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I have a textbook that is $387....

I think it has gold embossed font on full color pages and a platinum cover. I'm sure they'll cut a new edition next year and the high dollar info I glean this semester will be obselete.

At least you can carry on campus.

But seriously, has anyone used the "Kindle for PC" program, especially for a textbook or something similar? Does it work well for that purpose, or is it better suited for leisure reading? Or does a laptop screen cause too much eyestrain to suit either purpose well?

Thanks!

They want you to buy the electronic version because it is non-transferable.
You are legally allowed to sell the hard copy when you are done with it.

You can also use the paper books to weigh down the back of your pickup on these icy winter days. The kindle can do the same thing provided you stick to light trucks. You can also rent hard copy texts.
Additionally, I have heard a rumor about a building on my campus where you can borrow books. Whodathunk?
I have tried the kindle for PC and don't like it. However, my eyes are showing their age.

apostate wrote:But seriously, has anyone used the "Kindle for PC" program, especially for a textbook or something similar? Does it work well for that purpose, or is it better suited for leisure reading? Or does a laptop screen cause too much eyestrain to suit either purpose well?

I use the Kindle reader on both of my PCs (at home and work). While it CAN be used on a laptop/desktop, the horizontal aspect ratio of most laptop screens and PC monitors makes it so that you tend to have the book minimally sized when you're browsing, then when you want to pay more attention to a particular passage or paragraphs, you'll zoom in. When you zoom in, you're going to be using the mouse to move the screen around, which to me is a hassle. IF you could find one of the older monitors intended for desktop publishing (in a vertical format), it might be better.

But hey, the software is free and there are free texts out there in Kindle-land - download it and give it a try to see whether you 're going to want to use it. Your opinion may be different than mine.

I also use the Kindle reader on my Iphone - with that vertical orientation of the screen, it works better, but since the typeface is a bit smaller, it's good that I can take off my glasses and let my nearsighted eyes read the screen by themselves!

I've used both the Kindle for PC and Kindle App for iPhone. As e-reading apps go, they both work fairly well. It will really depend on you whether you like it or not. Some people like it just fine, while others can't stand it. I personally don't care for reading a book on a laptop. It's just too bulky to really get comfortable with. I've read a full length novel on the Kindle for iPhone and it surprisingly wasn't that bad despite the size. An iPad would be better I think.

I now have an actual Kindle reader and much prefer that to both the PC and iPhone. However, if your textbook has a lot of pictures or illustrations, the Kindle readers won't work as well with their B&W displays, unless you got the new Kindle Fire ($200).

Brian

eBay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Auditing-and-As ... 785wt_1163" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have you looked into renting?

stroguy wrote:eBay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Auditing-and-As ... 785wt_1163" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A warning if he goes that way. The $50 book on fleabay is an international edition. I have good experience with international editions from India for math and tech books through ABE or Amazon marketplace. They're often the same as the US version except for the soft cover. But for something like audit where the laws are different in different countries, it might not be so good. For example, the US edition might have extensive coverage on Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank that an international edition skips.

this thread made me remember the thousands of dollars I spent on textbooks...

I had to buy a Heat transfer book 3 times because people kept stealing it

http://www.bigwords.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

gigag04 wrote:I have a textbook that is $387....

I think it has gold embossed font on full color pages and a platinum cover. I'm sure they'll cut a new edition next year and the high dollar info I glean this semester will be obsolete.

The tuition for my first year at the University of California was $357.

apostate wrote:I priced the textbook for my Audit class this evening. $184.33 at Amazon & even more at the campus book store. Goodness gracious!

However, the Kindle version is $87 and change. It looks like I could buy the Kindle edition and a Kindle or Kindle Touch for the price of the newly-dead-tree book. (I'm not seeing much if anything on the used market.)

Or I could download "Kindle for PC" on my laptop and spend the $100 on ammo.
So... how is the Kindle for PC app?

I can't speak to the Kindle for PC app, but I do have the Kindle for Mac app on my laptop and desktop computers, and it works very well.