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| Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device | 
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| Brand: Amazon
Category: Amazon Devices
Buy New: $359.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  4309 reviews
Sales Rank: 1
Color: Bisque
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.7
UPC: 892685001003
EAN: 0892685001003
ASIN: B000FI73MA
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Overall Kindle Weight February 20, 2008
8 out of 36 found this review helpful
Upon purchase the kindle did indeed weigh 10 oz. After I downloaded the 200 titles the total weight increased to over 200lbs....
 Service??? SLOW February 20, 2008
7 out of 63 found this review helpful
Kindle:
I order a Kindle in late November for a Christmas gift. We knew it may not make it for Christmas because of the back log of orders. I wish they would say what year. We know now that the Kindle was not delivered correctly and returned in January. Amazon would like to keep my money for four weeks and than send a check. They know they have the non-delivered product sitting in warehouse from late January. It is now Feb 20 why the delay? I think they want me to reorder, do they want me to pay even if they still have my money? I will think twice before buying again with this lack of service. emails unanswered. calls to people that are not in the loop.
I can get a book over the internet, but not any service or even an answer. SERVICE 0 stars I have not seen the product to rate it.
finally and worth the wait February 20, 2008
20 out of 23 found this review helpful
I ordered my Kindle Jan 23 and I received it February 13. Idid not get an email to let me know it was coming and the next thing I knew I had it. Awesome!!!!!
I love it. I am so psyched to have this in my hands. To be honest I have not used it to its full potential but I have added quite a few books, a couple of blogs and a magazine. I have other ebooks on my computer and I would love to transfer them over to Kindle but I don't believe I can. My only downer so far has been that the audiobooks take up so much space but that is okay because that was why I had bought the Ipod classic a few months ago so that on my way to work I could listen to books. Ironically this is before I knew anything about the kindle. I love the fact that you also can get to the web on this. It was well worth the wait as well as the price.
I Love My Kindle February 20, 2008
23 out of 26 found this review helpful
I love my Kindle! I got mine at Christmastime and have read several books so far. It is not perfect in design, but it does everything it says it will. Ignore all those reviews by people who don't even own one or who want it to do more. It is what it is- an ebook reader first and foremost. As a reader it's great- easy to use, easy to get books. I recommend you buy one.
Excellent eBook reader February 19, 2008
31 out of 33 found this review helpful
I love the Kindle as an eBook reader, which is why I gave it 5 stars. I am less enamored of its "experimental" features, but first let's focus on what makes this a wonderful eBook reader.
I have read eBooks for years on my Palm, and was never attracted to any of the larger eBook readers until the Kindle came along. The ability to download books without a PC, without a wifi hotspot, and pretty much anywhere there is Sprint cell phone service--but without a cellular contract or any cellular charges-- is what sold me. Not only can I have virtually instant access to what I want to read, but I can also download free samples to read before making a buying decision. Keep in mind, however, that all cellular service has "dead spots", which I have experienced a few times while trying to connect to the Kindle store, but for the most part that has not been a problem.
The screen is easy to read under a wide variety of light conditions (incandescent, fluorescent, bright, dim) including direct sunlight--just like a real book. Screen contrast is not adjustable, but I found it to be excellent, and the grey background created less eyestrain for me than a white page. Buy the inexpensive Fulcrum Multi Flex LED Silver book light, and you can easily read under the darkest conditions--even in a pitch black room.
The Kindle automatically remembers the last page you were reading, so even if you read multiple books at once, as I sometimes do, you never have to worry about losing your place. There is also the ability to bookmark and "highlight" pages and create notes, though these functions are very basic and could use some tweaking. However, I seldom use them.
There are six font sizes to choose from, so you can read books in one size, magazines in another, etc. Battery life is excellent. Unlike my Palm, I can read for hours and barely make a dent in the onscreen battery level, especially if I have the Whispernet button turned off.
The keyboard is very easy to use and navigate among the different functions, as well as to enter text if you want to create a note.
There are three other features that are not essential to the Kindle as an eBook reader. In fact Kindle designates these three features as "experimental".
Basic Web gives internet access and as Kindle says, "works best with web sites that are mostly in text". Browsing on the web is slow without a wifi connection, and since the Kindle is not a touch screen device (like a Palm or iTouch for example), navigating on web sites is tedious. The Kindle is definitely not a substitute for a laptop or touch screen wifi device, but if you are in your backyard or at the beach reading and want to take a quick look at a news site for the headlines, basic web can be a handy feature. However, I seldom use it. Indeed, I wound up freezing the Kindle a few times when I went to web sites that seemed to overwhelm it, and had to use the reset button (which is inconveniently located under the back cover, which requires removing the cover. Not a big deal, just poor design).
Ask Kindle NowNow says real people will research your question on the web and send up to three answers "usually within ten minutes". This service is nice if you don't have access to the web and need, for example, some information about a restaurant that you are considering for dinner. But when I asked just for the name and phone number of a local restaurant on a Saturday afternoon, the earliest response I got was after I had already finished eating dinner there that evening (I got my information elsewhere), and another response did not come until the following day. I also asked a computer question that I did get an answer to much sooner, but not within the claimed ten minutes.
The Play Music feature really can't be called an MP3 player even though it plays MP3 files because there is no ability to either see or choose what is being played. Basically you download MP3 files to the Kindle, and those files are played in random order. The speaker on the Kindle is nothing fancy, though there is also an earphone jack. Frankly, if I want to listen to music when I read I just use my iPod. But if that is not available, then I guess having music on the Kindle is better than nothing.
I would have bought the Kindle even if the experimental features were not available because they have nothing to do with my eBook experience, and frankly I own other devices that perform these features much better and more efficiently.
As an eBook reader I don't think the Kindle can be beat. Although I will still read eBooks on my Palm sometimes, like on a long line at the grocery store, since I can't slip the Kindle in my front pocket, I plan to do most of my reading on the Kindle. I really look forward to it. I like the much larger screen, the easily adjustable fonts, and the ability to browse new books and have either the books or samples on my Kindle in minutes.
Finally, although the Kindle comes with a cover, that will not protect the screen when you are reading. After I accidentally splattered some sauce on the screen while I was reading during lunch, I ordered the invisibleSHIELD screen protector from Zagg Enterprises.
2/21/08 Update: I was advised by Kindle Tech Support that the NowNow information service has been suspended due to spamming of the users accounts. I learned this when I called today to say that several days after receiving a legitimate response to a request, I had received spam reponses on both my Kindle and the email address that I use to sign in to Amazon.
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