My Early Thoughts on Owning a Kindle

I am not a technology “early adopter.” While I like to know what’s out there, I usually wait quite a while before using something, and even then, I don’t really have a lot of gadgets.

So, for a long time, I resisted getting any type of Kindle. Part of my reason was that I do so much of my work on a screen, and I didn’t really want to read from a screen even more. The other reason is that I already have dozens of print books that I haven’t read…why add even more?

However, I did add a Kindle reader to my laptop and my iPhone some time back. I knew there were some books that I could get for free (which opened my eyes), so I added the free downloads to those two devices. It didn’t take long until I was sold.

Leah bought me a Kindle for Christmas. At $79, it was a perfect gift within our budget for one another. I already had several books (free ones,  of course!) downloaded, so I started using it right away. After a couple of weeks, here are my impressions.

GOOD

1. Easy on the Eyes. Reading on a Kindle is not like reading on most computer screens. The technology Amazon uses to display the text makes it much easier on the eyes. It looks very much like most print book pages, and there is very little glare.

2. Lightweight. For an electronic device, the Kindle weighs nothing. In fact, it weighs less than a lot of books that I read. When you are reading at the end of a long day, this matters.

3. Great Book Selection. Did I mention there are tons of free books? Currently, I am reading 4 books on my Kindle, and all of them are free. That includes the English Standard Version Bible!

4. Amazing Battery Life. I charged the Kindle up on Christmas day, and that’s the last time I’ve plugged it in. I still have approximately 40% of the battery life left, and I have been using this device a lot (although, when I know I’m not going to be on it for awhile, I do turn it all the way off, instead of on “sleep” mode).

5. Syncing to Other Devices. Sometimes, I have wanted to call up my Kindle reader on my laptop, and it’s great that it sync’s to the latest point to which you have read in that book, even on another device.

6. It Was a Gift from Someone I Love. Had to throw that in there! That always makes a gift more special!!!

BAD

1. Odd Peripheral Perspective. I am used to an open-face book, so only having one “page” leaves the space around the book different to me. Sometimes, I find myself struggling a bit with this different perspective, although I imagine this will lessen as I get used to the device even more.

2. Difficult Highlighting. I don’t highlight a lot, but it is very difficult on the $79 Kindle. I have heard others say it is easy on other versions of the device.

3. It’s Yet Another Device. I like my iPhone because it is a “do-it-all” device. The Kindle is nice because it is a one-task device, but that does mean that I have another gadget to carry around. Though it is small and lightweight, it still is just one more thing to think about.

SUMMARY

Overall, if you read very much at all, I highly recommend the Kindle, especially at these very low prices. I don’t like dropping $79 for one thing very often, but if you buy books even a few times a year, you will save a tremendous amount of money buying Kindle books. However, if you like marking in your books, you may want to think about a different version of the Kindle.