I’ve been drooling over the Kindle since the original edition was released, but I talked myself out of it. Not easily. I waffled over and over for weeks and just when I thought I’d for certain talked myself out of it, someone at my (necessary) Evil Day Job bought one and the coveting began again. The only thing that finally ended my indecision was when I read the Kindle 2 was coming out and it would be in colors like the iPod Nano was. I totally love color and the idea of having a hot pink Kindle if I only waited was enough to convince me. Yes, shallow, but there you have it. I can be bought for fuchsia.
To my great disappointment, when the Kindle 2 was released, only Stephen King got a pink version. This breaks my heart. Hey, Amazon, I want a pink one, too! I’ll even take purple or tangerine or red. Don’t they know how many of us are waiting for bright exciting colors? Sigh.
But it doesn’t seem to matter. I’m lusting after the Kindle 2 anyway. I keep opening Amazon in my browser and looking at the thing. I’ve already found a hot pink case to make up for the lack of a hot pink Kindle 2. The price is off-putting. Talk about a big ouch! I was hoping the price would come down with second gen, but that didn’t happen.
As you’ve probably guessed, I’m waffling again. I want one. It would be great for research because if I needed information and found a good book on the subject that was Kindle-ized, I could order it immediately and have it in minutes. I could also highlight and bookmark and snip the parts that pertain to what I need. Much, much easier for relocating information months later. I can’t tell you how many books I had to dig out and go through a couple of years ago to find one fact. I knew I had read it. I knew I owned the book. It took me hours to locate the right one. This, alone, makes the Kindle attractive.
On the other hand, that price still stops me cold. Plus, I’d have to get the extended warranty–just in case. It would freak me out if I didn’t at the price point it’s selling at.
In the pro side of the column, some of the books are cheaper in Kindle format and I could take dozens of titles with me in one small gadget. That’s one of the things I totally love about my iPod–no matter what mood I’m in, I can find the right music because it’s all there. When I used to bring CDs to the EDJ, I would guess the night before what I would be interested in listening to, and if I was wrong, I was out of luck. The Kindle would be the same thing for books. No matter what I felt like reading, I could have it with me.
On the other hand, that price still stops me cold. 
Seriously. $359. Plus $65 for the extended warranty, plus $45 for the hot pink cover.
The iPod has more than one use. There’s music, there’s podcasts, there’s iTunes U (which I love with all my heart), there’s television shows which I also love because I never have time to watch TV. But I bring my car in to be serviced, bring the iPod with me, and catch up on some programs. The iPod also lets me load my contacts list so I can have that all with me, it has a calender function, an alarm feature, it shows me the time in London or Sydney.
Kindle 2 doesn’t do that many things which makes the money harder to spend. And now I’m wondering about Kindle 3. Will that come in hot pink?
Tags: kindle
Patti -
As a very happy owner of the original Kindle, I’m concerned about the lack of storage on Kindle version II. Version I allows for a memory card to expand the memory to thousands of books. Version II omits that possibility although the internal memory is far greater than with Version I. At this point I’m thinking that Kindle’s “plan” is likely to be like the iPod, with each successive release offering greater and greater memory. At such time as they offer as much memory as I get with my memory card – which I imagine will happen in another couple of versions – I’ll consider upgrading. I understand it’s got fabulous battery life. One thing I’ve noticed is that the more I put on the memory card, the slower it seems to run, so I’m hopeful that when more memory is made internal, that will cease to be a problem. Still, I lurve my Kindle. It, the iPod, the cell phone, and TiVo are my favorite things.
One of the numerous utility of my Palm Pilot is that I can read ebook on it (and work on office files).
But if you have an Ipod Touch, you can do the same with at least two apps (ereader, which work very well with the format used by palm) and another one. Both are free.
In my opinion, the Kinkle is too expensive for only one main task. I prefer the multiple use of an ipod or a palm pilot.
E.
I have been drooling over the new kindle. What I really like is that it looks light and not as awkward as the original looked, but I tend to drop things and misplace things so I know it is something I can only dream about.
At that price, you almost have to consider the iPhone or iPod Touch. I’ve heard there’s a hack to turn the touch into a phone…
I understand your dilemma, Patti. I’ll be following along waiting to see what happens.
Wow, I checked your blog and was shocked with the change, it’s cool. I like it.
Laurie,
I never considered running out of space on the Kindle, but without a memory card slot, and after a number of years, that might be an issue. Thank you for mentioning this!
I’m also glad to know you love your Kindle. It would be so great to take manuscripts with me on that rather than lugging a ream of paper to work and back while I working on hardcopy. Definitely something else I need to consider.
Patti
Thanks, E! I don’t have the Touch, I have an iPod Classic which I totally love. The only thing keeping it from perfection is the lack of ebook capability on it. Small text files just don’t cut it. But I hear you. The price of the Kindle and the fact that it’s basically one function, is what keeps stopping me from pressing the buy button.
Patti
Joyce,
Losing things would be a rough one with the cost of a Kindle. Definitely an ouch! The extended warranty covers one drop, but that’s it. I’m not too worried about either thing, although I would get the extra coverage just in case.
Patti
Carolyn,
You don’t know how badly I want an iPhone. I even dreamed one night about how I could afford the monthly bill, but it involved giving up my land line and my cable television. The land line wouldn’t be a huge loss, but no cable? Everything I like is on cable–Discover, NGO, MLB Network.
I did think about the Touch and I’m still considering it because it will read ebooks, but it overlaps my regular iPod so much and I just bought that about 8 months ago. That’s what has me hesitating there. How much extra usage would I get on the Touch? I can’t get onto the WiFi network at the EDJ. ::cry:: It’s password protected and that’s where I really need it. Still debating.
Patti