Review on: Kindle

Written by Joseph Ramsey

I got a 6” Kindle as a gift, with a leather cover, and have to say I’m enjoying it a lot. Mainly I use it to read the newspaper on the bus. It’s perfect for this. A number of newspapers are available for a monthly charge; I was reading the Wall Street Journal for a while; now I’m reading the New York Times. The New York Times that I’m reading now is $19.99 per month, charged to my credit card; it downloads onto the Kindle through Kindle’s free wireless network,“Whispernet.”

One of the advantages of the Kindle is that the battery will last a very long time if wireless is turned off. If wireless is left on, the New York Times appears fresh on my kindle every morning when I turn it on, no fuss, no muss. But to increase the battery life I usually just leave wireless off and turn it on when I want to download the newspaper, so the sequence is: turn wireless on, sync (sometimes twice), then turn wireless off. It takes a little bit longer, but the battery seems to last upwards of two weeks between charges. I know it lasts 12 days at least. Very reliable.

I have very bad eyesight and usually can’t read books for very long at a time, but with the Kindle I can read for long periods of time. I don’t know why. I can read a whole newspaper if I like.

A 6” Kindle is perfect for a twenty-minute bus ride plus time spend standing at the bus stop. It’s so much better than trying to stand there, or sit in a crowded bus, with a newspaper. And the 6” size makes it easy to slip into and out of my bag.

Believe it or not, I work in a high tech environment, surrounded by people who have iPads and other tablet electronic devices, and my job is computer programming. I have nothing against other devices, though I do have a view. I think if you want a tiny computer to carry around with you to do lots of different tasks, then an iPad is a good idea. But if what you want to do with your device is mainly to read newspapers or books (yes, I have some books on it too), then a Kindle is a much better choice. It’s easier to read from for long periods of time, and the battery life is much, much better. I have five computers, between work and home, including a Macbook Pro that I carry around with me. I do not need another computer. I just want something to read with.