I just got a Kindle 2 a couple days ago. Prior to ordering it, I was sort of skeptical of the concept of the Kindle. I didn’t really get the concept of reading a book on what essentially appeared to be an over-sized calculator.
But after getting my Kindle 2 and playing around with it, I’ve been converted.
A strong asset is the size when traveling. The height and width are smaller than most hard-cover books on my shelf, and it’s very thin and light at only about 1/3 of an inch thick and just over 10 ounces in weight.
And while the Kindle 2 is pricey (currently over $350), the downloadable books are typically about half the cost of physical books, so it will pay for itself if you frequently buy books.
One apprehension I had before buying it was whether it really solves a problem for me. So, the size and weight definitely factor in. I typically throw a book in my laptop bag when flying, and it’s cumbersome when they’re around an inch thick.
But I do have a complaint. The Kindle 2 ships by itself, but it looks too fragile to toss in a bag without getting a cover. So that ran another $30 to get the Amazon Kindle 2 Leather Cover.
One feature I really like is the ability to sync up the Kindle 2 with an iPhone or iPod Touch. There is a new app on iTunes to enable you to do this, and I’ve already used it a handful of times to sneak in a few pages of reading while waiting in lines or sitting in the car until my kids finished soccer practice.
Lastly, there is the marketing opportunity with the Kindle 2. You can submit your RSS feed(s) to be included for Kindle owners to subscribe. That’s a big issue to me as the device grows in popularity.
I do have one outstanding issue, though. My father in law got me a Borders gift card for Christmas. I guess I can buy some CD’s with it.
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The Kindle is great for traveling! I was the same skeptic… But love gadgets and reading so it only seemed natural. I love it for the newspapers! If you are a newspaper person it is amazing to switch through different national newspapers and even magazines.
Check out my review here: http://skipwisconsin.com/2009/03/kindle2/
Your Message@Jeff Becraft:
Hey Jeff – yeah, text-to-speech is a built-in feature. I didn’t care for it too much, compared with hearing an author or professional speaker read a book out loud.
It sounds sort of like Speak and Spell.
Coincidentally, the last physical book I purchased was the one from Artie Lange – would be funny to hear it in that voice.
Your Message@Stephanie DeLuca:
I think I’d go crazy if I read a whole book on an iPhone – it’s a neat companion to the Kindle, but so little text fits on the screen for long-term reading.
I think downloading the Kindle 2 app to your iPhone would be better than buying the Kindle 2. Since you say the Kindle 2 looks fragile and you can’t toss in your bag it might be better for those careless people if they downloaded the app instead.
Thanks, Shawn. Good to get the practical feedback. I have been thinking about the Kindle 2 as well. You didn’t mention text-to-speech. Is that not a built-in feature? I heard Jimmy Fallon on Howard Stern the other day and he had a synthesized voice reading Artie Lang’s Too Fat To Fish, supposedly coming from a Kindle 2.
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