Comments on: Kindle update

By: TB

TB — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 02:22:19 +0000

Just noticed something on the Kindle:

When it turns off, the screen shows one of a number of pictures as a “screen saver” or something. Most of these are famous authors.

Alexander Dumas looks almost exactly like Fat Freddy.

By: Eri

Eri — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 06:13:15 +0000

Thanks, Frank. I am one of those. Plus I’m disabled and can’t do the bending and stuff for the cable connections. I also have so many wires going to and from my computer, I just can’t add more. It might make the computer wifi but it wouldn’t do it for the peripherals which account for all my wires.

Yeah, if Fox were here… But he’s in Indianapolis. When he comes through, his time is so limited, I wouldn’t ask it of him. I don’t know when I’ll see him again anyway. Indie is a fur piece away.

I used to be handy with stuff but that was back in the stereo age. I’ve never been handy with computer stuff. Wish I were.

By: FrankC

FrankC — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 01:16:10 +0000

Really hard for some Tom. I am a fair hand at it, and I have helped some friends with setting up electronics and computers, however I have learned that for some really smart people dealing with things like this is almost paralytic. Telling them step by step how to do it often doesn’t work, and on-site service is expensive . I don’t know if Eri is in this category but if she is, she is in good company. If Fox is still around there she could ask him to help.

I am that way about anything artsy craftsy or anything requiring higher than mediocre manual dexterity. I can figure out nearly anything but I have difficulty tying a square knot on the first try.

By: TB

TB — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 00:09:05 +0000

You don’t have to be “handy.” If you have cable internet, somewhere in your house is a small box that has a TV cable going in one end and an ethernet cable coming out the other end and going to your computer.

Getting wireless is largely a matter of finding a decent wifi router (the geeks here will be full of good suggestions, I’m sure) and hooking it up to that ethernet output. If you don’t want to screw with making your main computer wifi, just get an ethernet hub and run ethernet cables to both your computer and the router. Then just program in the passwords and stuff and off you go. I use an Apple Airport for wifi, but that’s because at first the only wireless computers here were Imacs. You’d probably make other choices.

By: Eri

Eri — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:48:09 +0000

I got cords going out the yen-yen. I’m not handy plus I can’t lift my computer (PC) to get to it to work with it and have no one to help me. My internet comes through Roadrunner (Cable).

By: TB

TB — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:05:26 +0000

How do you get your internet at home? Creating a WiFi home network of your own nowadays isn’t that hard.

By: Eri

Eri — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:07:18 +0000

So I could get along with the $139 version by just using the USB port to download to Kindle. OTOH, the cell phone thing might be easier for me to use because my PC (and therefore, my USB) is a bit of extra trouble to access. I wish I had a different setup but I got what I got.

By: TB

TB — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:06:25 +0000

I’ve got the small one. There’s no reason to get the bigger one just for books, and the small one is easier to carry around.

Don’t go for the cheap ones that shoot ads at you (“with special offers” versions). Not worth it.

Mine just has WiFi, which works fine for me because I have a home network. That version is $139.

The one that has both WiFi and 3G is $189. This is fifty dollars more, but if you don’t have WiFi access, the 3G allows you to download anywhere there’s a cell phone connection. You do not get charged for the cell usage, and you don’t need to have a cell phone account.

On the other hand, my Dad uses neither, simply hooking his Kindle up to his computer with a USB cable and moving books he’s downloaded there.

There is a control that easily changes print size, line spacing, and screen rotation. There is also a “text to speech” widget, if you don’t mind Stephen Hawking reading to you.

P.S. get the nice leather case for it. Almost essential.

Much more here.

By: Jody

Jody — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:37:47 +0000

Now Eri, you know me better than that. I would never say anything about size. Size doesn’t matter.

muahahahaha

By: Eri

Eri — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:31:10 +0000

That tells me what I needed to know. Thanks.

I’m not paying Amazon to read their damned ads so I’d opt for the 6″ without the ads at $139. Of course, I don’t have wifi and I’m still not clear on how I download books from on-line for it after purchasing the Amazon books for Kindle.