internet_points 2 days ago

i sent an email to have them removed. it was a thing some years ago at least (though I don't know if US-ians are allowed to do that or if it's just in the EU)

raphael_l 2 days ago

I actually recently purchased my first Kindle, as well as an gift upgrade for my partner. I researched and talked to a friend of mine who owns one.

At first I was determined I would purchase the ad-free version (I think the price difference was like ~20€), but after talking to my friend they kind of convinced me that the ad version is not so bad.

2 points on this: 1. The ad appears only on the lockscreen of the device, so you see it once and then never again until you reopen it. The ad is also only for a book in the Kindle store, never anything else (this might seem trivial, but I think one of the negative aspects of advertising is being blasted with stimuli about so many different things you don't care for)

2. The ads are personalized on books you bought and therefor a sort of recommendation engine. Both my friend and my partner told me they got some inspiration from those ads to find books they liked.

So all in all while I despise ads, I gave this one a try. Personally (and yeah, I know – subconciously) I have never looked at the lockscreen apart from the first time I launched it. It's a relatively non-intrusive ad about a book that I don't even need to engage with. And in case something relevant is on there, it leads to a good outcome for me.

This is advertising done well for me at least.

dgfitz 2 days ago

Oh my…I’ll have to ask, I bet they did. Unreal.

  • whycome 2 days ago

    So far, Kobos are the way better option in my opinion. No ads, and it's much easier to add your own books. It's (currently) a much more open system. But, not without fault. They've shut down some older readers for no good reason.

    • Uvix 2 days ago

      "Easier to add your own books"... it depends. Yes, if you have ePubs and want to transfer files to the reader via USB, Kobo is marginally easier. But Kindle is easier for wireless delivery (regardless of format), and supports it on all of their models instead of just a limited subset.

      • TheFreim 2 days ago

        I have KOReader on my Kobo device, with a couple taps I can connect to my desktop instance of Calibre and transfer books in a flash.

        https://koreader.rocks

      • whycome 2 days ago

        There are some awesome independent tools to get files on the device via the web.

        Try https://send.djazz.se/

        But you’re right. Via email is easy. And I’m mostly thinking of epubs/mobi — but drm free.

    • barnabee 2 days ago

      The Onyx Boox readers have a feature called BooxDrop which runs a web server on the device when you enable it that provides file management and upload. It simple, wireless, and works great.

      The readers work perfectly fine without an account and the Poke 5 I have is a fair bit smaller than the last Kindle I had with the same size screen.

      It runs Android and I also use Termux plus a bluetooth keyboard with it for a rather nice minimal writing experience.

      • dspillett 2 days ago

        I've been tempted by their products in the past, but unless they've improved their stance on their use of GPL covered code in a non-compliant manner I don't want to support their business.

        • barnabee 21 hours ago

          It's a fair point and since hearing about that I've been in two minds as to whether I could buy another device from them.

  • warner25 2 days ago

    If you put them into the Kindle Kids mode you get a much cleaner, more streamlined, ad-free experience without paying extra. I've seen a few adults say that they prefer it to the full-featured mode.