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Imagine waking up to find your morning newspaper on the night stand each day without ever having to get out of bed.
Or say you want another book to read while soaking up some sun on the beach. And voila! Michael Connelly's latest book appears in the palm of your hand.
Amazon.com wants consumers to go even more digital with their reading habits with its 8-month-old Kindle reading device. Visit Amazon.com, and it's the first thing you see.
It's one of the latest in the electronic books. And it carries a variety of options: newspapers, books, blogs and magazines.
Great! Unload the back-breaking backpacks.
But in an age of laptop computers and iPhones, do we really want another electronic thing?
I gave Kindle a test drive and, to my surprise, the 10.3-ounce unit proved fairly intuitive. After a day, I was comfortable with searches, downloads and scrolling.
The screen is about the size of a paperback book, and the type can be enlarged or reduced.
Books and periodical subscriptions cost less when you download them to Kindle.
For a $13.95 monthly subscription, get the New York Times automatically each day on Kindle. (The print version of Sunday's New York Times in the Tampa Bay area can cost you as much as $5).
But one of Kindle's strength is also a weakness. It uses "E Ink," a display technology that helps your eyes feel as if you're reading a book. E Ink works best in black and white, so no color.
How about battery power? The battery lasted the day as I played with it. The battery fully recharges within two hours.
Though I had it for just a couple of days, I didn't want to part with it. Perhaps it was the novelty, but Kindle was kind of fun.
Should you buy now? Well, are you an early adopter or do you like waiting for it to be tweaked?
Crunchgear.com reported this week that Kindle 2.0 is set to hit the market as early as October, just in time for the holiday season. In response to the Crunchgear.com report, Amazon says it does not "comment on rumor and speculation."
Ivan Penn can be reached at ipenn@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2332.
About Amazon's Kindle
Costs $359. Available at amazon.com. Specifications: 7.5" x 5.3" x 0.7" with a 6" diagonal E Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 10.3 ounces
What's good about it
• Learning curve is minimal.
• You can download volumes of material, such as the complete works of Shakespeare, in seconds. Right now, there are 140,000 books, 21 daily newspapers, 16 magazines and 300 blogs available.
• The cost for periodical subscriptions and books is less than for printed versions.
• Saves paper and helps protect the environment.
• The wireless connection system uses advanced cell phone technology rather than WiFi, so you don't lose your connection on the go.
What's bad about it
• The price is steep at $359, though you can recoup that through the lower costs of subscriptions and books. The price already has dropped $40 from the initial price and is expected to drop even more.
• It currently comes only in white, though reports on Crunchgear.com say that multiple colors are coming.
• The display is available only in black and white because "e-paper" technology does not support quality color images.
[Last modified: Jul 23, 2008 09:54 AM]
Comments on this article
by Lynne
Jul 21, 2008 4:10 PM
For an older reader, like me, being able to change type size when my eyes are tired has been wonderful, allowing me to read longer, and with less eyestrain.
by JH
Jul 21, 2008 11:09 AM
I wouldn't be an early adopter because the price should drop big time. The real money is in the re-curring subscriptions. Look for the NYT or somebody else to offer deals on them with a subscription commitment.
by since1962
Jul 19, 2008 2:47 PM
While we won't be bringing these devices to the beach anytime soon...
I predict Walmart & Target will sell similar products in the near future.
Digital picture frames found a way from expensive specialty to keychains in short order.
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