A year and a day ago, Amazon released its e-reader with great fanfare. The Kindle was received with mostly rave reviews, and sold out over and over again. Yesterday, I got my hands on a Kindle for myself.

When I first saw screenshots, someone said “it looks like a programmable thermostat,” and I couldn’t agree more. It’s not pretty, especially for someone with a devotion to the Apple aesthetic, but it’s important not to judge a book by it’s cover. Especially an e-book.

The device itself has some interesting angles, tapers and bevels and a distinct wedge shape, all done to make it easier to hold.  The stock case leaves some room for improvement, with only two corners for it to rest in, I feel very conscious about the right side, that does not have any sort of strap to hold it in. A common solution for this is to use some self stick velcro on the back of the Kindle itself, and until I replace the case, I plan on doing just that.

Turning it on is easy, although I wish the on/off switches were on the front of the device, or on the sides, and not between the case and the Kindle. There are two — one for the device, and one for the wireless signal. Using the wireless signal will drain the battery more quickly than not using it, so I’ve been leaving it off unless I need to. The buttons on the front are simple — a QWERTY keyboard, a scroll wheel, and Next Page buttons on either side, a Prev Page button on the left, and a Back button on the right. The Back button works like the Back button on a web browser, and retraces your steps. If you click from your list of books into a specific book, Back takes you back to the list. If you’ve been reading along and want to go to the previous page, Back or Prev will get you there. The scroll wheel has a silver indicator that reminds me of the insides of an Etch a Sketch. Scroll to where you want to go, and click the scroll wheel to get there.

The beauty of the Kindle, and what sets it apart from other e-readers, is its wireless connectivity.  Amazon’s Whispernet is powered by Sprint, and allows you to search for, buy, and download new content to your Kindle wirelessly. I don’t live in an area that has Sprint service, but am able to get a weak to moderate signal from Whispernet. In areas that don’t have any Whispernet access (Montana, and Alaska, for instance) you can still use the Kindle, you just have to download your content to your computer (Mac or PC) and transfer via USB.

The wireless delivery is pretty cool. Because of my limited signal strength, the best way for me to get content, I’ve found, is to browse on Amazon.com on my computer, choose what I want, and then wait for a good signal to get the material into the Kindle. Searching on the Kindle with a weak signal is tedious, but possible. I look forward to trying that service when I’m in a more Kindle-friendly, Sprint-serviced airspace.

Would I buy the Kindle with my own money? For me, right now, I’d say no. I am a pretty voracious reader, but I’m a heavy library user, and while Kindle content is almost universally 9.99 or less (and thus, cheaper than buying the actual book), it’s still not free.  I don’t travel enough, or have a daily commute on public transit, to warrant having a library of e-books in my hand. The device itself retails for $359.00, which is more than I’ve ever paid for any gadget, and puts it out of reach for me. If it were $200, and you could download free content from public libraries, or, if it were $100 and you were buying paid content from Amazon (at the current price structure) I would be an owner, absolutely. That I’ve gotten one for my professional use (and thus, not out of my personal pocket) is fantastic.

That being said, there are some people that should absolutely check out this device. Frequent travelers and metro commuters? This is for you. I don’t travel often, and when I do, any book I take is usually read by the end of the first leg of my trip, and then I’m either carting a finished book around, or leaving it on a bench in the terminal, and, I’m without a book. The next trip I take, I will definitely take the Kindle instead of a paperback. To be able to refresh my reading material without having to seek out a bookstore, or worry about a library book being lost, will be great.

If you, or someone you know, has vision problems that have affected their ability to read, get them a Kindle. The text is adjustable to a very large font, and I dare to say there are more books available for the Kindle than are available in the Large Print format. LP books are always much bigger and heavier in size, often abridged because of that, and not available for every book. The Kindle content is wide and varied, and unabridged. If you’re working with a technophobe family member, you can manage their content for them via Amazon, and the books will automatically appear, thanks to Whispernet. Pretty cool.

The Kindle is $359.00 on Amazon.com.

(And if you want to see a Kindle in person, and live in the area of Bangor, Maine, email me.)

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