I've been toying with one of these as I travel a lot and it would be nice to take something more portable .. the iPad just doesn't cut it as a serious e-book reader IMO due to the screen.
My biggest issue with it is that on a flight you cannot read it until all the other devices can be used too, my most bored moments are waiting to take off and waiting to land so there's a good hour per flight that I'd want to use for reading and I cannot with a Kindle. Shame, as otherwise I'd be all over it!
M
Really? I have a 3G wireless version and I simply turn off the wireless whenever it's not being used to download something (in order to preserve battery life) so, I fail to see why that shouldn't be OK to be turned on during all moments of a flight.Originally Posted by monty77
There's no logical reason why it should be off but you're not allowed to have any electronic devices active between the time the cabin doors close and reaching cruise, whether they are in 'flight mode' or not. Bit mental, but the way it is. You're asked to shut everything down from the time you start descent until reaching the gate too.Really? I have a 3G wireless version and I simply turn off the wireless whenever it's not being used to download something (in order to preserve battery life) so, I fail to see why that shouldn't be OK to be turned on during all moments of a flight.
M
I find ebooks somewhat analogous to digital watches: alright for certain situations but you wouldn't want to use them exclusively.
I have a Kindle and I only use it for travelling when it is not practical to take actual books. For almost every ebook I buy, I also buy the paper version. There's something... well... proper about going up to one's bookcase and choosing a book. These electronic devices aren't the same.
Some said the same about LPs.
Music, movies ... they've all gone digital. It would be bizarre if books, uniquely, remained analogue.
Have had a Kindle since Christmas and love it. Several people have asked me which do I prefer books or e-reader, as if you somehow have to commit to one or the other exclusively. The great thing about the Kindle is that you can get to the stage where you are absorbed in reading and forget about the technology fairly quickly.
The thing about being tied to the Amazon library is a nonsense, true Amazon sell e-books, but you can get them often free from other places. Yes Amazon keep a copy of what you have bought from them and if you accidentally delete a book you can get it back )and in theory they can also delete a book. I think that did happen once with an earlier version of the Kindle, caused such a fuss that it is unlikely to ever happen again;
http://www.informationweek.com/news/per ... /218501227
http://www.legalzoom.com/intellectual-p ... lete-books
http://allthingsd.com/20091001/amazon-w ... our-books/
But you can keep your own copy of your library on your PC (or MAC or Linux) using Calibre.
Calibre also converts books to and from most formats, and helps you organise the collection, and get free newspapers from all over the world. Using this and USB I rarely only have to use WiFi if buying a book from Amazon. the rest of the time it is off and the battery life is fantastic. If the new version turns out to be touch screen and colour I might be tempted but only if the battery life isn't compromised.
Maybe because they want you to pay attention to the safety briefing! :PThere's no logical reason why it should be off but you're not allowed to have any electronic devices active between the time the cabin doors close and reaching cruise, whether they are in 'flight mode' or not. Bit mental, but the way it is. You're asked to shut everything down from the time you start descent until reaching the gate too.Really? I have a 3G wireless version and I simply turn off the wireless whenever it's not being used to download something (in order to preserve battery life) so, I fail to see why that shouldn't be OK to be turned on during all moments of a flight.
M
Kidding... I don't think that's the reason.
Not played with Calibre before and it looks good.
Need to find some good priced sources for books as Amazon seems variable on pricing.
Not tried newspapers yet, and, if I am honest, probably will not at the subscription cost. I tend to buy them occasionally rather than every day, so subscription does not work for me.
In general, you cannot use a Kindle during take off and landing and the dead time associated with it. I always push my luck and keep it running for as long as I can. Only once have I got away with it and I think that this was an oversight. The daft thing is that when asked to turn it off, all I do is close the cover and put the elastic strap around the it. No buttons get pressed so nothing changes.... aircraft safety and technology for you :roll:
..actually, as the chap said above, I think it is to do with paying attention during the most dangerous part of the flight - if any of the gadgets truly presented a risk to the airplane and it's safety they'd take the things off you before you boarded - there's always somebody who forgets to turn something off!
Cheers,
M
..actually, as the chap said above, I think it is to do with paying attention during the most dangerous part of the flight - if any of the gadgets truly presented a risk to the airplane and it's safety they'd take the things off you before you boarded - there's always somebody who forgets to turn something off!
