Christmas gadget : Kindle 3

My girlfriend reads a lot, I mean a lot a lot. I figured with her going on maternity leave and being in waiting rooms  and feeding the baby and everything, having to lug around a brick can't be fun. With the price of the Kindle dropping, I figured it was time to get an eBook reader.

Here is what I knew I wanted :

• E Ink display. With the amound of reading going on, I could not afford something that needed plugging in daily. Also, I knew my girlfriend would always forget to plug it in.
• Small, lightweight
• Quality of display
• I did not need 3G connectivity. My Android-powered phone can turn into a Wi-fi hotpsot at any time to download a book
• Anything else is a bonus

In Canada, we basically have the choice between the following products :

• Kindle
• Sony eReader
• Kobo

The screen and keyboard of the Kindle really set it apart and the price was just right. The Kobo just looked weird to me and the Sony product did not have a keyboard for my target price. So the Kindle it was and I think I made the right choice. The 6 inch 3rd generation Kindle is a pretty impressive product. I did not expect it to be as thin as it is. The screen is stunning. When we first opened it, everyone though the image on the screen was a sticker that had to be peeled off! I told them no, that is what it looks like and powered it on.

Within minutes we had bought a book and I lost my girlfriend for the rest of the weekend. She was thrilled. I won't talk about basic functionality. I mean, you buy a book and you read it.  You can also get magazines (a bit limited right now) and newspapers. There is a small delay when you turn the pages, but it's the same as flipping a page in a real book. The form-factor is amazing. It is very light and makes reading a bed a charm not having to bend the pages of a 400 page book! The keyboard is very functional but I have not had time to try and take notes and then see what happens when connected to a computer. Also, I understand that not all eBook formats can be read, but I've found that there are converters out there (just Google them) to use other type of documents on the Kindle. PDFs can be read natively on the other hand.

Wi-fi connection was very easy. It connected, I entered the password and voilà, I was online. The one thing I had to try was browsing the net on the experimental browser. I did not expect much, but I was surprised by how usable it actually was. My mother-in-law was amazed that I was able to get the lottery numbers from the reader!! I was able to read-up on sports scores and stories just fine. I could see me girlfriend whipping up the reader and peeking at Facebook at the coffee shop. Of course, it is not a full web experience, but it is an interesting bonus. 

The other thing I tried was installing Kindle on my Android phone. Everything that was purchased was automatically synced and I could open a book and keep on reading from the last read page with their "Whispersync" product. You can use the following QR code to get the app.

I also tried text-to-speech functionality. It worked fine but I can't say I would use it though. There needs to be a way to improve the robotic voice speech. Something appeasing that won't get on your nerves after 2 minutes! 

The other thing this little gadget needed was protection. Knowing the state of my girlfriend's purse, I knew I could not leave it bare! So I ordered the Built neoprene sleeve. Sure I had to pay shipping and customs fees, but this was the only product that provided easy access to the Kindle and looked good too! I did not want to have to bother with a zipper (like so many other products do). I don't have it yet, but based on reviews, I doubt I will be disapointed with it. 

So all in all, I must say I am very satisfied with the Kindle. My girlfriend is not a very "gadget" girl, but is very happy with the product and has used it everyday since it was unwrapped. I am certain that it will be a gift that will be used for a long time!