One of the best gifts I have ever given my wife is was a 2nd Generation Amazon Kindle eReader. She uses it virtually every day, has had no problems whatsoever and enjoys it as much today as she did the day I gave it to her.
If you haven’t figured this out yet, the purpose of this post is to convince you that if you are considering an ereader, you should really consider only the Kindle.
Why do I say that? Experience and a core belief!
My experience with my wife’s Kindle is limited: I have only had to help her with something on it one time during the almost 3 years she has had it. Now, understand that I am the family tech guy. I influence the purchasing of our family gadgets (no surprise, huh?) and I provide the technical support. When I say I haven’t had to do anything to help keep my wife’s Kindle working, it is a testimony to a great gadget.
Now, as to the core belief: I believe that technology should be used with little or no effort by the end user. That’s why I have increasingly become an Apple devotee. Apple products just work, and you don’t have to work at keeping them working.
With the Kindle, Amazon has achieved that level of greatness. I am only speaking of the ereader and not the Kindle Fire (I believe the jury is still out on whether the Kindle Fire will be as user friendly as the e-ink Kindles).
The Good Stuff
- Amazon Kindle is attractively priced — The cheapest version comes with advertisements, but can be had for $79.00 For that you get a black and white e-Ink reader with no keyboard. The low priced device is WiFi only, while the highest price pure e-ink Kindle includes 3G connectivity at no cost for Kindle owners. The price range for Kindle is from $79 to $139, with the Kindle DX (larger screen) comes in at $379.
- Amazon content for Kindle is incredible – sounds over the top with effusiveness, huh? Well, the truth is that Kindle has a second-to-none range of books, most at very reasonable regular costs, and many for free. Plus, they run daily digital deals that include Kindle books for .99 on most days (some days the daily deal is $1.99).
- Amazon e-ink is excellent – You can read with ease on the brightest of days.
- Battery life is incredible — As long as you stay away from the Kindle Fire, your battery life will be measured in months, and not days or weeks. Interestingly, with eInk it is only when pages are turned that power is consumed, and when you are downloading books.
- Purchasing books could not be easier — Kindle books can be purchased on the device itself or on a PC/Mac.
- Excellent support for reading on other devices - I personally do not own a Kindle, but I regularly buy and read Kindle books using one of multiple applications available. I read on my iPad, iPhone and using Amazon Cloud Reader for web browsers. You won’t be disappointed, though you may see a few things that are not available to you since you don’t own a physical Kindle.
- Firmware Upgrades — Firmware for your device is pushed over the air and is very easy to do. You should encounter no problems at all.
There really are no “gotchas” when you purchase an Amazon Kindle. The device works, the value is exceptional, and it only continues to improve.
What about you? Do you own an ereader? Is it an Amazon Kindle?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree with you that it is the best eReader. I think that the simplistic nature of the device helps people to make the transition from a physical book with pages to an electronic device
Savvy Scot recently posted..4 Things They Didn’t Tell You About Life
Simple works for the Kindle. I am amazed at how much my wife loves hers, and how little I have to do to help her use it.