Amazon's Kindle

Resource Review #4:
Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation) (2009). Retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Generation/dp/B0015T963C/ref=amb_link_86172951_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0RTS0VAMJ26CCSMG79X1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=505701891&pf_rd_i=507846

I just realized I haven't reviewed the Kindle itself.

The Kindle is a portable e-reader developed and sold by Amazon.com. It has a wide range of useful features for avid readers, people who like convenience, and those who are on-the-go. I'm starting to sound like the ad, so I'll just show you:

Kindle Ad

This video goes into detail about the special features of the Kindle. The most obvious is it's a way of storing and carrying over a thousand books, magazines, pdfs, and blogs in one device.

Here are some other important features:

• Internal memory of 2 GB
• 60 second downloads
• "whispernet" 3G network and Edge/GPRS
• Battery lasts 4 days running whispernet, 2 weeks without
• Paper-like display=less eye-strain
• 16 shade gray-scale images
• "Read-To-Me" audio reader also plays MP3s
• Note-taking and highlighting (saved to your online account)
• Built-in dictionary and Wikipedia
  

Personally, it would be really nice to have a Kindle. Though there are many bugs to be worked out (which I will address in subsequent blogs), the convenience of being able to carry multiple books and papers with me would be a huge plus. As would the ability to put pdfs of class readings and other online reading. I get headaches when I try to read on a screen for extended periods, and Kindle seems to eliminate those. There are also thousands of public domain books, many that I would like to read, that I could download for free from the sites I listed in my previous blog or the countless others out there.

I do feel like I'm one of those people who would never give up tangible books. I'm very attached to my books. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to be a bad librarian, because I want to own all of my favorite books, so I am never satisfied with checking out and returning books. I want them to be on my shelf, so I can read them again, or loan them out--which I do constantly (maybe that means I will be a good librarian:)) But, I digress.
Lending is one thing Kindles are not known for. I will go more in depth when I talk specifically about how libraries and Kindles relate, but the borrowing policy is a deterrent to many.

Amazon's site is very helpful because it provides the basic details of the product as well as detailed specifications. It is obviously a for-profit site and there are many videos demonstrating Kindle's capabilities and usefulness. There are also videos interviewing famous writers who endorse the Kindle, which I thought was a clever move, because some may see buying an ebook as a slight to the author somehow. However, Amazon does have an area for feedback and reviews which is very helpful in gathering honest opinions about how real people like (or don't like it). It's nice to get a variety of views when shopping online.