I want a Kindle. I’ve wanted one for a few months now.
But just like you I was skeptical at first.
Would it really work as as well as a book?
I’ve heard the interface sucks.
Is there really an advantage?
These were my questions too.
I really wanted to play with one. But since you can only get it online, that was hard to do.
Well it turned out a friend of my wife had one, so I asked her to bring it over. After an hour of playing with it and reading a chapter or two of one of her books I was hooked.
The short reason is…
It makes the experience of reading better.
Why? Because it is more comfortable to hold a Kindle than a regular paperback book.
You can hold it with one hand. Think about reading a book laying down or other weird positions. Imagine reading with a drink or sandwich in your other hand.
You don’t have to hold it open. Great if you don’t have hand muscles of steel for the latest Stephen King epic. But also think about this…..Eating and reading a paperback book. Sit it on the table. It stays “open”/readable no matter what page you are on.
You just move your thumb to turn a page. Now imagine that meal is buffalo wings. Lay your Kindle down at a safe but readable distance on the table. Fold a napkin up and sit it on the next page button. When you need to changes pages, click the button through the napkin. Try that with paper.
The screen is as easy to read as a paper page – easier if you realize you can change the size of the type on the page.
I preordered one in January, this week they came out with version 2.0 and automatically upgraded my order. I’m so glad I ordered back then because this is the hottest piece of tech out there right now and Amazon hasn’t been able to keep them in stock.
How long do you think they will be around with the Oprah back orders, Christmas back orders, and now new 2.0 pre-orders?
Here are some other reasons I like the Kindle.
I can read some of my favorite books from Baen. Including some for free. I read a lot of science fiction, and Baen is one of the biggest publishers of hard and military science fiction. They have webscriptions, which is their electronic book initiative. All the books in it are available for the Kindle. And ebooks cost less on their site than on Amazon. They also have a free library to get you started, which is free books for your Kindle.
I can have my favorite books with me all the time. I’ve got a list. I’m getting all those comfort books I read over and over. And I’ll have them with me all the time.
I can get new books in seconds. Not sure this is a good thing, but if someone suggests a book to you and you can download a sample immediately. Then get the whole book in seconds.
Free wireless access to the web and specifically Wikipedia. Sshhh…don’t tell anyone but there is a web browser hidden in there. They make it easy for you to use Wikipedia, but you can browse the whole web.
Have a dictionary with you all the time. The Oxford New American Dictionary is available to settle all those arguments over meaning. Well, at least the meaning of words.
It’s way more comfortable than a computer or the iPhone for reading. People keep clamouring to be able to read books on their iPhone. Have you tried this?
I have. My eyes hurt in minutes.
Look I love my iPhone and have it with me constantly, but it has its limits and book reading is one of them.
If you’ve found this post helpful, would you be kind enough to preorder your Kindle through a link on this page? Thanks.
Hey Ron,
I have more a question than a comment.
Just read your “Reasons to buy a Kindle” article and it has only thrown fuel onto my already burning desire for a Kindle. But have a question. I read a lot of material that comes my way via .pdf. I believe I read that I can download these files to be read on a Kindle. Am I correct? Is it easy, difficult, a pain in the….?
Best
Mitchel
Mitch, there is an ability to convert PDFs to Kindle compatible files. You have to email the file to a server and it either converts and downloads to your Kindle – for 10 cents – or it emails it back you converted. Then you can transfer the file via USB.
My understanding it is does pretty well with the text, but the images and layout can be an issue.
Hello Ron,
A question from someone who knows.
Can you see the screen or read in sun light?
Absolutely. The Kindle uses electronic ink, which is actual ink, not an LCD display like you have on a laptop computer.
Some people consider the fact you can’t read it in the dark a negative, but it is as easy to read as a book.
Ron, sorry a question for someonw who knows.
I really want one of these. I can not decide between the Sony reader and the Kindle 2. I can get a good buy due to discount on the Sony, but I am hearing the Kindle is really really good. I want to beable to read sitting outside , So the sun light question is important to me.
Thank you
Jamie
I think the Kindle has a number of advantages over Sony. The big one being all the books from Amazon that you won’t be able to read on the Sony.
Another is the wireless download of books from Amazon.
I believe that the Kindle is also much thinner and lighter than the Sony.
with 1500 titles in kindle some organizing set of folders is needed to facilitate finding titles by category, fiction. history, etc. is this possible in kindle 2 ?
Paul
I’m not sure though I’ve heard there is improved organization of books in Kindle 2.
I’m sure there are a half million Kindle 1 owners out there such as I. I can tell you that this Amazon Kindle is the best thing since the invention of the wheel. I cannot say anything about that Sony reader other than to say that Amazon has 230,000 books to chose from. Can Sony say that. Also, they say that books may be downloaded to the Kindle in under a minute. I have ALWAYS received my books in about 10 seconds no matter where I am, at the beach or lying in my bed. And, bright sunlight has no effect on the readability of the text. I have already pre-ordered the Kindle 2 and can’t wait for its arrival….
Hello,
Can you tell me if I will be able to transfer saved adobe reader pdf files from my flash drive to the Kindle.
You can transfer PDF files to the Kindle. They have to go through a conversion process. That can either be done by emailing them to a server and getting them emailed back to you. Which is free, but you then have to transfer the file via the connector.
Or you can just email the file to your Kindle, and it will be converted on the way. This costs 10 cents.
Ron
I understand materials are downloaded via cellphone signals, without having to access the internet. If I travel to Asia or Europe with Kindle, will there be roaming charge for download there?
Whispernet, the cell network, does not work outside of the US. You can also get books onto you kind by syncing with your computer, so you could download them to your computer while in Asia.
My Kindle 2 just arrived. Works great and battery life is stellar, but there are some improvements that I hope come soon:
1. native viewing of pdf files (preserving layout and graphics).
2. being able to organize the home page on the kindle into sub-folders (everthing is in one long list).
3. major “advertised” features are in the Experimental section of the device – basic web browsing (existant, but sticky), play mp3, and text-to-speech.
4. since it can hold some mp3s, it still would have been nice to have an SD slot for additional memory (as it is, one would probably want to convert their mp3s down to 128 or lower bitrate for loading on the device) since it’s not out of the question that one might put a few audio books on it.
I think as I get it more in synch with the documents and I books I need to have access to as part of my job, it will become more and more worth its pricetag. I realize I am pushing this divice to be a little more than a book reader, but there is so much potential for this to be a briefcase of all my technical docs as well – my hopes are still high…. and I should say: it is an excellent book reader.
One of your features to the Kindle is that you can be reading a book and then you can take it in the car and it will read to you. My question is, “When the book is being read to you what does it sound like.” Is it a mechanical voice or more like a book on CD, more animated? I do a lot of travel and really need these questions answered. Is there a site I can go to to hear a book being read?
Thanks you for your time.
Bev, if you watch my unboxing video you can hear it reading to you. It is mechanical and gets words wrong sometimes, but it is understandable.
Example of getting words wrong is it always pronounces “Bowed” with a long o like the ribbon you put on a box, even when it is the action of bending from the waist.
One more question. When will Kindle 2 be out? Should I wait to purchase on until kindle 2 comes out with more features?
The Kindle 2 is the version that is currently available from Amazon.
Ron,
Thank you so much for getting back with me so quickly. I did watch most of your video but I didn’t listen to the ending. Opps! My bad! That really helped me. I do plan to get one.
Happy Reading!