Design/handling
The reviews I read said that the design of the regular Kindle wasn't too hot compared to others. Well, I find it attractive, but maybe not the most ergonomically sound. It took me some time to figure out the controls, and the keypad seems extraneous for the amount of space it takes up. A touchscreen you can call up would be better.
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Display
You will notice while changing pages that the screen goes black in-between. At first I thought this meant that the machine wasn't powered well enough or had some kind of bug. But I read somewhere that it's due to the special "ink" used to display the text.
No pictures at this time. :( I mean, they are not included, in the books currently available in the Kindle store. I'm not sure what the implications would be as far as energy usage, etc. But I'm sure they will be working on this.
Book access
You can do all purchasing through your Amazon account, via credit card. Browse, choose a book, decide to buy it, and it shows up on your Kindle. I recommend this as opposed to browsing from your Kindle, where there are less browsing/sorting options.
Selection isn't bad. There are a few children's classics like "Little House on the Prairie" that don't seem to be available yet, but the Kindle library grows daily.
There are a lot of books at free/reduced prices. Again, better to use Amazon. You can go to a "top 100" free book list, or browse topics and sort by price to get some good deals. I found a lot of classics for free.
The reading experience
Reading is the main feature, and the part that works well. It's fairly easy to "turn" the page, and the font can be adjusted to make the eyes more comfortable. The Kindle saves your place automatically, and you can be reading multiple books at once with your place saved.
Other features
The "read-aloud" feature is computer-generated and not something I plan on using regularly...unless I'm sick or something? Or my eyes hurt? Can't really think of a reason I would want to use it.
The browsing features need to be improved.
Global?
Haven't confirmed yet what access will be like in Russia as far as the wireless connection and downloading books. I'll know in a few days!
Ooh, good review. I've been thinking about getting a Kindle (eventually) so I'll keep these points in mind.
ReplyDeleteToo bad the "read aloud" feature isn't nice - like "books on tape" or something that you'd love to listen to....now THAT might make me consider getting one.
ReplyDeleteI love the PICTURES! And I love the whole "experience" of the book - the type style, the feel of the paper. It is like the books going out in disguise to be on Kindle, I shold think.... Or books in uniform? Something seems to be taken away.
After reading Kate in St. Pete's review of the Kindle - she only had it a few days, it fell off the coffee table and broke...and they wouldn't replace it....I decided no way for me. Everything I have needs to be able to be smashed about a bit.
P.S. The prices and versions are changing all the time, so do your research. :)
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I'm not getting rid of my hard copies yet. I'm reading more often with the Kindle, though.
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