Happy Owner
I got one as a gift, and think it's a fantastic product. The screen looks good, and you can barely see the pixels. The page turning is fast enough. It has a long, long battery life, which lasts even longer if you turn off the wireless. If you read a lot, and enjoy reading, it's a great thing. The only impediment is its relatively high price.
The Kindle 2 includes a very simple web browser, so you can visit web pages. This makes the device really useful when you're not near a WiFi spot and need to check email. It's not as good as a smartphone for web use, though.
The main competitors to the Kindle are the Barnes and Noble Nook, and the Sony Readers. There are also software readers for the iPhone and Blackberry, and PDAs as well as desktop computers. Additionally, there are a few ebook readers that don't use e-ink, the best known being the ECTACO jetBooks.
Generally, the competing ebooks support more file formats. The jetBook has color, whereas the e-ink readers don't.
The Sony and B&N cost roughly the same as the Kindle, but support more file formats, including the EPUB format. The other readers, like the jetBook, are cheaper.
These other readers lack tactile keyboards. That's a big minus, for me, because I like to write notes while I read. Kindle has a note-taking feature, and it's just nice to have. I'm sure it's not a critical feature - but one that matters when you're reading some difficult material.
The Nook has an on-screen keyboard. That might be good enough.
The main difference between these other readers and the Kindle is that the Kindle has a tightly integrated system to sell and deliver books. The others are still catching up - and some require you to download the file, connect the reader, copy the file over, and disconnect. Some have an application to manage the downloading and copy process, so it's easier, but a computer is still involved. You have to install the software.
In contrast, the Kindle immediately delivers the book over the air. You never have to copy files (though you can, if you want). You never need to connect a Kindle to a computer (though you can). That, more than anything else, makes the Kindle a better product, especially for people who don't like to deal with computers.Read full review
