My Christmas stocking was stuffed with books this year, just like every year. Actually, we're a book-giving family--all of us like to receive books for special occasions--and my daughters say I'll always be easy to buy for ... so long as I never lose my love for books. No worries there.
Among this year's goodies were the companion book to the PBS special by Burns and Ward about World War II; a beautiful new world Atlas (my old one was so worn it was becoming difficult to use); the novel Tipperary by Frank Delaney, who also wrote Ireland; and The Cult of Mac, a funny, quirky, and just plain weird collection of history, anecdotes, and questionable tales about what really makes Mac users tick. Oh, my ... a little scary.
All that and a couple of hundred other books ... just waiting for the "one-click" at amazon.com. A couple of hundred? That's some kind of Christmas stocking, BJ!
Here's the thing: hubby also gave me a Kindle. Now, if you don't know what a Kindle is, come out of that cave and go here to find out.
In the interest of time and space and your concentration level, I won't try to provide you with all the specs and other details about how a Kindle will change your life. If you're really interested, you can go to the same site and learn everything you need to know.
But, briefly: the Kindle is an electronic book reader, similar--but, at least in my opinion--superior to and distinctly different from the Sony PRS. There's been a lot of misunderstanding about it, and hence a bazillion negative and misleading reviews about it on amazon and at other places (the majority of which seem to be coming from folks who have never even touched one).
What it's not: it's not meant to replace paper books. It's an alternative. Depending on your lifestyle, it's a convenience. Again, depending on your lifestyle (including your age and how much you use your eyes), it can make the act of reading easier. It's not a "gadget." It's more than that.
Now I'll admit that I'm a bit of a gadget-head. And I tend to be--for some items--an early adopter. I enjoy trying out new "stuff." That said, though, I don't view the Kindle as just another gadget. It's more. For me, a PDA is a gadget. An iPod is a gadget. Even the iPhone--as much as I like mine--is still a gadget.
The Kindle, however does a few things that a gadget--and a paper book--can't do. It enlarges the font to fit your comfort level. It does a thorough search for words and phrases. Depending on the size of the SD card you install, it can hold hundreds of books--all of which, when downloaded within seconds from amazon.com, are significantly less expensive than paper books. It includes a surprisingly good dictionary, as well as Wikipedia (in which I put little trust). It will deliver your choice of newspapers and magazines first thing every morning at more than reasonable prices. It will even provide you with blogs to read, though why anyone would pay to read a blog that they can read free online is a bit of a puzzle to me. You can listen to music while you read through its little speaker, and you can also listen to audio books. Its wireless capability is paid for by amazon.com--you receive no extra bill for wireless, once you purchase the device. You can even browse the Web, but don't expect the same bells and whistles as on a computer. It also has a keyboard for search use, etc.
You're not limited only to offerings from amazon.com either--you can find and download freebies, especially classics, from other sites, to your heart's content. You can even (though I don't quite get the point of this) have your Word documents converted by amazon.com and downloaded on the Kindle so you can read them at will. There are already thousands of books available for download--last I heard the number was about 95,000 and growing.
Pretty cool, eh? But here's the thing: your reaction to the device depends heavily on your expectations. If you think it's going to replace or be better than paper books, you might want to think long and hard before buying one. And if you don't like the idea of not being able to share your books--loan them to friends, etc.--that's another limitation to consider. After all, if you loan your Kindle, you're going to be loaning out a good sized portion of your library, once you've accumulated several titles.
I was a little surprised about my own response to it. I'm such a die-hard book lover, and have been all my life, that I never thought for a moment that any device could take the place of "real books" for me, so there was no disappointment as I explored its possibilities. I also knew that it would be, at best, a convenience: an alternative to carrying along several books when I'm traveling or just sitting in the car, waiting for something or someone (I really do wish I'd had one of these when I was still a band mom!). I also like the idea of being able to download samples of books before purchasing them, to make sure I really want to buy them. (Another big plus to the device, in my opinion.)
So when I started throwing hints a few weeks before Christmas, I knew what I was doing. Even so, I thought I might take to it more quickly than I have. I have no complaints about the device itself, mind. I like the design, the ease of use, and it works just great. Books are cheaper, and the ability to enlarge the font, especially at the end of the day when my eyes are really tired, is a huge plus. Amazon makes it extremely easy (maybe too easy?) to browse and find what I want quickly, and if I get the urge for some wild reason for a certain book at midnight or after, no problem. I can download it then and there. I love the convenience of sticking it in my purse when I have an appointment (especially one that I know is going to keep me sitting in the waiting room for an hour or more) instead of lugging along a hardback or a couple of magazines. I take full advantage of the sampling feature, and, although I don't travel all that much, I can certainly see the benefit for those who do.
I don't care for the note taking and highlighting features--they're pretty lame, actually. I can probably blame my dislike on years of highlighting in my own reference books, taking notes on my laptop, and printing them out whenever I like. I don't see the Kindle--even with future improvements said to be in the mix--coming up with something I'll use as much or like as well in that regard.
There's also just something ... strange ... about reading a device instead of a book. In most cases, the font is easier on the eyes, and the paper ink technology is great. But--it's not a real book!
Am I sticking with it? Oh, yes. It comes close to meeting whatever expectations I had for it, and I use it enough to appreciate it. It's a--sensible kind of device in many ways. It's convenient. It's a good alternative in a number of areas. I'm just not in love with the thing as much as some of the other users I've heard emoting about it. Nor will I ever be, I'm certain.
Books, I love. Devices, I use.
So thanks to my husband for understanding my appreciation for both.
BJ
