Sheldon Understands The Amazon Kindle
This comic from Sheldon is EXACTLY why I’m not excited about the Amazon Kindle:
It reads:
Book-Lovers! Are you tired of printed books? Tired of using a battery-free data storage-and-retrieval system that works perfectly every time you pick it up?
No.
Wouldn’t you prefer to read books on a device that looks and feels like your first graphing calculator?
No.
And what if that same device could also surf the web? Wouldn’t that be awesome?
Wouldn’t I just use a laptop and surf faster and easier?
The “Amazon Kindle” …the answer to the question you weren’t asking!
And of course, there was a response strip from Jeff Bezos:
Matt Strebe reviewed the Amazon Kindle and the Sony eReader here:
The ONLY advantage I can see for these gadgets is for university or high school students. Being able to carry ALL of your text books in one, slim gadget is really appealing when you’re your books for each one class weigh eight pounds apiece. Other than that, paper is really a better option.
Have you used a Kindle? Do you like to carry multiple books when you travel? If so, can you put 200 + books or even 5 in your luggage? Do you have trouble holding a book because you have arthritis? Can your paper book increase the font? It may have flaws but it is still an excellent device and does exactly what is advertises.
Comment by Michele Farmer — April 23, 2008 @ 5:56 pm
The last time I moved, I moved over a thousand pounds of books. I’m running out of places in the house to put bookshelves. When I travel I frequently find myself trying to pack six or eight books into my checked luggage in such a way that they can’t chew on each other as the baggage manglers toss my bag end over end down the stairs.
Books that weigh nothing and take no space? Okay, Kindle’s got my attention. Plus it displays the free books available from manybooks.net and the Baen Free Library. Add into that the fact that they’re searchable, with instant dictionary lookup, plus Wikipedia if you’re within Whispernet coverage–excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin.
Sure, paper books are wonderful. I’ve got a ton of them, and I won’t be giving them up. But yeah, I want a Kindle.
Comment by Cat Faber — April 24, 2008 @ 6:08 am