Amazon.com's recently introduced Kindle is a breakthrough because it's the first e-book reader that can wirelessly download books. It connects with a high-speed cellphone-like network and uses a high-resolution display technology called electronic paper, which makes the words on the screen look like ink printed on paper.
The Kindle is a viable alternative to reading an actual book, and you may sometimes forget that you are reading an electronic gadget. But it does have some significant flaws, like the lack of a built-in light and the fact that there's really no natural place to rest your hands while reading. And it's not the prettiest thing to look at.
The $400 price tag also needs to come down for the Kindle to truly take off.
By far, the best thing about the Kindle is how easy it is to download content. Not having to hook it up to a computer with an Internet connection is like having access to a giant library or bookstore in your hands.
Best-selling books typically cost about $10 and are downloaded almost instantly. There's a built-in keyboard to make finding a book easier. You can also pay to read newspapers, magazines and some blogs. For instance, a monthly subscription to The New York Times costs $14; a monthly subscription to Time costs $1.50.
The Kindle can hold more than 200 books, magazines or newspapers, and it has a media card slot if you need more storage.
Weighing 10.3 ounces, the Kindle is lighter than most paperback books and it fits easily into a bag or purse. The 6-inch screen is smaller than the pages of most hardcover books, but you can choose from six text sizes to make reading easier.
Unlike paper books, you can hold the Kindle with one hand and turn the page by pressing a button on the side of the screen. It comes with a black case that protects the device and holds it in place while you read.
Since you can change the text size, it's not possible for the Kindle to display page numbers that correspond to the ones in the paper version. Instead, there's a "progress bar" that uses a string of dots that turn bold as you progress through the book and "locations," such as "2406-10."
The Kindle automatically remembers where you left off
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
New e-book reader is wireless
Kindle is a breakthrough because it's the first e-book reader that can wirelessly download books. It connects with a high-speed cellphone-like network and uses a high-resolution display technology called electronic paper, which makes the words on the screen look like ink printed on paper.
The Kindle is a viable alternative to reading an actual book, and you may sometimes forget that you are reading an electronic gadget. But it does have some significant flaws, like the lack of a built-in light and the fact that there's really no natural place to rest your hands while reading. And it's not the prettiest thing to look at.
The $400 price tag also needs to come down for the Kindle to truly take off.
By far, the best thing about the Kindle is how easy it is to download content. Not having to hook it up to a computer with an Internet connection is like having access to a giant library or bookstore in your hands.
Best-selling books typically cost about $10 and are downloaded almost instantly. There's a built-in keyboard to make finding a book easier. You can also pay to read newspapers, magazines and some blogs. For instance, a monthly subscription to The New York Times costs $14; a monthly subscription to Time costs $1.50.
The Kindle can hold more than 200 books, magazines or newspapers, and it has a media card slot if you need more storage.
Weighing 10.3 ounces, the Kindle is lighter than most paperback books and it fits easily into a bag or purse. The 6-inch screen is smaller than the pages of most hardcover books, but you can choose from six text sizes to make reading easier.
Unlike paper books, you can hold the Kindle with one hand and turn the page by pressing a button on the side of the screen. It comes with a black case that protects the device and holds it in place while you read.
The Kindle is a viable alternative to reading an actual book, and you may sometimes forget that you are reading an electronic gadget. But it does have some significant flaws, like the lack of a built-in light and the fact that there's really no natural place to rest your hands while reading. And it's not the prettiest thing to look at.
The $400 price tag also needs to come down for the Kindle to truly take off.
By far, the best thing about the Kindle is how easy it is to download content. Not having to hook it up to a computer with an Internet connection is like having access to a giant library or bookstore in your hands.
Best-selling books typically cost about $10 and are downloaded almost instantly. There's a built-in keyboard to make finding a book easier. You can also pay to read newspapers, magazines and some blogs. For instance, a monthly subscription to The New York Times costs $14; a monthly subscription to Time costs $1.50.
The Kindle can hold more than 200 books, magazines or newspapers, and it has a media card slot if you need more storage.
Weighing 10.3 ounces, the Kindle is lighter than most paperback books and it fits easily into a bag or purse. The 6-inch screen is smaller than the pages of most hardcover books, but you can choose from six text sizes to make reading easier.
Unlike paper books, you can hold the Kindle with one hand and turn the page by pressing a button on the side of the screen. It comes with a black case that protects the device and holds it in place while you read.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sold-out Kindle lacks rave reviews
Buoyed by media attention and generally positive professional reviews, Amazon.com's electronic book reader, the Kindle, remains sold out more than a month after its launch.
But according to one measure of popularity -- Amazon's own star rating system -- the Kindle has had only lukewarm success. So far, more than 1,300 visitors have ranked the device and have awarded it with an average of 3 1/2 out of five stars
The mixed reviews demonstrate that the Kindle has a ways to go before it persuades buyers to turn in paper pages for an electronic screen -- a fact that has led some analysts to question whether Amazon might want to license its Kindle book-buying service, leaving the design of the book reader to others.
The Kindle allows users to read books, newspapers and blogs on a screen designed to replicate the crispness of a paper page. Kindle owners can also get access to an online store where they can wirelessly download media to read or save.
But according to one measure of popularity -- Amazon's own star rating system -- the Kindle has had only lukewarm success. So far, more than 1,300 visitors have ranked the device and have awarded it with an average of 3 1/2 out of five stars
The mixed reviews demonstrate that the Kindle has a ways to go before it persuades buyers to turn in paper pages for an electronic screen -- a fact that has led some analysts to question whether Amazon might want to license its Kindle book-buying service, leaving the design of the book reader to others.
The Kindle allows users to read books, newspapers and blogs on a screen designed to replicate the crispness of a paper page. Kindle owners can also get access to an online store where they can wirelessly download media to read or save.
Monday, January 14, 2008
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Kindle Edition)
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Kindle Edition)
Kindle Books
Kindle Books include free wireless delivery - read your book on your Kindle within a minute of placing your order.
It's difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow than The Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating at Amazon.com, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, those readers said, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.
Kindle Books
Kindle Books include free wireless delivery - read your book on your Kindle within a minute of placing your order.
Kindle Books
Kindle Books include free wireless delivery - read your book on your Kindle within a minute of placing your order.
It's difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow than The Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating at Amazon.com, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, those readers said, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.
Kindle Books
Kindle Books include free wireless delivery - read your book on your Kindle within a minute of placing your order.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Kindle reader Best books of the Year
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling. No Kindle edition. Hardcover. $19.24. The last book in the Harry Potter series. "Readers beware. The brilliant, breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's spellbinding series is not for the faint of heart--such revelations, battles, and betrayals await in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that no fan will make it to the end unscathed." - Amazon book description.
Technorati Tags:
kindlereader, kindle, kindlereader, harry potter, amazon.com
Technorati Tags:
kindlereader, kindle, kindlereader, harry potter, amazon.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)