At first I was a little hesitant to try a tablet reader, but after using my friends Kindle I found I actually liked it a lot. My experience with tablets before this encounter was mainly with iPads and similar bright led screen machines that made my eyes water. I think they serve a purpose but not when it comes to reading, especially for long periods of time (eh hem A Song of Fire and Ice). So why buy a tablet that was just a smaller version of my computer screen, which already gives me problems with my eyes, when I just want to get away from my computer and read a book?
This is one of the main reasons I have become such a big fan of the Kindle, it actually feels like your reading a book with the back lit letters instead of a glaring lcd screen. The following are the other reasons I like Kindle. It is small and light weight and takes the place of an infinite number of books if you needed it to. Getting a new book is as easy as downloading it from the store and its in your Kindle, ready to go. Another cool trick is the ability to look up names using X-Ray. This tool allows an unknown character to be found in other parts of the book to joggle the memory or to establish the importance of the character in the future. I don't use it that much because it might give away the future of the character, but it is nice to have if I need it.
A huge bonus for me is being able to look up words. Once in a while I read a whole paragraph and skip over the meaning of one word and suddenly I have no idea what I just read. Authors like to use big words that have no business being outside the literary world, but in order to correctly understand what the author is trying to describe you need to know the meanings of these words that you do or don't see very often. Especially when an action or paragraph and sometimes a page hinge on the meaning of one word. With the Kindle I can look up any word in the dictionary and even write my own definition on words that are made up. Definitely one of my favorite parts.
Simple but overlooked is the ability to not lose your page unless you try to. No lost bookmarks or flipping to a lost spot, which is nice. I recently found some old books that smelled pretty musty, probably from mold or water damage, and I must say so far the Kindle has survived all I have through at it, mostly loose pieces of hair, but still, a book picks up old smells, which is nice until you realize that means its full of bugs.
Though I have yet to use this tool effectively, the ability to highlight remains available. I guess I would use it if I was writing a paper on a book or reading an important document but so far I have been reading books only for enjoyment and have not gotten that far into the professional role of the Kindle. Lastly, I like the fact that the Kindle is sneaky. I have seen people at types of places with a book in front of them reading for purpose and pleasure and instantly judging them, not on purpose but because they almost want to be judged, "Hey look at me I'm reading The Game", to which my reaction would be it is disturbing that you own that book not to mention you bring it out in public. With the Kindle you get a little bit more privacy, and with the right cover a little light to read you thought the night.
All in all, a great buy, with the disappointment that I wont have such a large collection of books to show off to my peers and relatives. Amazon, can I buy the hard cover copy and then get a Kindle version half off?
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