Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,481
500
I want a dedicated ereader, don't care about anything but books. Want a good eink display and thin/light. Is the Kindle Paperwhite the best option? Is so, is it worth the extra money to not get "special offers"? Is Amazon the best place to purchase, or can I get a better deal anywhere else?
 

ucfgrad93

macrumors Core
Aug 17, 2007
19,532
10,820
Colorado
I love my Kindle Paperwhite 2nd gen. It is wonderful to read on. I have the non-offers model, for me, it is worth the extra $20. I would buy from Amazon as they have amazing customer service.
 

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,481
500
I love my Kindle Paperwhite 2nd gen. It is wonderful to read on. I have the non-offers model, for me, it is worth the extra $20. I would buy from Amazon as they have amazing customer service.

Thanks, from what I've been reading it sounds like the Paperwhite is the best option. It looks like it often goes on sale for $99, so I think I'll pick on up from so we here that will match the price if it does. I have some best buy RewardZone money to spend so maybe I'll end up there. I'd rather get it from amazon, but to save the money I'd go to best buy.
 

rhinosrcool

macrumors 68000
Sep 5, 2009
1,751
687
MN
I have the Kindle Paperwhite 2 and it is the best ereader; it doesn't matter what the lighting conditions are. Also, I have the Special Offers and have used some of them. Even if I didn't, I wouldn't pay more to get rid of them; while reading, they are not intrusive.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,463
43,383
If you're going to go with an e-ink then the Kindle Paperwhite is what you want - hands down.
 

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,481
500
Developers used to write apps for the Kindle. They're still available to buy, but there are few that work on the Paperwhite.

I have a nice text editor that outputs HTML pages and plain text, and a few games. Nice for taking a break from reading and jotting notes.

Got it, might be nice, but in have an ipad too.
 

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
Kindle Paperwhite, or other ereader

You can't go wrong with Amazon ereaders. I have a first gen Paperwhite and I absolutely love it. The built-in light is really nice, the display excellent. I have the one without special offers but if you don't want to pay extra then it's fine because the ads don't interfere with your reading at all. The 3G feature (if you get the 3G version) is really cool, you can buy books on the go. The battery is outstanding, my Paperwhite lasts for about a month without charge, but I almost always have Airplane Mode turned on, so that really helps.

BTW, if you end up getting one with special offers, and you later find them annoying or something, you can opt out by accessing your Amazon Kindle account online and paying $20. And yes, Amazon IMO is the best place. They have the best collection of ebooks and their customer service is amazing. Do not buy ebooks from Kobo. Almost all of who did have had bad experiences. Very poor CS.
 

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
If you're interested in looking at other ereaders, the Kobo Aura HD is a very fine reader. I have one and I read on it when I'm in the house, when I'm out, I take my PW since it's much smaller. What I love about the Aura HD is the the sharp eInk display. It's exceptionally better than my first gen. Kindle Paperwhite. I also like the ergonomic design. The performance does not disappoint; the touchscreen is very responsive, page turns are very fast, looking up definitions of words is also fast. Also the Aura HD includes many customization and detailed options (eg. font face weight/sharpness) which is very nice. Also, the built-in light is not integrated (like with the PW) and can be turned completely off.
 

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,481
500
Thanks. Meijer is having a deal for $20 off a purchase of $100. I'm going to try to PM that at BB and use my $45 RZ certificate to get a paperwhite tonight.
 

T'hain Esh Kelch

macrumors 603
Aug 5, 2001
6,327
7,171
Denmark
The high end Kobos are as good as the Kindles, and I would recommend looking into those. Don't go for a Sony, as they are going out of the market.
 

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
Thanks. Meijer is having a deal for $20 off a purchase of $100. I'm going to try to PM that at BB and use my $45 RZ certificate to get a paperwhite tonight.


That's great! Let us know what you think of the Kindle PW when you get it. I'd be interested in your impressions.
 

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,481
500
That's great! Let us know what you think of the Kindle PW when you get it. I'd be interested in your impressions.

Will do. I got it today, $58 after PM and RZ. Haven't played with it yet though.
 

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,481
500
Anyone have a good suggestion on where to get books? Any subscriptions worthwhile? Library the way to go? Anything else?
 

ucfgrad93

macrumors Core
Aug 17, 2007
19,532
10,820
Colorado
Anyone have a good suggestion on where to get books? Any subscriptions worthwhile? Library the way to go? Anything else?

I get most of my books from Amazon. You can check your local library and see if they have Kindle books. If you are an Amazon Prime member you can get one book a month free.
 

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,481
500
I get most of my books from Amazon. You can check your local library and see if they have Kindle books. If you are an Amazon Prime member you can get one book a month free.

Thanks. I am a prime member, didn't know about the free book. That's awesome
 

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
Anyone have a good suggestion on where to get books? Any subscriptions worthwhile? Library the way to go? Anything else?

Amazon is the best place to browse and shop for ebooks, IMO. This is where the majority of my ebooks come from. I got a few Nook books from Barnes and Noble and from Apple's iBooks. But if you do so, you're going to need to strip the DRM and convert to Amazon's format to read them on your Kindle. So if you don't want to go through all that, I suggest you stick with Amazon's Kindle Store since the books are "Kindle-ready". Also you may have heard of Project Gutenberg? It's the oldest digital library.

For subscriptions on Kindle books, check out Amazon Delivers. There's a Kindle category there where you can choose from a number of Kindle subscriptions. For instance if you subscribe to the "Kindle Daily Deals" you'll receive daily emails about Kindle book deals from different genres.


Screen_Shot_2014_06_29_at_1_01_20_PM.png
 

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,481
500
Amazon is the best place to browse and shop for ebooks, IMO. This is where the majority of my ebooks come from. I got a few Nook books from Barnes and Noble and from Apple's iBooks. But if you do so, you're going to need to strip the DRM and convert to Amazon's format to read them on your Kindle. So if you don't want to go through all that, I suggest you stick with Amazon's Kindle Store since the books are "Kindle-ready". Also you may have heard of Project Gutenberg? It's the oldest digital library.

For subscriptions on Kindle books, check out Amazon Delivers. There's a Kindle category there where you can choose from a number of Kindle subscriptions. For instance if you subscribe to the "Kindle Daily Deals" you'll receive daily emails about Kindle book deals from different genres.


Image

Thanks, signed up for the emails. I've been reading all day here at work and I'm really liking the Kindle a lot. I love the screen, but also how thin and light it is.
 

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
Thanks, signed up for the emails. I've been reading all day here at work and I'm really liking the Kindle a lot. I love the screen, but also how thin and light it is.


No problem. I'm glad you're liking your Kindle. Did you go for the Wi-Fi only version? Special Offers?
 

Dmaynard83

macrumors 6502a
Jul 16, 2012
825
66
The Kindle PW is due for an upgrade soon. You may consider returning it.

But if you can't wait the '13 Kindle PW is a great device. Probably the best ereader on the market. And my god the battery lasts forever.
 

jjk454ss

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 10, 2008
4,481
500
No problem. I'm glad you're liking your Kindle. Did you go for the Wi-Fi only version? Special Offers?

Yeah, wifi with special offers. The ads don't bother me so far.

The Kindle PW is due for an upgrade soon. You may consider returning it.

But if you can't wait the '13 Kindle PW is a great device. Probably the best ereader on the market. And my god the battery lasts forever.

Didn't even think of an update. I think I'll keep it and if there's a refresh maybe I can use a second one, keep one at home and one set work. with the whisper sync that would be alright.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.