Sometimes when the world changes around you, it happens so smoothly that you don’t even notice. However, with the Kindle from Amazon, everyone is noticing and wondering if it signals the beginning of the end for printed books. Kindle sales are off the charts and its competitors aren’t doing so badly either.
One reason for the Kindle’s popularity is that is so easy to hold and read. Weighing in at only 10 ounces, it is lighter than most books and definitely easier to hold up than a Stephen King hardback. It was designed from the beginning for long reading sessions and allows the user to view the book in portrait or landscape modes. Page turning buttons are positioned for easy use by either hand and also allow for one-handed reading. Regardless of your favored reading position, the Kindles adapts easily and will most likely cause less muscle strain than your average printed book.
You might think the Kindle is like a small computer, but the screen technology is entirely different. The electronic paper display is meant to mimic the look of a printed page. Not only does this technology make reading easier in a variety of lighting conditions, you can also expect truly exceptional battery life. I’m talking about battery life measured in weeks, not hours or days. Some have complained about the lack of backlighting, but a backlit screen actually increases eye strain. If you like reading in the dark, you’ll need to add a small booklight.
The Kindle can certainly be classified as “green” technology. I mean, if it truly begins to replace printed books, they might reduce the need for trees and related manufacturing processes.
There are a few things that a Kindle can’t provide. Flipping through a printed book to quickly find information you are looking for can’t really be done yet, although indexing methods may replace this. Trading books becomes a little problematic if that’s something you like to do.
One thing you can be sure of, the Kindle will really lighten your load. The Kindle is to your book collection like the iPod was to your music collection. You don’t have to choose which books to take along with you, just take them all.
Tags: electronic paper, kindle
