Hudl v Kindle (book reading)

go_cat

peachyprice wrote: »

Hmm, they're not great books though.

True i guess it depends if you are looking for best sellers but the advantage is if you don't like it you can delete it and it hasn't cost you anything

hawk30

peachyprice wrote: »

Hmm, they're not great books though.

I've found some great free books which have prompted me to buy the rest of the series. I've also found some ok reads and some absolute rubbish.

barbarawright

Amazon refuse to loan kindle format books via UK libraries. So if that's a deal-breaker, get something like a Kobo (WH Smiths currently have a Kobo Touch for £39.99). However with a Kobo you will be able to get free classics via Project Gutenberg and Manybooks.net so if that's your Dad's sort of thing you could preload it with all of Dickens and Jane Austen etc for free before you give it too him. It would be a good idea to put some stuff on it, whatever you buy, so he can play with it as soon as he unwraps it

neverdespairgirl

There are some fantastic, fabulous free books on Kindles, though - I've got lots of Kilping poetry, complete Shakespeare, Edward Leah, George Elliot, all free or under £1 each.

Pechow

Download Calibre to manage and convert ebooks, no more problems with different formats.

Gold_Dust_2

I also have a tablet and purchased a nook simple touch because you can't beat an e-reader when it comes to battery life and the screen is much easier on the eyes. If you're worried about potential book formats not being available on your chosen ereader, a quick google will show you a multitude of programs that will allow you to convert them to an acceptable format.

I actually had a paperwhite before I got the tablet, and the screen was brilliant - razor sharp and clear.

Richard53

I am a big fan of 'proper' books, and always scoffed at the idea of an ebook. Then my wife bought me a Kindle.

I absolutely love it. I can read it for hours at a time with no eye-strain, and the battery life is huge. I sometimes read on my iPad, but it's noticeably less easy. I imagine the Hudl is closer to the iPad than the Kindle.

As far as I am concerned, the Kindle has absolutely nailed the readable screen thing. Crisp and clear, and easy on the eye. And my Kindle isn't the latest model by any means.

I have downloaded Calibre to convert book formats but it's a pain, and not very intuitive.

For a plain e-reader, Kindle every time.

Tiddlywinks

I think the kindle is by far the easiest e-reader to use.

You have to remember that tablets have shiny screens which reflect the light and can be uncomfortable for reading blocks of text.

The kindle Fire is a tablet and has a shiny screen - you need the basic kindle e-reader which has a matt screen and the text looks printed and is easier to read:

http://www.johnlewis.com/kindle-ereaders/kindle/c7000010823?_requestid=206218

The basic £49 one will do the job but doesn't have a light... Although you can buy a clip on light from eBay for a couple of pounds. As we've been reading books for centuries by candlelight, night light etc it's not that necessary but, if you can afford to, go for the Paperwhite model which is backlit.

As to the freebie books, I've read literally hundreds of them and only a handful have been poor... and so I've just deleted them and moved on.

itsanne

As you are looking for something specifically to read books, you would be better with an actual ereader. I have a basic kindle and love it, but if I had to replace it I'd go for the paperwhite version even though it's £40 more. I've heard that Amazon are very good if anything goes wrong with a kindle bought from them. I don't know if the same applies if it's bought elsewhere. It's in their own interests to help out with replacements because they make their profit from the books, not the kindles which are sold at cost price.

I don't like Calibre, but there are so many books on Amazon that it hasn't been an issue. It can get expensive, though - the cheap books add up! Other than classics, I've not come across a huge number of particularly impressive free books - but any your dad doesn't like can just be deleted.

Tiddlywinks

I always look at the best sellers and click on the 'free' tab:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-eBooks/zgbs/digital-text/341689031/ref=zg_bs_fvp_p_f_341689031?_encoding=UTF8&tf=1

You can drill down into different genres such as horror, sci-fi etc by clicking on fiction and then the particular category that you fancy.

For instance, here's action and adventure:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-Action-Adventure-Fiction/zgbs/digital-text/362271031/ref=zg_bs_fvp_p_f_362271031?_encoding=UTF8&tf=1