Buying a Kindle? Read This Before You Buy

Lida, yes, I think you'd be very happy with a Kindle Fire tablet. You'd certainly get the color (though remember that it may be hard to read in bright, outdoor light) and children's books look great on the Fire. I know many people who use their Fire as their computer, streaming news and movies, etc. In fact, my 87-year-old dad uses his for those things. Have fun!

Hi Supriya. A kindle is a wonderful gift for anyone who loves to read - your husband is very lucky! I always suggest the Kindle Paperwhite first since it includes a lighted screen and is in a great price range. I think he would love the Paperwhite. Hope that helps!

Dana, I think you're referring to the text-to-speech feature that used to be available on Kindle readers. These days, a large number of e-books are available with the Audible feature, professional narration that you can add to the book, usually at a discount over the Audible version only. Audible is professional narration while the old text-to-speech just sounded like a computer pronouncing the words. In other words, it wasn't the greatest feature in the world. Look for books in the Kindle Store that have Audible available if you'd like for your Kindle read to you.

Tessa, I'm so sorry you're having charge issues with your Kindles. My only real suggestion for you, since I'm not sure how your South African electrical systems compare to ours in the U.S., is that to extend battery power, turn airplane mode on. Now, that is only good for when you're not streaming something online (for instance playing a game), but if you're reading a book or even just watching a movie that you've already downloaded, turn that airplane mode on so the battery is not used so much. My Kindle reader's battery lasts for weeks when I keep it in airplane mode. Otherwise, I hope you can contact Amazon perhaps by email to get some resolution to your problem. Good luck!

Hi D Wall. You should be able to find the Kindle Voyage at Best Buy or Staples or possibly even Walmart. Whether they have a working model you can try probably depends on the store. I've seen displays in Staples in the past, though I haven't looked recently. You might let your fingers do the walking (am I dating myself here? LOL) and call before you visit just to check in advance. Thanks for asking and good luck!

Theresa, you are right that the early Kindles did have the ability to "read" books out loud. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case and no, the Kindle reader no longer has a headphone jack. However, an alternative I would suggest is a Kindle Fire tablet (or perhaps the Kindle app on her phone) used along with the Kindle Unlimited program (a subscription, currently about $9.99 a month). That program offers unlimited reading and listening with Audible, but within their catalog of over a million books, many with Audible narration. I think that with that large catalog you should be able to find a good selection of books/Audible narration for your daughter. There is a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, so hopefully you can check it out thoroughly and decide if it's worth the price. I am optimistic that it will be - and I really hope you find that to be true. Best of success with finding exactly what your precious daughter needs!

Thomas, you are so very welcome! Enjoy your Voyage - what a great choice!

Hi Laila. Good for you having a daughter who loves to read! The basic $79 Kindle would be just fine for her unless you want to be sure she has a lighted screen (if she reads often in dim light) in which case I'd recommend the Paperwhite. You should be able to find many free books in the Kindle store that she would enjoy reading. Go ahead and browse through the book store (you can sort by price) to see the selection of free books. You'll probably need a credit (or debit) card to set up the account when you register the device. Perhaps you could use a prepaid credit card and provide her with a monthly book allowance and associate that card with the account so she could choose and buy a book from time to time. Wishing you both the best!

Hi Mia. No, Kindle books can be read on any of the Kindle and/or Fire devices. Same version of the book, same exact price. Enjoy!

E, the basic Kindle reader does not have a lighted screen so a separate light is needed to read at night or in a dark environment. Thanks for asking!

Commence, I guess "expensive" is in the eye of the beholder. In my opinion, there's far more value in any Kindle or Fire model than meets the price tag. :) Thanks for stopping by!

Ricky, the Kindle reads electronic versions of "real" books. Amazon's goal is to make every book there is available in electronic form and they're certainly headed in that direction!

Tom, I'm not sure I understand the question. If it's through Amazon, you should be able to access the book on the Amazon website and enter the code at checkout. You should be able to do that with your 3G connection. On your Paperwhite home screen, look for the little cart emblem to get to the store. Hope that helps!

