Amazon has Kindle'd a fire

Note: Photo is from Amazon's website.



Prepare to read books on your terms with Amazon's new ebook reader, the Kindle. I've took a look at my fiance's new Kindle and I'm impressed. You say this is a expensive gadget for reading books, why not just continue buying books?

For one, the Kindle introduces the green factor. No more killing trees to satisfy your need to read. All books, magazines, newspapers, and blogs are downloaded into your Kindle in digital form. Now think of all the books you've bought. How much space do they take up? The Kindle's built-in memory can hold hundreds of books. If that is not enough, you can add an SD memory card for more storage. And the Kindle only weighs 10.3 ounces. How much does hundreds of books weigh?

OK, another reason. The Kindle's paper-like screen looks just like a page from a typical book. Now, what if you buy a new bestseller, but realize that you have trouble reading the small typeface. You would have to purchase it again in the large print format. With a book in the Kindle, just use the dedicated font size button to increase or decrease the font size to fit your reading need. No need to purchase anything extra.

Probably the biggest standout feature is the Kindle's whispernet. This is a wireless service much like your cell phone service. It let's you browse Amazon's book selections for the Kindle, purchase them, and download them ready to read in just minutes, all without any monthly service fees. The books, magazines, and blogs you download are immediately available to read. You do not need to hook the Kindle to your personal computer to sync the books. Amazon is continually adding new books to the Kindle selection, so you should be able to find what you are looking for. Say for instance that you are on a business trip and see a book in an airport store that looks interesting. Just pull out your Kindle, browse for the title at Amazon, purchase and download. Now you have the book ready to read on your trip without the bulk of carrying more in your baggage. Most of the books are very reasonable in price. If you subscribe to one of the available newspapers, it will be downloaded to the Kindle overnight so that you have it when you get up in the morning.

You also get a special email address that let's you send your own documents to your Kindle. I'm looking forward to getting my own Kindle someday soon!