Behind Glasses

08.25.09: The Kindle Experience

I got an Amazon Kindle DX (the large-size one) before leaving on this last 6-week European tour leg. I thought that I could afford to be a guinea pig (it’s almost $500!) and try this way of reading. I loaded up a bunch of books ($10 for most, many just out) and some New Yorker magazines before I left, and as a result saved some space in my luggage, which usually gets filled with books I brought or purchased on the road. My luggage, as you can imagine, still got pretty full — mainly CDs and DVDs I was given — but a pile of books and magazines would have put it over the top. You can therefore “carry” more books than you might read, and if one is boring you can easily just dip into another.

Here’s my report.

A really thorough review of the Kindle DX by David Byrne (who has a wonderful blog/site). He brings up some pretty interesting points about Apple’s iTablet (did I miss an announcement?).

I hope the device he’s talking about exists. I do miss color, pictures and especially a backlight on my Kindle - and I do enjoy the sharper contrast using the iPhone application.

Although - I really do miss the feel and the scent of a real book every once in a while.