Here is piece from USA Today by Bob Minzesheimer which summarizes what’s happening far better than I can.
And here is free software from Amazon so you can read Kindle editions of books (including HUNDREDS of classics you can download for free) on whatever electronic “thing” you have:
Kindle for iPad, iPhone & iPod touch
Kindle for Blackberry
Kindle for Android
Kindle for Windows Phone
Kindle for PC
You can search for anything at Amazon but we’ve set the default to the Kindle Store. Type in Kindle and all the various models and prices will show up.
I personally opted for a Kindle because it can also read out loud…
It has all the emotion of a robot but when you need to do something with your hands it’s great that you don’t have to stop reading; you simply press two buttons and it will pick up reading out loud from whatever page you’re on.
I am also a beach and outdoors person and it still blows my mind that you can read the screen perfectly well outside. That’s very cool. But to have that ability means the Kindle sacrifices a screen lit from behind (like a computer, which as you know does NOT work in the sunshine) so you must have light to read by. Amazon and other places have covers for Kindles with a light built in.
So what is a long-time writer doing reading e-books?
I know, I know, that was my reaction at first to electronic readers as well, why on earth would I ever want to replace the tactile sense of a book in my hands. Well, sometimes it comes down to a number of boxes and suitcases.
There have been a number of times I have travelled between New York and London with a hundred pounds of books and periodicals in a suitcase because I needed them for research. There is something to be said for carrying 20 research volumes in my purse, to say nothing of bringing along the Sunday New York Times. I can also access the web on my Kindle. It has the same coverage as a good cell phone. Once you’ve downloaded reading material, however, you can turn the radio signal off to save power. It recharges from an electric outlet or by plugging into your computer.
No, before you ask—we have thousands of books in our houses and there always will be.
Older Kindle readers or re-conditioned Kindles…
are available at Amazon, too.
If you travel internationally…
Please note that to import documents or access the web, you must bump up in Kindle, from $139 to $189, a model that has 3-G to work globally. If you are simply “lugging” books and magazines to read you’re fine with the basic Kindle.
Last but certainly not least, Amazon offers refurbished Kindles at a discounted price so you might want to look into that.
