Kindle - What The Heck Are Special Offers?

Discussion in 'Gadgets & Tech Talk' started by Diane Lane, Feb 7, 2016.

  1. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    I don't have the money for one yet, but I've started to look around at various Kindle options. I've noticed that some come with Special Offers, and others don't. I've also noticed that those with Special Offers (which sound to me like advertisements) cost more than those without the Special Offers. Can someone please enlighten me about what Special Offers are, and whether or not they can be beneficial?
     
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  2. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    I dunno what special offers mean regarding the kindle...I have a Paperwhite kindle, it was bought for me at Christmas by my daughter who is all knowing when it comes to techi stuff and jargon. She's had a Paperwhite kindle for years, never upgraded because she didn't find any of the newer releases could do anything more than she already had

    . I had been pondering about buying myself a kindle for years , and always said I wouldn't buy one until the Kindle Fire came out, because it's colour...and although more expensive than the Kindle Paperwhite , it had worse reviews, more goes wrong etc. The KPW still has the best reviews of all the Kindle generations and is cheap...and works really well....so that's what I have now
     
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  3. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    As far as I can tell, @Diane Lane , special offers ARE advertisements, sort of special promotions for books and stuff like that.
    I looked them up on Amazon, and that is what they say it is also. I don't see any reason that this would make the Kindle cost more, and I thought they were actually cheaper when they come with the built-in advertisements.

    There are some excellent buys on Kindles right now, especially since Amazon is also offering some of the new ones at prices as low as $50 occasionally. I have seen some on eBay that were under $30 that are refurbished ones, and all of the Kindles that I have bought from eBay have been used or refurbished ones, and they have the special offers, which are just the screen savers that advertise a new book, and not something that is going to be annoying when you are using the Kindle.
    At least, they have never bothered me. So, I think that it is not a big deal either way; but nothing to pay extra for , by any means ! !

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200671290

    Edit to add: @Holly Saunders , I think that it depends on what you intend to do with the Kindle once you get one. If you are ONLY reading books on the kindle, then the paper white is probably a good choice.
    The Kindle Fire can do more things, since it is an actual tablet, and I like it better because I often read books that have illustrations and pictures; and you can see those much better (and in color) on the Kindle Fire.
    My daughter likes to look up recipes online,, and she has a clipboard in her kitchen that she puts her iPad Mini (almost the same size as a Kindle Fire) up on the cupboard with, and then she can see and follow the directions for her recipe.
    Another reason that I like the Kindle Fire is for reading webpages online, when I am reading an informative webpage that is long and has a lot of writing. The Fire has an option (shows a little pair of eyeglasses ) called "Reading View", and it shows the webpage just like it was a page out of a book, and it makes it MUCH easier to read.
     
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    Last edited: Feb 7, 2016
  4. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    Yeah I understand @Yvonne Smith about just reading books on the Paperwhite..which is really why I was hoping for great things with the Kindle Fire, but now I also have a MAC Air 2 Ipad so I can use that for everything else :)
     
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  5. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    I just triple checked @Yvonne Smith and the prices are higher on the ones without Special Offers. You have to opt out of them, and it costs more. I guess it would be the equivalent of paying for television without commercials. Possibly, they're trying to market it as a plus, for those who shop a lot, and are looking to have deals screened for them. I already receive several emails about free and/or low cost books and music. I guess the Special Offers includes movies, as well. Despite the low costs, they're still out of my budget for now. I have many other things that need to take precedence at this time, so meanwhile, I'll try to win one in a sweepstakes. I might consider the Papewhite, because it's stripped down and lighter in weight, also, since I already have a tablet.
     
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  6. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    My wife just recently bought a Kindle on line, $39.99. Good price? It's not clear yet to either of us whether it will operate on-line using our own wireless, or if it must use a cell-type connection. Neither of us really know what we are doing!

    And there it sets now, on the counter, while she uses her Chrome Book.
     
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  7. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    If you look in the Kindle Store for Kindle Manual by Steve Weber, it will tell you EVERYTHING about using your new Kindle.
    Download the manual to the chrome book (or whatever you use to read things on) and then browse through the manual whenever you have any questions about using the Kindle.

    It will work with your house wifi, and when you open the kindle, you should see the name, (my kindle fire), then the time, and on the right it shows the wifi icon. Use your finger to pull down from the top, and it opens up a strip where you can set up the wifi connection. (If you download that manual and read it, it will explain it much better than I am doing)
    I think that you will enjoy having the Kindle, and I use it for anything that I want to read, just because of its perfect size, @Frank Sanoica .
     
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  8. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    You are a walkin', talkin' "Honeycomb"! Old enough to remember Jimmie Rogers? I must relay your appreciated advice to my little wife, who will likely voice question, hearing another lady is involved... Ahhhh, a sad state of affairs often presents. She detests forums, their concept, and all they represent, disliking my involvement in several. However, recently, she has gotten "into" involvement with a local Facebook spinoff, and that has given me a tool to resist with. Thank you for taking the time to explain these nuances (to me) ! Frank
     
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