DISQUS

Letter Never Sent: The Kindle is a portable book shelf

  • BrianR · 1 year ago
    thanks for the feedback ... I might have to go test one out ... this would be a great thing for trains/buses/airplanes, but I still like the feeling of holding a real book too. I guess in that sense it shouldn't be seen as a replacement per se, but just an additional way to read.
  • Chris Sivori · 1 year ago
    They actually have Kindle owners listed on the site that will demo theirs
    for you. Also, you could buy one and return if it doesn't work for you. I
    guess for me it's like letter writing vs. email. I used to have several pen
    pals and enjoyed trading actual written correspondence, however email now
    suffices for almost everything.
  • BrianR · 1 year ago
    What do you think of Kindle in terms of it as a replacement for real books? Is it truly easy on the eyes like the ad says? It seems like that is still the main hurdle for 'e-books' ... I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.
  • Chris Sivori · 1 year ago
    If you're down in Texas, I'd be glad to lend it to you for a few days. It's very easy to read. I forget I'm reading a Kindle most of the time. It's just reading. No eye strain. I also like being able to hold and use a book with one hand as you just turn the 'pages' by pressing down your thumb. If you hold with your left hand, you can go back and forth with one hand. This is good for reading on your side.

    A couple quibbles. Obviously, it's greyscale, so no color graphics or photos. Most of the time this is no big deal. Also, if I forget to turn off the wireless connection it runs down in a day or two of use. It can be annoying to arrive somewhere and not have enough juice to read, but this happens very seldom.

    Sometimes I wish the screen were a tad larger since I read with the font on the middle size so I can hold it at arm's length. I don't like to hold the book close.
  • Chris Sivori · 1 year ago
    One other thing, since the Kindle supports two fonts, you might miss some of the typographic design love that goes into certain books. Also, I do miss thick creamy paper, but for 90% of what I read the Kindle is better. Also, new books are about half off hardcover prices. So, if you read a lot of new stuff it can save you money pretty quickly.