I took the plunge about a month ago and purchased a Kindle, the e-reader from Amazon. At first, I have to admit, it was a toy. Now, honestly, it’s changed the way I consume reading material. Here’s some notes from my first 30 days.
The Closed Ecosystem. At first, I was not too crazy about buying in to a somewhat closed loop — I buy from Amazon or pretty much don’t buy (exceptions, yes, but much more work). I’ve not found that to be a problem. With only a couple of exceptions, I’ve found everything that I’m currently looking to read available at the Kindle Store, and the wireless connection on the device makes purchasing almost TOO easy.
Reading on a Device Instead of a Page. I’d read quite a bit about how the Kindle reads more like paper than a computer, but I didn’t give it much thought. I spend so much time on a computer, I didn’t think it bothered me. But, the Kindle is a much more comfortable reading experience. The best part, though, is that you don’t lose your images in direct sun, like when the plane turns in flight and bright light streams through a window.
Selection. So far, no major complaints. With only a couple of exceptions, I’ve found the things I want to read in the Kindle store. The magazine and newspaper selection is pretty weak at this point, but I’m sure that will get better. I am reading both the Denver Post and Time Magazine on my Kindle now, and it’s nice to be able to catch up on reading like that when I have a few minutes just about anyplace.
Battery. Simply outstanding. I charge every few days, and the battery is robust enough that I’m getting ready to try my next business trip without the charger (if it dies, look out for the Twitter rants at my own stupidity!).
Overall, not perfect. I’d like to see more books and magazines avaialble, but with announcements like this from Simon & Schuster, things are coming along. The best part — I can carry dozens of books, magazines and newspapers with me in a device that’s the size of one book, so I can read what I like depending on my mood.
If you’re thinking you might like a Kindle, you probably will.
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