I remember when I first got an Ipod. I was a couple of years late in the game, which meant I had benefited from a slicker, fancier model than the first generation mp3 players. I enjoyed the device – it was trendy, practical, and well, cool – for all of about two weeks. The sad truth is that I’m woefully lacking when it comes to musical savviness, my familiarity being limited to The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Phillip Glass, with a nostalgic affinity for 90′s alternative rock. That’s it. Hardly enough to capitalize on a device designed to hold, manage, and ultimately glorify a love for music. Well, readers, guess what? Our Ipod has come
, and no, it isn’t the Ipad.
This Saturday I awoke to two wonderful surprises. The first was a new holiday, Stepfather’s Day, complete with hugs, kisses, and cards. The second was the next generation Amazon Kindle. Now, being something of a technophile, I had already suspected that I would like the reading device, I just never expected to love the thing. And boy oh boy, do I love it.
Let’s forget about the gorgeous design for the moment (pictured is the older model, I couldn’t find the pic I wanted). What’s struck me about the Kindle is its focus on content. I don’t watch television because I don’t care to be assaulted by commercials. I make mental notes never to buy products that use underhanded advertisements online. And unfortunately, I don’t read nearly as much as I should, because where I live, visiting a book store means going to the mall, which, frankly, is the last place on Earth I would ever want to be, barring a zombiepocolypse, and even then, joining the flesh-eating undead would be a better alternative than those over-crowded exhibitions of consumerism. The Kindle cuts to the chase. It is pure, unadulterated information in the palm of my hands. No ads. No threat of interference from unrelated content. It is first and foremost a text-based instrument designed to channel an unimaginably deep stream of content to me. It’s a dream come true.
The e-ink is amazing. I don’t feel like I’m interacting with an electronic device so much as a green alternative to paper. The built-in text to speech is brilliant. Zooming, adjustable fonts, mp3 storage, a pre-installed dictionary, a library of thousands of books in the public domain, and note taking abilities are also each different shades of awesome, but the real kicker is a free – FREE - web browser with 3G wireless connectivity. And since it is primarily text-based, that means internet w/out all the usual distractions that come with it.
Many people worry that the e-reader is going to usurp paperbacks, and that by doing so, it is taking something away from the reading experience. Now that I own an e-reader, I can confidently say that I don’t believe this to be the case. The Kindle is a work of love by readers for readers through and through. While the business may still be entangled in issues over rights management, how to handle borrowing and lending e-books, text to speech rights, etc, there’s no denying that the device is going to change the reading landscape forever. As a writer, I suddenly feel empowered. My theater has expanded from my little neighborhood to the vastness of the world-wide web. I’ve met people who I would have never met otherwise, and now I have a new tool with which to broaden my literary horizons.
The cover to the Kindle writes: a love of art was inspired in me.
That couldn’t be more true.
I keep hinting to my dad that I want an ereader for my birthday this summer… We’ll see if that actually happens or not.
I’m looking forward to getting one simply because I DO love books and I have way too many of them. I’m tired of taking a huge box to uni, then bringing the whole thing back, only to realize I have no where to put the books. A simple small device would be sooo much easier and I feel like I’d be more likely to read more often.
(I used to read constantly – now I read rarely.)
I don’t know what the newer kindle looks like, but both Amazon and B&N did price cuts on their ebooks (though not on the highest models) to compete with Border’s Kobo. So, perhaps as my birthday nears, they’ll be even less expensive and more worth while.
That’d be a great way to beta read TDDC!
My only real, real debate with the Kindle (or the iPad for that matter) is the fact that it limits you to its store alone. So, as nice and noncommercial-filled as it is, it’s still forcing you into its tiny little market space, instead of allowing you to roam around.
The kindle doesnt limit you to its store at all. On the contrary, they encourage you you use resources like Project Gutenberg to build your collection. Lots of literary love. And unless your birthday is in a few days, you won’t have it soon enough for the beta
Wow, good to know! A few of my friends are up-in-the-air about whether to buy a kindle, nook or ipad. I can just send them here to soak up some of your enthusiasm. cool stuff!
I hope they choose the Kindle! It’s so beautifully designed…but like I’ve been saying, an e-book, no matter the brand, is a win for us all
Wow, sounds like a dream come true for die-hard readers!
I don’t like wasting my time with books I don’t like, and shutter at the thought of wasting my money on one, then having to store the ones I do like. My place is small enough as it is.
This sounds like the perfect solution for people like me. Now I’ll have something to look forward when I start working again, lol.
I adore books. The published kind, the ones that I can flick through. I love the smell and the feel and the experience. And I don’t like the idea of the e-reader. Not at all. I never thought of it as something done by lovers of reading so much as a corporate decision to cash in on the increasing digitalisation of the market. But I know I’m in the minority on the issue and I am increasingly, sadly, aware that it’s probably going to take over the traditional print publishing of books.
The only thing that makes it semi-redeemable in my eyes, is that it’s a greener alternative. If ever I convert to this device…it’ll be because of that.
Omar, I don’t think electronic books are ever going to take over. And if they do, it won’t be in our time. People love paperbacks, and as long as that’s the case, they’re not going anywhere. Worst case scenario, they become a ‘premium’ form of ownership, which isn’t really a bad thing. I can only speak for myself, but when I look at my book collection, I can truly say that only a handful deserve to be in print, where as most were good – but not quite worth killing a tree over. You’re not in the minority. I believe for every person who speaks out against e-books, there are hundreds more who would prefer paperbacks stick around. The corporations have found a way to make books more accessible to people – and I for one think that’s a wonderful thing. Goodness knows precious little ‘good’ ever comes from them.
Thanks so much for commenting ~
Yes, I agree. I think that should they ever become the dominant means of publishing, it’ll see the decline of print publishing, but that’s not a likely scenario, at least not in the next decade. Found this cool article on the issue:
http://savasbeatie.blogspot.com/2010/06/e-books-whats-rush-contrarians-take.html
Cheers