I’m going to sound like an advertiser for Amazon, but whatever.
I love my eBook. It is currently my favourite toy, for a good reason. Here’s why.
1. Bookmark free reading: I have a few patience problems, especially with those long books. Considering my self-diagnosed lack of attention span, I can’t concentrate on complicated texts for more than an hour at a time. No worries. Instead of needing tons of bookmarks and throwing them around like trash, the Kindle lets you come back to the same page. It might not sound like much, but this is a plus for all eBooks in general. Convenience.
2. Free books: There are a ton of great, free books in the Amazon store, and on the web. Instead of having to go to the library and lug your books home, you can download free content with a few clicks.
3. Dictionary function: Unfortunately, tudents have to read a lot of mundane, archaic books. Okay, maybe they aren’t all boring. But, that Charles Dickens uses WAY too many obscure words. I hate having to search up every other word, or having to flip back to various pages for those pesky definitions. With the Kindle 3G in particular, you just need to pause the cursor beside the word, and the definition would pop up at the top or bottom of the screen. You can also highlight and share quotes, or keep them for future reference.
4. Cheap books: Now I’m starting to get into the “I LOVE KINDLE” part of the list. I own the Kindle Keyboard 3G,and I love it even with its faults. The books are all cheaper than other stores, and sometimes you can even find 100% discounts on books still under copyright. New books are delivered in less than 60 seconds, so they’ll be there before you finish browsing. Canceling orders is very easy, and even if you accidentally remove your eBook from the device, it’ll still be there in the Archived Items.
5. PDF reader: You can read PDFs on Kindle! The dictionary and highlight functions will still work on PDF documents, but text-to-speech is not enabled. However, you can download homework assignments onto your Kindle when you can’t access computers; there are tons of free Word to PDF converters on the web. On vacations, I bring my Kindle instead of a laptop or binder for all my assignment details.
6. The Kindle is extremely clear, often clearer than actual books. Pictures are detailed, which is great. There’s no glare from the sun, and it’s lighter than your average book. There’s a text-to-speech function, which is helpful when I’m too lazy to read on my own, and massive book storage. I got my Kindle on discount, so it was only $114. I think it was quite the bargain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQavbtokSNw
I’ve also heard that the Kobo eReader is also an amazing product, and I believe it is. However, I think the great touch screen is a double-edged sword. While it allows for added convenience, touch screens are more sensitive, and will eventually wear out. If you take good care of your Kobo, it will be with you for a long time; but if you tend to abuse your electronics (accidentally, mind you), I would get something a little hardier.
Kindles all the way! 😉