When the Kindle was first introduced, I wrote a post about it: What Will the Kindle Do for the E-Publishing Industry? Since I hadn’t seen the device at that time, I based the article on information gleaned from a variety of sources. I concluded:

What I really like about the Kindle is the attention it is bringing to e-books. I believe that Amazon.com getting involved in the industry and Jeff Bezos personally promoting the product will have a positive impact on the future of e-publishing.

I believe the Kindle has had a positive impact on the e-publishing industry. Now that I have used the device for a few weeks, I’ll share my thoughts about the device from a reader standpoint. Although I will point out some things that take getting used to (some of which I’d like to see changed), my overall reaction to the Kindle is extremely positive. I love reading on it!

What takes getting used to:

• The position of the “next page” and “previous page” buttons. There are buttons along the side of the screen on both sides of the Kindle. This presented a challenge at first—many times I turned pages backward or forward unintentionally because I couldn’t find a comfortable spot to hold the device. I’ve found a good way to hold the Kindle, but I still occasionally turn pages accidentally. I would prefer the buttons be smaller or placed differently.
• The flash of the e-ink as each new page appears. The first few times I read on the Kindle, I found it disconcerting that the page flashes briefly before it fully opens. However, it didn’t take long to reach the point that I don’t notice the flash anymore.
• The tiny size of the keys on the keyboard. I can’t read the letters on the keyboard without a magnifying glass, so I had to learn the keyboard before it functioned well for me. Now that I know the position of the keys, I can use the keyboard.
• The lack of a backlight. I can’t read in the dark as I can with my eBookwise reader. This is offset by the wonderful reading experience in bright light and glare. I am keeping my eBookWise reader and will use it when I want to read in the dark. The rest of the time, I prefer the Kindle.

What I absolutely adore about the Kindle:

• The easy to read screen. The e-ink technology is amazing. It is much clearer and brighter than any other e-book reader I’ve seen, even than print. It’s absolutely the best reading experience I’ve ever had.
• The size of the font. I can adjust the text as large as I want and find it easy to see.
• The WhisperNet. The wireless connection is fabulous. All I have to do is select the Kindle store from the menu, shop on Amazon, select a book or a blog or a magazine … and it’s downloaded instantly to my Kindle. Unlike other devices, the Kindle doesn’t have to be connected to a computer—or anything else—to download content. I never have to worry that I will run out of reading material when I take the Kindle with me. If I finish all the books I have stored, I can just purchase a new title from wherever I am.
• The ease of adding personal content. The Kindle comes with a USB connection. If I want to read a work-in-progress or an e-book purchased for another device, I connect to the computer through the USB cable, then drag and drop the files from my computer to the Kindle. The device accepts several formats; I have found text files usually result in the best conversion. Although the Kindle doesn’t read PDF files, I copy and paste the content from PDF e-books into a text file and transfer to the device. This works well unless the PDF is encrypted.
• The convenient size and weight of the device. The Kindle is lightweight and smaller than a paperback—easy on arthritic hands.
• Features such as search, bookmark, and highlight. I haven’t even used all the features yet, but I really appreciated being able to find and bookmark the passages I wanted to read at my book launch party.

All in all, I love the Kindle and highly recommend it. Have you tried the Kindle? What is your experience?

$50 Discount: (added 10/26/08) In response to a question in comments about a discount Oprah is offering for the Kindle, I tracked down the offer on her Web site:

As a special offer for Oprah Show viewers, Amazon.com is giving $50 off the price of Kindle. Enter the promotional code OPRAHWINFREY during the checkout process at Amazon.com to receive the discount. This offer is valid through November 1, 2008.

Code for $50 off the price of Kindle: OPRAHWINFREY

I’ve read a number of articles, watched the videos, and read reviews; however, I haven’t actually tried the Kindle. Several e-authors I know have ordered the device, and I’m waiting to hear their experiences.

 Based on what I’ve seen, there are many things to like:

• the convenient size and light weight
• the keyboard that makes searching easier than other e-book readers
• the ability to download books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs directly to the device by wireless connection
• the apparently easy-to-read screen (I say apparently because I’ve only seen the online demo and not the actual device)
• the advertised long battery life (though I have heard reports that the battery life isn’t always as advertised)
• the ability to change the font size in a wide range (very important to me as I need a large font to read)
• the ability to read personal documents (such as Word files)

There are also some things not to like:

• the cost of the device ($399 – some reading devices are available for less than $150)
• the relatively high cost of many of the available e-books ($9.99 for bestsellers, less expensive than some other e-books from major publishers but more expensive than the $5-$6 usually charged by e-publishers)
• the cost to download content other than e-books
• the inability to transfer personal documents directly from a computer to the device and (Updated 11/26/07: I have been informed you can transfer documents directly by USB) the cost involved in e-mailing the documents to the device if they have to be converted to the right format

And there is at least one thing that I can’t decide whether to like or not:

• the lack of a backlight (this makes the screen easier to read in bright light but doesn’t allow for reading in the dark, as other e-book reading devices)

My eBookwise reader still works great though I wish it had a larger font option – the largest font is barely readable for me. I’m not in the market now, but when I’m ready for a new e-book reader, I’ll look seriously at the Kindle.

For the immediate future, I’m encouraging my clients (and my publisher) to make books available in the Kindle format.

All of my likes and dislikes are subject to change when I actually try the device, but what I really like about the Kindle is the attention it is bringing to e-books. I believe that Amazon.com getting involved in the industry and Jeff Bezos personally promoting the product will have a positive impact on the future of e-publishing. No, I don’t expect e-books to replace print books soon (or ever, for that matter), but I do think many people who haven’t considered e-books will take a closer look because of all the attention the Kindle is getting.

More information and opinions on the Kindle:
Amazon Affiliates Burned at the Stake by Kindle? by Andy Beard
Amazon Kindle by Mark Shead at Productivity 501
Amazon Kindle is finally here by Raz at Eco-Libris
Amazon’s Next of Kindle: new eBook device debuts by Jeff Gomez at Print Is Dead
Amazon-sized egos? Kindle reader to shun IDPF e-book standard? And, yes, the ugly box is the FINAL design by David Rothman at Publishers Weekly
Ding, Dong the Book is Dead? by Gina Conroy at Writer Interrupted
First Look: Amazon’s Kindle Reader: The Gap Between Description and The Device by Joseph Weisenthal at PaidContent.org
The Future of Reading by Steven Levy at Newsweek (November 26th edition)
Huh? The Kindle e-reader ISN’T ugly? So says Steve Levy, author of Newsweek puff piece—in response to my Publishers Weekly blog by David Rothman at Teleread
Kindle eBook Pricing by Joe Wikert at Publishing 2020 Blog
Kindle owner’s report by David Rothman at Teleread
Ugly Is the New Cute by Ellen Hage at Tech from an E-Booker’s Viewpoint

Added 11/25/07:
Video: Benjamin Higginbotham of Technology Evangelist compares Kindle with Sony and Iliad readers

Added 11/26/07:
Video: Robert Scoble critiques the flaws of the Kindle

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