Most of us have heard of the Kindle and what it is about but when you see it in person, you will be astonished. The “E-ink” looks just like normal ink on a book giving you the feel of a regular book minus the excessive space for pages. Not to mention how many trees are being saved by this eco friendly device. “I love the Kindle because you can download books for less, and because you don’t have a bunch of books you’re never going to use again, also, you have one little device that is small and easy to travel with. You have multiple books on it, so if you finish one you can just move on to the next!” says a Kindle owner, Maddy Snider.
There are three different generations of the Kindle to choose from and each can hold 3,500 e-books. They also have the option to read either landscape or portrait view. All Kindles come with a text to speech feature. The Kindle Wi-Fi costs $139, Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi for only $189 and the newest, Kindle DX at the price of $379. Most books cost $6-$10 and out of print books are free. The Kindle allows you to highlight words and has a built in dictionary.
The no glare screen allows you to read books outside in the sun; also the non illuminated screen doesn’t strain your eyes from looking at it for a long time. It only takes sixty seconds or less to download a book and the battery can last up to a month without need of a charge. E-books aren’t the only thing you can download. You can also download magazines, newspapers, games and blogs. Most newspapers and magazines cost a monthly fee and will appear on to your Kindle automatically by the time it hits the newsstand.
Some drawbacks to the Kindle include that you can’t read in the dark unless you buy a reading light accessory and if you lose or break your Kindle you can’t replace your library unless a new Kindle is bought. Not all books are available so don’t be surprised if the book everyone’s talking about isn’t available. You can’t share your e-books with your friends unless you are willing to let them take your Kindle. The Kindle is only in black and white which isn’t a bad thing for books but for magazines and games it may be.
It is easy to see why Oprah named the Amazon Kindle one of her favorite things in 2008 and how in only five and half hours it first sold out in November of 2007. If you’re like my mother and love finding bargains at garage sales and thrift stores, you know you would never spend more than a dollar on a book. So paying almost or more than $200 for an e-reader is not worth the pay. Personally I’d rather read the old fashion way and read a hardback book rather than any e-reader.