Kindle: Amazon's Wireless Reading Device | 
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| Brand: Amazon.com
Category: Amazon Devices
Buy New: $359.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  5534 reviews
Sales Rank: 1
Color: Bisque
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.7
MPN: D00111
Model: D00111
UPC: 892685001003
EAN: 0892685001003
ASIN: B000FI73MA
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 4 weeks
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| Features:
| • | Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper. | | • | Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing. | | • | Wireless connectivity enables you to find, buy, and read instantly—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed. | | • | Shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle. | | • | Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute. |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4990 more reviews...
Features need improvement November 21, 2008
I have had my new "Christmas" (early) Kindle 3 days; the following are my experiences with it:
1) it froze up without the wireless "on" causing the need to reset it, which involved removing the back to depress the reset. Customer service advises this "very unusual".
2) need better information about the books total pages and number of "pages" read. The explanation about the "locations" is very strange and does not clearly display the number of "pages" or "locations" read. The dots are not very helpful.
3) It is VERY difficult to remove the battery and reset button cover; you need two healthy hands, and I have arthritis.
4) the "wheel" or curser is difficult to control when trying to depress it to make a choice ... it rolls too easily.
5) very small places to hold it without advancing pages.
6) when I tried to find titles such as John Grisham's "The Firm" or "The Pelican Brief" was disappointed to see not available. Also, Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove" not available, Carl Hiaasen had only 3 titles, James A. Michener, only one title.
Amazon has extended the return policy for the Christmas holiday; I have until January 2009 to decide if I'll keep it or return it. I'm leaning toward returning because of the poor title selections.
Note: The new and improved version is to be released next year.
 Efficient Kindle Review November 21, 2008
I am an avid reader. I never thought I would switch from paper to an electronic reader. After a few days with the Kindle, I never want to go back to paper. I read on my way to work on a commuter train. I didn't have a problem with glare or flickering text. Thank goodness, the screen isn't like a laptop monitor! And I can store multiple books.....I am truly in book Heaven!
I have a couple of bones to pick with the Kindle Designers though. The holder isn't so great. The Kindle almost fell out a couple of times. I would buy a different case if it were available. Also, the Kindle is a very ugly battleship grey color. On the plus side, no one would want to steal it. Yes, people it is that ugly.
Kindle is wonderful but you are not getting cute.
Kindle Review November 21, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a great product! I have used it for sometime before writing this review. The books are great, the size of the Kindle is perfect. I have read where other customers would like to have the Kindle be an all in one device and I think this is a ridicules thought. The Kindle was made for readers. It was made to function and look like the pages of a book and that is exactly what it does. It is for readers and should remain that way. The only problem that I have with the device is that it has a large "page turning" button on the right hand side. This button is very easy to push and needs to be smaller. Some older books could be placed on the Kindle as well and I hope they will be soon. All around this is a great item and I would definitely order one again! What a great idea. If oyu do wish to get a Kindle make sure you order the extra leather holder that seats the Kindle on all four corners the case that comes with it does not hold the Kindle well. 5 star item for reading and carrying a large number of books.
Love my Kindle November 20, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've had my Kindle for about a month and LOVE it. I can't imagine reading without it now.
 From a longtime eBook reader and technology writer: Three stars. November 20, 2008
11 out of 15 found this review helpful
This will be a short, no-nonsense review that tries to summarize everything a savvy non-Kindle owner needs to know.
The Good:
(1) Whispernet. This is the killer feature. No need for USB cables, card readers, installing applications (so no compatibility problems, it doesn't matter whether you're Windows/Mac/Linux or even completely computer illiterate). Subscribe to a newspaper and magazine and it automatically shows up in your Kindle the moment it's released. Buy any Amazon.com Kindle title immediately with the push of a button and start reading it now. No credit card numbers, no long forms to fill out, no waiting.
(2) Extra features. The web browser is spectacularly useful. Use the web anytime, anywhere. Look anything up in Wikipedia no matter where you are. It costs nothing extra. Play MP3 files. Do keyword searches that automatically search (a) all of your books, (b) all of your magazine and newspaper subscriptions, and (c) online / at Wikipedia. Super-fast access to knowledge.
(3) Design. It doesn't feel so "techish" as other eBook readers, which is interesting because the device is Linux-based. The white plastic and simple buttons and squarish construction make it feel more book-like and more organic for those who are technophobic. The giant buttons for next page/previous page are genius and make reading a decidedly non-technological experience on the Kindle.
(4) Price. Though the reader is pricey, the titles on Amazon's Kindle store are very cheap. Nearly any title is $10 or less, much cheaper than print and much cheaper than most other eBook formats or stores. If you buy a lot of reading, you'll save money even though the initial cost may be higher.
The BAD:
(1) No folders, no indexing, no organization. All of your books will be shoved into a single, long, many-pages-long title list. If you only have a dozen books, you'll only have to browse through a couple of screens full of titles to open and read one. If you have hundreds or thousands of books (for example, I have several hundred), you will have literally hundreds of pages of titles to page through, one page at a time, to find the book you want and open it. You can jump straight to the "R" titles by pressing the "R" key, etc., but it's still unwieldy, especially if you have 20-30 (several pages of) titles for each letter. You can't "search through titles" (you can search, but any search you run will search through all the text in the device and also online, meaning a long list of results). Intolerable. No folders or indexing in a device that can store thousands of books?!? Almost a deal-killer. Imagine living your life having to keep every document you ever use, create, submit, or receive in single, giant filebox with no folders. Same problem. Amazon needs to implement folders... BADLY. Anyone with a long reading list should think twice right here, and this is 90% of the reason why I give the device only three stars.
(2) DRM. Any Kindle files you buy are locked forever to your Kindle(s). When Amazon someday goes out of business and/or retires the Kindle line, you will no longer have access to the books you bought. If you want to switch to another brand of reader, you will no longer have access to the books you bought. Don't expect to be able to print and/or share the books you bought. You're actually "renting books long-term" rather than buying them. You won't be leaving these books to your children someday.
(3) Case/cover. The black case/cover is just cheap. It should either have been beefed up or left out. It doesn't clip solidly enough into place, holds in the center rather than at edges (so that the book can slide around and fit crookedly at times), and closes via an elastic band like the ones that you find in underwear and pantyhose waistbands that sag and stretch and wrinkle and fray very quickly. Why no snap or zipper? Beyond me.
(4) Shoddy construction. The materials aren't poor, but the workmanship may be. My new Kindle came with buttons that don't quite fit and/or are a little bit crooked or slightly out of alignment. It's not "defective," just "cheaply made," which is a shame because with better tolerances and quality control, it would be a very nice fit/finish device.
CONCLUSION:
If you are a mature bookworm and just want to read books, from cover to cover, and don't want to bother with computers, technology, "learning how to use" eBook readers as a separate appliance, etc., then this is the reader from you.
If you're a gadgeteer with no particular love for the medium of the book as a physical thing, then this is clearly NOT the reader for you, as the "design flaws masquerading as features" list will drive you nuts (i.e. DRM, no folders, no way to use the inherent computing features of the device outside of the basic reading features). It's not hack-friendly.
If you're young, look elsewhere. You'll break it and you'd probably prefer the more tech-oriented design of other units anyway.
If you're somewhere in between all of these, ask yourself: will you be buying books over whispernet, or are you going to just be reading Gutenberg eBooks or other free eBooks that you want to download with your computer? If the latter, look at Sony. If you really will use the subscriptions and instant buying ability of Whispernet, then go Kindle, there's no competitor right now who comes close.
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