The Skinny: A week ago Amazon released their third version of the Kindle. I’ve been intrigued by this device since the original, but the price always prevented me from taking the plunge. But now with a new price tag ($139 for the wi-fi only version) it finally reached a price I was comfortable paying.
In the last year or so the amount of reading I do has plummeted. I usually get stuck on pages because my mind starts wandering and I forget what I’ve read, so I have to back up and try again. The only thing I can think causes this is the fact that I’m looking at two pages for several minutes, plenty of time for my mind to wander. What I’ve found with the Kindle is that I’m constantly turning pages with the press of a button, so my brain doesn’t seem to have time to start thinking other things. I’ve managed to read two books in a week, something I never thought I’d do again.
The Good: The Kindle 3 is light-weight and slim. The responsiveness to page turning is quick and the display is very easy to read. And, as I previously mentioned, fairly inexpensive. Buying Kindle books is also very easy, either on the Kindle itself or through Amazon.com on your computer. And if you have the Kindle app on your iPhone/iPod/iPad, Android device, or computer the books stay in sync via Amazon’s WhisperSync. As long as your device can access the “cloud” you will always open your book where you left off, no matter the device.
Another nice thing is that when you go on vacation you can take several books with you all on one little device. There is no more need for hauling several large bulky books around.
The Bad: While the display is crisp, clear and easy on the eyes, like a regular book you will need a light if reading at night. Unlike other devices such Apple’s devices there is no back-light. Depending on the situation this can be good or bad. The Kindle is easy to read even in bright daylight, something that is quite difficult with any back-lit device. And vice-versa for night time: back-lit devices are very easy to read whereas the Kindle is not without some light.
The Verdict: Overall I’m quite please with my purchase. If I can continue reading at this pace then the Kindle is well worth the money and will become my primary reading device. If you prefer the smell and feel of books then that is the better alternative. But if you want something light and compact then Kindle is definitely worth investigating.












