[chele519]

Anyone here have a kindle? I just pre-ordered the Kindle 2, I figured there will be a long wait anyway and I can always cancel it if I change my mind.

I downloaded mobipocket and have been using that to read but the screen is so small and it seems I'm turning pages every 2 seconds. I just wanted to hear from anyone that has both if the Kindle is really worth it. Thanks

[Pete6]

The BlackBerry has a smaller screen than the Kindle BUT, the Kindle does not make phone calls.

Sorry.

They are such different devices. It is difficult to compare the two. The Kindle is a reader whilst the BlackBerry CAN be used to read but it is not designed to fulfil this function.

[roeod4]

The Kindle is pretty cool and I thought about getting one, but I like the fact that I can have my books with me at all times on my curve and not have to carry a second device. With Mobipocket desktop you can also convert .pdf, .doc, .html, and .lit files to work with the reader. There are a tone of free ebook sites online and many library systems will allow you to download ebooks as well. I don't think you can do that with the Kindle.

[chele519]

Pete, I wasn't trying to compare the Blackberry and the Kindle, just reading with mobipocket on the bb vs the Kindle. I love my bb and will never go back to a regular phone. Since they don't have the kindle in stores, I can't even see one so I was just seeing if anyone had read on both and how the screen compares.

roeod4, you can download from some of the free sites for the Kindle too. The Gutenberg project and manybooks.net, according to reviews. My library does have ebooks but they don't work on bb unfortunately.

[ritchied]

I'd suggest playing with the mobi settings. I'm using bb alpha sans size 16 font with the inverted color scheme. (storm) works great. Much easier tp read than defaults and less page flipping.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Xopher]

My wife has a Kindle 1 and loves it. I've read books on her Kindle and it does a good job of being a digital book. There are definitely differences between the two.

MobiPocket:
- Free application.
- There are some free books available for downlaoding.
- You can use the BB's backlight for reading in the dark.
- There are a lot of sites where you can get ebooks (mobipocket, fictionwise...).
- Books tend to be more expensive.
- There are fewer books available in mobi format.
- eBooks can be stored on SD card.
- Smaller initial font, but changeable.
- eBooks can also be read on your computer/laptop/pda (up to 4 or 5 devices).

Kindle:
- $350 for the device itself.
- No backlight, so you have to have external light for reading.
- Books tend to be less expensive for Kindle format.
- Most books only available through Amazon (fictionwise has a Kindle-friendly format, but more expensive books).
- Page content viewing is similar to a real book.
- Free wireless download. No computer or data plan needed to buy books.
- Newspaper and magazine subscriptions sent automatically to Kindle.
- Kindle 2 does not have an SD slot, so books are only stored in internal storage (Kindle 1 has SD slot).

I read books all the time on my BB. The 8830 screen is big enough for me, and I would think the reading experience would be even better on a Storm. I can see how the Curve and Pearl screens could be too small for reading a lot. I purchase all of books for my BB through Fictionwise these days. Their rebate program helps make up for the price difference between Kindle titles.

On the Kindle, there is a much larger number of ebooks available. A lot of the newer titles are availble on the Kindle and take longer to be available on Mobi. There is a pretty good price difference on new Kindle books as well. Reading on the Kindle is just about like reading a regular paperback. With the upgrades to the Kindle 2's screen, I'm sure it will be an even better reading experience.

My wife has a lot of books. Most are stored in internal memory of the device, with her favorites stored on SD card for long-term storage. She also has a number of MP3s on her SD card for listening to music in the background while reading. I wonder how much the K2's not having an SD card would affect music storage and Audible audio book storage.

My opinion. If you do some occassional reading and have an 8830, Bold, or Storm, Mobipocket should be good enough. If you do a lot of reading, the Kindle is a very good option.

A note about the price-point. Kindle books tend to be $9.95 or less (with some exceptions). Most books for Mobipocket cost more. Seeing that you have to shell out $350 for the Kindle in the first place, the end price (device + books) will probably equal out in the long run.

[chele519]

Thanks for the comparisons, that helped convince me I made the right decision. I had already canceled the Kindle but part of me still really wanted one. It was just too expensive but the battery on the Kindle 2 has to be sent back to be replaced for $60. That was a dealbreaker. Maybe when Kindle 3 comes out they'll have put back the sd card and the replaceable battery. I do like being able to read in bed without a light on but last weekend I fell asleep reading and woke at 7am with my glasses still on and my poor little curve stuffed under the pillow.

I bought a book from Fictionwise and got the 100% rebate but I also found a site, booksonboard which has some pretty good prices. One book I wanted on Fictionwise was $16 but booksonboard has it for $5. I think it's worth shopping around and buying from different sources.

Ritchied-I tried the setting you use, that's tiny! I was at 19 on the clarity setting but bumped it to 21.

[wolf1989]

I personally really want the kindle. It is really expensive (why I don't actually have it) but the BB screen is just to small for my eyes. I like the wireless download and the cheaper books. I'm on my BB enough that sometimes its just nice to set it down for awhile and have something else.

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[Artemis68]

I have a Kindle 1. (which is totally better, because of the SD slot and all...) and I love it.

The Blackberry screen causes eyestrain for me and I read a lot. I also read a lot of manga (Japanese comics) and I put those on my SD card and then read them on my Kindle. Comes out great!

The Kindle has a beautiful screen and I save a lot of money by getting ebooks from amazon. Also is great for school and all the PDF articles I have to read.

I also use Feedbooks on my Kindle to get free ebooks downloaded automatically to my Kindle. It's awesome.

I'd say if you're an avid reader (like me), get the Kindle. The money that you would have spent on buying hardcopy books can be saved because Kindle books cost much less. Oh, and the Kindle works with non-DRM Mobi files too, so you can get ebooks from anywhere.

If you're just a light reader, then don't bother, because 369 is a lot of money to drop if you're not going to use the device that much.

[ninja please]

people actually buy those things? lol