I'm going to blog on my favorite pasttime - reading! I love to read, and a year ago my husband got a Kindle for me. Now, when he first gave it to me I was not sure that I would like it. I mean, my practical side was screaming that I would not be able to share books with friends and family. So I accepted the gift, acting like I liked it, but thought, "I'm never going to use this!" Well, I turned it on and within 10 minutes had set up my Amazon account and had figured out how to download my first book. I read that one and downloaded the next in the series. (I love Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series). All I can say is that Ben has created a monster. I LOVE the Kindle. It is instant gratification. If I want to read a book, newspaper, or magazine, I can turn on the Kindle's Wi-Fi, go to Amazon and download my choice of reading material.
When our instructor requested blogs on new technology, I knew that my first attempt would be about the latest in e-books. I have chosen to look at Amazon's Kindle 3 and the Barnes and Noble's Nook Color.
The Nook Color uses the new VividView color touchscreen technology and a LCD screen. The Nook can be read indoors or outdoors without complications from glare. It has 8 GB of memory - enough to store 6000 books! Its battery is good for 8 hours after one charge. It has built-in Wi-Fi but no 3G. The Nook Color has a media player that can accomodate 100 hours of music or audio books. It is excellent for magazines, children books, and other reading materials. There are 2 million books available for purchase from Barnes and Noble. The recommended retail price is $249.00.
The Kindle 3 has 4 GB of memory with a capacity for 3500 books. It is the thinnest on the market being just 0.335 inches thick. It is 4.8 inches wide and 7.5 inches tall. It uses the E-ink technology which gives you a reading experience equal to reading a book. The screen is not backlit so it avoids the eye strain that comes from viewing a lighted screen for hours. The battery will last up to one month on one charge with the Wi-Fi turned off. It will last up to 3 weeks with the Wi-Fi turned on. With a Kindle, you have direct access to the Amazon store and free Wi-Fi across the U.S. Amazon has 700,000 books available for purchase with the Kindle and an addition 1 million available for free. Amazon also keeps a backup of all the books you have purchased and will download a book to you again if you delete one by mistake. The purchase price for the Kindle 3 is $139.00.
It is amazing how you can get attached to a gadget, and I love my Kindle. If you are interested in reading more about the lastest e-books. Go to:
http://ebook-reader-review.toptenreviews.com/
Ok now I get it. I never knew what the big deal about the e-books and this broke it down for me a little. Its a great addition for someone who loves to read.
ReplyDeleteI once was an avid reader, history and current events being my favorites, My son who unlike me is technically proficient but has yet to learn the value of reading would be well-served by one of these, though I am concerned about eye strain as he already wears glasses. The million books free is also appealing, I wonder how many are appropriate for a 12 year old. Terry
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