My Kindle

Ever since Amazon released the Kindle I have wanted an ebook.   The initial appeal for me was due to the fact that I did a lot of traveling for gigs and with costumes, gear (and all the other things I couldn’t live without for a few months at a time). I didn’t have a lot of room for heavy books that once read would become excess baggage.  Unfortunately, when they first came out, I couldn’t afford one and they were much more limited in what they could do.  I knew if I was patient the price would drop and Amazon would add more useful features to the device…and I was right!  Then when the price dropped and it seemed to have the features I wanted,  I was getting ready to go back to school full time and knew I wouldn’t have a hell of a lot of time for pleasure reading. So, I figured I would wait a while longer.  After all, I had waited this long, right?  

 

Kindle 3 (The model I bought)                             PHOTO / johncatral

However, when I signed up for an online class this past summer quarter all of our reading was in pdf.  I HATE reading on a computer screen if the text is more than a couple of paragraphs, so I decided it was time to invest in my first Kindle.  I immediately fell in love with the convenience and found that it was really easy to read my class materials.  I especially loved the search features when looking up specific information.  Another perk is the word games that were either free or only a dollar or two which are great for BART rides! Oh, don’t get me wrong…sometimes I do love to have an actual paper book in my hands.  Also the E-ink technology has not been able to incorporate color yet, so I still like my art books and books with beautiful illustrations the old fashioned way.

 Fire            PHOTO / dekuwa                                                                   Touch WiFi/3G   PHOTO / paz.ca

Now, a couple of months later, of course Kindle has released newer, better, less expensive models!  Well, I can’t say I am surprised since technology changes about as fast as you can click “buy” on the Amazon website!  Though slightly envious of the newer models, I still love my first Kindle.  Yes, I keep saying first because I am sure they will be like everything else in our modern tech world…disposable due to the desire to upgrade.  By the time I upgrade, the technology will have once again made advancements and likely the price will be even more affordable.  That being said,  a little of my envy dissipates.  I am holding out for a color E-ink version that I am hoping will not be too far off in the future!