Cheers,
M
Sorry, I don't agree : there is no need to pay attention during the last 10 minutes of a descending flight yet we are routinely asked to turn all electrical items off. Similarly, the safety briefing takes place before the plane takes off and. if attention was all that mattered, we would be invited to fire up our kindles straight afterwards. I am sure that in the event of an emergency everybody would drop their knidles, the PSP's and the Daily Mail and attention would be rife. For me, it is simply an inaccurate assessment of what electronic items could interfere and, as a consequence, a blanket ban of all of them.
If aircraft were truly susceptible to EMC/EMI issues from kindles, phones or PSP's it would be a truly terrifying world, they'd be falling out of the sky on a daily basis considering the amount of transmitters that are out there with a lot more power than a mobile phone, which has a truly terrifying 1 watt maximum power output. I've dealt with a lot of this stuff and if an aircrafts safety critical systems aren't shielded to handle this, then it shouldn't be in the air, or flying near radars (which airports have), mobile phone masts, or anything that transmits at high power.
Anyway, back to the original question, if you haven't got one, get it, i bought the wife a kindle, life is much more pleasant now, she doesn't annoy me in the evenings at all :D
You don't see that many people knitting on aircraft these days.
keyboard dyslexia .... that's what I blame it upon.... and really stubby fingers.You don't see that many people knitting on aircraft these days.
A friend who worked for GE on their ill fated IFE systems once explained to me that all electronic items emit to a greater or lesser extent. That it is impossible to predict what product may or may not effect aircraft systems. That two colleagues sitting next to each other both using apparently identical laptops may have absolutely no effect, yet if they swop laptops, the effects could be significant. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the wiring looms of any one aircraft type is not identical - so those two colleagues may not effect the systems on a 747 Reg G-BDXV but would on G-BDXL.
The "risk" of course is tiny, and most electronic items will have absolutely no effect, nor pose any danger to an aircraft... however, airlines endeavour to eliminate all risks, especially at flight critical points such as take-off or landing when the pilots have little/no time to react to an unexpected problem.
Obviously, it is evident that cabin crew are not electronic technical experts with the ability to ascertain which item might be dangerous, which may not.
Hence the please switch off all electronic items until after take-off and prior to landing.
I have been on a flight deck for landing listening into radio comms and the interference from mobiles not switched off is obvious through the headphones, sufficiently so for the pilot to ask for repetition from the tower.
I have also been guilty of discovering my mobile has been left on all flight.
Same as smoking - it's not allowed. Airlines are not specific about what, be it standard cigarettes, herbal roll-ups or electronic substitutes.
Apologies for the observation but it was irresistible and reminded me of an old joke we used to use whilst doing instrument checks on taxiing the aircraft out; the correct response looking at the turn and slip indicator in a left turn was "needle's left, ball's right" to which some wag would reply "dropped your knitting again?".keyboard dyslexia .... that's what I blame it upon.... and really stubby fingers.You don't see that many people knitting on aircraft these days.
No offence taken - I found it pretty amusing!Apologies for the observation but it was irresistible and reminded me of an old joke we used to use whilst doing instrument checks on taxiing the aircraft out; the correct response looking at the turn and slip indicator in a left turn was "needle's left, ball's right" to which some wag would reply "dropped your knitting again?".keyboard dyslexia .... that's what I blame it upon.... and really stubby fingers.You don't see that many people knitting on aircraft these days.
I never said I agreed with the policy, it's nuts, any number of people are asleep/don't speak English etc....actually, as the chap said above, I think it is to do with paying attention during the most dangerous part of the flight - if any of the gadgets truly presented a risk to the airplane and it's safety they'd take the things off you before you boarded - there's always somebody who forgets to turn something off!
Cheers,
M
Sorry, I don't agree : there is no need to pay attention during the last 10 minutes of a descending flight yet we are routinely asked to turn all electrical items off. Similarly, the safety briefing takes place before the plane takes off and. if attention was all that mattered, we would be invited to fire up our kindles straight afterwards. I am sure that in the event of an emergency everybody would drop their knidles, the PSP's and the Daily Mail and attention would be rife. For me, it is simply an inaccurate assessment of what electronic items could interfere and, as a consequence, a blanket ban of all of them.
M
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