Kindle Shipping Ruse - Don't be deceivedMay 16, 2008 2 out of 8 found this review helpful
While it is displayed in bold letters as part of the ad and product page, it can't be assumed as it is implied: the tag line of "includes FREE Two-Day Shipping" is a ruse. You only get free two day shipping if you pick two day shipping. If you are unfortunante enough to use the 1-Click feature or not carefully scrutinize your order before that last place order button, you will not be receiving your Kindle in anywhere near the two days.
DONT BE TAKEN IN. Be sure to only order by placing in shopping cart and then specifically selecting the two day shipment method, THATS THE ONLY WAY YOU"LL GET IT.
Not Nirvania, but Not BadMay 16, 2008 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Listen if you're not an early adopter and if you're not willing to buy a device that is very first generation, wait till the next iteration of the Kindle. It will be better designed, it will have a better display, and it might even be cheaper.
If, however, you are a neophilliac like me, and always want the newest toys, the Kindle is useful and very cool. I'm a huge reader, and one of those very impatient people who think that the only problem with instant gratification is that it takes too long. The ability to have a book in moments is a dream come true for me.
But the Kindle's basic design is so bad that it beggars description. You literally can not pick up or hold this thing without inadvertently pressing a button. How could no one have noticed that?
The problem is mitigated somewhat by placing the Kindle in its cover, as it gives you a safe surface for gripping. But the cover is no marvel of modern design, either - the Kindle frequently flops out and the whole thing feels flimsy.
But here, as in so much in life, Velcro is the answer. If you put strips of Velcro on the back of the Kindle and the inside of the cover, you'll have a much more practical device that feels secure and is vastly more usable.
But a $400 book reader that you have to jerry-rig with Velcro to make it work? Say what now?
Another frustration with the Kindle is that the page display flicker, which isn't too noticeable when you're into a compelling story, makes it extremely time consuming and painful to "flip through" a book. That makes it slow - really almost intolerable - to find a specific reference or passage if you haven't bookmarked it.
In fact, everything on the Kindle is a little slow and dodgy. Again, I'm pretty impatient, but running a search, surfing the store, scrolling through your library, its all a bit ponderous.
So, what's to like? The Kindle is small and light enough that you can take your whole library with you. I'm often reading four or five books at a time, so that's a great convenience. I love being able to change font sizes, and the Kindle, once Velcro'ed into it's sleeve, is more comfortable to hold than a book, especially a big one.
You can clip passages and whole pages and save them to your computer - this can be very useful. And, it can't be oversaid: there's nothing like reading a good review of a book and then having it in your hands moments later. I'm definitely reading more with my Kindle, and that's always a good thing.
But what moves me most about the Kindle is not its reality but its promise. This is What Comes Next. The second generation is going to be fantastic, and the third a revolution. I believe in Amazon as a company, and I think its vision for the Kindle is a clear one.
Imagine: Liquid Color Displays, finger-tip controls, instant downloads, lightning-fast refresh rates, the whole world of literature and periodicals in one super-light and affordable package. When I use my Kindle I feel like I'm holding a little piece of the future in my hands. That's very cool.
My one request that could be done today - please Amazon, if you're reading this - please make the Kindle files that we buy readable on our computers, too. With their faster processors and better displays, we could be enjoying many elements of the future-Kindle today. The books are already DRM'ed, so I can't believe there's a justification for not letting us use them on more than one platform. No, I wouldn't want to read a novel on my desktop, but a reference book? A technical manual? A magazine? You betcha. Please, Amazon, I have no problem with the DRM, but a little flexibility with our purchased media would be wonderful. You can be the iTunes of the publishing world in regards to your ubiquity, but don't copy their punitive and moribund copyright restrictions. Let my literature go!
Scott Sherman, author, First You Fall: A Kevin Connor Mystery
Kindle is wonderfulMay 16, 2008 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Since there are already a lot of reviews stating what is great about the Kindle, I will keep this to what is great about the Kindle for ME. When I first saw the Kindle on Amazon's home page I thought "that is too expensive, no way!" Then I thought about it and read about it and decided it might actually be good for me. I have 5 bookshelves in my office and no room for another. My bookshelves are full and I do not know where to put more books but I am a book addict! The Kindle allows me to not only buy more books, but also to carry them all with me! I wish that I could "upgrade" all of my books to Kindle, but I know this will not likely come to pass.
I enjoy reading on the Kindle more than regular books. It is light and does not hurt my hands. It is easy to read in bed or wherever I want to read it. I have read it with and without the case. I like it both ways. I have the mighty bright light which works well with Kindle.
I like the font on Kindle. This is important in that there are some font types that annoy me. I know this is weird. But with the Kindle I know I like the font on all of my books.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the samples! This is the coolest part. This saves me money because I do not have to buy all the books I want right now. I can wait and read the sample when I am interested in reading the book. This has also helped me to try out books I would not normally read. Another bonus is that I can send pdf documents to my Kindle, allowing me to read professional articles on the Kindle. I do not like reading on the computer.
I highly recommend this to anyone who likes to read. My fiance loves this because "we won't have to build another wing on the house" for my books! :p I hope this review is helpful to someone. I just wanted to give a 5 star review because I love this device. I have had it since Feb.
more books, pleaseMay 15, 2008 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
None of the books I want are available yet, but my Kindle has already paid for itself. I took delivery on this remarkable device a week before going on a tour of four Civil War battlefields with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Prof. James McPherson. In the middle of remote woods and fields of Virginia, I was able to use the Kindle's whispernet to access Wikipedia (and the web, sort of), and augment the history we were learning/experiencing in real context. Brilliant. I can't wait for the evolution of this product. Kindle's marketing team may want (in the short term, at least) to shift its focus to the wireless, portable research tool it has proven to be, at least for me. More books, please!!! And perhaps you can work something out with Google Books to access out-of-print and public domain texts. I'm suffering from lack of available material, but still love this thing....
Works as advertisedMay 15, 2008 8 out of 10 found this review helpful
I purchased two units: one for me, and one for my husband after long consideration. I enjoy reading electronic books, but was hesitant because another eBook reader I purchased in the past went defunct. So that expensive gadget, once cool, became a pricey paperweight. I was swayed, however, by the Whispernet feature. Free wireless was attractive. I won't reiterate all of the complaints regarding the Kindle, as they are true. The page forward/back buttons ARE obnoxiously easy to inadvertently hit; the cover isn't the most well thought out accessory; and DRM is a valid concern. In spite of these shortcomings, Kindle works as advertised. eInk is a great technology, and you are able to get lost in the writer's word. I find myself reading more than I did before, and really enjoying it. A quibble: After using one of the units for two days, the screen froze inexplicably, and was not able to be reset. Amazon replaced the unit, and all is well again. However, when I spoke with the customer service representative about my frozen unit, and shared my dismay at having a unit not work essentially out of the box, he said that they were not able to test all units, and that 1% of units were defective. Call me picky, but this seems like an awfully high failure rate. If Amazon has sold 100,000 units (as I've read elsewhere - no idea if it's factual), this means that 1,000 of them are defective. Nonetheless, I love the unit.
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