With the Christmas season fast upon us, I want to make a plug for the Kindle. I have hesitated to jump in with both feet to the e-book party, but had decided that I would wait until the Kindle was below $150. When it hit $139, I jumped. Shortly thereafter, I bought a second Kindle so that my husband could also enjoy the fun. I am an avid reader and I do love books in their physical form, but I have spent the last several years downsizing, only to find my stash of books growing once again. My Kindle is the size of a paperback and I opted for just the wireless function. I don't see why I need to have any other type of connection. I have enough books loaded to read for days and the only reason I can see for having 3g is if you're somewhere without a wireless connection and have to have a book RIGHT NOW! Following is a list of the things I like about this new reading experience. (Google's new idea about reading books "in the cloud" means that you have to have an internet connection to read your book. This is an important distinction).
1. My Kindle was the only book I took along on a recent 10-day trip. In the past I would have loaded down my suitcase with books, not knowing how much time I'd have to read or what book might strike my fancy.
2. I purchased the fancy case with the built-in light which isn't quite enough light on it's own but works in a pinch if I'm in bed and don't have a reading light. I use it for added light when reading at home in certain places where the light isn't quite right.
3. I can set my Kindle flat on the table if I want to read while eating. In the past I would try all kinds of tricks to get the book to cooperate, setting heavy objects across the pages or putting it in a recipe holder rack to make it stand up. It is easy to hold on my lap of in my bed.
4. A 1000 page book is not any heavier than any other book!
5. Whenever I open a book on the Kindle, it remembers where I left off. I realize bookmarks serve the same purpose, but this feature is still nice.
6. If I want to, I can read the same book on multiple platforms. I have Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone. If I am in a waiting room somewhere without my Kindle, I can turn on my iPhone and open the book and it will be synced to the last place I was reading. When I return to my Kindle, it will also sync to the furthest page I've read.
7. I can increase or decrease the font on any book. This is great for those of us with diminishing eyesight!
8. I love current fiction and non-fiction. I can buy new books cheaper on Amazon for Kindle than at Costco. Most new hardback books are between $9.99 and $12.99.
9. Project Guttenberg offers 33,000 books for free!
10. The Kindle will also play audio books. This is a boon to my husband who listens to audio books while driving to and from work but has difficulty finding what he wants at the public library, runs into download issues, and has to clear off his iPod to make room for each new book.
11. The Kindle will hold about 3000 books.
12. You can register up to 6 Kindles on one account. My husband and I are therefore able to share the same book, cutting the cost. I am looking for someone to join us who likes the same kind of books we like!
What's not to like? As an English major I suppose I should be weeping over the demise of the world of physical books, but as a person who loves technology, I am excited about this new reading option.
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