| Device Kindle Review | | | | instead of 5 is the PDF support. I bought this |
| By: M. Boone | | | | about 80% because I wanted to read books and |
| | | | | 20% because I wanted to see if the PDF support |
| Great e-reader! | | | | would be good enough to chuck my stacks and |
| The Device Kindle is a great purchase for anyone | | | | stacks of scientific articles and just put them all |
| who loves reading and will read a lot. I just | | | | on the Kindle. Alas, it is not. The Device Kindle |
| received it last week and already I am reading | | | | basically reproduces a PDF that is readable on a |
| more for pleasure than I have in the past few | | | | 21" computer screen to it's 6" display by |
| years (and I ordered it because I made a | | | | squashing it down. You can't make the text larger |
| commitment to read more for my own pleasure, | | | | like you can on regular books, and you can't |
| since graduate school has a tendency to take | | | | zoom. The only thing you can do is rotate, which |
| over everything you love about leisure time). | | | | makes some PDFs readable but then you're in the |
| The reading takes an adjustment period, | | | | awkward position of having to press the next and |
| especially if you love not only reading but the | | | | previous page buttons vertically instead of |
| physical experience of being engrossed in a book. | | | | horizontally. It's just not even worth it. |
| The Device Kindle is thinner than a magazine, so | | | | Oh, and if you're comparing the Device Kindle to |
| it's awkward to hold - not in the physical sense | | | | the nook...there aren't any fundamental |
| (actually it's far less awkward to hold than a | | | | differences between the two of them. The nook |
| book) but in the sense that if you're used to | | | | is thicker and slightly smaller on the face; most of |
| reading books this will feel less than genuine to | | | | the bells and whistles that distinguish it from the |
| you. Over time, though, it begins to feel | | | | Device Kindle won't be important to book readers |
| super-convenient. I ride the subway a lot and I | | | | (their biggest selling point was that I could listen to |
| rarely take out a book because on a short ride, | | | | music while reading the book...why would I want |
| finding my page and keeping the book steady is | | | | to do that?) The largest difference was the touch |
| more hassle than I want. With the Device Kindle, I | | | | screen at the bottom, but once you're doing the |
| just whip it out and turn it on, it turns to the page | | | | primary thing that e-readers do (allow you to |
| I just finished read, and I can read for 15-20 | | | | read books) it becomes a non-issue, as it's only |
| minutes and then just put it to sleep again. Easy! | | | | for navigation. |
| It took me a little time to learn to get lost in the | | | | It's actually slightly more awkward to navigate |
| Device Kindle like I get lost in books, but after a | | | | using the touch screen because you have to look |
| few days when I adjusted to it it just happened. I | | | | between both screens, whereas with the Device |
| was immersed in the story and not in the | | | | Kindle you just use the directional rocker in the |
| newness of holding the Device Kindle. The e-ink | | | | planned direction. Easy cake. I would say check to |
| screen really is more like the page of a book than | | | | be sure that you don't have a large library of |
| a computer screen - there's no backlight, ad the | | | | ePUB books that you want to read, and the nook |
| words look like they are printed on top of the | | | | has much better PDF support so if you want to |
| screen instead of behind it the way a computer | | | | read PDFs really badly, either get the nook or go |
| looks. It's a very comfortable reading experience, | | | | for the Device Kindle DX. Also browse the |
| although of course you will need lots of light to | | | | holdings of Barnes & Noble and before you |
| read just like you would with a book. I don't have | | | | buy. I found that there were far more books I |
| a little booklight because I have my own room | | | | wanted to read that were offered by Amazon |
| and I just use my bedside lamp. Pages turn | | | | for the Device Kindle than by B&N for the |
| quickly, which was important for me because I | | | | nook. |
| am a fast reader. | | | | Anyway, this is a great buy! |
| The reason I gave the Device Kindle 4 stars | | | | |