I just bought a Kindle

I have been reading books on my iPhone for two years, so I needed an eReader, but I didn't want to get an iPad (or any tablet) because I just don't need the extra bandwidth. But man, this Kindle is a piece of shit. Why is it so slow and unresponsive? And what is with the flashing shit between screens? I have always heard raves. Did I get a defective one?

• No, they're cheap shit, just popular.

• Do you have a fast broadband? I have the iPad, and it works flawless. But, it bugs that I can't read Details Magazine on my iPad, and it's only exclusive for the Kindle Fire. That really bugs!

• What kind did you get? I just bought a secondhand Kindle Keyboard off Craigslist a few days ago and I'm already so addicted that I don't know how I managed without one. There's no flashing shit.

• Mine isn't slow and there's no flashing. So...

• The "flashing shit between screens" is the screen being reset. The way eInk works is that the screen has to be largely reset before the next page can be displayed. The newest devices, including those from other manufacturers, have various solutions for this but even the best of them will still have some flashing. It bothered me for about five minutes and now I don't even notice it.

• I have the cheapest kindle you can buy and have no flashing or speed issues.

• Mine is very fast (a book downloads in about 5 seconds total) and I've never seen any flashing.

• It's a gimmick for people who don't read.

• which one did you get? I was thinking of getting the kindle touch..does it flash?

• [quote]It's a gimmick for people who don't read. I've always read a lot. I'm reading about 3 or 4 times as much as I was before I bought my Kindle.

• what r10 said, I spent 350 bucks on books last month

• I just got a kindle, too. It is the $79 dollar one. The screen is beautiful. The advertising is very none intrusive and frankly, beautiful. It takes a couple of seconds to download a book. I can also put my own documents/novels through Amazon's free document depot. Finally, there is a device that resembles the tablet on Star Trek. The only gripe I have is that it does not support 5GHz N network.

• Sorry for this unknowledgeable question, but when one has a Kindle, must one subscribe to an internet provider (I assume so) and if so, to what internet provider does one use and what is the monthly cost?

• The Kindle Touch is awesome. It is fast, sleek and responsive. I have had every edition of Kindle, and Amazon really got it right this time with the new model. The "flash" you describe is caused by having the screen redraw between page turns. You can disable that in your settings. I have the iPad, which I love, but for reading in comfort, nothing beats e-ink. It really is like reading a book.

  Kindle%20Lover

• [quote]Sorry for this unknowledgeable question, but when one has a Kindle, must one subscribe to an internet provider (I assume so) and if so, to what internet provider does one use and what is the monthly cost? No, you don't need to subscribe to anything. The WiFi edition will link to any wireless provider, e.g., your home wireless router, your local Starbucks, etc. The 3G edition is more expensive but it comes with free 3G access forever, no subscription involved.

• [quote]Finally, there is a device that resembles the tablet on Star Trek. Ahem...

  IPad

• My Nook Touch flashes only 20 pages or so. It's far better than the Kindle. The virtual keypad only comes up when you need it, so the form factor is sleeker. The back is rubberized with s small indentation for your finger to rest. Very ergonomic.

• [quote] I didn't want to get an iPad (or any tablet) because I just don't need the extra bandwidth. WTF? Can someone translate this into English?

• R18, I believe the poster meant he didn't want to pay more for a device that could utilize extra bandwidth beyond downloading books.

• R16, when I said the Kindle resembles the tablet on Star Trek, I meant the size and the weight. If you watched Star Trek, you would see the tablet they have in doing various projects, are light, plastic and can be thrown into a tray or table carelessly. That is NOT what the iPad is. I have an iPad 2 which needs to handled as a faberge egg. I wish soon, someone would make a full blown tablet with similar weight and plastic durability as the Kindle.

• Lol, I was scrolling through threads real fast, and when I first saw the thread title, I thought I saw "I just bought a knife".

  Was going to ask "what for"

• [quote]The "flashing shit between screens" is the screen being reset. The way eInk works is that the screen has to be largely reset before the next page can be displayed. The newest devices, including those from other manufacturers, have various solutions for this but even the best of them will still have some flashing. All the people on this thread who claim they experience absolutely no flashing are either liars or just plain idiots.

• I have had no problems with my Kindle Fire. It's not lightning fast but fast enough. I'm on it all the time and read constantly. I love mine!

• Your Kindle Fire isn't a Kindle. It's a Kindle Fire.

• Call me when you can afford a REAL iPad.

• Love my K Fire!

• I just one that I inherited from my sister; she upgraded to an Ipad mini. I've been playing around with it and there's an annoying nuisance I hope a user can help me with. When playing games, random screens pop up with advertising. When I try to get back to my game, I get kicked out of it altogether. It happened twice last night, testing out Words with Friends and Angry Birds. I don't have a data plan - using Wifi. Is there a way to disable these ads?

• I've had a Kindle Fire for almost a year now, and I love it. It seems plenty fast and responsive enough for me, other than the browser getting stuck occasionally which isn't a big deal. I've never noticed any flashing with mine and I use it for several hours every day.

• [quote]I didn't want to get an iPad (or any tablet) because I just don't need the extra bandwidth There are Wi-Fi-only iPads. They don't all require a cellular data plan, if I understand your objection correctly.

• Just a friendly notice that many public libraries have Kindle books available as downloads (which, yes, do expire at the end of the loan period). You must load them from your computer hard drive as well (EPUB format for Nook, Sony, etc. downloads directly).

