So, last week, when I sat down to write a normal post, I instead came up with a list of things I could post about. And one of the things on that list was:
The new and interestingness that is my shiny Kindle
So, today, I shall write about it.
I’ve been asked, more than once, why I’d bother with a Kindle. Long story short, it intrigued me. The ability to carry thousands of books with me, and keep track of where you are in each of them; to get subscriptions delivered on the day of publication; all things that are interesting to me.
So, TLW very kindly got me one for my last birthday. And over the last three or four months, it’s been used quite a bit.
The positives:
- It’s light enough to hold it for extended periods of time.
- The case with the built in light enables you to read in the dark without necessarily disturbing others, even if they’re right next to you. Very useful for reading on the plane, or in bed when you can’t sleep.
- The number of free books available is awesome. The back catalogue of Dickens has taken a pounding, all at no cost to me. Huzzah.
- The integration with Amazon is very well done, and makes it painfully easy to buy books.
- The screen is a masterpiece of elegant simplicity; not cluttered, easy to read in all lights, and since it’s not backlit there’s no more eye strain than there is on paper.
- The Amazon reformatting of PDFs and Word documents is very clever, and means that instead of me having to print out reams and reams of silly policies from work, I can just fire them over to the device and not break my back carrying them.
The downsides?
- Try as it might, it’s not a replacement for books. About half my reading since I got it has still been good ol’ paperbacks, and I’m OK with that.
- The magazine subscription model doesn’t seem to be working well for me; I’ve not gone for any, because they don’t seem competitively priced.
All in, I’m very much a fan. So much so that TLW is getting a reciprocal gift (his’n’hers kindles, ahoy!) and seems happy with the thought.
To sum up: (a) I really like the Kindle and (b) to the people who yesterday tried to convince me that I was a fool and that I should have got an iPad: honestly, I’d rather have the measles.