Talk to me about Kindles please

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

The time has come, the Remus said,
to talk of many things
like whether I should buy one
and will I like the thing?
And how the heck do they even work
and other sorts of things.

So - are they idiot proof? What can I do on one? How does one put actual books on to it? Can I listen to music on it? How does one actually buy one and switch it on? Etc etc. And will I hate it? Please bear in mind that I cannot use/do not have a mobile phone or MP3 player or anything, so need words of one syllable or less when discussing anything technical.

Thank you. :)

There are tons of free classics on Amazon. You just need to link your Kindle to your Amazon account...I can't quite remember how to do it but it was v straightforward. Then start downloading! Literally, search for books, click on "Buy with 1 click" and it'll appear on your Kindle.

No music on the basic models....possibly on the Kindle Fire.

Thanks both. Okay, no music then.

you can put music on the basic kindles using a USB cable. I onyl found this out today:

Although your Kindle includes a headphone jack and speakers for listening to audio books as well as using text-to-text speech with eBooks, it can also be used as an MP3 player.
To do this simply copy MP3 files to your Kindle by connecting it to your computer using the USB cable, and then place the files in the music folder.
After ejecting your Kindle, press the Menu button on the home screen and chose Experimental. There should be a Play Music option next to Play MP3 on the Experimental page.
Press Alt+Space to pause or resume playback, and to skip to the next song press Alt+F.

The basic one is great. I upgraded to Paperwhite and do find the touchscreen annoying. You can hold the basic Kindle wherever, like a book, but Paperwhite needs to be held from the edges. Not great. Also, an accidental touch can send you several pages forward or back. Again, not great.

Paperwhite's one redeeming feature is that I can read it in bed without WWIII overhead light so DH can sleep.

I have fire hdx,light easy to use.watch movies,read books.charges with mini usb

BornToFolk. - No need to keep an eye on prices of books in your Kindle book Wish List. eReaderIQ does that for you

I got a 2nd hand kindle touch as you can also put mp3s on it (I wanted to listen to some downloaded lectures whilst on holiday.
You connect it to your wifi and then you can shop at the kindle store from your kindle. You charge it by plugging it into your laptop. I really like it, and it's great for holidays instead of trying to cram 2 books into your suitcase.
Reading on it really is like reading a book, but you can make the text bigger if you are reading in dim light which is really useful.

I charge mine using the charger for my phone as well as the proper kindle charger. I have never charged it from the laptop

Kindle Paperwhite page turn

You can hold the basic Kindle wherever, like a book, but Paperwhite needs to be held from the edges. Not great.

Why would you want to hold it in the middle of the screen?

Remus - Just order a basic Kindle from Amazon. No need for JL.

To buy books: You just buy the Kindle version on Amazon and it magically (instantly!) appears in your Kindle

But I like John Lewis!

So if I ordered kindle books on my laptop, how do they appear on the Kindle? Do I attach the Kindle to the laptop?

"Why would you want to hold it in the middle of the screen?"

Because the easiest way to hold something for an extended period of its time is at or near its center of gravity. Not its edges.

Just like we hold books.

No attachment to computer,need to beon internet.its appears as graphic
Can read kindle app on ipad.so my books are on ipads too

oh, thanks Cote! That looks great!

oh, thanks Cote! That looks great!

no they send it via the wifi and it magically appears on the kindle (they call it whispernet though to make it sound really magical!) - no cables required

Agh. Sorry, ScottishM. I didn't understand that.

Erm...hw does it know which Kindle to send it to? Am completely baffled.

What bit dont you understand,its wireless via internet.you dint need a computer
The book appears,in kindle,the graphic is the book cover

"So if I ordered kindle books on my laptop, how do they appear on the Kindle?"

It's magic, I said

It downloads via wifi in seconds, in other words.

or if you dont have wifi you can connect your phone to the computer using a USB cable and transfer that way too

Youre making this harder than need be.Your kindle app nominates which device
You name your kindle when you receive it,so its device books go to
So books go via amazon to ipads,anything that supports the kindle app

Am being really dim, I know. Sorry. If I'm on my laptop, how does it know which Kindle to send it to? Presumably a household could have several Kindles?

"Erm...hw does it know which Kindle to send it to? Am completely baffled."

The book you buy will only be sent to your Kindle. (When you get your Kindle, the 1st thing to do is to link it to your Amazon account).

When you have more than one Kindles in the house, it asks which Kindle you want to send your purchase to. You can always send it to your husband's or your DC's Kindles, too. Just like sharing a print book.