Introducing...the Kindle

So my Kindle arrived today. It was very exciting. So did the pink cover, which actually came with its own set of instructions. I kid you not.

I've read a bunch of a book (Claire Cook's first novel, if you are curious; I've read all her others) on it and I've concluded as follows:

PROS
  • I like not having to go to the bookstore or wait for an online shipment to get new books.
  • Reading from a "device" feels surprisingly natural, probably because we all spend so much time online anyway.
  • It's easy to navigate.
  • The e-books are cheaper than their paper equivalents.

CON
  • I wish it were backlit. This is ironic because Amazon is very proud of it not being backlit. They say this will reduce eyestrain. And yet, I found myself developing a bit of eyestrain/headache. I'm sure there is a way around this. It's probably best to read it with strong natural light or lots of indoor light. It is actually *darker* than a book. I think they wanted to avoid "glare" and overcompensated.

Comments

Kalei's Best Friend said…
my oldest has one and loves it.. i will have to ask her if she wished it had a back light... as far as the eyestrain, i could see the logic in that. is it possible to enlarge the font of what u are reading?
8:30 PM
Bearette said…
KBF - you are wise, that is what i ended up doing. i might go still bigger.
9:59 PM
judy in ky said…
I agree with all of your pros and the con. I would like it if backlighting could be turned on and off, depending on where you are reading.
10:20 PM
Bearette said…
I found a couple more pros - I think it is faster to read than a "real" book because pressing the button is faster than turning a page, and it's lighter than a real book. I would like the on/off backlighting, though. Oh well.
5:34 AM
Lisa said…
I like not having the backlighting because I do think it reduced eye strain. But I agree that the Kindle can be rather dark. I got a clip-on reading light that works pretty well, although I usually have to fiddle with it a bit to get it positioned just right to avoid glare.

The ease of ordering is a blessing and a curse.

My biggest con for the Kindle is that I can't easily page backwards and forwards more than a few pages.
12:19 PM
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the pros and cons. Every time I see one, I want one, but it's just not an expense I can justify right now. Maybe it'll be a Christmas present :)
5:24 PM
Bearette said…
Yes, it would be a fun Christmas present :) I appreciate the larger font...
1:44 AM
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