Kindle Thoughts and Reflections
I’ve had plenty of time to spend with my Kindle 2 now, which means I feel like I can give it a fair evaluation. I didn’t want to do this too early, as I might either be too gushing or overly harsh on the things that bothered me. I think I was right to do this, as some things I viewed as negatives in the beginning have turned around in surprising ways.
Of course, it’s not a perfect piece of technology (perfection is hard to come by. I adore my Nintendo DS and my iPod Touch, but there are things I would change if I could). I’ll start by outlining the cons and finish up by highlighting all of the Good Things.
Cons
1. Probably the biggest issue I have is the availability of titles. I realize that Amazon’s Kindle book selection is a growing thing and that new books are being added to the mix every day, but it irritated me that I wasn’t able to go in and buy all of the Ian McEwan novels I haven’t already read. I grant that I may not be the typical customer here - McEwan is a British author (and authors receive considerably more significant celebrity status in England than they do here) and the books I’m looking for are his older, lesser known/read works. Still, Amazon and that publisher would have moved $60 worth of stuff if I’d been able to go right in and buy them. Hopefully, Amazon will be able to influence some of this with the “Tell the Publisher I’d Like to Read This on the Kindle” button.
2. While I like that I have the capability to sync my books up to both the Kindle and the iPod Touch (it keeps my bookmarked spot on both devices), I’m not really fond of reading books on the Touch. The screen is just too small and I’m constantly having to flip pages. I’m sure there’s some setting I can adjust to make this better, but I like the text the size it is and don’t really want it to go much smaller. I realize that this isn’t a complaint about the Kindle directly, but it does impact my overall experience with the product.
3. I was a little irritated that Amazon came out with the DX about three weeks after my Kindle 2 was gifted to me. I’m pretty certain that I would have elected to go with the smaller Kindle 2 (I have tiny hands and the bigger gadget would likely be too large), but it would have been nice to have the choice. Also, Amazon should really consider a trade-in program. If they have one, I’m certainly not aware of it.)
4. I worry some about damaging the Kindle. Even though I have a nice cover for my Kindle, it feels like it would seriously break if I dropped it. So far, I haven’t had any problems (unlike my Blackberry, which seems to be coated in butter), but there’s a sense that the Kindle 2 is a fragile thing.
5. Ultimately, I like books. I like how they feel. I like the printed page. I like how they look on my shelves. Is there something essential missing from the reading experience when I consume a book on the Kindle? Maybe so.
Pros
1. I read a certain number of gigantic books each year. By gigantic, I’m talking about books that come in at more than 500 pages. Maybe even more than 800 pages. I like the Thomas Pynchons and William T. Vollmans of the world, even if it might take me eight months to actually drag myself through one of their voluminous novels.
Anyone who has carried a book like Against the Day or Europe Central around for an extended period of time knows that they’re heavy, they’re cumbersome, and they’re intimidating. The Kindle solves every one of these problems. I’m reading an 800+ page novel right now on my Kindle, and it is the perfect vehicle for such a book. In addition to not having to lug it around, I’m also finding that I’m more motivated to read it on the Kindle than I might have been if I had been reading the book. More on this in a moment…
2. While I originally thought that it was annoying that I couldn’t easily page to the end of a chapter to see how far I had to go for a stopping point, I’ve grown to not care because I like the “percent finished” feature so much. At the bottom of the Kindle, it tells me exactly what percentage of the book I have completed. On the main menu, you can also see how much progress you have made thanks to some bold highlighting under the book’s title. Why do I like the “percent finished” display? It encourages me to keep going. I see that I’m at 40% and I want to get to 50%. I see that I’m at 90% and I know I’m close to finishing another book (or I’m sad that it’s coming to a close).
This isn’t so important for shorter books as it is those gargantuan monsters I talked about in Pro #1. In the past, when I’ve read great big huge books, it’s taken me months to finish. I’ll read any number of books at the same time, but sometimes the gigantic tomes can feel more like chores than pleasure. As I mentioned, I’m reading a big 800+ pager right now, and it has just sped along. Perhaps this is a credit to the fact that the book is truly terrific (I’ve been less enthusiastic about stuff like Europe Central, Tree of Smoke and Against the Day, though Against the Day stands out as vividly as any book I’ve read in recent years). I still have to believe that I would have been drudging through Nicola Barker’s Darkmans because looking at the big ol’ book would just be frustrating, not to mention the fact that I wouldn’t be keen on lugging it along to work to read during 15 minute breaks (when I take them).
3. The Kindle is the perfect vehicle for reading multiple books at once - which is something I’m pretty constantly doing. Instead of having to find both books I’m reading, they’re right there on the Kindle. If I want to switch from one to the other, I don’t have to go to the other room to grab it or carry them both around with me. It’s right there in front of me with a single touch. Perhaps this proves I’m lazy more than anything. I think I already knew that, though.
4. Reading books on the Kindle is pretty easy on the eyes. I’m able to have the font at such a size that I have no issues. It’s even easy to read outdoors thanks to some unique - or perhaps non-existent - backlighting. I sat outside for a few minutes this morning in the sunshine and it was just as easy as - if not easier than - reading a physical book.
5. I love that books are delivered within a minute. You’d think that it would take 15 minutes or a half hour to get such significant content, but it’s right there almost instantaneously. The only concern? Maybe it’s *too* easy to get the content. I could see myself overspending in the Kindle store…
6. …though the good news is that Amazon has a terrific selection of inexpensive and free books, especially classics. And since I love reading stuff like Jane Austen, the Brontes, Melville, and many others, this is a grrrrrrrreat deal for me.
7. Finally, and this seems like a lame topic to close on, the battery life seems to be excellent. I’ve only gotten a low battery warning once, and I use the Kindle *a lot*. This is a lot better than my experience with my iPod Touch, which I adore, but I run out the battery every other day even if I charge it nightly.
2 years ago
