Tree-Free E-Books

Kindle
Now, if we could only teach it to make Fair Trade Coffee

I’m an E-book foot dragger. My friend Connie has been writing and publishing E-Books for years. But to me, Kindle has made the technology simple, easy to read and convenient.

Here's what's in the box

Kindle is a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more books and newspapers than our local library. The Kindle is like electronic-paper. It’s easy to read with sharp clear printing that allows you to adjust the text size. Kindle has the look and feel of a trade paperback with a light weight, high-resolution screen that is much easier for me to read than the typical paperback.

I read everywhere I go. One feature I like about Kindle is that you will never lose your place or have to go searching for a bookmark. I take a book to bed and read until I’m sleepy. If I fall asleep, so does the kindle. When I’m ready t read again, I “wake up” the Kindle and it pops right back to where I stopped reading.

The Kindle is wireless and advertises a long battery life. When you are not using it, plug it in to recharge. Or, continue reading while it is recharging. It weighs 10.3 ounces, and has an ergonomic design making convenient for right or left handed readers.

I like using the built in dictionary, The New Oxford American Dictionary, which allows for easy look up and practically uninterrupted reading.

Another feature I like, Kindle lets you download and read the beginning of a book for free. That’s as comforting as flipping through a book before buying it at the book store. Only buy what you like. Connect to Amazon's online bookstore, click buy, download with 1-Click and continue reading.

It is simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing. Even for the technologically challenged, Kindle is ready to use right out of the box. Whether you're in bed or on a bus, it’s easy to browse for another book and buy it almost instantly.

If New York Times® Best Sellers are you favorite reads, 140,000 books are available, including more than 98 of 112 current NYT best sellers. With so many newspapers, magazines and books to choose, it surprised me that two of the books I hoped to purchase on Kindle were not available.

As I become more familiar with the Kindle, I’ll report about more features. Amazon says Kindle has about two days battery life with wireless turned on, about a week without. I’ve never used another electronic book reader, such as Sony's Reader, so I can’t make any comparisons.
More later.