Monday, July 19, 2010

Kindle for the Masses


I’m currently reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on my HTC Droid phone. Why? Well, A) Because I can, and B) Because it’s free. Kindle has now released software for the PC, MAC, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, Blackberry, and Android. The beauty of these applications is that once you own the book, you can view it on any of these devices via your Amazon.com account.
I stumbled onto this wonderful discovery yesterday while I was checking my Amazon wish list. I saw the words “Kindle”, “Android”, and “Free”, and I was on the site and downloading the app within minutes. It was simple and convenient.
I have always been one of those that refused to switch over to an eReader, planning to hold onto my paper books until the day I was hit by that infamous bus that has been threatening to run me over since I started working in corporate America. Side note—Are there really that many people that are massacred by runaway buses? Seriously, every company or manager that I’ve worked for has a plan in action to be prepared in case I am hit by a bus tomorrow. I am more likely to be ran over by a Prius—you can’t hear them things coming and that is just dangerous. I should know. I drive a Prius and practice sneaking up on people regularly. I digress.
eReader… Right… I started eyeing the Kindle about a year ago, thinking of all the space that I would be saving in my house by storing a big ‘ol chunk of my books on an itty bitty device. Then the iPad fell from heaven, and I began plotting my purchase. iPad—the writers dream tool. Research, writing, and reading all in one. Keep up with blogs, update my own, all on the go. Sign me up! But the question has always been—will I enjoy reading books on a piece of technology? Will I cry if I am not able to smell the words on the page?
Kindle came along and gave me my answer. I downloaded the app for FREE, searched their library of FREE books, and started reading in an instant. And I love it! I can read with one hand and drive with the other. That was a joke. Do not read and drive. Unless you are from the future and have a self-driving car, and then by all means – read away!
First off, pipe down all you Kindle owners that have been reading this way since Amazon created all the gosh darn controversy. I had to get there in my own time, and my own way. (Insert Frank Sinatra song here). Second, all you nay-sayers, I was there, I was griping my books like a Republican grips his guns (Too soon?). But, I think I may be converted. Oh, I will still be scouting my local indie bookstore for any antique finds. They are, by far, the coolest places to kill hours looking for nothing and finding everything.
If you have been on the fence, like me, this is a great way to try it out and see if you love it or not. Many of the classics are available for free, so you can experiment without dropping a dime.
So, where are you on the spectrum of digital books and e-readers? Are you a fan? Or a skeptic?

8 comments:

  1. I love my kindle. I still buy paper books though. I mostly use my kindle for free stuff, cheap stuff, or new authors.

    I am on the fence about the IPad, although your take on it as a writers best friend has me thinking...

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  2. Not a fan of electronic books. Drop the thing and it's broken. Drop a book, and you dust it off.

    Right now I can't see me ever owning one. I like to SEE what books I have in my TBR pile, not a list on a device.

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  3. Not sure how I feel. It def. has it's place in the future. And I'd def. own one if I commuted or traveled a lot. I think I'd miss holding the book. But I'll never say never. :)

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  4. I'm not on the fense; my checkbook refuses to climb to the heights.

    I'll never give up on my physical books - paper or hard back - but man would'nt it be something to carry a bookcase around with me everywhere. Or a book store.

    But I want the bigger one; the regular book page sized. Lets not be ridiculous; just because it comes that small doesn't mean you have to like it.

    .......dhole

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  5. Hi there. I have been following your blog for a short while and I think it is excellent. It is one of the reasons I get out of bed in the morning. Well...that is a bit of an exaggeration...but your blog is excellent.

    I have selected you to be one of my fifteen recipients of the Versatile Blogger Award.

    Shoot on over here http://www.chalkboarddad.com/2010/07/award-to-hang-on-my-fridge.html to check it out.

    I continue to look forward to reading you.

    -Brian

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  6. @Stacy- Nothing wrong with that. For a long time, I said it wasn't for me, but it just started to make more sense lately.

    @Laura - Like the openmindedness. Even when I break down and buy the iPad - I still plan on buying paper books. Can't really have your fav author sign your eReader. :-)

    @Donna - I definitely want an iPad. I just needed to try it out to see if the "feel" was right. This was a free way to do so. It is rather small, and though the font is the right size, you have to "flip" pages after nearly every paragraph. Not ideal, but like a said - a nice sample.

    @Brian - Congrats, you are my 100th follower. I am throwing confetti in the air and playing Dance, Dance, Revolution in your honor. (Ok, maybe not the last part. But def. confetti.) Thanks so much for the kind words and awesome award.

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  7. I prefer to not read so much on a screen. I have too much screentime as it is, and reading a book (hardcopy) is better on the eyes. I'll keep my books.

    On the bright side, though, I do have a revolving library on my shelves. I give away books that I don't need, and mooch (yes, mooch) books that I want, via BookMooch.com. Dave likes it because I get rid of books, even faster than BookCrossing. Plus, each book goes to the person who has requested (mooched) it, so I know they'll be appreciated.

    There are certain books that I'll be keeping on my shelf no matter what. But any bookworm would say the same. :)

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  8. I don't, as yet, read books this way although one of the pupils in my class let me borrow her's to read Treasure Island - that was a weird feeling. I like books.

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