In a recent comment Barb asked my opinions of my Kindle.
Kindle is clearly user friendly. The buttons to advance pages on each side of the screen are easy to use. Unfortunately there is only a page back button on the left. In some ways I wish the small joy stick was larger, but then again if it was too large it would get in the way. It is light weight. Its width and breath is a little larger than the average paperback and less than a half inch thick. To protect the Kindle, purchasing a cover is a wise investment.
The paper-white screen is not back-lit. Therefore, reading requires adequate direct light to fall upon the screen. I have found two advantages with the paper-white screen, a) it makes reading easy on the eyes, and b) it extends the battery life. One could read over 30 hours on one charge. The fond size can be changed from very small to large…of course the larger the font, the more you have to advance the page.
When you turn off the reader, it returns to the last screen. If you go off to read another book, when you return to the book you were reading, Kindle returns to the last page you were on. On the bottom of the page is a gage showing what per cent of the book you are on. There is a word and phrase search option. You can copy passages into a “My Clipping” file that can be transferred to your computer via a cable. Music files and photos can be put onto the Kindle.
Downloading books via Amazon’s Whispernet takes place smoothly. Books can be ordered via Amazon on the computer or via Kindle. The memory size allows for about 1,500 average length books. Most of the books are a fraction of what they would be in the store or online. Amazon has also made available hundreds of public domain items for little to no cost. If you do not know the meaning of a word, move the cursor via the joystick to word to kick-in the dictionary with the meaning appearing at the bottom of the screen.
Via the wireless system, the owner has free access to Wikipedia.
On the whole, I love the Kindle and highly recommend it.
Reflective Wanderings - Reflections on various topics that arise out of my personal, life and professional experiences. There are also are some family related news, travels and pictures.
3 comments:
I saw an Oprah show on the Kindle. I was so excited as I thought this would be a perfect gift idea for a couple of readers in this house. Unfortunatley, it's not available to the Canadian market. It has something to do with the wireless server they use, or something like that.
I'm so glad you're enjoying it. One day, hopefully, we will be able to experience it first hand.
The wireless element would not work in Canada (though those along the Niagra River could likely use it). Books can be downloaded to computer and then to Kindle but that is a multi-step process.
I should think that Amazon would be interested in negotiating with a Canadian cell phone company for satellite use for its Whispernet service. Amazon uses the Sprint cellular network in the USA for uploading directly to the Kindle. Since Amazon is releasing a larger Kindle (I think it's about 8.5 x ll inches - Dave's and mine are just slightly larger than a paperback book), it would appear that there's quite a market for these devices.
Have you checked the Sony reader? I don't think it's library is quite as large as Amazon's (which is now over 280 million books!). But, if it works in Canada, go for it.
Post a Comment