Seth Godin reviewed his Kindle last week and made some excellent points.
I realized then that I had not posted my review of the Kindle on my blog (if you are a friend on Facebook, you can read an earlier review there in my Notes), so here is an updated review (read Seth’s review first, please):
1. For someone like me having issues with space, the Kindle is a godsend. I can pack a pile of reading material and it weighs no more than a slim paperback. I was able to read three books on the flight over to London in May and four books on the flight home, and all from one device. I now look for books in the Kindle version first, because the storage is on Amazon.com, not my bookshelves. The download is super fast (less than 30 seconds) right to my Kindle, no matter where I am: in the car, at Costco, in my backyard, or at the gym. I feel smarter with a library of information with me at all times. (Just wait until I get hold of my new iPhone! GPS, baby!)
2. The Kindle versions are cheaper than regular books (and no shipping charges ever) and I like that I can pull down five books on childhood social issues (cliques, mean girls, etc.) for less money and less time. Instantly, the books are with me and ready to read. The Kindle is easy to read too; no back light, and ready for sunlight and dim light because it is not a computer device. This is the e-ink technology, and it’s good. The ease of turning the pages, the ease of bookmarking passages that I like, and the ease of finding what I need when I need it have made me very happy.
3. The available Kindle versions are diverse (great fiction choices) while still somewhat sparse (nonfiction is mostly Oprah-approved and I don’t read most Oprah choices) and I’m looking forward to improved range as the year goes on. I did get ahold of four out of five of Thomas Cahill’s Hinges of History series, which was a goldmine. John Truby’s Anatomy of Story? No. Alice LaPlante’s Making of Story? No. Jane Smiley’s Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel? No. I have all those in hard copy, but they are huge tomes. It would be nice to have them Kindled in order to travel with my favorites.
4. Similar to Seth’s observations about the Kindle not being a connector, you can’t read pdfs on it and that does limit my ability to read ebooks with the Kindle (yes, I buy a LOT of ebooks; some of the best information out there is in ebook form).
5. It’s a fantastic first step, just like the Apollo 10 flight to the moon (didn’t land, but paved the way for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s later landing), and I’m confident it is the beginning of the wave of similar products (and similar Kindle upgrades) that will be connectors and that will cover a wide range of content and will fundamentally change the face of publishing all over again.
Have a great Monday.
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