Amazon Kindle

As an avid book reader, I really like the idea of Amazon Kindle. Imagine a whole shelf of books in a electronic book reader! (And no more nagging from wife and parents about the number of books in the house)

Very nice points:

• Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.


• Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.


• Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.


• No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.


• Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.


• More than 88,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.

However, it's currently getting 2.5 out of 5 stars in the Amazon rating system. Most complaints are on (1) DRM books, (2) Expensive reader and (3) it's not paper!

(1) DRM - unfortunately, is a necessary evil for business to agree. I would rather have tons of quality DRM books than a small selection of non-DRM books

(2) Expensive - it's all relative. Heck, if all my books are digital, imagine the money I would save on shipping charges.

(3) It's not paper - if it's better for the environment (not sure how much effect the manufacturing affects the climate), then I can adapt.

It's not that I would get the Amazon Kindle at this point in time. The main negative point for me is that it lacks many technical books, especially computer science. I am sure this is due to the HTML format of the ebooks, as opposed to something that maintains the page layout of the book like PDF. (Not that I am saying PDF is a good choice)