Kindle

I rarely do this, but I think this is a cool idea. If you are into "gadgets" as I am, this is one you might want to look into.

What is it?

The Amazon Kindle is a revolutionary portable reader that wirelessly downloads books, newspapers, magazines and blogs to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight.

Kindle customers, no matter where they are in the U.S., can wirelessly shop the Kindle Store and download new content — all without a PC or a WiFi hot spot. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so there are no monthly wireless bills and no service commitments for customers. The Kindle Store contains over 90,000 books that can be purchased and delivered wirelessly to Kindle, each in less than a minute. Customers can choose from hundreds of top newspapers, magazines and blogs and have their subscriptions auto-delivered wirelessly. All New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are $9.99, unless marked otherwise.

At 10.3 ounces, Kindle is lighter and thinner than a paperback book, carries two hundred books, and includes built-in access to The New Oxford American Dictionary and wireless access to the Earth’s biggest encyclopedia, Wikipedia.org.

The above is the "official" description. Here's my take: Most of the paperback books I buy are less than 10.3 ounces, and I usually pay less than $9.99 for my reading material. But, the Kindle will hold 200 books, is convenient to carry and will download from anywhere. For me, the downside is that the screen is in a greyscale and at $399 it's a bit on the pricey side.

Kindle includes a dictionary, a search function to find an article you may have read a few days ago, a QWERTY keyboard that works for both right and left-handers, adjustable text size, and a long-life battery. You can download the beginning of a book to read to decide if it's something you'd like to read. Amazon has over 90,000 books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs currently available, and 100 of 112 current NY Times bestsellers. And adding more all the time.

I can see the portable reader as being indispensible to commuters, students, vacationers, and anyone who loves to read. This might the be Christmas/Hanukka give of the season. There is a link on the right hand side of this page to the Kindle. Go look. See what you think.