The Chronic Consumer

Ever since the Amazon Kindle portable e-book reader came out a few months ago, I’ve been debating about whether or not to buy one. I love reading e-books, and have been wanting a dedicated reader for a long time now. For the past couple of years, I’ve settled for reading on my iPaq PDA, but the small screen and overall small size of the device makes that task a bit difficult, which is why I’m shopping around.

The Kindle has received mixed reviews from users on the Amazon.com site. It currently has a 3.5-star rating average out of 2,194 customer reviews. But I think that number could be a bit misleading, since a lot of the reviews seem to be from people who don’t even own the device yet.

Anyway, the features I’m most interested in are the size, weight, battery life, and of course, the eInk screen. The Kindle is significantly bigger than a PDA, while still being smaller and lighter than a regular paperback, making it the perfect size (as far as I’m concerned) for a handheld book reader.

I’ve also read that the Kindle’s battery life will allow you to use the device for a week or more without needing a recharge, and then when you do recharge, all it takes is two hours.

And finally, I’m very anxious to try out the eInk technology that makes reading text on the Kindle easy on your eyes. I end up suffering from eyestrain if I read from my PDA for too long, so I’m hoping that will all change with Kindle.

Unfortunately, with a price tag of $399 and limited availability due to a very long wait list for the device, I don’t think I’ll be getting a Kindle anytime soon. I really do want one and am putting it on my Wish List in case anyone out there wants to surprise me with one (ha!), but realistically, I won’t be seeing one in the near future. Maybe that’s better, as I’m sure subsequent generations will be cheaper and will have more features… at least, that’s what I keep telling myself to ease my bitter disappointment at not being able to buy one!