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Kindle: Is it worth it?
Since Amazon launched its Kindle e-book reader, I’ve been closely following reviews of the product online. With more than 90,000 titles available for download from Amazon, it seems like a terrific way to keep book clutter out of your home. Except …
… and that’s just it, there is a giant “except” ringing in my mind.
Audio books downloaded onto my iPod seem to make so much more sense to me as a digital version of a book. I already carry my iPod with me, and have no desire to tote around an additional device. With an audio file on my iPod, I can “read” while I’m driving or doing something else, and there isn’t a book cluttering up my shelves at home. E-book readers have to be held while reading, are larger than an iPod, and have only a little more functionality than a regular book. If I’m going to have a digital form of a book, I prefer the audio form. This just seems to me to be a way for Amazon to skip out on the costs associated with storing and shipping products since the e-books are downloaded (in a proprietary format) from their site.
The Kindle device costs $400 and is not currently available for purchase because of high demand. Average book download price for the Kindle e-book device is $10, which is comparable to all of the Audible plans for audio books.
Two of the reviews I keep re-reading about Kindle are from Scobleizer and Management Craft. I think they say a great deal about the product, so I suggest reading them to help formulate your own opinion:
Scobleizer’s one-week Kindle review
Management Craft’s initial review and her one-week review
Do any of our readers have the Kindle device yet? Have you used any of the hacks to get it to read other non-Amazon e-book files? Please chime in to the comments section to let us know of your personal experience. I’m interested in knowing if my hesitations are way off base.
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