I suppose another title for this post could be “the pros and cons of using a Kindle (or any other e-reader)”. A while before getting my Kindle Keyboard 3G (more on that device and why I chose it over the newer models later), I loved to read real books. I still do. But there are some cons to using ‘real’ books:
- They’re heavy (especially big hardbacks). Try holding one above you when trying to read at night!
- They take up space – one of the main reasons I got a Kindle was because I am running out of bookshelf space.
- This may sound silly and obvious, but you can only carry a certain amount around (e.g. on holiday).
- If you finish a book and order the next one straightaway, the soonest you’ll get it is that evening or the next day (if you pay a lot) or, more likely, a few days away. Enough to start a new book, and when you eventually read the sequel to the original book you’ll have forgotten what happened in it.
But there are some advantages to a real book:
- Super high contrast
- Battery life that is endless (well, it’s until the book falls apart so it’s quite a few decades of reading)
- Never go out of date
But I decided the bad outweighed the good so I got a Kindle. Disadvantage of a Kindle:
- Have to charge it (though battery lasts about 2 months)
- Costs around £89-£149 (in the US, the Kindle e-reader line-up ranges from $79-$149 with ads, and $109-$189 for the non ads version – note that the UK version has no ads, the US prices I’ve put don’t include the Kindle Fire, which is a tablet and is $199)
- No colour (at least not yet!)
- Not as high contrast
Advantages of a Kindle:
- Lightweight
- Can hold 1,400 books to 3,500 books on the device depending on the model (but there’s free cloud storage for all your books, so you can remove ones you’ve read and download them for free later – effectively unlimited storage)
- Long battery life
- Cool design
- Get books in 60 seconds over WiFi (all models) or free 3G (selected models)
- Can sample books before you buy
So those are the advantages and disadvantages of Kindles and ‘real’ books. I decided the Kindle was better, so I got that one. Now for why I chose the Kindle Keyboard 3G…
It’s complicated. Basically:
- Kindle Keyboard is the 2010 model of Kindle (it was previously known as Kindle 3). It came in WiFi and WiFi + free 3G models (I’ll refer to these models simply as 3G from now on).
- Amazon introduced a new Kindle lineup in 2011, consisting of the Kindle (no keyboard, 1 month battery life, 1,400 books storage, WiFi model only, most countries), Kindle Touch + Kindle Touch 3G (touch screen, 2 month battery life, 3,000 books storage, WiFi and 3G models available, US only) and Kindle Fire (a US only 7 inch tablet like a mini iPad).
- I wanted a decent Kindle that had 3G, so my only option was Kindle Keyboard 3G because the only other UK model – the basic Kindle – had shorter battery life and didn’t have a 3G option.
So that’s basically Kindles for you. Do I recommend you get one? Certainly if you like to read books. If you’re in the UK, see this page to buy Kindles:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kindle-Wi-Fi-6-Ink-Display/dp/B0051QVF7A/ref=amb_link_162945927_2?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0Z5HYNVFAKKKBE4ANFZB&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=281838027&pf_rd_i=468294
And if you’re in the US, see this page (look for the other Kindles at the top of the page – I strongly recommend the Kindle Touch W-Fi with special offers:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051QYGXA
What are your thoughts on Kindles, or e-readers in general? Do you prefer ‘real’ books, or ebooks?
My Kindle's home screen, just so you know 
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