Since receiving the Kindle as a Christmas present, I have changed my views. Yep, the kindle made a believer out of me. It was a tense fight whether I would switch over to ebook reading at all. The first ebook I ever read was Elisa Lorello's Faking It.
But I knew, some day, I would be forced to pick one: Kindle vs. Nook.
As it turns out, it picked me. Out of the many conversations I've had with people, I guess I sang more praises for Kindle then I have the Nook. Now, after spending a month with the Kindle, I have read a total of 7 books on it. I guess you could say that it helps you read faster. It's lightweight, easy to use, simple and doesn't cost too much to begin with. I remember when the price was first 399. Anyone would say, yeah, I'll wait until it gets cheaper...or until they come out with another, better version of it. I was one of those people.
Now, priced at 139, it's practically a steal. Reading books on a device that stays charged for a month? You can't beat that. I hear they may even drop the price to 99 dollars in the next two months. I say that's a smart move. Already there are over a million kindle owners. This new price switch is sure to smash the competition beyond repair.
Out of the 14,723 reviews on Amazon devoted to the kindle, there have been pros and cons. But I'd say that the final 4 1/2 stars speaks for itself.
Reading is remarkably easy with this thing. No strain on the eyes at all. The controls are easy, just small enough without being too difficult and I've always put the font size at the smallest setting. The weight does get to your hand after a while but that's only if you are a reading fanatic like me.
In terms of reliability, I've only had one problem with the kindle out of the one month and two weeks that I've had it. It froze on me once. I was baffled, scratched my head for several minutes until I found something online which claimed everything would switch back to normal once I did a reset. Two minutes later, I was back to reading again. That was the biggest, Whew, that was close moment I've had with the thing. I admit I was skeptical about the thing and even made fun of it here on my blog but, after spending some time with it, and uploading my books to it as well, I can see what all the buzz is about and why this thing is so gosh-darn popular.
Plus, you can't beat the price point of books. I've been loading titles to my kindle that range from free classics to 99 cents and up. I think the highest I've ever paid for a kindle book was 7.39. So it really saves you big time bucks as well.
As for this writer, well, I think I'll let this device grow on me for a while. It seems to be holding my attention and making my life a little bit easier when searching for another book to read. But I'll be damned if I didn't bring this thing on a plane with four backup, hard copy paperbacks at my side. You never know. The concept of a book that breaks is still silly to me. I guess it always will be. But for now, Kindle, you've just earned yourself five stars and a satisfied customer.
Titles I currently have on my Kindle:
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Anthem - Ayn Rand
The Art of War - Sunzi
The Autobiograpghy of Benjamin Franklin
Bleak House - Dickens
Brian's Hunt - Gary Paulsen
Brian's Return - Gary Paulsen
The Colorado Sequence - Stacey Cochran
Common Sense - Thomas Paine
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Crack Up - Eric Christopherson
Crime Stories - Jack Kilborn
Darkness Under The Sun - Dean Koontz
David Copperfield - Dickens
Dead Men Kill - L. Ron Hubbard
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Draculas - J.A. Konrath
Dracula's Guest - Bram Stoker
Get Some - Daniel Birch
Great Expectations - Dickens
Gulliver's Travels - Johnathan Swift
Heidegger's Glasses - Thaisa Frank
King James Bible
The Hound of The Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
How to tell a story and other essays - Mark Twain
The Island of Doctor Moreau - H.G. Wells
The Justice Game - Randy Singer
The Last Bookstore In America - Amy Stewart
The Life of Abraham Lincoln - Henry Ketcham
Mercury Falls - Robert Kroese
More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea - Tom Reynolds
The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne
The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Dickens
The Newbie's Guide to Publishing - J.A. Konrath
Oliver Twist - Dickens
Origin - J.A. Konrath
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Real Ghost Stories - William T. Stead
Relentless - Dean Koontz
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Serial - J.A. Konrath
Soul Identity - Dennis Batchelder
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
Truck Stop - Jack Kilborn
Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe
UR - Stephen King
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Write Good or Die - Scott Nicholson
2 comments:
I guess I'll have to jump into the Kindle brigade... up here it's kobo versus kindle...
the thing that makes it hard is that teh kobo allows me to egt books from the library, but still.
http://kindle2000.com
Not All E Ink is the Same - Kindle Uses "Pearl", the Latest Generation E Ink for 50% Better Contrast
When considering an ereader, you should ensure that you are getting a device with the latest generation E Ink technology, referred to as "Pearl". Our all-new Kindle uses Pearl, resulting in the best reading experience possible with 50% better contrast and the sharpest text.
PopSci.com named our Pearl display a "Best of What's New 2010" winner stating, "The newest Kindle's most impressive achievement (among others, including a reduced size and a slashed price) is its E Ink Pearl screen, which is just an absolute pleasure to behold."
How Electronic Ink Works
Electronic ink screens work using ink, just like books and newspapers, but display the ink particles electronically. People who see the display for the first time do a double take because the screen looks like real paper.
No Eye Strain - Reads Like Real Paper, Not a Computer Screen
Kindle's electronic ink display is ideal for reading because it does not create the same eyestrain as reading on traditional backlit LCD tablets or laptops.
Clearer Text and the Sharpest Display
Electronic ink uses actual ink to create crisp, print-like text similar to what you see in a physical book. Kindle's proprietary, hand-built fonts take advantage of the special characteristics of the ink to make letters clear and sharp.
No Glare, Even in Bright Sunlight
Kindle's screen reflects light like ordinary paper, eliminating the glare created by backlit LCD displays on tablets or smart phones. Kindle can be read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room.
Longer Battery Life
Electronic ink screens require no power to maintain a page of text, allowing you to read for up to a month on a single charge versus hours on a tablet or smart phone. This low power consumption also means that Kindle, unlike a laptop, never gets warm so you can comfortably read as long as you like.
http://kindle2000.com
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