I played with an iPad just the other day.  And let me tell you…that little device is amazing.

But later on that day, I bought a Kindle.  Besides the fact that it’s much cheaper, and I have an iPhone and a laptop, I bought the Kindle primarily because I was just looking for an e-reader.  Nothing more, nothing less.

And I’ve been so happy with it.  I took it on my recent trip.  And in ~14 days, I covered more than 11 books.  So here are my thoughts after using it for a couple of weeks.

What I love about the Kindle:

1. I feel like I’m actually holding a book.  Even though it’s an electronic device, it almost doesn’t feel like I’ve got a device in my hands.  It felt like I was holding a book.  In fact, quite a number of times, I tried to “turn the page” manually.

2. Built-in bookmarks.  I never have to worry about losing my place.

3. Reading more than one book at a time.  I sometimes get worn out with many of the books I read.  They’re heavy (theologically/philosophically/physically), and I need to switch to some lighter reads sometimes.  The Kindle allows me to effortlessly do that without carrying around multiple books in my bag.

4. Easy highlighting and note-taking, with downloading to my computer.  When I’m reading non-fiction, I have to take notes.  It’s how I process information.  If I don’t take notes, I quickly forget what I read and hear.  But notes help me to process, both in the moment and in the future as I continue to wrestle through the ideas.

5. Crazy long battery life.

6. Inexpensive books.  Most are ~$10.

What I would improve (what I think would sell more devices)

1. Sharing.  I love to share books and give them away.  But I can’t with the Kindle.  And I get the whole copyright deal…I do.  Authors work incredibly hard, and should be rewarded for their work.  But here’s how sharing could work: if I share a book with you on the Kindle, I lose privileges with viewing the book on my Kindle…until you “give” it back to me.  If you choose to keep it, I would never be able to view the book again, unless I purchased the book again.

2. Lower cost for the device.  Even though I got a used version, the Kindle is still expensive.  Lowering the price point would get more people in the game.  Which would then boost Amazon’s sale of their e-books.

Do you have a Kindle?  What do you love so much about it?