I have had an iPad for quite a while now, and I must admit that I am not sure how I managed before I owned one. (In truth, I am actually on my second one ... but that is not important.) I have downloaded a range of 'apps' (better know to non-iPad owners as applications or programs) as well as a load of music, several films, and three TV series. I have also used it to draft my blog whilst I am away from home, to write articles, and to make notes for (and to write) wargames rules. I have also stored a number of books on my iPad, and whilst on my recent cruise I tried reading some of them ... without a great deal of success.
The problem is sunlight. The iPad's screen, which is made from something that is very similar to Gorilla Glass, is highly reflective ... and in sunlight it is difficult to read black-on-white text. I have tried ... and I have had the eyestrain and headaches to prove that it is not a good idea. And yet on board ship I was surrounded by people who were reading books, and who were obviously not having the problems that I was having. The reason why was simple to find out ... they were all using Kindles.
After some discussion my wife (who is also an avid reader) and I decided to each buy Kindle. We have now had them for less than a week ... and have been converted! My list of Kindle books is not yet a long one, but it includes:
One added bonus to using the Kindle rather than the iPad is that it is a lot lighter to use and it fits into one's pocket. I will now use my iPad for what it is really good at doing ... and whilst I am away from home I will leave my reading to be done on the Kindle.
The problem is sunlight. The iPad's screen, which is made from something that is very similar to Gorilla Glass, is highly reflective ... and in sunlight it is difficult to read black-on-white text. I have tried ... and I have had the eyestrain and headaches to prove that it is not a good idea. And yet on board ship I was surrounded by people who were reading books, and who were obviously not having the problems that I was having. The reason why was simple to find out ... they were all using Kindles.
After some discussion my wife (who is also an avid reader) and I decided to each buy Kindle. We have now had them for less than a week ... and have been converted! My list of Kindle books is not yet a long one, but it includes:
- Little Wars (by H G Wells)
- Floor Games (by H G Wells)
- The Complete Sherlock Holmes (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
- Complete Works of Rudyard Kipling (by Rudyard Kipling)
- The Complete Series of Richard Hannay (by John Buchan)
- The Works of Anthony Hope (by Anthony Hope)
- Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles (by Kim Newman)
- The Riddle of the Sands: A Record of Secret Service (by Erskine Childers)
- The Secret Pilgrim (by John le Carré)
One added bonus to using the Kindle rather than the iPad is that it is a lot lighter to use and it fits into one's pocket. I will now use my iPad for what it is really good at doing ... and whilst I am away from home I will leave my reading to be done on the Kindle.
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I do have both although by accident, but I'm quite happy with it. As in your case I found the Kindle is a much better device for reading, more confortable to my eyes specially out of the house. Also it proved to be less 'fearsome' to handle to my wife who does not feel very attracted by the new technologies.
ReplyDeleteAnibal Invictus,
ReplyDeleteIt is reassuring to hear from someone who owns both devices that we have probably made a good decision.
My wife has a reluctance with regard to many technological developments ... but once she starts to use them, she is usually hooked!
All the best,
Bob
I have had the Kindle app on my iPad for a while now and have used it on holidays (and COW!), but I accept that there are sunlight and weight issues. I'm no longer ruling out a Kindle-type device...
ReplyDeleteTim Gow,
ReplyDeleteI also have the Kindle app on my iPad and it gives me access to the books I have bought ... which is a distinct plus!
The sunlight problem was more than little tiresome during our recent holiday, and that convinced us the the Kindle would be a good thing to buy. Another reason was the number of books that we tend to take with us. With the Kindle we can each take more than enough books to last a couple of weeks.
We bought the basic Kindle (they cost £89.00 each) because we did not need the advanced features on the more expensive models.
All the best,
Bob
PS. I am experimenting with loading PDF versions of wargames rules onto my Kindle. I will write a blog entry if the experiment proves to be successful.
I'm glad it's working out for you Bob, though I doubt they'll prise me away from the ink and dead tree method anything soon!
ReplyDeleteConrad Kinch,
ReplyDeleteI am still buying proper books as well ... but for times like holidays the Kindle has many advantages, not the least of which is its size and weight when compared to a single thick paperback!
