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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:  3802 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:
 Disruptive Technology December 28, 2007
23 out of 25 found this review helpful
Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device
This truly amazing device has been well received but I do not think people realize how revolutionary it is. The convergence of the readability of the screen, the Whispernet(tm), and the connection to amazon are enough to make this as significant as cell phones. Think about access to any book, magazine, newspaper, or blog to read anywhere whether it is on the train or the bathroom. Once more publishers get on board I see my daughter carrying a kindle instead of a 30 pound book bag. Librairies will get on board. Businesses can use it for user manuals, catalogues, etc. I believe time will show this to be more significant than starting Amazon itself.
There are of course features I would like to see. I hear color is comming. Wireless ability for areas out of range of Whispernet(tm). The ergonomics are ok but could be better. Magazine and particularly newspaper content can be much improved with more graphics, better content, and sections.
Great - with a little troubleshooting December 28, 2007
34 out of 35 found this review helpful
My husband gave me a Kindle for Christmas, and I have loved it. I just can not see going back to my usual paperbacks as the Kindle is just so much easier, lighter, and smaller. The only downside was when my Kindle died last night for no discernable reason. I'm still waiting on a reply to my customer service query that I sent this morning. In the meantime, my husband revived my Kindle (re-Kindled it?). He pulled the battery out of the unit and disconnected it for 10-15 seconds. He then reconnected the battery and reinstalled it in the unit, and the Kindle came back to life. My husband notes that it is VERY important disconnect and reconnect the battery CAREFULLY as it would be easy to damage/bend the connection prongs. I hope this is a help to others.
Amazing Device!!! December 28, 2007
31 out of 32 found this review helpful
I got a Kindle for Christmas and I couldn't be happier with it. Now that I've had several days to sit with it and enjoy it, I have to say that it is nothing short of amazing!
The wireless connectivity and the ease of browsing through the Kindle store make this device the ultimate in convenience. Talk about instant gratification! And getting the NY Times delivered to the device each day and having it magically there waiting for me when I wake up is absolutely wonderful. The availability of book titles is quite good, and seems to be increasing at a good rate. I have no doubt that eventually Amazon will be able to offer every book in Kindle format.
In addition to all of the selections available from Amazon, there are many classics available for free from places like the gutenburg project and feedbooks. I was able to download the entire canon of both Jane Austen and Charles Dickens for free from these sources, and I can carry them around with me wherever I go!
The device itself is so much smaller than it looks online. I have had no problems with the cover, as I've read some others have had. When the cover is closed it looks like one of those small leather-covered journals. The Kindle is also much more attractive than it looks online. I have read all of the complaints about how ugly the unit is, but all of those complaints seem to be from people who have never held one in their hands. I have to say, that the design of this device is extremely well thought out. There is something quite elegant about it when it is seen in person. From a usuability standpoint, it is perfection. I have had no issue with the placement of the buttons. I quickly developed a comfortable way to hold it and to navigate the page-turning buttons, and it is a joy to use. Using a paper book now seems heavy and unwieldy.
The ability to change font sizes is perfect for those of us over 40. I can now read comfortably without my reading glassess!! I can also read on the treadmill thanks to the large font sizes and the ability to turn pages with one finger.
I have a house full of books, and have no room for any more. I had long ago reached the point where I would need to get rid of a book every time I brought a new one into the house. Choosing which book to get rid of was always a painful experience. Now, I can buy new books without worrying about space. And, since the Kindle uses SD cards, the capacity is huge. I can carry an entire library around with me and always have something to read, no matter what my mood!
 Not for people who love books December 28, 2007
6 out of 108 found this review helpful
This a great TOY for those who are simply fascinated with buttons. The old adage the "if something is broken don't fix it" is entirely appropriate for this TOY. The kindle is not designed or marketed to the avid reader: it was made for people who think that computers can be substituted for anything. Please do not buy this $400 TOY. It is NOT the same a holding a book in your hand, the feel of the pages, the smell of fresh ink, the artwork that comes on the cover. Curling up with a Kindle is akin to curling up with a blow up doll rather than a real woman.
Outstanding 1st generation e-reader! December 28, 2007
49 out of 50 found this review helpful
I'm taking the time to write a review because I am so very glad that I disregarded the naysayers and ordered the Kindle.
The out-of-package experience was flawless. I turned on my Kindle to find that it was fully charged. By the time I had finished reading Jeff Bezos's welcome letter, the content that I had previously ordered had already downloaded. Attachment to the cover was a snap, I think because I had read the complaints and the manual instructions prior to receiving the device. However, I recommend careful handling. Despite the fact that I have had no problems with the cover yet, I keep thinking that the Kindle is not completely secure inside it.
After testing the Sprint connection again by successfully downloading a couple of samples from the Kindle shop, I started reading my first e-book. All this within ten minutes of opening the box!
The reading experience has been wonderful so far. The e-Ink is very easy on the eyes, and the ability to change font sizes is a great bonus particularly in low light. I think that the next and previous page buttons are placed exactly where they should be. As others have suggested, putting the Kindle inside its cover and placing the right thumb on the silver cursor's groove has worked well for me, and it is nice not to have to fumble around to turn the pages. Contrary to my fears, neither the placement of these buttons nor the flash created when changing pages has been either troublesome or distracting.
I'll be contrarian and praise the Kindle designers for successfully creating a functional device for readers and not just an eye-catching but less useful gadget. I could care less about the Kindle's appearance---although it looks nice enough to me---but I care greatly that navigation is intuitive and that reading is comfortable and effortless. In both these respects the Kindle delivers. The ability to highlight, clip, take notes, and search the dictionary or Wikipedia is only a couple of clicks away and so very easy to do. More importantly, as advertised, after a few minutes of reading, the book takes over, and the Kindle fades away. On that basis alone, the Kindle surpasses all my expectations. If publishers cooperate and the Kindle content (unfortunately, none of the books I was reading have Kindle editions) continues to grow, Amazon will have an indisputable winner.
The Kindle is pricey and DEFINITELY not for everyone. However, if like me, you read a lot; you spend a lot of money on books; you have books cluttered all over the house; you read more than one book at a time; you like to annotate your books; you like to look up unknown words and references; or you agonize about which books to take on a 3-day weekend getaway, then the Kindle was created just with you in mind, and it is well worth the price.
The Kindle will not replace all the books I will ever want to buy, but it has changed in only a few days the way I think about books and the act of reading. I highly recommend it!
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