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?