Judy, it's so simple I can do it! Seriously, when I bought my first Kindle I did so because I had read the procedure was easy - and it was easy, and remains so. When you open the Kindle it will walk you through connecting to your home network. Beyond that, it's very simple to buy a book either from your computer or from the device itself, then watch it arrive on your device. Don't have a home computer network? You can use a 3G network (sort of like a cell phone) and connect that way. Or you can use the cable to load the book from the computer. I'm making it sound more difficult than it is. If you have a computer network in your home, it will be super easy to get the books on your Kindle. If you don't, you can just follow the directions to upload it from your computer. Amazon is excellent in walking you through that. Hope that helps and doesn't confuse you further!

Sue, absolutely you can use the Kindle on buses. You can use it anywhere you want as long as it's charged up (and all the Kindle models hold a charge well). If you want to download books you'll need a wi-fi or internet connection (or 3G/4G), but yes, you can read it anywhere. Thanks for asking!

Galka, I honestly don't know the answer to that. Touch screens seem to be the norm just about everywhere today (i.e. phones and computers), though, so I'd be surprised if Amazon will ever go with a non-touch screen again, though I'm sure you're not the only one who would appreciate that option. Perhaps they'll surprise us in the future. Thanks for asking!

Catherine, I certainly hope I can help! With the requirement for a built-in light and since you just want to read books, and because you want a mid-range price, I'd choose the Paperwhite. I think it will give you everything you want. I'd suggest using airplane mode in order to prolong the battery life. Now, if you load up the Paperwhite before you leave home and you know you won't need to download much or anything during your trip, you shouldn't need to use wireless or 3G very much. However, it's certainly possible that you'll want to add a book while you're gone. If so, you'll have to be in a place (hotel perhaps) that supports wi-fi to do that. If there is a 3G signal but possibly not wi-fi where you're going, then I'd add that 3G option. Another important thing to consider is that Amazon makes their content available in Africa, whatever parts you'll be visiting. If they do not, then you won't be able to download anything new directly to your Kindle anyway. So do your best to load up your Kindle library before you leave. That said, if there will be a computer available and an internet connection, you should be able to download a book to the computer then upload the book from the computer to your Kindle. I hope this information is helpful and I wish you a wonderful trip!

Hi John. Frankly, if you go to B&N's site and look at the Nook models there, you'll see just 86 reviews (rates 3.2 stars) for their GlowLight Plus which I would call most comparable to the PaperWhite from Kindle which has 28,879 reviews (rates 4.5 stars). I also see that B&N's tablets are made by Samsung, though you said you're looking for a reader, not a tablet. The volume of sales by Amazon and their excellent reputation for customer service speaks volumes to me, though I'll be honest and say I've never tried a Nook. Amazon also has multiple programs that are a huge advantage, such as the built-ins to GoodReads, Kindle FreeTime, X-Ray, vocabulary builder, etc. I can't imagine that Nook has anything close to those features and others, as well as Amazon's selection of books that you can read for free. As for the formats supported, Kindle supports Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion (copied that from the product page). I honestly don't know about the epub format. Obviously I'm biased, but I'd say that Kindle blows Nook out of the water (one cool feature that I'll give them credit for, the Nook reader is waterproof). Hope that helps!

Daniyar, all of the Kindles come with a dictionary! As you're reading, if you come across an unfamiliar word you can touch to highlight it and you'll be given the definition. I'd suggest that you go to the Kindle bookstore and check to see if the books you're going to need for your studies are available in Kindle format. You'll probably find many but not necessarily all. Of course for casual reading, you'll find millions of titles to choose from and I think you'd really enjoy reading on any of the Kindles. As usual, I recommend the Paperwhite because it's very affordable and has the lighted screen so you can read in any lighting situation from dark to bright sunlight. Hope you find exactly what you need!

