ok, so ive had my kindle for about two and a half weeks now. i didnt want to write much of a review of it until i had an opportunity to use it for a while, because i figured it was one of those things that could easily go either way... and id hate to gush all over it only to decide i hated it after i had a chance to use it more.

the verdict?

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yes, thats right, if you cant tell i LOVE my kindle. it now occupies that special place in my heart for technologies that genuinely improve my day-to-day life, stuff like my tivo or gps... things that i would replace IMMEDIATELY if they were lost, stolen, or damaged. things i absolutely cannot imagine going back to a time before i had them.

my main #1 concern with the kindle was that it just wouldnt be able to hold up to all the qualities that make a book so great. i was afraid it wouldnt be as readable, that it would be more inconvenient, too bulky, unergonomic, a pain in the ass to use, and/or any number of other things that would make me wish i were holding a paperback instead. i can now say unequivocably that the kindle is absolutely every bit as good as a book.

in fact, it is BETTER than a book in many ways. for one thing, i can carry my whole library around in the palm of my hand. on top of that, all those books are FULL SEARCHABLE. at any time. instantly. how fucking sweet is THAT? for another, the free wireless connectivity means never being without a book again. last week, i was having dinner at a little chinese hole in the wall, when i finished the book i was reading. before my kindle, id have had to sit bored while i finished my meal. this time, i just hit the amazon store and CLICK, i had the next book in the series on my kindle. instantly. like, boom, theres the book. SUPER sweet. then theres the built in dictionary. it doesnt happen often, but i do occasionally run across a word that i dont know the definition of... so i just scroll the wheel up to the line, click, and boom i get the definition.

and as for readability? its actually higher quality than several paperbacks ive had. and best of all, i can CHANGE THE FONT SIZE! now, EVERY book is always at the size that is the most readable for me... never too big, never too small, always juuuuust right.

of course, thats a purely subjective thing... but ive got some hard data to back up the claim that its got better readability than a physical book on paper. i normally read an average of 3-5 books a month... roughly 45 books a year, or one book every 8 days. ive had my kindle for 17 days, and ive read SEVEN books. 6 full-length novels and a poker book. thats one book every two and a half DAYS. im reading over THREE TIMES as fast as i do with paper books. no, im not reading any more than i usually do. i dunno WHAT to attribute it to past the fact that being able to set the type size has made reading SO much more comfortable that im able to just devour the pages. im going to be one of amazon's favorite customers, because im on track to read around 140 books this year.

thats a lot of books, and a lot of money... which leads me to another great thing about the kindle: the books are cheaper than retail. most of them, anyway. ive bought one book that was the same as the retail price, but all the rest have been less, in some cases MUCH less. im keeping track of how much i save off of every book so i know when i break even on the device (it was $400). so far, ive saved $35.38. at this rate, it should pay for itself in another 6 months or so. then im free and clear, and everything else is gravy :)

would i recommend it? if you read a lot like i do, or you have a lot of extra cash laying around, id say absolutely. if not, id say no, because $400 will buy a whole lot of books, and if you just read occasionally, it isnt really going to break even for you any time soon. but if you DO have the extra cash laying around, its still a great way to read.

this is print 2.0, baby. and im NEVER going back.