Amazon Kindle in South Africa 2 – My experience

Amazon Kindle in South Africa 2 – My experience A! [short & sharp Aahh] A! A! A! A! It is difficult for me to describe my experience of my Amazon Kindle in words. I, J. Hardspear de la Azotea have taken to my Kindle like the proverbial fish. Not having a backlit screen like such as a computer or cellphone, the Kindle is as easy on the eyes as printed paper. I have downloaded 5 books already, amongst others, The Lost Key – by Dan Brown; and the New International Version of the Bible. Two of the 5 books were free. The total cost of the three books I have paid for, amounted to the same as one hardcover book (New Fiction). Kindle New Fiction releases cost anything between R80-R110 (and depending on Rand/Dollar exchange). Older books cost anything between R35-R75. Classics will cost you anything between R15-R30. Kindle books are way much cheaper than the printed ones. The Amazon Kindle has so many wonderful features, such as a built in dictionary, opening on the last location where you have read, built in MP3 player, text-to-speech facility, etc, etc. I have taken it with on a business trip and it is an absolute pleasure in the airport & on the plane. Not to mention the envious stares from everybody else. So, what about the tactile experience & romantic aspects of reading and touching and smelling a printed book – a book which looks nice on display in your bookshelf, a book which, alongside others lends atmosphere to whichever room in your house? Well, I still love the smell of a second hand bookstore. I still like to touch and feel a book. But with the cost of books in South Africa, I can mostly afford Mass Edition Paperbacks only anyway. Kindle editions is even cheaper than paperbacks in SA. There remains however a number of printed books I own, which I’ll never willingly part with. I am reading a paperback at the moment. Yet, for some reason unbeknownst to me, the Amazon Kindle has enchanted me and within the space of one month of owning one, I have grown quite attached to it. Who would I, J. Hardspear de la Azotea recommend the Amazon Kindle to? Bookworms If you are a technofreak and a lover of gadgets, but do not like to read books – you will waste money if you buy this. You’d be better off and buy yourself the brand new Apple i-Pad when it becomes available in South Africa soon. The iPad has way more features than the Kindle and is much more powerful, it’s application is endless and blah blah blah, but... it has a backlit screen and I would not like to read books on it for extended periods. Please see my previous post for more on the Kindle.