Kindle review

You can read my review here.  


I was unsure about this product when it was first announced.  I know, everyone's talking about how everything needs to go digital if it's going to survive, but I prefer hard copies.  I like showing off my DVD and book collections, and files in a computer or hand-held device just aren't the same.

I was also uneasy about the fact that they could go in and just take your book back.  You'll recall this happened a couple of years ago with Animal Farm and 1984.  The CEO of Amazon apologized, but it set a bad precedent.

I received a Kindle as a gift, and I have to say my worries were unfounded.  This thing is great.  It's a space saver, which is nice.  I have every intention of building up a library of "actual" books, but I'm also eager to fill this up to enhance my library.

It's especially great for travel as it's thinner and lighter than any book.  If you're a quick reader, you can have multiple books at your disposal without having to add any extra weight to your bag when you travel.

As there are no shipping or printing costs, e-books are often cheaper and you can get them in seconds.  If you're a fan of classic literature, you will make out like a bandit as many of those works are free.  It's legal, no piracy or anything, just free books, and I find it hard to complain about that.

There is a wide selection, but you'll also come across instances where the book you want isn't available on the Kindle.  It's probably a good thing though, it keeps the publishing industries in business, allowing for new books to stock our shelves.

The controls are easy to work with.  The one downside is that each book is listed individually and they don't seem to be in any order.  As I don't have that many on there right now, it's not that big a deal, but should I achieve my goal of filling the Kindle to its capacity, I have a feeling it will be a serious pain to navigate through.

I do like that the Kindle saves your spot.  If you turn the Kindle off or go back to the main menu and try to go back into that book later, it takes you right to the last page you were on, very convenient.

Comic fans are talking about how those need to go digital, as my Kindle isn't in color, I have a feeling that that wouldn't work out too well, though I think the newer models do have color.  I have my doubts about that, but I had the same about the Kindle in general, and those turned out to be unfounded.

I've recently been interested in starting up a game of D&D and decided to browse to see if the books for those were available.  They aren't, and in hindsight, that's probably for the best as I doubt a Kindle would be conducive to RPG's, where you have to flip through the books to look up rules and stats.  They have some of the novels available, but not a whole lot, same goes for Star Wars.

While they are still a little pricey, the cost has dropped significantly, and with the lower cost of books (not to mention free ones) avid readers will get more than their money's worth with this device.

A lot of readers say that they like the feel of a real book in their hands.  I thought it would be jarring to read a novel on a screen myself, but it works.  Maybe the cover I have helps make it feel more natural as you open that like a book, but honestly, it didn't feel all that weird.

A lot of people think that if they buy a Kindle, that they have to "digitize" their whole library.   I don't see why this is the case.  I have every intention of keeping the books that I already own, but if there's one that I want to buy that is available on the Kindle, it saves me a lot of hassle.

I really recommend picking this up if you're a book worm.  It may feel wrong, but trust me, it's OK.  It's a handy device if you either travel a lot or don't have enough space to house your library.  It's also better for the environment as no paper is used nor is any gasoline required to transport either the book or yourself.  Essentially, everybody wins.