I have the Kindle app for my Android tablet, and that's really convenient for being able to read my books on the go. I like the actual reading experience better on the Kindle, though, and the Kindle's battery life is much better (seriously, I love that I can go weeks without charging my Kindle).
My 2nd gen Kindle does have folders ("collections"). There is only one level. You cannot create sub-folders. However, I think you can add a book to multiple collections - so it's more of a tag than a folder.
The only bad thing is, I think you can only create and manage collections through a wi-fi connection. I've never connected my Kindle to wi-fi, so I haven't been able to do anything with them. Maybe I'll give it a try, though.
If it's true that you get lots of books free with them when you first buy the machine – can you choose what you get? Or is that a set thing, like Shakespeare, Dickens, Trollope, dictionaries and thesaurus?
You don't get any pre-loaded on the Kindle. That may be different for other e-readers. My Acer tablet with Android actually came with a couple free ebooks (but I'm sure I could delete them if I wanted).
But it's pretty easy to find free content in the Kindle store.
You do get two dictionaries. I have the OED as my default, but there's an American one, too. No thesaurus. I haven't looked into whether you can download one.
Obviously the free fiction would be only classics that are out of copywrite – yes? No?
Not necessarily. A lot of free ebooks are classics, and that's mainly what I've gotten.
There's a lot of other free stuff, but it is limited. I'd say most of it is from unknown writers, and a lot is romance. So if you're a romance or erotica fan, you could find some gems. And sometimes Amazon offers free books as a promotion.
There's other stuff, too, but you have to be a little careful because a lot of free books are actually free samples of longer books. It's not always clear from the product description, so I usually read the user reviews. Of course, since it's free, the only real cost is maybe some inconvenience if a sample isn't what you wanted.
Is the difference then just the titles that each format has available? (as well as the difference between the actual machines?)
Pretty much, I think. Though, I find that a lot if not most ebooks are offered in multiple formats. But you may not be able to buy all formats from every site. For example, if I want to buy an ebook in Kindle format, I usually need to wait until the publisher puts the book on Amazon.
The machines themselves can be a little limiting. I love my Kindle, but I do get a little frustrated at times because while it can read things like PDFs, it takes more effort and isn't as smooth or an experience as it is with mobi files.
I also notice people saying that they love the ability eBooks give them to just buy whatever they feel like and be reading it in seconds... sounds okay but doesn't that cost an absolute fortune?
Depends on how many books you buy. Personally, I don't buy that many, and I don't usually buy stuff that I wouldn't have strongly considered buying in paper form, anyway. A lot of the books I have on my Kindle are free, too.
I think you do have to watch how much you spend with digital stuff, because it is easier to spend and impulse buy. I find that more with stuff like music on iTunes, though. I haven't had the problem with ebooks.
So, do eReaders still give you cover art? And illustrations? A diagram of the murder scene? A family tree showing why a killer might have bumped off so many family members? A timetable of the alibis and suspects??? The ability to see what the torn, partially readable letter the dead girl had in her pocket actually looks like?
I think it depends. My Kindle does have cover art, but it's not as prominent and visible as it would be with a physical book. And this is an area where not all e-readers are equal. I haven't gotten any Kindle books that feature illustrations or tables, and I'd be a little hesitant to do so. Also, my Kindle doesn't have color.
But the Nook Color was marketed as something you could use to look at picture books and whatnot, and I think the iPad has also been considered good for more visual books. But it depends on the device and also how the book was converted.
Personally, this is one area where I see e-readers as being a tool but not a replacement. If a book featured illustrations, I would probably buy a paper copy.