• New Kindle Paper White is a big improvement. It's backlit so you don't need a light to read.

• Once you've used the Kindle app *and* iBooks *and* Google Books *and* B&N's nook app *and* the Overdrive app for library ebooks on an iPad with Retina display, you're ruined for any other device.

• Ipad is a bit heavy to hold in one hand for a long time.

• Everything at R32 also applies to the iPhone 5, which is also super-easy to hold.

• I have been waiting DAYS to reply to this post while the DL has apparently been in high usage mode even at 3am on a weekday. Bleh. Black and white (non-Fire) Kindles use e-ink. An e-ink screen is made up little magnetic balls that are white on one side and black on the other. It's basically a next generation Etch-a-Sketch. What this means is that the Kindle only draws power when you update the display, which gives it weeks-long battery life, which is insane for a consumer electronic device. The screen also has no artificial lighting (except for the new paperwhite for reading in the dark) so there is no glare and you can read it outside. It also has a nice crisp look. This technology also means that the refresh rate is notably slower than traditional LCDs because all the balls have to turn around when you update. Newer Kindles have faster refreshes and new algorithms to only update sections of the screen at a time. But you're never going to have an interactive, quickly updated experience like when an LCD. My point is, if you want to read without eyestrain and in a variety of lighting conditions such as broad daylight in the park, then an e-ink Kindle is awesome. If what you really want is a tablet with an LCD screen, then you should get one of those (a Kindle Fire, iPad, or Nexus 7/10).

• What should I get? Kindle Paperwhite 3G or for $20.00 more Kindle Fire HD Tablet?

• Anyone, I need some advice

  R36

• What about the iPad mini? Isn't that like getting a computer and Kindle all in one device?

• I'd say the Kindle White if it's primarily for reading. I'm not sure if Kindle Fire includes the "paperwhite" look itself, but it looks white enough. Amazon UK can go fuck themselves, it took them ages to release the Kindle Fire and I kept going on to amazon.com and seeing it. But I'm imagining the content is nowhere near the US version as on amazon.com you can rent/stream movies and even though amazon.co.uk has lovefilm you can only stream these free movies and there's none I'm that interested in or saw the rest. Kindle is of course way cheaper than the traditionally expensive iPad but they're different things. Kindle you'd think is the gold standard/pioneer E-reader. If mine had more content I'd happily go with it, iTunes is hard to beat but the quality of mp3s is much better on Amazon, without the annoying copy protection. I'll say that the apps are not bad on Kindle Fire, some nice games and free ones but I had problems with it from the off. It's a bit tricky to get used to and I HATE the keyboard. I can use the keyboard on my much smaller iPod touch a lot easier but keep hitting the wrong keys on the Kindle. And make sure you turn off autocorrect!

• I think yours may just be defective. I had mine for only 5 or 6 weeks when half the screen went black. I emailed Amazon and their customer service sent me a phone number. We spoke for a few minutes and they quickly sent me a new one. I had to return the old one at my own expense, but at the end I was happy with their customer service.

• R38 I haven't looked at one and I'm guessing it's their response to Kindle, but I was dumbfounded at the concept of an "iPad mini" cause to me an iPad was essentially a blown up iPod touch which is like a mini iPad and an iPod touch was just an iPhone without the phone. Years ago when I got one at least and I can't believe the gratuitous Ford-style annual model updates. All these products are very similar with that same Apple interface (a great one for sure), so I didn't bother getting any more after the iPod. There's some functions not available on the others of course, but the exact same feel.

• I didn't think I would, but I love my iPad Mini. I hardly ever use my full-size iPad 1 any longer. I might give it to my brother, the Luddite.

• R35 is exactly right. I have both a Kindle and an Ipad. They serve entirely different purposes. If you read a lot, as I do, you need something that's not backlit, and the Kindle is the best bet. I've read hundreds of books on mine, in all kinds of light, entirely without eyestrain; even in full sun, it is easy to read. On the other hand, I can no longer do without the apps on my Ipad: for news, weather, playing games, and so on.

• I like my iPad a lot. I use it more than my old laptop but I have the first version of the iPad and I'm running out of storage and it's getting slower for some reason.. I am not a voracious reader like some people but I tend to read a lot on my iPad. My niece had a Kindle and I liked the feel of it. I think the iPad mini is Apple's response to the Kindle and I have heard raves about it. However the current version doesn't have the Retina display. I may wait until Apple upgrades the iPad mini so I can have both a small computer and Kindle-like device in one.

  R38

• Scrolling on facebook is a pain on the Kindle. When you click on a status and then go back, it takes you all the way back to the beginning.

• Friends gifted me with a new Kindle Fire. I don't play games so I don't need it for that. For watching movies, I don't want to watch on a 7-inch screen. I prefer real books. I don't do Skype video calls. The speakers are shit so there's no need program it to listen to anything. If only it were bigger, I could use it for a doorstop.

• I have had my Kindle for almost 3 years. I love it. But I just use it to read books. It is the basic one without all the bells and whistles which I don't need. I can even borrow books for free from the library. I don't have any flashing between pages or whatever you mean. It is just nice to read on.

  Anonymous

• ipads don't have e-ink screens, so i wouldn't qualify then as "kindle-like" because your'e going to get sore eyes reading them for any reasonable length of time