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Kindle Question
Topic Started: Dec 10 2010, 07:02 PM (321 Views)
Piano*Dad
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Bull-Carp
OK, I'm thinking about a kindle for kid #2.

Pardon a completely ignorant question of you kindle owners. Are these devices essentially computer substitutes? Can you surf the web and post to social networks just like on a full laptop computer?
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George K
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Finally
Nope. Books only.

For that you need a computer. However, a small netback with the Kindle application would work nicely.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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KlavierBauer
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HOLY CARP!!!
P*D: Kindles can do some things like take notes (they have a decent keyboard - a real one), and can do some limited things online - but they're not designed to be a computer substitute.
It really depends on whether reading is the primary need you're addressing, or the idea of a portable computer.
If he'd like to have a computer to read books on, a netbook, or Android tab (or Windows tab) or similar may be a decent option. If he really likes the idea of an e-reader though, the Kindle is very popular.
The Kindle's advantage is its display. Their e-ink display makes for a very readable display that works in direct sunlight (this is where backlit displays fail).
This is one of the main reasons people choose a kindle over tab or netbook - if they're serious readers, the display on the Kindle is simply much more like printed media than a backlit computer display.
"I realize you want him to touch you all over and give you babies, but his handling of the PR side really did screw the pooch." - Ivory Thumper
"He said sleepily: "Don't worry mom, my dick is like hot logs in the morning." - Apple

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Piano*Dad
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Bull-Carp
Actually, I DON'T want the bloody thing to allow him to surf the web. I just noticed that the ads said something about being able to post on facebook and twitter, so I wondered if it was an interactive computer-like link as well as a book reader.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Ipad can.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Piano*Dad
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Bull-Carp
So I won't buy an IPad for him. That's simple. :lol2:
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Copper
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Shortstop

I was in Barnes & Noble today they had a big display for their ereader - Nook.

I know nothing about it, but if you have a B&N close to you, you may be able to go try one.

Ask about compatibility - what formats can be read. Ask the same question about kindle - I don't know the answer.
The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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George K
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Finally
One of my partner's daughters has a Nook. He and she like it.

But, it's just a reader.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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KlavierBauer
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HOLY CARP!!!
Nook and Kindle will do very similar things - though Kindle now has a 3G/WiFi version, so yes, it can connect to the Internet (not sure how limited that functionality is).

Both are basically beholden to their sellers.
Kindle = Amazon
Nook = B&N

And hitting the market directly, is the google ebook service, which will work on the Nook and the Sony, as well as Android/iPhone/iPad apps (pretty much anything that can access the web).
"I realize you want him to touch you all over and give you babies, but his handling of the PR side really did screw the pooch." - Ivory Thumper
"He said sleepily: "Don't worry mom, my dick is like hot logs in the morning." - Apple

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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
something to keep in mind is that the kindle cannot be used to download library books, it's only for purchased material.
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George K
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Finally
sue
Dec 11 2010, 10:30 AM
something to keep in mind is that the kindle cannot be used to download library books, it's only for purchased material.
There's a host of free material available for Kindle, however (as well as iPad and, I assume Nook).
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
George K
Dec 11 2010, 10:44 AM
sue
Dec 11 2010, 10:30 AM
something to keep in mind is that the kindle cannot be used to download library books, it's only for purchased material.
There's a host of free material available for Kindle, however (as well as iPad and, I assume Nook).
I suppose.....just that if I was buying this for a kid, I'd want to encourage the use of library materials, (e-book collections at public libraries are growing rapidly), as opposed to the more commercial uses.

But then I would think that, wouldn't I? :hat:
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musicasacra
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HOLY CARP!!!
There are three versions,
Kindle Wi-Fi ($139), Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi ($189), and Kindle DX ($379).

The B&N Nook has three versions,
Nook Wi-Fi ($149), Nook 3G+Wi-Fi ($199), Nook Color Wi-Fi ($249).
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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
just for interest's sake, here's a list of some options for readers

The sony reader has really come down in price around here, I've noticed.
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
I wanted to get a Kindle, but Mrs. D'Oh wouldn't let me, as it would stop us sharing books - something we have in common is reading tastes. There is something much more pleasant about a real book, admittedly, but I'd love to be able to download stuff wherever I liked.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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plays88keys
Pisa-Carp
George K
Dec 11 2010, 10:44 AM
sue
Dec 11 2010, 10:30 AM
something to keep in mind is that the kindle cannot be used to download library books, it's only for purchased material.
There's a host of free material available for Kindle, however (as well as iPad and, I assume Nook).
There are also some free games you can load into the Kindle. By games I mean simple things - like word unscrambling and other time wasters along those lines.
You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.
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