A few months ago, I was going to Austin for business. I had forgotten to bring something to read with me. At the airport, I considered getting a book at the kiosk. Then I wondered if Amazon might not have created a Kindle app for the iPhone. I checked, and sure enough, the Kindle app was available and free. I downloaded it and a few minutes later, I had purchased "Angels & Demons" for $7.99. I thought I would give e-reading a try.
I got on the plane, and after being distracted by the interface for a few minutes, I just settled down and started reading. After 10 minutes or so, I thought, well, this isn't so bad. It does *feel* a little funny not holding a book and instead just staring at my iPhone. But this is really convenient. Anywhere I go from now on, I have a book with me.
Then a few weeks later, I decided to take the plunge and buy and actual Kindle. I received the 6" Kindle Global Wireless a few days later in a matte Amazon box. I pulled it out of its cardboard cradle. It was small, light, sleek. I liked it already. The screen looked like it had a thin plastic film with instructions on it. But to my surprise, even though the Kindle was turned off, it was still able to display instructions; the display doesn't need power to hold the e-ink in place. Now I'm really impressed.
I quickly paged through the user's guide pre-installed on the Kindle. Then, I downloaded the book I had previously purchased on my iPhone "Angels & Demons". I didn't have to pay for it again, it now belongs to my book archives. It only took a minute of so to download the entire book. As soon as I opened the book, Whispernet (Amazon's marketing name for bookmark synching) asked me if I'd like to go to the last page read on a different device. I answered yes. There I was. Looking at the last page I had read on my iPhone. This was genius.
I'm now very comfortable reading on both my iPhone and Kindle. A few weeks ago, Amazon made a PC version of the Kindle reader available. I tried it out too. A few minutes later, I was reading my "Angels & Demons" on my laptop. How convenient was that?
In addition to portability, I really enjoy the built-in dictionary. I can pull up a definition with just a few clicks. (The iPhone version doesn't not yet have an integrated dictionary, but of course, you can use the Dictionary.com app).
Now, let's talk about the downsides. Using the iPhone app means the iPhone battery will deplete faster than it already does. When I flew to the east coast from San Jose, my phone ran out of battery by the time I was at the Ottawa airport. However, on the way back, I made sure I didn't use the internet in 3G mode. I was able to listen to music and read my book throughout my entire trip.
The Kindle itself has a few quirks of its own. When the "Next Page" button is pushed, the Kindle needs a split second to recompose the e-ink on the page and that causes a weird flashing that is a little anachronistic in this age of smooth scrolling and cute iPhone animations and transitions. The menuing system feels clunky, the entire UI is black and white, the search is slow. But all in all, I'll will spend the majority of my time reading a book, so honestly, I don't care that much about anything else. The fonts used are excellent, the font size is selectable, I can read the screen in bright sunshine, just like a normal book.
eBooks are now part of my life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment