If you’re like me, an avid reader running out of room for all of your books, then you might like the change of pace that the Kindle 3 brings. After receiving the Kindle for Christmas this year, I’ve read through two books and have two more started. Manufactured by Amazon.com, this newest version of the long-running eReader truly has much to offer even for those who don’t consider themselves big readers.
Coming a long way from their previous models, Amazon gave this 3rd generation Kindle a 6 inch black-and-white screen, made it a third of an inch thick, and a weight of just 8.4 ounces, obviously giving it a more personal and portable feel. Amazon produced two versions of the new Kindle, one with WiFi capabilities and a more expensive model with 3G technology. The 3G model requires a 3G subscription to have internet anywhere, where the WiFi model works only with hotspots. The logistics of the two versions are the same, however.
With the specifications out of the way, my favorite detail of my Kindle is the fact that the screen isn’t backlit. It uses an ink-infused display that’s easier on your eyes and is literally like looking at the page of a book, except I’ve found that I get through a book faster on the Kindle because the pages load so quickly. Another great feature is what Amazon calls its ‘Experimental’ folder that sits at the bottom of the menu. Under ‘Experimental’ lays an mp3 player, a web browser, and a text-to-speech option for those who’d rather listen to their books.
The mp3 player on the device is really convenient. Instead of using my iPod along with the Kindle, you can simply push a button and play your favorite music while reading. It features crisp speakers as well that have a decent volume, and it has a headphone jack as well. The web browser is nice but through WiFi it’s sort of choppy, that is to say many sites have really long load times, even to the point where sometimes it freezes and requires a reboot. My advice is to stick to the list of bookmarks that Amazon provides, which are ample including Facebook and Twitter, and the load times will be faster. With a black-and-white display pictures don’t always look great while surfing, but I assume that would be why Amazon placed the browser in the Experimental folder. The Text-to-Speech feature works pretty well, provided the eBook your reading has given the reading rights to Amazon. Most of those in the Kindle Store do, but I’ve found that most of the free books weren’t granted those rights. The voice is sort of robotic, as it would be hard for an installed voice not to sound robotic, but it gets annoying. Yet again, I’m one that prefers reading over listening anyways, so the Text-to-Speech feature may fare better in your hands.
All in all, the Kindle is astounding. With the capability to store up to 3,500 books at one time, there’s no need to add an extra room on your house for your extensive library. I was seriously considering selling some of my books back, I think I might still, but thanks to the Kindle it’s no longer a necessity. It even reads PDFs for those of you who have a lot of assignments given through angel in PDF format, and they read the same as the other formats. It’s very convenient. Your home page is your list of books and mine already features some great free versions of Dostoevsky, Frost, Poe, Shakespeare, and some Greek theorists like Aristotle and Plato. You can find free eBooks all over online but the most exhausting database with thousands of possibilities would have to be www.manybooks.net. To purchase eBooks, you can simply use your Kindle and click Kindle Store under the menu, or go online to a long list of websites from www.ebooks.com to Amazon’s own website. The new Kindle 3 was an amazing Christmas gift that saves loads of time, space, and money, and can’t wait to read even more avidly than before!
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