Karen, great questions and thank you for asking! The Paperwhite is very lightweight and should be good for your mom to hold. When I read, I usually hold mine in my open hand, with the cover turned back, gripping it gently on the sides when I have to move it. My hands are fairly small and I have no trouble with that. The brightness is adjustable, as is the text size. She can also adjust the font if she prefers something different, though I think the Bookerly font (default) is very easy to read. She can also set bookmarks to make it easier to go back to spots she might want to reference in her book clubs. I haven't used the more expensive Voyage or Oasis readers so I can't tell you first-hand if there's anything about those that would better suit her. They both have the same ppi as the Paperwhite, so that is good. The more expensive models are lighter, though, about an ounce less for the Voyage and 2.5 less with the Oasis, but that's without the case. The Oasis is self-charging via the (included) self-charging cover, so you'll have to decide if that matters. Overall, I'm extremely happy with my Paperwhite and I can't think of anything that's missing for a senior (I'm a "junior" senior, in my 60s). I'd love to know how she likes the e-reader versus a heavy paper book. I really think she'll love it. Hope this information helps!

Great question, Evelyn! Amazon stores all of your books, photos, etc. on their cloud so that it's available across all of your devices. Since the Oasis is a reader, you'll be able to access any of your books at any time to read on the Oasis. You can do that from the Oasis by doing a search for author or title, or you can access your list of books at Amazon.com and load them onto your Oasis from there. It's very easy! Glad you're enjoying your Fire and hope you enjoy your new Oasis reader!

Thanks for your question, Onza. It's a very good idea to get a case for the Paperwhite or any other reader. I'm not aware of one that you can design yourself (there used to be one, but I haven't been able to locate it). Probably the best case is the one that Amazon makes (it's pricey), but there are plenty of other cases available that fit the Paperwhite well, which is very important. There's a MoKo case that is thin and light, has a magnetic clasp (very convenient), and has excellent customer reviews. The cool thing is that it's available in lots of patterns, so your daughter could choose a really pretty one that she'd like. Best thing is the price, around fifteen dollars. You should find it easily with a search. Hope that helps!

Thank you for your kind words, Wednesday-Elf! Indeed, I do like carrying my whole library with me when I'm away from home!

I've done the same thing, Sylvestermouse, reading while connected. An extra-long battery life would be wonderful! That photo showing how thin the Oasis is is pretty amazing, too, and I really like the leather case that actually comes with it, no extra charge. Obviously I could talk about Kindles all day, so I'll stop. :) Really appreciate your visit and your comment!

Jaya, I'm so glad my article answered your Kindle questions! If there's anything else you think of or if I can help in any way, just let me know!

Hi there mars27. Thanks for the great question! Yep, it's easy to become addicted to Amazon Prime and all that goes with it. I stream videos on my Kindle Fire frequently and just love being able to lie in bed and watch a movie up close and personal. As for reading ebooks on the Fire, to me there are two drawbacks. One, you can't see the screen well enough to read outside or in very bright light. Two, the Fire is quite a bit heavier than the Paperwhite reader (the one I currently use for reading) and that makes it harder to read in bed (the weight of it becomes a bit burdensome). However, if you'll be reading indoors on the Fire, and especially if you can prop it up when you do your casual reading, then you should get by quite well reading on the Fire. Since you know that you want to stream movies, then choose your favorite Fire model and give reading on it a try and see how it goes. If you find that you're trying to read in uncomfortable situations, then consider adding a separate Kindle reader. They're all so affordable these days, so much more so than a couple of years ago, that having two devices isn't a huge splurge. I hope that answers your question. I really appreciate your visit and comment and would love to know what you decide and how it works out for you!

So glad you're enjoying your Paperwhite, healthylife2, and find it user friendly (I agree). Sounds like your husband is a pretty smart cookie. :) Thanks so much for your visit and very kind comments!

LOL I hope he gets the message, favored! Thanks so much for sharing the link!

I'm not sure either, Catherine. Can you take advantage of the Amazon Prime "perks" on your Samsung tablet? If not, that might be something to look into and consider if you decide to shop for a Fire tablet. Thanks so much for your very kind comment!

Thanks for your input, BarbRad. There are ways to accomplish some of these tasks. For instance, swipe upward on a page and you'll be presented with a "window" from which you can flip through the book's pages for a quick look forward or backward without losing your place. I often do this when, for instance, I'm looking for a previous reference to a character in a novel. The search function is helpful when you're looking for a book but don't remember the title or author, if you remember a keyword that might help you find it. You can also create "collections" on your Paperwhite in which you can file books by type, genre, etc. in order to find them more quickly later. Clearly there are advantages and disadvantages to both electronic and paper books and we each have to decide which works better for us. I really appreciate your feedback!

