Monday, January 16, 2012

One year with a Kindle 3

About a year ago I got a Kindle 3 and joined the world of e-books. Despite appearances, I was a bit wary about having an e-reader. Why? I just happen be one of those tactile people who like collecting things, so the idea of hardcovers arranged neatly on my shelf is a happy one. Either way, I thought I'd give you an overview of my thoughts after a year of e-reader happiness.

The good:
  • E-ink. As a person who gets migraines from eye strain, this is a Big Deal to me. Screw backlit LCD screens--when you want to be reading something for hours on end, e-ink is the way to go.
  • With programs liks calibre and DownloadStory, you can read nearly anything on the Kindle, including fanfiction and unpublished manuscripts. I love being able to do this.
  • Reading while eating, crocheting, etcetera is now completely possible. Without, you know, crumbling up the pages of your book or losing your place.
  • Say you secretly love romance novels, but you don't want anyone else to know. With an e-reader, you can now read your romance novels everywhere with complete anonymity.
  • Kindles come with a built-in dictionary. This is fabulous.
The bad:
  • With the black and white screen, it's not quite the same as having a gorgeous slip cover or colored ink. Then again, if you care about that kind of thing, you'll probably be buying hardcovers anyway. I still do when it matters.
  • You can't really get a book signed. I mean, if I'd purchased the e-book version of The Fault in Our Stars, I wouldn't have gotten a hanklerfish. And I like my hanklerfish.
  • Honestly, the Kindle's organization system is a little lacking. There are no nested folders, you can't directly delete anything from a collection, and it a bit wieldy to even get things into collections.
So, do you have an e-reader? If so, which kind (Kindle, Nook, Kobo, etc?) and what do you think about it? Has your e-reader replaced traditional books for you, or do you still indulge in the occasional hardback? Tell me what you think in the comments.