Marg Loc: Canadian transplanted to NW Alabama

I have had a kindle almost since they first came out. Currently it’s a paper white with no ads and it’s my favourite. Small enough to throw in my purse and carry anywhere, light enough to hold in bed, brightness and print size can be adjusted, thousands of books to buy or borrow (even borrow from Amazon) and my local library lends. I love it! My husband sits all day with his so I have just ordered for him the Flippy as recommended by Linda From Maine!

charlienow Loc: Hershey, PA

Yes, I believe so..however you can go into your account and deregister that kindle...problem solved.

Chuck

Cummins

Another source of reading materials is Gutenberg or Project Gutenberg Australia. Have a lot of free books that you can read on PC or reader. If you like it, you can give a donation to them. I did.

n4jee Loc: New Bern, NC

We have 4 Kindle Fires in the house. The one I use is the original Kindle Fire, while my wife's are newer. The fire offers more then just books at the expense of battery life. I have only paid for a few books in the years that I've owned fires. I subscribe to a couple of "book deals" email and get a daily list of reduced price and free books. I take only free books that interest me. I have a backlog of 30-40 books to read. I've also downloaded from the library. Reading on a tablet is so much more convenient than printed media. My wife makes better use of the fire's capabilities then I. She uses it for Facebook, weather, and playing "Spades."
One of the things that I like about the Kindle is the dictionary. If you come across a word you're not sure of the meaning, just tap it and the dictionary comes up with the definition and pronunciation. My wife has got into reading westerns and every once in awhile she'll as me something like "what is a Colt 1851 Navy?" I show her to highlight it and tap more and up comes a photo from the web or description from Wikipedia. You can't do that with a printed book.

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

I got such a fantastically overwhelming reply to my Kindle inquiry and I want to thank you ALL for your valuable personal experiences with Kindle and Nook. I do believe I will go with the PaperWhite Kindle as I checked with my local library and they do download to Kindle. The suggestion from Linda of Maine about the FLIPPY sounds promising for my situation. I hadn't heard of it nor had I noticed it on the Amazon pages with Kindle listings. I used to get my books from yard sales & library sales, however, that's not going to happen for a while and I'm not one for paying full price for a new book as I'm a very fast reader and can get through a book fairly rapidly. Even buying used books through Amazon can get expensive with the shipping and handling charges. I noticed that I could download many of the books to a Kindle for less than postage charges on a used book. Again, you have all been really helpful with your suggestions, now all I have to do is wait the 6-8 weeks Amazon states it will take for them to send it. I think I'll look for an alternative vendor.

LXK0930 Loc: Souh Jersey

My wife is an avid reader. She has had several Nooks, and currently uses a Kobo. Never had a Kindle.
Some considerations:
1. OUTDOOR USE: You probably want a paper-like (b&w) reader if you plan to use it outdoors. Tablets, PC screens, and color readers wash out in bright light. Think camera lcd screen vs viewfinder.
2. BATTERY LIFE: B&W readers hold battery charge for a very long time (some for weeks). Tablets will probably have to be recharged daily. You might not even get a full day's use from them.
3. FILE FORMATS: Nook and Kobo readers utilize the widely available EPUB format. Kindle supports a proprietary Amazon format. Some models of either may also support PDF. Programs exist to convert between formats, but this is an extra step.
4. COLOR: B&W readers can not display color. This limits their use for magazines, etc.
5. NIGHT READING: If that is an issue, some readers have built in night lights, and external reading lights are available. Obviously, not an issue with tablets.
6. SCREEN SIZE & WEIGHT: Most readers have a screen size about the same as a soft cover book, and are pretty light. Most tablets are larger and heavier, and might be uncomfortable to hold after a while.

Hope that this provides a little clarity to the subject.

Tdearing Loc: Rockport, TX

A good idea

Tdearing Loc: Rockport, TX

I've used that as well and it is a great resource, though often I've found that some of the older ones are not formatted as chapters and read simply as a continuous page. Still great.

WarpedWeaver

I own a Kindle paperwhite, a computer and a tablet. I use the Kindle for reading because it doesn't have the glare that the tablets or computer has and it is easier on my eyes. It is small and lightweight and fits in a jacket pocket or my bag so I carry it anywhere I might have to spend time just waiting around (like a doctor's office). You can adjust the font to suit your eyes (I use rather large print myself). At first I thought it redundant to have this device but I like reading on it so much better than the other devices due to it's weight.

Rileychas Loc: San Diego, California

Kindle reader is easier on the eyes and visible in sunlight, much superior to tablets

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

Best is to check your local library first. Free books from Library but some limit which Kindle you can use. I used a Paperwhite for a long time and it was perfect. Then we moved and this library didn't use the Paperwhite so I got an 8' Kindle Fire. That's great and the battery is good all day. It's a full computer, unlike the paperwhite, and can be used vertical or horizontal. Free books from the Library, also Amazon. We have Hulu and Amazon Prime so I can watch all of that on my Fire as well. As long as I'm in range of my WiFi.
Also once the book is downloaded you can read it anywhere.

BigDen Loc: Alberta, Canada

I use my iPad for reading books and many topical pdf files that I download. I subscribe to “BookBub” (free) which gives me a daily selection of books in the categories I have indicated. The books cost from free to about $5.00 and can be downloaded from Apple, Amazon, Kobo and Google. There may be other. Sources as well. The books sometimes include books that normally cost about $25.00 for the discounted price.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

I do recommend that you check your library online. Libraries these days let you "check out" books to your kindle or computer. Not all books, but a lot of them. This is FREE.

Kishka Loc: Grafton, WI

The Paperwhite is nice for night reading without disturbing the Mrs. It is also pocketable and has long battery life.

The older models, pre-touch screen, work well in colder environments when wearing gloves that would otherwise require removal to turn pages on the touch screen models. (I do a lot of reading on my deer stand in Northern Wisconsin.)

Amazon Fire models provide full color illustration if the e-book has such. Manuals, illustrated books, photos show very well in all models. The older 7 inch HDX, which is no longer made, had the highest resolution screen of the Fire tablets, is also somewhat pocketable and an excellent photo viewer.

Leo_B Loc: Houston suburb

I have the Kindle Oasis 3 which is the latest version. I also have the Paper White 4 which is the latest version of that model. They are very similar with a few key differences. The PW4 has fewer lights so it is a bit more obvious it isn't one smooth sheet of light. The screen is also smaller so there's 10-12% less text per screen requiring more frequent page turns.

Kindle vs. computer/tablet with Kindle app. The Kindle is FAR superior to ANY tablet or computer. It is front lighted not back lighted. That is MUCH easier on the eyes. There is a company called Fintie (yes, weird spelling) that makes easel stand cases for the Kindle. It allows it to stand at multiple angles on a table/desk/etc. to read while eating a meal alone or whatever.

Content is a major win for Kindle vs. Nook/Kobo/etc.. They all offer a lot of choices, both paid and free, but while they offer a lot of choices Amazon offers a LOT of choices.

Convenience. If you have something like a mini-iPad it could maybe be carried around in a cargo pants pocket. Most typical tablets are too large. The Oasis is almost too large. That's the one area where the PW4 wins hands down. It is small and light enough to go anywhere with you and never be noticed.

I've had Kindle(s) for a decade or so. I still read paper books now and then but almost all of my reading is done on my Kindle. They offer a starter model I don't remember the exact name of but the PW4 isn't hugely more expensive and offers a lot for the extra cost. The Oasis is the flagship but is quite a bit more.

I also own a Kobo and a Nook. They each get about 1% of my device reading and my Kindle gets the remaining 98%.

Good luck with your decision.