I’ve had my Kindle
If you have been wondering about readers and which one you should get, please know this review isn’t a comparison. I have no experience with Sony Readers, Nooks, or iPads. I will be frank with what I like and dislike about it.
Cost:
It is prohibitive.
The reader ($259.00) and protective cover ($44.99) are $303.99 combined. Not to mention any additional accessories or warranty
I looked for a long time at cheaper models and brands that factored under $200 and ultimately choose Kindle because I had an Amazon gift card, my mother had one and loved it, and Amazon would most likely be where I purchased ebooks.
(Eventually we’ll figure out how to link the two together and share our libraries which will be another plus.)
PDF formatted ebooks:
PDFs are the file type for most of my ebooks, so it was important to me that I could transfer PDFs directly from my computer into the ereader. The International Kindle does this and it is very easy to do.
That said, a PDF can’t be read like a Kindle download. Of the four I’ve looked at you can’t read them in the vertical position because the writing can’t be enlarged. The PDF basically does a fit-to-screen, displaying the full page at a usually microscopic print size that is also most times very light in color. It’s gray and not black. If you’re eyesight is really good then you only have to click once to get to the next page.
However if you change the screen format to horizontal the print gets bigger. It’ll be readable. The font size this way depends solely on the PDF parameters. Again there is no way to increase font. Horizontal formatting requires four forward clicks to get through the page and onto the next one. The Kindle does not remember what fourth you are on, so you are better off finishing a page and leaving it instead of leaving the book in the middle of a page.
Reading in either direction so far has kept the style formatting nice and clean.
Kindle formatted ebooks:
I went and got a bunch of freebies for my Kindle the minute it said it was shipped, which was pretty cool. I hadn’t even got the reader and I could get books for it because of the wireless feature. Sweet! The minute I got the Kindle I turned it on and everything synced.
The font on Kindle formatted ebooks size up and down with ease. Clicking from one page to the next is as simple as hitting next. The Kindle will remember where you are based on internal location recognition instead of pages. This makes it difficult for bibliographies, but otherwise is no big deal. It’s actually very helpful.
Browsing the Internet:
Way more hassle than it’s worth. You have to type the website out on the ponderous and tiny keyboard (which is useless so far in my opinion unless you’re a note taker which I’m not). Then instead of the website loading, a search result page loads and you have to use the directional button to scroll down and select the website you typed out in the first place. Most websites are not formatted right for a Kindle – they need to be heavily text based to work and look right. Overall it’s just too complicated.
Accessing Kindle Bookstore via Kindle:
I haven’t done this yet, mostly because I search for books directly on Amazon from a computer. I’m sure it’s easy to use and functional.
Battery Life:
Excellent. Haven’t charged it yet since I got it and charged it up fully the first time. I am still at about half battery life. Woot! The screensavers are fun too, I like them a lot. I think you can add pictures and have your own images show up – I plan to do that after I finish the book I’m currently reading. 
Music and Sound:
Put some in via direct input, listened to it, and called it good. The sound quality is nice. The songs played in order. I just don’t listen to music while I read.
Two things I need to do still: try an audio book and try the experimental text-to-sound feature. Right now I’ve been too excited about reading my ebooks free of computer distractions.
Readability during Day/Night:
The Kindle is gorgeous in direct sunlight. No glare, easily read, and no eye strain. I read for an hour plus while partaking lunch at an outdoor café.
I did not buy a booklight
Overall?
It does what I wanted it to do and I should have bought it sooner!
For free ebook deals for your Kindle go here.
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This post was written by...
Keira – who has written 1034 posts on Love Romance Passion.
Keira's favorite type of heroes are blind, scarred, and tortured... yes, she understands those should be separate, but all 3 at once is also nice! She enjoys historical romances best and adores audio books because great narrators turn books into auditory/mental movies (and she loves her romantic dramas like Pride and Prejudice/North and South!) Learn more about Keira in My Instant Turn Ons, Offs, and Ifs.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I love my kindle. I use the sound to text sometimes. It’s really not bad. While computerized, it sounds better than you’d expect. i agree PDFs are almost impossible to read. Too bad.
I’d like an electronic download for folders to put the books in, in some kind of sense (unless, of course, you read only one genre.)
I’ve had my Kindle 2 for awhile and love it with all my heart. (O.k. that’s a bit dramatic, but true nonetheless.) I agree with Karin. I tried to read a PDF once and gave up in complete and utter frustration! I usually order books on the Amazon website with one-click and it sends it to my Kindle.
I don’t mind reading the PDFs – you just can’t read them in vertical format. Horizontal is the way to go!
Isn’t the Kindle wonderful? Mine goes everywhere with me. I feel cozy and secure knowing I have a library of books in my purse at all times. Options are great! Enjoy, Keira!!!
I love my kindle too! I do all my kindle browsing on the computer cause it sucks doing it on the kindle, but if you are out and about and finish a book, you can quickly download the next one relatively quickly.
The only downside to the kindle is the loss of pretty covers
I actually have a pandigital that I got on Friday. I’m still in the learning curve but have read several books so far. It’s also a color e-reader. One downside is that I have to buy my books from Barnes & Noble. But I also love my regular “paper” books as well.
I have to agree with Sharon. I do have some covers but then other books don’t come with any. Sometimes the cover help your imagination when reading the story.