Have to get a new Kindle

[Radio Fixer]

My still good and much liked Kindle is 12 to 13 years old.  Amazon has been trying to get me buy new for some time.  This started with cutting off buying from the device a few years ago.  No problem, just purchase books on the PC and download them to the Kindle.  But now, from the 20th, I wont be able to do that.

So I will have to get new one with touch and swipe screen which I'm not a fan of.  The old has a keyboard, not used much but the buttons and other controls are which I will miss.

Have to do it as to me the Kindle is simply the best for reading for so many reasons.  The old friend has been so reliable and easy.  Guess I will miss it until I get used to a modern device.

Gary

[Mike Watterson]

Kobo or Pocketbook is far better.

Download to PC ended a year ago!

All the major titles available on many stores.

Also maybe 100,000 PD ebooks.

I've had many Kindles and my last one will still work, but crippled with horrible Amazon surveillance, inferior KFX format and DRM.

[Paul_RK]

This thread set me wondering what's been happening lately on the Kindle front: there's a potted history at

https://www.pocket-lint.com/amazon-kindl...dle-oasis/ .

My own enthusiasm began with the 3G keyboard model, and as in other fields I was then also moved to acquire the earliest possible version, launched in the USA in 2007 and never marketed here. A touchscreen version then came our way as a freebie from a financial services company, and my wife took that one over. Kindles didn't take the place of books for either of us, though, and moderate initial usage soon dwindled to practically nothing: our home library amounts to around 3500 books and, again as in other fields, I've never warmed to the idea of buying non-physical products. The poor Kindles never progressed beyond being used for an initial spate of out-of-copyright texts that were cheap or free.

Paul

[PerdioPal]

It is a bit of a bummer having perfectly good tech rendered useless, my wife loves her old Kindle (the one with a four way pad). I bet Calibre (the software) can move books to it via USB. I guess I will find out soon when I get an "IT support" request from her. I like my Oasis Kindle as it has one handed operation and real page turn buttons, great for reading in bed. I only use it for my peccadillo of crime fiction (don't tell anyone). For real reading a paper book is much preferred.

[Mike Watterson]

The first modern ereader was in 1998, because it could have individual novels added. Built in modem. The format was made open and was developed to epub2.
The first with eink was 2005, by Sony. Sony had previously done a mini CD based Electronic book device in 1990. Unsuitable for individual novels.
The 2007 Kindle was English-Roman-Latin centric based on obsolete mobi due to Amazon buying in Mobipocket in 2005.
The Amazon Kindle by Amazon's Lab126 has always been behind other makes. It's now got one of the poorest GUIs and proprietary KFX format.
Most Kindle ebooks are read on an app, not on an actual Kindle.

[Radio Fixer]

"but crippled with horrible Amazon surveillance ... never felt this with my years of using mine.

Performance may not be as good as other readers but I cant compare my old one with a new by anyone. A later Kindle may be better at diagrams than mine? Its been a great purchase for me and apart from the virtues put by PerdioPal another is a huge library and ability to read a 2 or 3 chapters, for free, first.

Didnt know about the Kobo and Pocketbook. Looked at the later and it seems OK, not cheap for maybe a tryout. Can it access the Kindle library and will this continue indefinitely?

Gary

[Radio Fixer]

Done some looking and it becomes clear that only Kindles can access that library.

Read several reviews and some (Guardian for one) rate the Kindle Paper White as tops and others go for other brands. None seem to have buttons or the "four way pad" much liked by me also.

I dont want to get into multiple searches for a book when I need one so the local library access is to me of no interest. Another plus for the Kindle is transferring my library of 300 books to the new one.

I must think the build quality of the Kindle is excellent after all the years of daily use of my existing one. Every button works flawlessly and the battery still hold enough charge for my needs.

Looks like a Paper White then.

Gary

[Mike Watterson]

I downloaded every ebook as it was bought.

Download via browser ended a year ago, so I cut back and mostly bought from other stores and only bought Amazon if the ebook could download in azw3 format to an older Kindle. Today is the last day of that.

If Amazon thinks you make too many returns they will close your account, Then you lose access to all content on Amazon servers.

The newer Kindles only use KFX direct from Amazon, with no ability to remove DRM (currently), The files can't be usefully backed up as they will not work on a different Kindle. If the Kindle is broken, lost or stolen, you have to register a new Kindle (or Kindle App) to access the Amazon Library.

So do NOT buy a new Kindle. Use the free App on Android or iOS on a tablet or a phone.

Amazon can end your access to the "Library" at any time. So best to avoid buying any Amazon ebooks as it's really a lease.

Don't buy from any store using LCP or that only works with their own app.

[Radio Fixer]

Thanks Mike.

What you say could become true. Amazon could shut me out but its not in their interest to do so: I'm a customer and dont make many returns. Lets say they did, so I lost my books. No big deal, its all loss as you get older ... its a long list as you will find out. Some books that I do browse and read parts again will be out there somewhere.

Its easy with the Kindle library, big with lots of reviews (read the 3 star as well), get free sample always, works all the time ...

I used to be anti-Amazon as many are but they get a lot of things right and have improved other retailers. As I get older I need easy: everything takes longer and is harder.

Gary

[Mike Watterson]

You can use a free app to access your Kindle Library.