I’m thinking to write about several different topics. I’m interested in anything from video games to movies to computers. I’m a Mac snob in the highest order, but I know not all of you are. Any lively (and civil) debate would be fun on the Mac to PC war. I’m also looking forward to the iPhone 3G. We’ll have plenty to talk about in the next several weeks.
Hey Folks! I know many of you share my OCD, and will want to add some level of scratch protection to your new iPhone 3G. The Invisible Shield has long been a great solution, but I found an even better product when the first iPhone came out. It’s from the guys over at bestskinsever.com. I have to say, you get the same product as The Invisible Shield, but at a third of the price. Both are made from the same material that the military used to coat helicopter blades. Needless to say, every gadget they provide a skin for is covered. There is the rub, however. They don’t have nearly the inventory of The Invisible Shield. Hopefully, as word continues to spread about them, their inventory will grow.
Okay, we’re finally here. It’s about time, you say? Well, so do I. We are just some guys who happen to love several things that the world thinks are geeky. Well…I say they’re right. I say we stand up and be counted. Tell the world you’re a nerd, and what of it?!? As my old roommate used to say, “Sooner or later, they all go geek.”
So I broke down and bought myself an Amazon Kindle. I was eager to tell all of my friends about it, but was very disappointed that not many people knew what I was talking about. Nothing is as much of a buzzkill to me as when I have to explain what my newest tech gadget is and what it does. Anyway, my damaged ego aside, I am here to tell you that the Kindle is revolutionary. For those of you who don’t know, the Kindle is a portable reader that was developed and produced by Amazon. I think that it is going to take reading to the next level. The onboard 256MB (180MB Available) memory is ample. According to Amazon, it can hold over 200 titles without any additional memory. I have not tested this. Thankfully, Amazon included an SD memory card slot to expand the memory. I purchased a 2GB SD card for $19.99 at Best Buy and I really don’t have any concerns about the storage capacity.
The “e-ink” display is great. I have read for about an hour and a half in one sitting and did not have any eye strain at all. It is visible from every angle and feels like you are reading off of paper. In my research, I did read some reviews on Amazon that mentioned some annoyance with the screen “flash” that is a part of refresh process each time you turn a page. It has not really bothered me. One last thing about the display, it is not backlit so if you are considering purchasing a kindle remember you will need a light source to read (no reading in dark in bed).
I know you are asking the computer screen right now, “what good is this Kindle thing you are talking about if there is no content for it?” Well maybe you are not asking that right now, but I am going to tell you about the content available anyway!! There are over 130,000 books available for the Kindle right now and growing. (I think that number was about 110,000 when I purchased mine back in April). Almost all of the NY Times Bestseller’s list is on there and they are almost always $9.99 or less. The books are delivered wirelessly using the Sprint’s EVDO network (no need for wi-fi) so wherever you can get a cell phone signal, you can download a book. On a side note, right now you can use the EVDO network to access the internet for free, however, there may be a charge associated with that later. The books are usually downloaded directly to your kindle in less than a minute. They also have subscriptions to newspapers and blogs that you can purchase. Those are automatically downloaded to your Kindle right when you turn it on.
On a negative note, I would have to agree with some of the reviewers on Amazon that one negative is the button placement. When I first started using the Kindle I was always accidentally pushing the “next page” and “back” buttons, but once I got used to how to hold the Kindle to avoid that it was fine.
Well, I could go on for much longer about some of the other features (Internet access, Ask Kindle, etc.), but you get the picture. I love being able to carry my personal “library” with me.