I was lucky enough to be a beta tester for the Kindle over the past several weeks. It's really a treat to use.
There are tons of comments here, both good and bad, so let me just focus on what it's like to open this up and use it:
1. You open the box, and throw away the manual (who reads manuals?) 2. While charging it up for the first time, you turn it on, it boots up in a few seconds, and you find the Kindle store. You find something you want to read, and you press "buy." 3. You immediately flip back to the home screen, and there is your book. You start reading. 4. The next morning, you wake up, and remember you have a new Kindle by the bedside. Without getting out of bed, you grab the Kindle, wake it up, and download the New York Times in a few seconds.
That's it. No wires, no cables, no cell phone contracts. This is really a super-simple device to use. Compared with the first time I fired up a digital camera, an iPod or a cellphone, it was a breeze (and I still haven't read the manual...).
For traveling, it's a no-brainer: you can always have something to read; you can download newspapers each morning from your hotel room; and you never have to remember which books you're currently engaged in...they are all right there, on your Kindle. Plus, you get to download free samples of books, so you can sample lots of new (and old) books without paying. The convenience of being able to move around easily with a whole shelf of books, magazines and papers in your backpack or carry-on bag -- and to seamlessly sample and buy more -- is fantastic.
I evaluate mobile devices on whether they allow me to do something important in a new and better way than I could before (not on whether the device allows me to throw away every other device I own). The Kindle succeeds for me on this front because it allows me to lighten my load, yet to carry more with me, and to keep acquiring new content as I go. It's uniquely good at what it does, and worth adding to the devices I own and use both at home and on the road.
It's a great tool for serious readers, and a lot of fun.
The Chromebooks are here, starting with Samsung's Series 5, a cute little number that promises instant-on access, 3G connectivity, and long enough battery life to web surf with the best of 'em.
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I was lucky enough to be a beta tester for the Kindle over the past several weeks. It's really a treat to use.
There are tons of comments here, both good and bad, so let me just focus on what it's like to open this up and use it:
1. You open the box, and throw away the manual (who reads manuals?)
2. While charging it up for the first time, you turn it on, it boots up in a few seconds, and you find the Kindle store. You find something you want to read, and you press "buy."
3. You immediately flip back to the home screen, and there is your book. You start reading.
4. The next morning, you wake up, and remember you have a new Kindle by the bedside. Without getting out of bed, you grab the Kindle, wake it up, and download the New York Times in a few seconds.
That's it. No wires, no cables, no cell phone contracts. This is really a super-simple device to use. Compared with the first time I fired up a digital camera, an iPod or a cellphone, it was a breeze (and I still haven't read the manual...).
For traveling, it's a no-brainer: you can always have something to read; you can download newspapers each morning from your hotel room; and you never have to remember which books you're currently engaged in...they are all right there, on your Kindle. Plus, you get to download free samples of books, so you can sample lots of new (and old) books without paying. The convenience of being able to move around easily with a whole shelf of books, magazines and papers in your backpack or carry-on bag -- and to seamlessly sample and buy more -- is fantastic.
I evaluate mobile devices on whether they allow me to do something important in a new and better way than I could before (not on whether the device allows me to throw away every other device I own). The Kindle succeeds for me on this front because it allows me to lighten my load, yet to carry more with me, and to keep acquiring new content as I go. It's uniquely good at what it does, and worth adding to the devices I own and use both at home and on the road.
It's a great tool for serious readers, and a lot of fun.
http://astore.amazon.com/buy.cheap.amazon.kindle.ebook.reader-20
http://astore.amazon.com/buy.cheap.amazon.kindle.ebook.reader-20/detail/B000FI73MA/104-5710937-7576754