All the best,
Bob
I have had a Kindle for about a year and half. I haven't bought anything on paper except wargaming rules and uniform books since. I love it. I do have a Kindle Fire also, which I use for internet access when traveling. My wife has an iPad, which she loves, and a Kindle.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Kindle family, Bob.... like Mr Kinch I was less than certain it was a good move, but having bought my wife one I was totally sold... and for holidays it's brilliant.... on one occasion
ReplyDeletePDF's will go on to a Kindle - I have a copy of Scruby's Introduction to Wargaming in PDF format on mine.... in my case I use a Windows 7 based Netbook rather than an iPAd, but all I did was connect the Kindle via USB and slide the file over..
I wholeheartedly recommend seeing if you can get an Apple version of the Calibre library program - it will allow you to edit/modify files and interact more easily with your Kindle - in addition it has the add-ins that allow you to strip the Amazon protection so that you and your wife can share books without each having to buy your own copy, it also allows you to buy books from other sources/formats (Waterstone's, Smith's etc) and still read them on your Kindle...
Undoubtedly one of my best buys this year - one of the pleasures in life is browsing Amazon/Gutenberg etc for bargains!
...oops - didn't quite finish, that should have been ".... on one occasion... I actually ordered a book without moving from my sunbed!"
ReplyDeleteBill,
ReplyDeleteI suspect that I will be following a similar course of action in the future, with my purchases of printed books (fiction ones in particular) numbering less than they have in the past.
Your wife's choice of both an iPad and a Kindle seems to be yet another endorsement for having both.
All the best,
Bob
Steve-the-Wargamer,
ReplyDeleteYet another endorsement for the iPad/Kindle mix!
I like the idea of being able to read PDFs on my Kindle, and have managed to email one to my Kindle which I was subsequently able to open and read.
I had not heard of the Calibre library program, but it sounds like it might be very useful ... and I intend to investigate further! Many thanks for bringing it to my notice.
All the best,
Bob
For a bunch of dice throwers and toy soldier shufflers you lot certainly sound geeky.. :-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy it.
Regards
Arthur
Arthur,
ReplyDeleteYou know wargamers who aren't geeky? All the ones that I know certainly have geeky tendancies even if they are not full-blown geeks!
All the best,
Bob
I got an e-reader thingie earlier this year and have added rules pdfs, pictures, "e-books" from the Gutenburg project, etc. I have also used it for web-browsing, netflix watching and listening to music while away from home. Works great for those things/tasks. I do still buy lots of paper books as I like to have reference works and such in hardcopy, and I also buy genre/niche books that aren't in digital format, not to mention I also enjoy having stacks of analog books.
ReplyDeleteThe e-reader is not very good for typing or for drawing or manipulating photos (even though it's color and the color is quite good for viewing stuff).
Fitz-Badger,
ReplyDeleteYour e-reader sounds a lot more sophisticated than my basic Kindle ... and far more like my iPad!
Like you I prefer analogue books, and bought the Kindle to replace the numerous fiction (and fewer non-fiction) paperbacks that I buy to take on holiday with me. They take up a lot or room (and space) and I never know what to do with them when I have read them. I am hoping that the Kindle will help to solve this problem.
All the best,
Bob
Bob - have started the ball rolling with some wargame related Kindle suggestions on my blog - if all us wargaming Kindle owners do the same we should get a very nice virtual library going....
ReplyDeleteSteve-the-Wargamer,
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent idea! I shall pay your blog a visit AT ONCE!
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteYou were quite spot-on when you said I would be busier upon retirement than I was before--I'm only now getting back into the swing of things after 3 months of what I had thought would be "nothing to do"!
I got a Kindle last Christmas, to the amazement of my family, given my history of detesting electronic gadgets. What convinced me was the incredible number of books available for little or nothing. Do a search for "military history", then arrange it by cost, low-to-high. The selection is stupendous.
I am very intrigued by the idea of transferring PDFs to my Kindle. My computer skills, alas, are not sufficient to enable me to understand how this would be done. I guess I need to find some teenager who does this kind of thing without a second thought...
Best regards as always,
Chris
Chris,
ReplyDeleteSince I retired, I don't seem to have had an unfilled day! In fact I seem to be busier than I ever was when I was working ... but somehow what I do seems to be far more fulfilling.
I also keep finding things to load onto my Kindle ... and I probably have enough reading material to last me several months already. You are quite right about the amount of free or cheap books that are available. Finding them is no problem once you work out how to search for them.
Loading your own PDFs onto the Kindle is simple. You just email it direct to your Kindle's email address et voila it will be there the next time you sync!
All the best,
Bob