My New Kindle - Day 1

I got my Kindle today! Yippee!! When the delivery lady started walking toward the house, I saw it was from Amazon and smiled. Thanks again, Herman, for the awesome gift.

Here's the way it came in the box:

It looks like a book! (Cat not included)

And here's what's inside the "book."

And here it is about 15 minutes later, pulling up one of my books:

I have downloaded a couple books, subscribed to the New York Times and Slate and a couple blogs. They need more blogs on Kindle (I sent in the information so that Management Craft would be available, but it is not there yet). Everything downloaded in less than a minute and without connecting it to a computer. Because I already have an Amazon account (and 1-Click settings on), all I had to do was type in my email address and Amazon password and I was ready to buy from the Kindle store (and I only do this once).

It takes a few minutes to get the hang of paging and selecting, but just a few.

I will share additional impressions in a few days after I use it more. I have a trip on Friday and will get to test the battery life and travel-worthiness. Here are a few first impressions:

• The display is going to be great to read, and you can easily adjust the font size to match your eyes. I read the users manual on the Kindle - about 15 pages - and I found the screen easy on the eyes. 
• I like the literary themed screen saver - it is a nice touch.
• The cover is the only disappointment - it is hard to get the Kindle in it's black book cover just right. I hope there will be some nicer after-market ones.
• Typing with the keyboard is easy.
• At first, I felt like my hands were always in the wrong place and hitting buttons I did not want to hit. After about an hour of use, I am noticing this much less.
• I realize the this may sound a bit odd, but Amazon has made it so easy to buy on Kindle - just push "buy" and it downloads. No reentering credit card data (if stolen, you can go onto the Amazon website and disable it). You might say, "yes, of course it is easy to buy," but this is not always the case. Some merchants make it hard, or a hassle, to buy. Filling my Kindle is a breeze.
• The Kindle is light and attractive. Add a more interesting/functional cover and I will be all set.

What a cool device and I know I am going to LOVE it. The combination of books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs is great. I have not tried this yet, but I can highlight text and create a file of clips and quotes that I want to refer to again. I can search anywhere in the content. It has a dictionary and Wikipedia. And I can download audio books and listen using headphones (or background music). If the 180megs of storage is not enough, I can add an SD memory card. And so much more I have not yet discovered.

They are showing that they are out of stock, but get in line by purchasing one. Let your significant other know you don't mind that it will be a late holiday gift. Start the new year off with a fresh way to be a better reader/learner.

And isn't this the real benefit? Imagine having Kindle wherever you go and being able to enjoy more and more diverse reading experiences. While enjoying coffee with a friend who mentions a great new book, whip out your Kindle and buy that book in 60 seconds.

Kindle is like the butterfly effect for readers - POW! The newspaper is waiting for you.

You might need to set a Kindle spending budget (like a beer or latte budget), though :-).

Books rule! Kindle rules!

Comments

[Nofie]

Wow, that's really cool. I wish I had.

At this moment, I have a lot of ebook collection and read them through Rokr E6.

[flash]

Well, it looks like Kindle will dominate the ebook market for awhile. I'm still an old-fashioned guy and prefer paper, but I can see how the Kindle will work for certain genre's of books.

[Kevin Eikenberry]

Lisa - Thanks for the best review of the Kindle I have read yet. (And no, I don't have one yet)..:)

Kevin Eikenberry
Author of Remarkable Leadership
http://Remarkableleadershipbook.com

[Jonathan]

Thanks for your informative review. I don't have a Kindle yet, but I'm tempted.

[Jonathan]

Thanks for your informative review. I don't have a Kindle yet, but I'm tempted.