I recently bought an Amazon Kindle, now out as a newer version, after seeing an older one. It’s the first electronic book that I’ve bought, and it’s proved to be a great purchase.
It’s light, easy to read even in bright sunlight, and holds thousands of books. Owners can sync their Kindles through Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi & 3G. The Wi-Fi only version is $139, and the version with Wi-Fi and 3G connection is $189. (I sprang for the combination unit at $189, and I use Wi-Fi at home, and 3G syncing when out of the house. There’s no charge for the 3G connection.)
(I don’t have an iPad, although a kind note last night pointed me to a review of the iPad, in which the iPad’s readability in bright sunlight was panned. The Kindle handles bright light well.)
Below is a photo that shows the comparison between a hardcover book and the Kindle. Same book, different media. Books, magazines, and newspapers are available (many classics are free, having become public domain works).
(Sharp-eyed readers will note that there’s an apparent mark on the Kindle. It’s not a scratch; a cat came by to inspect the Kindle before I took the photo, and left a stray cat hair on the device. The House of Dissenting Opinion is a 100% cat-friendly home.)
My subscriptions include Reason magazine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, and The Onion. There are hundreds of newspapers available, and about seventy-five magazines. Perhaps more magazines will be added later; the current list has some popular titles, but could use more.
Quick notes: the Kindle’s screen is black & white, with a web browser that’s more experimental (as Amazon describes it) than useful. It’s an e-book reader, and a fine one, but not a substitute for a laptop or netbook.
Readers can search through Kindle books, highlighting portions they like, and can send highlights to either Twitter or Facebook. Fonts and font sizes are adjustable.
My interest in a Kindle is both as reader and small-town blogger. Months ago, I saw an article about digital books, and decided to write a brief digital book, myself. It’s a good bit done, now, with a second one outlined. I’m not an author, and would never think of myself as one; it’s simply fun to try new things. The first book should be ready for publication in October.
Amazon has lots of e-books from ordinary people, and most are available for a small price. (Whether a small price makes something more conventional & acceptable than something with no price is the only reason I’d charge for an e-book.)
Blogs are also available on the Kindle, but I think that Amazon tacks on a 99-cent charge for processing even free websites as Kindle websites. I understand their processing charge, but I will never charge for this website. (Nor will FW take advertising; it’s not a commercial website.)
I highly recommend the Amazon Kindle; it’s a useful and stylish device.
