Saturday, February 28, 2009

Is the Amazon Kindle 2 Worth It?

I've been reading some reviews from people who've purchased the Amazon Kindle 2. It's a fairly hefty purchase at $359. There are 432 customer reviews on Amazon right now and I'm guessing that most of those users are e-book readers (who probably upgraded to the Kindle 2). How many of those are students using the Kindle 2 for their textbooks? (how many college or medical students can afford to spend $359 on a textbook reader and then another whopping sum for the actual books?)

I wish I had more time for leisure reading. The advantage of a paperback book while you're traveling is that you can read it on a plane during taxiing, takeoff and landing. You'll have to turn off the Kindle 2 and flip through the SkyMall catalog during those same times.

So is it worth it? That's what I'm curious to find out. Is it worth it if you already have a briefcase that contains a laptop, an iPod touch, and a smartphone? You can read on the iPod and the smartphone, so why get a Kindle 2?

2 comments:

  1. You just have to turn off the Whispernet then (during the electronic device ban on the plane), not the hard drive with the books you have purchased. So you can read your Kindle.

    I enjoy the eInk on the Kindle. It is easier on the eyes than a book. I can't "scan read" well on a screen like a laptop or iPod touch or smartphone. But I can read very well on a Kindle. Old eyes.

    I have a Kindle 1 (I got in under the Oprah price of $300) and really love it. It is a little buggy, which annoys me. But I do feel it's worth the price.

    When traveling I only take a couple of books and then hundreds on my Kindle. I have a dictionary, religious books, etc. on my Kindle as well. It's very convenient.

    I think the people that will benefit from it most are those people who either read a lot or for whom reading is very, very important to their lives. I am both of these!

    Blessings,

    Olivia

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  2. I think that so many people don't realize how different the reading experience can be on the Kindle vs. a standard laptop screen. Thanks for your comment Olivia.

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