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Amazon Kindle

January 17th, 2009 · 4 Comments

While I have not pulled the plug and purchased one yet, I am intrigued with the concept of Amazon.com’s electronic book; the Kindle. As I make a conscientious effort to reduce the amount of resources I consume in my daily life, a device that eliminates the paper that I consume just through reading numerous book, magazines, and newspapers makes sense.

My first attempt with a paperless device was several years ago with my now antiquated Handspring Visor. I used it to read electronic versions of several book, and soon gave up as the reading experience just did not come close to having a paper book in my hand. The process of buying and downloading books was a pain, and the selection was pathetic.  The Kindle (as well as its Sony counterpart the e-Reader) seem to address many of these problems. The e-paper display looks a lot more like a book (at least on the Sony e-Reader I tried at the bookstore) and the controls are more naturally intuitive. The 3G wireless capabilities are fantastic, downloading books and periodicals on demand.

The reason I mention the Kindle over the Sony is the reach in the publishing industry that that Amazon has. I was browsing the catalogue of books offered for the Kindle, and the selection is already impressive. Right down to the Wilderness Basics textbook that we will be using for WBC starting next Tuesday.

Does anyone own a Kindle or a Sony e-Reader . Is it worth the steep price tag? Are they going to revolutionize publishing, as we know it? Let us know.

Tags: Green · gear

4 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Drew M. // Jan 17, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    I’ve been tempted to get a Kindle here recently. I’d choose it over the Sony because there is slightly more in the way of options than on the Sony Store. Plus the Over the Air book/periodcals downloads seems to be extremely convenient. However, you should probably hold off until the Kindle 2 is released before you make your decision. That should be happening within the next two quarters.

  • 2 ransu // Jan 19, 2009 at 7:51 pm

    I will definitely buy one once next version comes out. I’ve seen “spy photos” of possible next model and it looks much sleeker so I hold for that.

  • 3 Tia // Mar 18, 2009 at 8:21 am

    I LOVE my Kindle. I bought a used one from Ebay.
    I love the weight of it, that the pages don’t flop in the wind, and that I can get new books at midnite!

  • 4 David // Feb 9, 2010 at 12:48 pm

    I have a Kindle and I love it. The eext is crisp and clear on the brightest of days. After three books and four weeks, battery is about half down. If you are going on vacation, a long plain ride, or hiking/camping and want to take a load of books – this is the ticket. Apple is touting iPad as a book reader. While probably an excellent web browser, the 10 hour battery just does not cut it. Kindle only uses battery when the page is changed, Apple uses battery all the time to refresh the screen. On the down side, the kindle is only black and white and does not have a back-light for nighttime reading. It really does act like a book. I would recommend the larger kindle if you are going to read .pdf files, otherwise the smaller one.

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