It’s been around for a while and it’s well known but, you know, the newest Kindle
Amazon recently started exporting the Kindle to other countries, so you can buy one and use it wherever you are!
Amazon struggled to negotiate deals with European carriers, which was one reason why the Kindle was not already available to the European market, so instead, the Kindle roams from the AT&T network.
The features are fairly similar to those available to American customers. One can subscribe to and download newspapers, magazines and buy and and download books.
Several features set it apart from the others:
1. Amazon’s 130,000+ Kindle-format books are priced around $9.99 (some higher or lower).
2. Built-in wireless (called Whispernet) downloading is also free with purchase of the Kindle.
3. Form factor: the unit is shaped something like a book and is tapered on one side to make it easy to hold. The machine does make it very easy to read for long periods of time without the fatigue you get in your hand from holding a book open and up while reading.
The two major upsides to eBooks are presently: generally lower cost and ease of transportation.
Book addicts like us can literally carry hundreds of books in a unit the size of a typical small paperback.
Another benefit that may not be obvious at first is privacy.
How many times have you found yourself in a waiting room, an airplane, or other public places and wished those around you could not see what you were reading?
The 9.7” e-ink screen (no backlit or LCD) provides a pleasant reading experience. At first, we were afraid that some documents wouldn’t be as readable due to the fixed format of PDF.
But thus far, the Kindle DX seems to solve this very elegantly.
Getting a PDF documents on the device is as easy as you’ve come to expect. Just hook it up on your PC using USB, copy the files and you’re good to go.
The amount of storage is amazing. you can practically put your entire library on there without running out of space.
It also has a very long battery life. We’ve been using it for about two weeks now and so far did not have to recharge the battery.
If you want a 2001 H.A.L. relationship with your Kindle
With the experimental Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read English newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book’s rights holder made the feature unavailable. You can switch back and forth between reading and listening, and your spot is automatically saved. Pages automatically turn while the content is being read, so you can listen hands-free. You can choose from both male and female voices which can be sped up or slowed down to suit your preference. In the middle of a great book or article but have to jump in the car? Simply turn on Text-to-Speech and listen on the go.
The Amazon Kindle
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