Kindle 3 Review

For an early Christmas gift my wonderful wife bought me an Amazon Kindle 3 w/3g. The past few years the idea of an e-reader didn't interest me in the slightest. They were expensive, limited in what books were available, and I had boxes of books in storage that I had never read anyway. I had a few books on my short list that I wanted to buy and read, but after checking for them on Amazon.com I discovered that the majority of them were old enough that they were available for free in e-reader format. If I had bought the hardbacks, for the same price I could have the Kindle with the books loaded for free, and have access to the thousands of other free books available in e-reader and PDF format.

So who is the Kindle for? I think it's ideal for folks who are trying to simplify their life and don't want to keep a lot of books around their house, either on shelves or in storage. Will it replace all your books? I doubt it...there are many books not yet available in digital format, and there's something to be said about having a real, solid book in your hand. It's a great tool for those who read a lot while they travel, and don't want to lug multiple books around with them. If you're an avid reader with a limited budget most digital books are at least 50% less expensive than their printed counterparts, not to mention all the free content available. If you can afford to spend $100 on books, I think you should look into a Kindle.

Here's a few features that I think are worth mentioning:

• Compact and lightweight: I can easily throw it into my pants cargo pocket and go about my day. It's not going to survive a severe drop, so some caution must be used when deciding where you're going to store it. Although I wouldn't hesitate to weather-proof it with a Ziploc bag and take it camping with me.
• Easy to read screen: Like the ads say, it really does read just like a book. In fact due to the high contrast of the screen I feel quite comfortable reading it in low light where it might be a little too dark for a conventional book. New users comment that the screen flashes whenever you turn a page. After a little while you completely ignore the screen flashing, it's not an issue.
• Internet accessibility: It's actually quite fast when checking email and forums. Mobile web site are advised when possible since media intensive web sites tend to slow down the browser quite a bit. I wouldn't hesitate to use it to check email or do some light internet browsing from a coffee shop etc. I have had the browser freeze when trying to access Facebook, so it's not the most stable or inclusive feature, but it will do light duty stuff without too much trouble.
• Battery life: The battery last a long time in comparison to all the other mobile electronics we use these days. I usually plug the Kindle in to charge overnight every few days and have never had the battery less then 3/4 full. You can read all you want and not have to keep your eye on the battery level. Having wireless on tends to drain the battery much more quickly so if you're just reading books or expect to be away from a power source for awhile, go ahead and keep the wireless switched off.
• Availability of content: I can find 99% of all the book I want in Kindle (or PDF) format. I tend to like old books, and fortunately most of them end up being free due to their age. The availability of old, free books has expanded my library considerably and I've been enjoying a great number of books I never would have even heard of hadn't it been for the Kindle.
• 3G access: I can access Amazon and Wikipedia anywhere there is a cell phone signal, and not have to worry about finding a WiFi hotspot. If you plan on using the Kindle exclusively from home, the extra cost of the 3G may not be worthwhile to you, but if you're like me and are out and about quite often, I think it's worth it. I have even been able to access the internet via 3G to check email etc. but I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon negates that feature with future software updates.
• Speaker quality: There are two small speakers imbedded in the back of the Kindle case. For their size I was expecting low quality, tinny, or flat sound, but I was happy to find they are actually quite good speakers. I downloaded a free classical album from Amazon and the sound is very deep and full. No complaints there. You can also use the Text to Speech option to turn nearly any book into an audiobook. This works okay, but the computerized speech lacks the inflection a human reader would have and can quickly become boring. Granted, it's a great feature none the less.

 Overall I would highly recommend the Kindle to anyone considering one. If you plan on doing a fair amount of internet browsing with it, definitely jump for the Kindle 3 (with keyboard), or the Kindle Touch. The lowest cost Kindle (currently $79) requires you to navigate the on-screen keyboard with the 5-way controller button, which can make entering text quite a chore. I opted for the physical keyboard because I have large fumbly fingers and always seem to press the wrong keys on touch screens.

UPDATE: After using the Kindle for a couple weeks I have a couple more observations:

• There isn't any way to edit website bookmark titles. Try to Bookmark Google Maps and it wants to overwrite the default Google bookmark because they have the same title.
• No way to view and select MP3 files. You have no way to select which files you want to listen to other than by manually skipping with the Alt-F shortcut.
• I personally wouldn't mind giving up a little on size to have a larger capacity battery and memory. Even though the battery life and 3500 book capacity is great, it wouldn't hurt for it to be better.
• I have big hands and the case is pretty thin and dainty. I need a case/cover to give me something thicker to hold onto. 
• The downside to having access to thousands of free books is you want to read them all at the same time! I need to prioritize my reading list :)