Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Kindle Review Part I

First a confession: my sister surprised me with the new Kindle! I have had it for a while but have actually just started to read my first book on it, since I now have the luxury of being able to read non-thesis related books.

My first impressions are that I love it. Not everything--I would have liked a touch screen, for example, because once you are an i-phone devotee, you love touch screens, but other than that, the interface is fairly user friendly. It did take me while to figure out how to get all my purchases to show up on the home page, but the HELP screen and service is very good.

Here's what I especially love: the fact that I can change the size of the type!! A wonderful treat for aging eyes. Here's what I don't love: the screen adjustments when you move from one page to the next and the fact that the photos are really not that good when viewed on the Kindle.

Which is why, newspaper friendly as it is, I wouldn't want to read a newspaper on it. The photos are just not that great. The display is not that clear and it is only black and white.

So when I read that the future of newspapers is via electronic readers, I take exception. Yes, I can truly see the value of being able to read a newspaper on a train for example without getting your hands dirty or turning/folding large paper pages. But I don't think I would want to do it everyday.

I have downloaded a few blogs but I must confess they are easier for me to read on my computer, but then again, that is a matter of habit. I'm not sure I would even like magazines on it because of the lack of color but you can get some subscriptions.

I don't think it is going to save the print industry as touted. But it is a great toy.

More tomorrow as I continue to discover my likes and dislikes.

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