciated.
Right now, I am leaning toward buying a Kindle, which Amazon will have tomorrow for $89 US.It is 3G but not wireless (I think)
Would I be happier if I get a better model?
As you can tell, I am totally new and clueless here!

Rolly

Nov 25, 2010, 11:16 AM

Post #2 of 42 (3526 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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I use Kindle for PC and love it. And it's free unlike the hand-held units.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

sioux4noff

Nov 25, 2010, 11:28 AM

Post #3 of 42 (3519 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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Thanks Rolly, but I really want the portability of a reader.

chinagringo

Nov 25, 2010, 11:47 AM

Post #4 of 42 (3509 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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Just noticed your statement that they would be on sale tomorrow but even in my subscribed emails from Amazon, I cannot find it. At any rate, if it is the 3G version, then it is a heck of a deal at $100 off the regular price of $189. With 3G, it works like a cell phone for access. From what I read in the details, if one has 3G available in their area, then it works. The wireless version at $139 must have access to a WIFI hot spot or a wireless home router.

Correction: I just went back and read the specs on the $189 model and it is either 3G or wireless compatible.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

(This post was edited by chinagringo on Nov 25, 2010, 11:49 AM)

sioux4noff

Nov 25, 2010, 12:48 PM

Post #5 of 42 (3492 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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I read it here http://www.the-digital-reader.com/...ale-black-friday-89/ that Amazon sent the announcement out by Twitter.

chinagringo

Nov 25, 2010, 1:20 PM

Post #6 of 42 (3485 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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Now I get it. Refurbished model of the previous generation. Don't know the difference but I will bite the bullet on the current generation since it was on the "I Wish List for Christmas" with a red star. Hard to go wrong when picking from the approved list!
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

sioux4noff

Nov 25, 2010, 1:57 PM

Post #7 of 42 (3477 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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A later notice from Amazon clarified that the units are new, not refurbished.
I understand 100% about buying from the approved list.

chinagringo

Nov 25, 2010, 2:13 PM

Post #8 of 42 (3465 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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A Kindle even at full price is much more tolerable than David Yurman.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

gpkgto

Nov 26, 2010, 7:43 AM

Post #9 of 42 (3413 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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I just got the new $139 version--wifi only. I love it. If you want to read in English, it is the best way to do so in Mexico unless you live in San Miguel where they have a large English collection in the library. I've had to order books from Amazon for years and now I can get what I want cheaper and faster. I also get the New York Times every day (they will supposedly start charging for web access next year, so it won't be free via the web anymore.)

RickS

Nov 26, 2010, 11:23 AM

Post #10 of 42 (3382 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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IMHO if you can get it for $89 I'd go for it, refurbished or not! Even at $139 it is a nice device.

Earlier this year my wife bought the larger DX model. I am really impressed with the 'readability' of it, especially the larger screen. She has, as of this week 'tho, purchased an iPad as they are more flexible in what all one can do with them. Of course that flexibility comes with an added price. She will be selling her DX so if anyone is interested, PM me.

yucatandreamer

Nov 26, 2010, 1:22 PM

Post #11 of 42 (3354 views)

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Re: [RickS] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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Both the Nook the Sony can download books from your US or Canadian Library. Kindle is not compatible. This is a source of free ebooks. If you know how to download music or movies on your computer there are also book sites that offer a wide selection of best sellers. Calibre which is a free book organizer also can convert books so that they are compatible with your reader. It works very well for my Sony Reader and may work just fine with the Kindle. The thing you need to check is the file type. EPUB is the common extension used by Sony and Nook. Kindle uses something else which limits your choices. As to receiving your books from Amazon out of the air via 3G, I would check whether your area is covered. I get 3G here in Merida but the closest I can receive books on a Kindle would be Cancun. You of course can always transfer to your reader via compute but there would be no reason to pay extra for that feature if you cannot use it.

If my Sony Reader broke I would buy another one and not the Kindle. My friend who has a Kindle wishes she had my Sony. The main reason is the library feature. Unfortunately Kindle captured the market with a lot of advertising and people think of it as the best choice. Whatever you get however you will love it.

Rolly

Nov 26, 2010, 2:03 PM

Post #12 of 42 (3344 views)

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Re: [yucatandreamer] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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"...the library feature."

Could you elaborate on that, please.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

yucatandreamer

Nov 26, 2010, 2:25 PM

Post #13 of 42 (3336 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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All I mean is that you can use your public library. I use the Greater Toronto Public Library. You can go to your Public library and they will walk you through downloading books from them. I sign in, check out my book which downloads into my Sony Reader through my computer and it disappears in three weeks. If you still have a home address in the states or a friend who will share their library card with you you can download books from your public library. Another friend of mine has a Nook and she too can download from the Boston Public Library into her Nook. Libraries use EPUB. Some small towns do not have electronic books but most cities have a good selection in their library system.

By the way you might like Calibre, it has a section for a news feed as well as a book-reader format which works just fine on the Computer. It is a free download open source software. It converts books from one to another format, downloads data, cover and a blurb about the book and keeps your downloaded books organized. I use it for the books that I download off of the internet as well as books I have bought from Sony's book store.

sioux4noff

Nov 27, 2010, 11:23 AM

Post #14 of 42 (3250 views)

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Re: [yucatandreamer] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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I checked while in my former hometown of Waco, TX. Nothing new-fangled like e-books there, and it's not a small town.
A cow town - maybe, but not a small one.