Oh, I'm so jealous, Barbara! :) It's always tempting for me to get the latest version, but this year I haven't bought a new Kindle or Fire tablet. I do love my earlier-version 7-inch Fire, though, and particularly love the size. Great to know you're enjoying yours, and happy that your son has one, too! Thanks for taking time to comment.

Thank you, Brite-Ideas! I'd be happy to answer any questions. I do love talking about my Kindle hobby!

Hi Brandi. Either of the two you mentioned will do the job, allowing you to read outside without glare and I think you'd be happy with either one. If you want to be able to read in dim light or in the dark though, without a separate reading light, I'd suggest the Paperwhite. It adds a layer of light on top of the page and there is still no glare. In fact, it truly looks like you're reading a real book. For as long as I've had mine, just last night I actually adjusted my position as I read in bed then reached up to turn the page. Guess my brain had a flashback to reading paper books! Enjoy your new Kindle, whichever you choose!

Isn't that awesome, MWSJr? I love that feature, too, especially when I sit outside in bright light. Thanks so much for stopping by and adding to the conversation!

I have some minor eye issues, smine27, and I can attest to the fact that Kindle really is easier on the eyes. I'm really glad I have both a reader and my Fire tablets. Bet your mini is tons of fun!

SandyMertens, take a look at the Kindle Fire tablets, starting now at just $99. They can do just about anything - and you can read on them, too. Can't beat the price! (Thanks so much for stopping by!)

@Mark W Kuglin: How very kind of you! Thanks, and I hope you continue to enjoy your Fire tablet!

@KingRezo: I was reading your mind! :) Bet if you tried a Kindle you'd be surprised how much you like it. That said, I'd hate to see the total demise of print books, but I do appreciate the advantages of e-ink and one little tablet to contain my library. :) Thanks so much for your visit and your comment!

@CloudEpic: I appreciate your input and your enthusiasm, cloudepic. Thanks so much for stopping by!

@roz1031: I can't tell you how much your feedback means to me, roz1031. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. I hope your Paperwhite lives a very long and happy life with you!

@gmacor2: Great question! All of your Kindle books and other downloads are stored with Amazon so you can retrieve them if you buy a new Kindle or even to read with a free reading app. You won't lose a thing!

@fadeobaa: You have made my day! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your feedback. I'm glad you were able to go with the HDX model and I hope that it serves you very well for a very long time to come. Thanks again!

@EnthusiasmMadame: My pleasure! I've always been a reader and a book person, but I'm totally sold on Kindle at this point. After our house fire, I've only bought a couple of "real" books and four more Kindles/Kindle Fires where I add books regularly. Plus, I read more now than I have in years and years! I'd love if you come back and let me know when you take the e-reader plunge!

@AlanJC321: Just today someone told me I've turned her into an ebook reader. Try it - you'll like it! :)

@fadeobaa: Awesome news! I'll be looking forward to your feedback. Good you took advantage of that sale because it didn't last long! Thanks so much for letting me know.

@Scindhia H: I appreciate that, Scindhia!

@fadeobaa: Honestly, I haven't even used Skype. But the advice I'd give you is to buy the most your pocketbook can handle. I have a 1st generation Kindle HD with the big screen and it's great, but if money were no object I'd upgrade to the current version. Why? Because I also have the 1st generation Kindle Fire and, even though it's also wonderful, the newer HD is faster. The HDX would be faster still. Amazing that we get used to improvements and on a scale of fast, faster, or fastest, if you're used to fastest you won't want to ever go back to just fast.

Perhaps someone else will see your question and address the camera issue. Thanks for taking the time to ask!

@anonymous: Thank you, smilebs520!

@MartinTim: Thanks for those kind words, MartinTim!

@evawrites1: You're welcome, and I definitely agree. It's much easier on the eyes to read that wonderful e-ink.

@trevorjb1406: Thank you, trevorjb1406!