1) I'm going to post some silly photos I took of my Kindle.
2) I'm going to post a substandard video I shot with my substandard digital camera while playing around with my Kindle.
3) I'm going to talk about the Kindle for those of you who actually want to know about it!
Let's begin.
Once Kindle is turned on, it can be turned "off" into a power saving mode or off completely. If turned "off" into power saving mode, a photo is displayed (a different one each time Kindle is turned "off"). 85% of the photos are of famous dead authors. I was tickled pink when Oscar Wilde came up. Ah! The witty genius who penned my MySpace headline:
My nephew was just plain frightened by Kindle's awesomeness:
He also found it to be tasty:
Kindle taking a nap after a long day:
Kindle playing on the kitty condo:
Clearly, Kindle does more than just act as an amazing storage and display device for reading material.
I made a video.
Not that kind of video! Get your minds out of the gutter! In the following video, I appear briefly (it mostly features my sister). It's a good thing, too. If it were longer, the complex I have given myself would be worse. You see, I wasn't even "acting" which leads me to wonder if I always make those kind of facial expressions when I talk. Sigh.
Check out this video: Kindle Silliness
About Kindle:
-It is, in fact, exactly like looking at a page in a book and not at all like looking at a computer screen. For this reason, it is not back lit and, like a regular book, requires a book light or other lighting to see the screen.
-Because I ordered at Christmastime, when Amazon (unbeknownst to the public) was changing over to Kindle 2, I did get a Kindle 2. It is thinner than it's predecessor, has a longer battery life (can read for 2 weeks without charging), more storage (up to 1,000 books, magazines, etc.), and reads out loud to you in your choice of a male or female voice.
-It comes loaded with an Oxford American Dictionary. While reading, you can cursor to any word on the page and its definition pops up at the bottom of the page. Or you can access it from the table of contents and use it like a regular dictionary.
-It uses the same wireless network or whatever as a cell phone so you can download from anywhere without ever connecting to a computer. You pay to download the book (less than purchasing an actual book) or subscription to magazines, newspapers, or blogs, but not for the wireless service. Included is unlimited use of Wikipedia from the Kindle. If you access the internet, you will likely be charged, but Amazon is rather vague as to what those charges are. It is quiet. As a mouse. It literally doesn't make a sound, even if you've been playing with it for hours.
-It's fast. Pages turn and load quickly. Books (even the Holy Bible) download in seconds (they say under a minute, it's much faster).
-It is so much more user friendly than I expected.
-I am in love.
It will not replace real books for me. I will use Kindle to purchase more contemporary works that are recommended to me or that I read about and think I might like and continue to purchase my canonical readings as books since they make my bookshelves look handsome. But I can keep Kindle in my purse and always have something to read. Always.
Today, I downloaded a subscription to The New Yorker. I couldn't decide on my first book, but my sister decided for me. She stumbled into a menu stocked full of free downloads and downloaded The Holy Bible. To my Kindle.
In the meantime, I've downloaded sample chapters (free) of the following books to get me started. The fourth is on recommendation from CJ.
1) The Accidental Tourist: A Novel by Anne Tyler
2) Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
3) The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
4) Oblivion by David Foster Wallace
Okay, I shall now return to heaven where Kindle is worth every penny I (and my loving family in the form of gift certificates) spent on it.
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