I gave this to my wife as an early Christmas present just before we left for 10-days in Hawaii. It arrived the day before our departure. It is so easy to use, she never read the instruction manual and was able to download a book and read half of it on the airplane and finished it during our stay in Hawaii. She, then, downloaded another book and was reading it on the return. She loves the Kindle. It's easy to use and highly intuitive so that a lot of instruction is not required at all. She is not technically inclined and was relieved to find that the Kindle is a free-standing unit and does not require a PC to work or access the system. The first book was $9 and the second book was only $6.90 so the savings in buying hard bound books will pay for the unit in fairly short order. Best of all - no lugging of big, heavy books on trips! Imagine - buying books and downloading them at will 24 x 7, from anywhere in the world and having them in a matter of one minute or less! And one feature she just loves - it allows the reader to look up a word that is unknown simply by highlighting the word and touching a button - the definition and information is imported instantaneously!

It's expensive but if you read a lot of books, it is a super unit to have and will pay for itself over time.

Jim

I was pretty apprehensive about taking the Kindle plunge at first, but my concerns were covered once I read the positive reviews from owners and experienced it myself. I now bring it everywhere and could never go back to my pre-Kindle days. If you enjoy reading, you'll love it.


My main concerns were:
- It isn't a real book I can keep or share with my friends & family
- I could get an iPod touch or iPhone instead for comparable $$
- The 2.0 version might come out soon, and there's a lot of complaints about the next page buttons
- It's a lot of money

All of these concerns were amply answered once I got the Kindle. I don't miss real books at all. The Kindle screen is crisp and changing the text size allows me to read in new places (the gym, while brushing my teeth, etc.). And it's easier to hold than a real book, only one hand is needed to hold and turn pages. Also, it turns out I don't really miss not being able share a book - I usually lose track of them, and when there's a book I love (Three Cups of Tea), I'd rather give it as a gift and keep my own copy.

During my Kindle research, I realized it doesn't make sense to compare Kindles and iPods, and Kindle bashers are usually non-owners and non-readers. Kindle offers comfort and functionality specific to reading that is not comparable on small devices designed primarily for phone calls, graphics, and short texts and emails. Yes, you'll still need your Blackberry, iPhone, etc. for other functions. But if you're a reader and seriously considering a Kindle, you'd probably be carrying a book or newspaper anyway.

I also got over worrying that Kindle 2.0 would launch and leave me hanging with an outdated version. I'm really enjoying being the first person around with a Kindle and showing it off. It was worth it to get it sooner rather than later, especially since there's still no confirmation when 2.0 will be available. Plus, I'm happy with this version, it does what I want and more. I do sometimes inadvertently change the page. But it's really not a big deal to go back to the right page, and you can hold it in ways to prevent that from happening, just like you'd adjust holding a book so you don't drop or close it.

The price was well worth it. Not that I would complain about a lower price, but I enjoy mine so much, I definitely feel I got my money's worth. Also, no monthly charge for the wireless access and Whispernet service is excellent.

I've found many other benefits I'm excited about and that make the purchase worthwhile for me, such as the incredible convenience and benefits of carrying all types of reading material with me.

To be fair, I do have a few complaints about using my Kindle. For one, I can't read during the "turn off electronic devices" portion of flights which is a pain during runway delays (there's always SkyMall...). Typing more than a couple words is tedious, but I don't type often, except to search Wikipedia and the Kindle Store. If you're not looking at text-heavy websites, navigating web pages isn't great with the scroll bar. But I'd rather have the access with ok results than not have it at all (after all, it is "experimental"). And I'm still in search of the perfect cover / holder to personalize it and protect it from all sides. Some Kindle owners have found agenda books that work well, but I'm still working on it.


Final thought - I'm delighted with my Kindle, I'm reading more, it's a fantastic tool, and I highly recommend it.

I love my Kindle. The constant connectivity is the Kindle's main attraction over other e-book readers. It's nice to have the Kindle to be able to read the newspaper or a book as I take the bus to work.

I really like my Kindle and I'm glad I bought it. It has a lot of great features that I'm not going to describe because you can go to the product description and read all about it. What I like best about it is that the Kindle is light, it fits easily in my bag and I take it everywhere with me, ready to pull out and read a few paragraphs whenever I have a chance. It also makes traveling easier, since I don't have to haul the latest hardback best-seller in my carry-on to read on the plane. The electronic ink display is clear and so easy to see; coupled with the option to change font sizes, I don't have eyestrain from reading any more. Another thing I love is that I can buy a book, directly from my Kindle, and have it on my Kindle within a couple of minutes. The Kindle is an avid reader's dream come true.
Now for the drawbacks: Even after three months, I still have trouble handling it without accidentally turning pages. I'm getting better at it, but it is still sometimes annoying. Not all the titles I want are available in electronic book format (the Lord of the Rings trilogy, for instance, and several other classics that I want to carry with me always.) But this doesn't leave me wanting for reading material as there are LOTS of new titles to read.
Overall I really recommend the Kindle. I can imagine many features that can be added to turn this great product into a really, really great product -- I think the Kindle has a bright future ahead of it.

This is a great new gadget for avid readers. I purchased it primarily for travel, as a way to carry numerous books to read without taking up a whole suitcase. HOWEVER -- the web info for the Kindle wasn't clear on the download mechanism as it requires a cellular signal from a SPRINT cellular capable tower and NOT a Wi-Fi signal. If you live in or travel to places outside of SPRINT cell coverage (like I do) you must download books to your computer and then sync to the Kindle. If you don't carry your computer with you everywhere this is a problem -- unless you can get a SPRINT signal. I returned the product and will have to wait for a VERIZON capable version! Too bad, really, because I liked the idea of "instant" trips to the bookstore...