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Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device | 
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| Brand: Amazon
Category: Amazon Devices
Buy New: $359.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  4328 reviews
Sales Rank: 1
Color: Bisque
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.7
UPC: 892685001003
EAN: 0892685001003
ASIN: B000FI73MA
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper. | | • | Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing. | | • | Wireless connectivity enables you to find, buy, and read instantly—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed. | | • | Shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle. | | • | Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute. |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4323 more reviews...
 Don't wait! August 29, 2008
I read dozens of the reviews. I waited to buy. I asked Amazon if a new version was in the works. I debated. Then a few days ago I took advantage of the $100 off with Chase Visa and have been using my Kindle now for 3 days. It is GREAT! So if you're a reader, especially if you like to highlight and bookmark and look stuff up, don't wait. Get your Kindle and you'll get your money's worth pretty darn quick. Forget the naysayers and just enjoy the many benefits.
 Kindle, a work in progress August 29, 2008
Now that I have had my Kindle for a few weeks, I feel that it is something that remains to be completed. To start with, it may be good for reading a few books, for the busy person on the run. But I found the newspapers I downloaded were difficult to go through. There is none of the "feel" or the look that you get with an ordinary newspaper. Very convenient, but you have to open most of the headlines to find out what each article is about, which is slow and tedious. In a real newspaper, you can see at a short glance whther you want to go further and read the whole article.
With books, it can be very difficult to know how much more there is to go before the end. Additionally, if you want to refer back to a name or a point you need to refresh on, you can't just riff through the pages swiftly as you can with a real book in very short order.
I also find the gray "paper" colored background rather dark, if the light is low. When you consider that there is no actual color content and that you are only dealing with shades of gray and black, the background should be much paler than it is so that the black lettering stands out better. It does seem a pity that there is no scope for back-lighting, although I do realize that this might use up too much battery.
Additionally, and rather irritating, the flaps at the sides of the device are too easy to press by mistake or accident, leading to one being on the wrong page.
I do think that this is a very clever invention, which does provide reading matter in a very tiny concentration, good for doctors' waiting rooms and the like, but it is far from perfection at the moment. I will certainly continue to use it and will look forward to the production of a new upgraded version, preferably at a much reduced price. I would also hope that the size of the library will increase considerably to make the device truly a library.
Lastly, I found that the whispernet was inoperable when staying at a lakeside home in South Carolina recently. One could not get online at all. So when we drove to a township 12 miles away, it still would not open. It was only when we vsited a real town by the seashore that one could make contact with the bookstore. That is when you realize the true meaning of AT & T's TV commercial "More bars in more places". Amazon would be well advised to work with Sprint or whover they are dealing with, because it is very disappointing not to be able to download what you want when you want it. I imagine that anyone who contracts to receive a newspaper daily by this method would be annoyed if they are out of range of the whispernet and can't get delivery on time.
Got back to reading again August 29, 2008
This device got me back to reading again. I love the lookup dictionary feature. Just wished that other dictionary versions could be added, or that it could be updated. The wifi feature isn't bad too.
Absolutely LOVE my kindle!! August 29, 2008
I received a kindle as a birthday gift after numerous, not-so-subtle hints. As I opened the box, and was holding it in my hands, my eyes focussed on the book shelves against the far wall. A momentary ache in my chest. For thousands of years people have defined their identities through the books on their bookshelves, the book in their hands. The personal library of identity is the tradition by which all all mp3 and dvd collections mimic. I was suddenly less sure of how fulfilling my kindle would be. After all, I can't see the book covers, it doesn't sit in my library for family and guests to be impressed by, upon completion, I couldn't just pass it along as a good read.
One day later, i was so over those ruminations.
Frankly, if I feel a book is core to my being; reflecting who I am, what I believe, my ideals, my passions, I will buy the hardback. It will become part of my physical library.
But I'm going to get the kindle version too.
I'm going to get the kindle version of all the books I love.
And I'm going to get kindle versions of all the books I will read.
I'm going to carry the dern thing around with me everywhere! It's so awesomely portable.
Sitting in the cafe, scrolling through my library, I realize that the greatest joy I experience with my Kindle is that I can bring ALL the books I love with me everywhere. I can't even begin to describe the feeling of joy, humility, pride, and excitement of having an entire library with me at all times. A library that is, searchable, sortable, expandable is both a comfort and thrill that I've rarely felt. I'm a little girl riding an airballoon, cradled in her fathers arms.
Is this overdramatic? Maybe. But I really love it that much.
If you think getting used to holding it 'just so' is an annoyance, you'll get over it, and find a comfortable pose soon enough. Imagine carrying 20, 50, 500 physical books with you at all times; the one "where do I put my thumb" complaint seems a little petty.
One of my biggest fears is the unguaranteed permanence of it. Will amazon be around forever? Will they always support the kindle? Will they always support this version of the kindle? My heart is already desperately tied to the fate of the kindle. Please read this and buy a kindle.
It has changed my life. I'm reading more, learning more, and loving life more.
Technical issues August 29, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
A book which I was reading mysteriously disappeared from my Kindle. A call to customer service did not resolve the situation The follow up response which was promised more than 24 hours ago has not arrived. All the other books are there and readable.
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