In case you missed my last comments on the previous blog, I bought a Kindle. It is my birthday present. It arrived on Friday.
I have mixed feelings about it. Mostly it is very nice. Books are easy to download and there is lots of content available (and quite a bit of free content too). The built-in, instant dictionary is very handy, as is the search feature. It’s light and very thin — almost too thin: If I rest my hands on top as I read in bed it is uncomfortable. But I think that’s probably a matter of adjusting.
I have some reservations. My major concern is with the screen contrast. It’s definitely not as good as black text on a white page. It’s more like very dark gray text on a very light gray background. Under good light it is quite easy to read. But in darker environments, where I would be able to read a printed book, it’s too hard to see.
The page-turn buttons are not quite where I would have put them either — my hands don’t naturally fall there while I’m reading. I might have preferred them on the top corners, but it’s not a big deal.
The built-in web browser is a joke, both because the connection is slow and the gray-scale display looses too much web content, but I guess it’s OK to have Google or Wikipedia available in a pinch.
I read in the bathtub last night, but that was scary. Dropping a normal book means at worst you might be out the cost of the book, and at best you might be able to read it after you dry it out. I doubt Amazon will refund me if I send it back filled with bubbles… :\
Anyway, I’ve got a month to decide if I want to keep it. I probably will.