More about electron gizmos for Christmas presents

Image via WikipediaToday I will talk about the other gadget we got for Christmas last year.  This time I am the one who recieved it.  I got a Kindle, a electronic book reader from my sister.  I was so pleased.

There are many, many pros to this device.  It is absolutely wonderfully easy to read.  I do not get any eyestrain, no matter where I am when I am reading off the device.  It even seems to me that it is faster to read than paper.  Since receiving this, I have been reading books like crazy.  The cost to download a book is a bit high, but I am a book hoarder and I always am buying books anyway. 

One drawback is that not every book is available for the Kindle.  That's frustrating when you really want to read a book in the middle of the night and cannot download it.  By the way, downloading a book is so simple and easy.  I love that I can get a book anytime I want one.

The Kindle is small and compact.  It is easy to slip into my purse and takes up almost no room.  I can have a book with me at all times.  My sister borrowed it to take a train trip and she loved that she could put all her books on the device and not drag around heavy volumes. 

The one real drawback that I continue to encounter is that the battery life is not very long.  It's like having another cell phone--you need to plug it in to charge regularly if you want it to be available when you want it.  To me, this is a bit of a hassle.  I constantly forget to plug in both my phone and my Kindle.  When I go to use either and they are dead, I am not a happy camper. 

But, I am training myself to remember to plug them in regularly.  I cannot recommend this product more.  I love the ease of use, the ease of reading, the availability of downloading.  I love everything about this device. 

So, if you have a book-lover on your list, you might really consider the Kindle.  To read more about this device, visit my Squidoo page and get all the technical stuff. 

Related articles

• Top 5 Websites Other Than Amazon To Find Great Kindle Books (makeuseof.com)
• E-reader market doubles over Christmas in the UK (thebookseller.com)
• Data Monday: Amazon Kindle (lukew.com)
• >An Introduction To Kindle Books (onaolapoadeyemi.wordpress.com)

The price wars between Kindle and Nook mean savings for you!

If you have a reader to buy for this year, you might want to take a look at a Kindle reader from Amazon.  Right now, there is a price war going on and you can purchase one of these readers for under $200.  Who knows how long this will last, so now is the time to buy.  Christmas will be here before you know it and by then the price may return to almost $300.

The Kindle comes with free wi-fi connection and the ability to access so many different types of reading material that it makes your head spin.  This device will allow you to read books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, etc. with ease.  This is a slim, lightweight device that is much easier to carry around in your bag.  No more wasting time waiting at the doctor's office or in line at the store.  Now you can be connected and be reading no matter where you go.

Here are just a few articles in the news about this topic:



E-reader Price War --Wednesday, June 23, 2010
On the Business Beat, our focus is on the electronic reader and a new layaway plan.
The electronic reader war continues heating up today.
Bottom line, the prices are coming down.
Target is now selling the Amazon Kindle, with the price down to $189. The price drop follows Barnes & Noble cutting the price on its "Nook" to $149, and its 3G model to $199.
Also out there, the Borders version, called the KOBO, selling for $149 [...read more...] 


Amazon Kindle sees price drop -- June 21st, 2010
Amazon just announced that their Kindle e-reader will receive a price drop to $189, falling all the way from $259. It would be interesting to see just how this rather steep price drop will help boost the Kindle’s sales in wake of the iPad’s phenomenal release and sales performance figures thus far. For those who have been living under a rock for the past few years, the Amazon Kindle is the 3G wireless portable reader which allows you to think of a book and be reading in 60 seconds, regardless of where you are – subject to availability of a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, of course. Best of all is, there are no monthly fees or annual contracts to worry about, and you can choose from more than 600,000 books. Woe to those who purchased the Kindle just a day earlier at the full $259 price, eh? Press Release


Bought a Kindle Too Soon? Ask For a Refund -- June 22, 2010, 4:43 PM ET
Some people who were on the fence about buying a dedicated e-reader may be celebrating Monday’s price war between Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Amazon’s Kindle. For the first time, both devices now cost less than $200.

Associated Press

Amazon’s Kindle

But there was one group who wasn’t celebrating: People who recently bought the devices at their former price of $259. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble were promoting the devices as Father’s Day gifts at the higher price (although Barnes & Noble was including a $50 gift card with purchases).
Now some good news: Both companies say they’re willing to refund customers who bought their e-reading devices recently. You just have to ask for it.
Amazon says it will give the $70 price difference between an old and new Kindle as a credit to customers whose devices were shipped in the last 30 days.
Barnes & Noble says it will give customers a $10 refund and $50 gift card to Nook customers who are still within their 14-day return policy period. You can contact customer service, or just find the store manager at your local Barnes & Noble branch.
Follow Geoffrey Fowler on Twitter.

For information on Kindle visit The Kindle Reader.