I love my Kindle. I learned about it when I went to collequium with my doctorate program. One of the professors there said this "will change your life." He was right. I love being able to read the paper when I have a few minutes (I do miss the comics, sigh.) I can purchase heavy, heavy text books that are now stored safely in my light weight kindle. I read murder mysteries on my lunch hour and it looks like I am studying so hard! The blogs keep me up to date, I can store the complete works of Shakespeare, I can read a magazine. I have never been an "early adopter" but I am so glad that I bought this item.

I love my Kindle! Books download fast, easy and cheaper than buying a physical book. I love the smell and feel of books. So, I wasn't sure I'd like the Kindle. Well, I've had it for four months and it had changed my world. I have no more back pain from lugging around all my books. I have a library in my pocket! And I read more. I read more because I can read with one hand while the other hand cleans or fills my mouth with food. I never have to stop reading. Well, maybe in the shower and when I sleep. I love my Kindle and I love my husband for buying it for me.

I'll admit that I have thought about purchasing this item since it was released, but seeing Oprah rave about it put me over the top. I have never watched a full episode (seriously) but I saw that she was going to announce her favorite tech gadget so I was intrigued. After seeing her and Jeff Bezos talk about their Kindle's and seeing how small and compact they were, I had to have one so I ordered it during the show. And then I ordered a 2nd one 5 minutes later after figuring out that my wife would never let me use the one that I purchased. So I am a 2 Kindle Family is what I am trying to say and we carry them with us just about everywhere.

I LOVE books and am a voracious reader, but was mainly hesitant because I love the feel of a book in my hands and I love the colorful covers and I love to line up the ones that I have read and feel a sense of accomplishment and see the pages that I have read and feel accomplished after having read 100 of them. I also love to read the testimonials from authors before and after having read the book as perspectives change. How would this translate into the Kindle? Almost perfectly I would say:

Positives:
1) I am on the road on average 2.5 nights per week, and enjoy reading 2-3 different genres of book at the same time. Now, all I have to do is carry the Kindle! (And one other book for when I have to shut it off prior to takeoff and landing of the plane.)
2) The book prices are much less expensive for hardbacks and of course, much lighter!
3) The Whispernet access is excellent and works very well. The ability to purchase any book from the store any time you have access is amazing. What it means is that no longer do I have to purchase 5 books or 10 books, etc. because I can finish one and then purchase another instantaneously. The entire book is in your hands in a minute. This actually saves me quite a bit of money because I would often purchase books thinking I would read them soon and then other books would be released. You can "Save for Later" on the device so that you do not forget certain titles that you want to read later.
4) Easy to read-The font is adjustable so depending on your eyesight you can have the type be as big as you want.
5) Ability to take notes or highlight text is awesome. Perfect for keeping track of characters or plot or taking notes on your favorite business book while having no pen or paper.
6) Fully expandable to hold more books that you would need at one time and Amazon saves your books that you don't want on your Kindle in your account so you never have to purchase them again.
7) Nice QWERTY keyboard that makes typing easy.
8) Blog Access is kind of nice, although I'm not positive how often they are updated.
9) Easy to use
10) Smaller and lighter than a trade paperback
11) Great battery that lasts...I'm not sure how long...but probably over 14 hours on one full charge with the Whispernet turned off. Significantly less with Whispernet on.
Ultimately, the best part about it is that I do not have to carry multiple books with me on trips an don't have to purchase more books than I need at a given time while having the prices be lower than hard copies on the site.

So-So:
1) The page turning could be a bit faster.
2) The "Book Cover" which is sort of an add on that I guess that don't even need to include is a bit cumbersome and poorly designed. I think if you want to protect your device for the long term you may need something different.
3) The title selection is very good, but could always be better.
4) Wikipedia Use could be a bit easier to get to and navigate.
Negatives:
1) No Backlight so if you want to read in the dark you will need a reading lamp that probably will have to attach to the bookcover as the device might be too thick for most clamps.
2) Next Page and Last Page buttons are poorly designed. The entire right portion of the device is a Next Page button so where are you supposed to hold it? This is probably the number one irritation that I have,
3) Not extremely attractive. The Sony reader is much more attractive.
4) Expensive for a product that in order to use it requires further cash outlay. This price needs to drop by at least $100 for further mainstream adoption.
5) Small Paperback books should be much less expensive than they are. They range from being only 50 cents off of list to several dollars.
6) The White color gets dirty very easily.
7) For $359, the black and white screen does not show images well and needs to be improved. Although the text looks great, a better screen would be more ideal for this price point.

All in all, The Kindle is my new "can't live without device." If you are intrigued and can afford it. I highly recommend it.

I bought the Kindle because of Oprah's ranting.At first I needed some help from my hubby to get going with it, so I was very critical. Then I realised you have to BUY the books. Since I buy books all the time anyway it really isn't that bad... I have to budget myself. I can't buy books on it when I am in the mountains or in rural areas. Now I read all the time with it and never get bored at the airport etc. It travels well. Design could use some re-doing. It's easy to hit the next page bar. All in all, I love this product and have justified spending the money because I am a reading FIEND.

I have never enjoyed reading as much since receiving the Kindle....it is so simple, it's brilliant.....I couldn't be happier....Thank you Amazon!