Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
Wireless connectivity enables you to find, buy, and read instantly—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
Shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle.
Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
Rating: - Exactly What I Am Looking For In An E-Reader - with room for improvement...
I am an avid book reader. Voracious even. I love to read. Anything and everything...so when my friends started talking e-Readers, I started looking for the one that was the best fit for me. After looking at a ton of e-readers (and narrowing it down to just the Sony and Kindle - with eInk) I finally got the Kindle: Amazon's Wireless Reading Device. I have to say that initially, I love it. It's a wonderful device that is going to make reading in my everyday busy life so much easier for me.
Things I Love:
1. The Screen - eInk is fabulous. And while I can't read it at night without a light, that's not the purpose of eInk. The purpose is to be easier on my eyes - like a book is, rather than a computer. So this is everything I was looking for.
2. Getting New Content - Wow. I can't explain how much I love being able to click a button (either on Amazon or my Kindle) and have a new ebook there to read almost instantly. Great feature.
3. Size - When in the case/cover, it feels perfectly like a book. I hold it by the middle on the bottom, as I do my paperbacks, and have no issues with the buttons.
4. Ease of Use - The Kindle is so easy to use. So much so that I wonder now why I had to read that entire long User's Guide (of course I didn't HAVE to, but I did - lol).
5. Sampling Books - This is almost like browsing in a bookstore for me. Get the first bit of the book, and see if it's something you're gonna like. If you do, buy it. Simple, easy and brilliant.
6. Being Able To Take My Library Anywhere - I love that I can pick up this little device, and go. Having the 3 books I'm generally currently reading, AND all my favorites at my fingertips is beyond wonderful. Whenever I want to re-read a passage, check a quote, refresh my memory, or just re-read an entire book I can pick up my Kindle and find it. I'm looking forward to vacation again. When I don't have to take 15 books with me that I then don't feel like reading...wishing I'd brought one I'd left at home. Even if I do forget a book on my Kindle, it's easy enough to download it - wirelessly. Perfect.
What Isn't a Big Deal:
1. The Design - it works for me. At first I found the Next Page/Previous Page buttons a little awkward, but they're growing on me. I've used it all day with no issues, and have greatly enjoyed reading on it. Plus in it's cover, it looks like a book to anyone else at first glance.
2. Keyboard Layout: Again, it works for me. It's QWERTY, and the buttons are spaced enough that I can hit them without much effort to avoid the other buttons in the vicinity (unlike my phone for example).
3. The Price: For what you get, I'm all for the price on this. I actually got a coupon and used that to get my Kindle, but even without it, I feel it's definitely worth it for a READER. If you read, and read a lot, this will change your life.
The Bad (or rather what I'd wish for):
1. Content. Give me MORE please. More of my favorites. Most new books are available on the Kindle, but I'm really looking for all those old books that I love. Not even necessarily old - but some that were released just a year or two ago...or out of print books would be great! Work on getting all of those available, and this will by far be the best thing I've ever purchased.
Overall, I love my Kindle already. I look forward to using it often, and I'm sure that when Amazon comes out with an upgrade, I'll be one of the first in line.
Oh! One other thing I'd like to address. Many people are under the impression that you're tied to "one store" if you purchase the Kindle. (Although if you're going to be tied to one store - Amazon is the one to be tied to, as I haven't found many ebooks for cheaper anywhere else since I've started looking at these). This simply isn't true. But there are plenty of e-publishers out there that you can purchase from and then convert them. I had a ton of e-books on my computer in pdf and html formats, and it was very simple to convert them to be compatible with my Kindle. The html formats you can simply email to Amazon ([...] and then use the USB cable to transfer them. PDF's can be worked around with the Mobipockect Creator (make sure you download the advanced/premium one) - it's free. Convert it to .prc, and then email it to Amazon. If you want to pay the $0.10 per transfer just email it to your Kindle directly and it will download automatically to your Kindle ([...]
Thank you! My wife is an avid reader and I have been looking at the Kindle for a couple years. I decided that I would purchase one for her this Christmas. I was lucky and shopped early. (I had no idea this would sell out...) What a hit! She hasn't stopped raving about it since she opened it Christmas morning. Thank you again, Amazon, for making me look so good.
Rating: - I like it
My wife gave me a kindle for Christmas, and I didn't even ask for one.
I love to read and usually have several books going at the same time, while reading them at varying speeds. This is perfect in that I can have them all in a single location so that I don't have to pack, carry or look for whatever book happens to be at the top of my list. The only draw back would be if the book happened to be a graphic novel. Kindle doesn't do graphics very well, and the screen is not color. I'm OK with getting hard copies of those types of books.
What I really like is the delivery of new purchases. As a test last night I ordered a book delivered to my Kindle using my laptop. Took the Kindle to my nightstand and turned it on. While I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed the book was downloaded and I was reading as soon as I got to bed.
I agree that some design elements could be improved, but I dont find anything that makes me want to send it back.
My future books purchases, with a few exceptions as mentioned above, will be for my Kindle.
Rating: - Christmas Superhero
I saw this item on AMAZON some time ago and wondered if my book maniac wife would like it. I held back because I didn't want to spend that much $$ on a maybe. THEN.. Oprah featured it on her show and all heck broke loose. I ordered it well in advance of Christmas because I knew demand would skyrocket and I was right. I should manage our investments as well. She literally has not put it down. It seamlessly connected to AMAZON and eagerly downloaded with no teething problems. She is most impressed with how she can increase the font size at will as she ages. The slip case is doo doo, but otherwise a home run. Thanks!
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