Kindle Review

Here is the Kindle review as I promised last week.

Kindle Wi-Fi Basic Model

The Kindle in review (featured above) belongs to my buddy Aki, who got it ordered from the US. The device is a basic model with wi-fi listed in the Amazon website as Kindle Wi-Fi.


I had a look around at the device and it appears quite a bundle for a bibliograph. The screen is big enough to have a decent read. The battery life is impressive. The reader supports native pdf format making porting your books to kindle easier.


While the e-ink technology delivers crisp and easy to read fonts, the toggle buttons on the side of the device allows for easy navigation through the pages.


Some of the features that make the device attractive are:



New, Built-In Wi-Fi
It automatically detects nearby Wi-Fi networks when enabled. Once you have installed a Wi-Fi Network Kindle will automatically connect to that network the next time you are near to the hot spot. 


Over3500+books
The device has the capability to hold more than 3500+ books. Considering that an avid reader can go through a book in 2 days that’s more than 17-20 years worth of books that you carry around you. May I remind you in 8.5 ounces only? Impressive eh?  


Collections
The library can be organized into collections, categorizing them as per your convenience, say by author, by title, by genre...


Bookmarks and Annotations
Using the QWERTY keyboard, you can make notes on the margin of the books, and as they are digital notes, they can be edited, update or deleted any time you wish

Built-In Dictionary with Instant Lookup
Having trouble understanding a word or reference in the book, wait no more to resolve it, the built-in dictionary allows you instant look up.

Password Protection
You can choose to lock your Kindle automatically when you are not using it, thereby protecting your reading material from snoopers...


With so many good features in the device you might be wondering is there anything negative here?? This sounds too good to be true. Sorry to say there are a couple of flies in this ointment.


No back light
Granted there are not many players out there with back light, but Amazon being a pioneer in the field of ebook readers, I would like to have an option of buying a reader with back-lit feature


PDF Support Shaky
The support for native PDF being helpful, it does not help much when the font size is changed, the text doesn't change/align properly to fit the reader, thereby leaving the reader to scroll through the screen sideways which is a bit of a put down


Proprietary Amazon Format
That said about the PDF, the only format where the text wraps around the screen is Amazon's own AZW format, which means converting all the PDF's into this format before you have a easier time reading the content.


Overall the device is quite good, but that said, I would like to wait for a few more months for some more advancements to happen in the field of e-book readers to go out and buy my own. Till that time I'm afraid it's still paperbacks for me...


Some more pics of Kindle....

It fit's in the palm of your hand

As compared with a mouse

Small & Compact reader.

Technical Details

Included in the box ·         Kindle wireless reader ·         U.S. power adapter (supports 100V-240V) ·         USB 2.0 cable (for connection to the Kindle power adapter or to connect to a computer.)

Display	Amazon's 6" diagonal electronic paper display, optimized with proprietary waveform and font technology, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale.
Size (in inches)	7.5" x 4.8" x 0.335" (190 mm x 123 mm x 8.5 mm).
Weight	8.5 ounces (241 grams).
System Requirements	None, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer.
Storage	4GB internal (approximately 3GB available for user content).
Battery Life	A single charge lasts for up to a month with wireless off. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 3 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store, web browsing, and downloading content.
Charge Time	Fully charges in approximately 4.5 hours via the included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.
Wi-Fi Connectivity	Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n (in b or g compatibility mode) standard with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not connect to WPA and WPA2 secured networks using 802.1X authentication methods; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.
USB Port	USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) for connection to the Kindle U.S. power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer.
Audio	3.5 mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted stereo speakers.
Content Formats Supported	Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.
Included Accessories	U.S. power adapter (supports 110V-240V), USB 2.0 cable, and rechargeable battery.
Documentation	Quick Start Guide (included in box) [PDF]; Kindle User's Guide (pre-installed on device) [PDF]. Additional information in multiple languages available online.
Warranty and Service	1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the Kindle License Agreement and Terms of Use.