(This post was edited by sioux4noff on Nov 27, 2010, 11:24 AM)

RickS

Nov 27, 2010, 11:47 AM

Post #15 of 42 (3238 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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Our Public Library (town of 130,000) has e-books available much like what was described above.....

mazbook1

Nov 27, 2010, 11:51 AM

Post #16 of 42 (3236 views)

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Re: [RickS] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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But your town, RickS, is a university town, so they're probably a bit more up-to-date than many that size.

RickS

Nov 27, 2010, 11:54 AM

Post #17 of 42 (3231 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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So is Waco, but I won't argue your point as it is well taken....

sioux4noff

Nov 27, 2010, 2:21 PM

Post #18 of 42 (3203 views)

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Re: [RickS] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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I was somewhat surprised that Waco didn't have them at this time.

yucatandreamer

Nov 27, 2010, 3:56 PM

Post #19 of 42 (3188 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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Use the link to find electronic libraries Texas has multitudes( 102 libraries to be exact) and you may have to use a county system-I am sorry I do not know exactly how your library system works--but Waco may be affiliated with another system.
http://sonysearch.overdrive.com/?in_merch=Homepage_LibraryFinder_Rt_1

Anyone can use the library finder, just put in your state or province and search.

sioux4noff

Nov 27, 2010, 6:53 PM

Post #20 of 42 (3156 views)

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Re: [yucatandreamer] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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Thanks for the link. Still no luck with Waco, though. I am leaning towards getting a Kindle at thispoint. I didn't get oneof the $89 one, so have to think about which one to buy.

chinagringo

Nov 28, 2010, 5:42 AM

Post #21 of 42 (3124 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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I just order the $139 Kindle yesterday. I did give some thought to the $189 3G version but I could not find a justification for the extra $50 other than it may satisfy the "instant gratification crowd". Since we have 3G service through SPRINT, I have noticed that particular service to be spotty throughout our travels. With the WIFI model, I figured that there are enough options on hotspots to download one or more books at a time and then be covered for awhile. Kind of like having another book to read when finishing the current one.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

wiloran

Nov 28, 2010, 5:48 AM

Post #22 of 42 (3122 views)

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Re: [sioux4noff] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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When I was researching which model to purchase I aked about using the Nook in Mexico and was told by the salesperson that it will probably work, but there is no guarantee. Kindle is guaranteed to work. Yesterday I had lunch with someone in Bucerias who told me that she has a Nook, but can't get it to download. Don't know if it's human error, or what, but after hearing that I'm happy that I went with Kindle.

Reefhound

Nov 28, 2010, 8:53 AM

Post #23 of 42 (3097 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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I'll confess upfront that I know nothing about e-readers. Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm struggling to understand how and why a simplistic single purpose device could be worth even $50, much less the $150 to $200 you guys are talking about. For that kind of money, you can get a multimedia tablet that can serve as a e-reader (Kindle for PC app), has Wifi, webcam, microphone, can surf the internet, send email, play videos and music, and much more. Or even a netbook for $200.

See this PanImage 7" Touchscreen for $150. (QVC ran a Black Friday deal and sold 100,000)

Here's a more powerful (Android 2.2 w 8Gb) model for a bit more, the Archos 70 Tablet at $275.

Or the 7" Google Android Tablet or the Anhub 7" or Coby 7" at Amazon all for just under $200.

yucatandreamer

Nov 28, 2010, 10:33 AM

Post #24 of 42 (3076 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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When the IPad came out I thought "damn that is much better than the ebook reader that I have and love", but since I like to lie in bed and read on my side I found it was too heavy to hold the way I like to read. Further my eyes get tired reading off of the computer screen and the e-readers imitate reading off of paper. I just also recently read that for people who have difficulty getting to sleep the back-lit type of computer reading makes the problem worse.

Those are my reasons for not using a tablet computer. I think it might have to do with how much and what type of reading that you do.

Reefhound

Nov 28, 2010, 10:58 AM

Post #25 of 42 (3069 views)

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Re: [yucatandreamer] Kindle / Nook /Sony reader

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The Ipad is 10", the Kindle is 6", these tablets I mentioned are 7" and under a pound. They are e-reader sized and essentially are glorified e-readers that add versatility in functionality. And they are relatively young products in the marketplace so anything you get today will be obsoleted quickly.

After posting, I spent some time looking at the Kindle product page on Amazon and I'll agree that if you are only interested in reading stuff then the dedicated e-reader does that job best by far. As you mentioned, the display is designed for more comfort in longer reading times. The battery life is much better (Kindle claims up to 30 days!) versus a matter of hours for the tablet.

I wasn't at all trying to say "you bunch of idiots, the tablets are obviously a better deal than the e-readers". But someone who is not a hardcore reader and wishes their e-reader could do a bit more might be interested in looking at the tablet products available. Or even more so if you're on the fence now and can afford to wait six months for the next gen of tablets.

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