Amazon Kindle

[Orik]

And only 2 and a half times more than a Kindle.

 

Finally the answer to the question "Now that SONY no longer makes e-readers, what can I buy if I refuse to get a Kindle. Price is no object."

 

 

The comp is Kindle Oasis.

 

But it's basically all the same crap.

[Rail Paul]

I didn't realize you could do that. Which model do you have?

 

I'm not sure, the Kindle Fire tablet is downstairs right now. It's probably about three years old.

 

I plug a stereo wire into the audio output of the Kindle, and plug the other end into the auxiliary port of the tuner. That way, I can listen to WNYC, WBGO, WHYY, etc on good speakers and get my membership's worth.

 

When I use the "screen mirror" feature of the Kindle to watch TV on the big screen, the sound runs through the sound system speakers via that same audio work-around. I believe the mechanics of the process use my wifi to deliver Channel 13 WNET to my tablet via their Member Passport. When I select screen mirror, the TV set then picks up the Kindle (via BlueTooth?).

 

The new TV allows direct access to YouTube, etc so I don't have to use that work around anymore

[Lex]

The comp is Kindle Oasis.

 

But it's basically all the same crap.

Do you use an e-reader?

 

I view most consumer electronics as commodities. Laptops. E-readers. Tablets. Unless something does something that's so great as to truly differentiate itself I tend to buy on price. My original Kindle which I got in 2012 cost $70. It still works today. I count that as a win.

 

My Nexus 4 tablet which I got in 2014 for $200 still works today. I count that as a win too.

 

I'd like to also treat my phone as a commodity but at this point the high end models still distinguish themselves by providing cameras (and in some cases screens) which are noticeably better that the mid range models. I expect that gap to close in the next few years. Gimmicks like face ID and animated emojis don't appeal to me.

 

My new TV was an exception. I thought the performance justified the price premium, especially in light of recent price drops for large screen OLEDs. But that's an exception.

 

[Wilfrid]

If my original Kindle still worked today I'd be happy using it. But after going through several, Amazon stopped replacing them for free, so I use the free app (and only carry one device).

[Lex]

After three Kindles died on me, I now use the Kindle app on my phone.

But after going through several, Amazon stopped replacing them for free ...

 

They realized that your Kindles, much like the drummers in Spinal Tap, were remarkably unlucky.

[Lex]

The regular Kindles display a book ad if you don't press a button after 5 minutes. You can buy ad-free versions for about $20 or $30 more but since you can banish the ads and return to reading with a single button push most people, including me, go with the cheaper model.

 

Usually Amazon is fiendishly clever about serving up targeted ads. It remembers what you've searched for in the past and what you actually purchased and displays ads for related products. That can often be useful and is rarely annoying. The Kindle is different. The ads it displays are random and often perversely mismatched with my taste.

 

On my Kindle I'm currently reading the second volume of a Churchill biography and a Cold War thriller set in Moscow in the early 1960s. For variety I'm weaving in some Nero Wolfe mysteries. Last night my Kindle went into sleep mode and displayed this.

 

 

Who kidnapped Nova's father? She vows to get him back, but where does she turn?

Nova runs away, but before she can save him she's taken prisoner by sky pirates. She has a secret, a secret more dangerous than any blood-thirsty marauder. And the pirates will do anything to learn the truth.

Now, she must trust two men to help her escape before her family is torn apart forever. One wants her dead, the other would follow her anywhere.

 

 

Perhaps Amazon has sensed something about me that I don't know yet.

[Sneakeater]

It's the Nero Wolfe. Gotta be.