Kindle Crazy

As much as I love my new shiny Kindle 2 (I’ve had it a month now), printed books will still have a place in my library, just as audio books do now. I have found that not all books in a series have been converted to Kindle (especially the earlier/earliest titles in a series), and, if I want to read those, I will still need to get the printed version. I also read books/my Kindle for a different reason than listening to an audio book -- when I listen, I'm usually out for a walk or in some way wanting to "forget" the world around me. With a book/Kindle, I like to curl up on the couch or someplace else comfy and still be part of my surroundings.

Now, after a month of reading and playing with my kindle, here is my review.

What I like:

• Easy to use – just turn it on, turn the wireless on, go to the Amazon store, and buy a book. It shows up with a couple of minutes and you can start reading right away.
  
  
• Nice selection of the classics and other public domain books to read – and most of them are free or very cheap.
  
  
• Comfortable to hold. My Kindle with its cover is under 2 pounds so it doesn’t weigh as much as most hard-cover books. The Next Page buttons are placed just right that my thumbs fall on them naturally.
  
  
• Easy to read in bright light. The not-white background of the page is easy on my eyes, even in the sunshine (which we do eventually get in the Seattle area).
  
  
• Samples are great. Most (if not all) books that Amazon carries have samples available. These samples are usually long enough (sometimes several chapters) to let you decide if it really is a book you want to buy and read.
  
  

What I don’t like:

• Can’t share a book. Although I “own” the content, nobody else can read my copy unless I loan them my Kindle, too.
  
  
• Some books are too pricey. I’ve even found the paper version of some books to be several dollars cheaper than the Kindle version.
  
  
• No way to categorize books other than by author, title, or date acquired. No folders, either, to group similar books together. I’m up to 65 books on my Kindle, and have to scroll alphabetically through each page in the list to find what I am looking for.
  
  
• Need a light if reading in a dark room. Remember the flashlight under the covers when you were supposed to be sleeping? Well, you need it here, too, since there is no backlight on the Kindle.
  
  
• Text to Speech not quite there yet. I’m an audiophile and can never imagine listening to the Kindle voice read me a book. I think my GPS sounds friendlier.
  
  
• Don’t know what is being updated by Amazon. Updates are sent the same way that books are sent and, unless you never turn the Whispernet on, updates are downloaded and installed without having to do anything to the Kindle. But, Amazon doesn’t put out any kind of list as to what the updates fixed or changed, and you aren’t given the option to not download the update.
  

Still to try:

• Although I’ve sent a couple of items to my Kindle via the e-mail interface, I haven’t played too much with it yet. I see this as a neat way to keep lists (my DVD collection, for example) at my fingertips. It’s true that I can’t modify the list on my Kindle, but it makes it easy to read.
  
  
• Audible.com content can be downloaded to the Kindle and this might be one way to listen to an audio book. I haven’t tried it yet since I use my iPod for audio books. And my iPod fits into my pocket easier than my Kindle.