It's nearly a year since I was given my Amazon Kindle and think it's about time I reflected on how I've found using it.
Usability
It's actually surprised me how instinctive and easy to use the Kindle is. I will stress that although I'm not particularly techy and, of course, the primary structure of an ereader was never going to be that complicated (text, on screen, turn pages). I probably don't use half of what I could on the device, but what I do use does the job. I think the strength of these sorts of devices is going to be their simplicity. I know you can read books on tablets and other things, but then you're paying extra for a lot of distractions that, as a reader, you may not want. I have had a few problems with the keyboard, it could do with being slightly higher, but, again, it does the job and I might just be a terrible typist!
Crash and Burn?
To be honest, I've probably not used it as much as I could have simply because it frightens me when the Kindle crashes. It usually only does this when I've been browsing Amazon for a while. Or it's having trouble picking up a wi-fi signal. Or when I'm moving lots of books to different folders. Or it's running out of battery. Or it's just been charged. Basically, I've found it can be a bit temperamental at times and, because so many books are saved on the Kindle, I get scared every time it crashes and I have to restart it because it temporarily shows no books on the device. The thought of losing the 100 or so books I have on there chills me to the bone. Just think what it would be like if your own collection of books were to catch fire. Shudder! I'm hoping it's a temporary thing, though, much like the rubbish battery life on smart phones. Hopefully technology will move on and by the time I need to replace my Kindle it'll be a bit less tetchy! But, so far, my problems have always been sorted out using the old rule of 'turn it off and turn it on again'. Let's just hope that keeps being the case!
Battery Life
The battery life is amazing! I was really worried once I realised that you had to leave it on all the time, but I've probably only charged it about four times in the time I've had it. I do keep the wi-fi turned off though, which I understand helps extend the battery life a great deal.
Books and Prices
Now, there is a vast array of free books on Amazon and elsewhere on the web, some really obscure and unavailable in print, so it's great fun rummaging around the internet trying to find something interesting to read. Although a lot of books are still unavailable as ebooks, it looks like the publishers are quickly working through their back catalogues. I love the option on the Amazon website which allows you to tell them if you want to read a book on Kindle. Hope they listen! There are also a lot of self-published books available, so it's a nice thought that it may be the start of the whole 'bestsellers' system becoming more democratic.
My one complaint in this area is that newer ebooks are often more expensive than their hard copy counterparts. This may be partly because they're VAT-able (unlike paperbacks etc) and that publishers have a firmer grip on their pricing structure (so I read somewhere). Amazon does run special offers every so often, though. They did some books for £1 around Christmas and Easter this year and I've just picked up a current bestseller for £1.99. It ultimately comes down to what you want and why you're using the Kindle.
If cost isn't your main concern, you'll be fine, just like if your aim is to save space or be more environmentally friendly. Like most decisions, it's a balancing act between what you want and what is being offered. For me, I really do think I'd buy a lot more and use it a lot more if the books were cheaper, but being as I have so much to read already, would that be such a good thing?!
Samples
I absolutely love that I can get free samples of books before buying! I am a total magpie and this is a fantastic way of seeing whether a book is something I want to read. Whoever came up with this idea deserves a big, wet kiss and a free holiday!
Glad or Sad?
On the whole, I'm glad I've got a Kindle, although I doubt I'd ever have bought one for myself. It would have felt far too much like an extravagance! But I am very grateful to Prince Charming for getting me one and hope it's made his life a bit easier now there are fewer teetering piles of new books filling up the flat!
People have been worrying quite a lot about hardbacks in recent years. Although paperbacks are only about 80 years old and ebooks much less than that, their lower price and convenience means that readers have switched to them in droves. For example, 78% of my unread books are paperbacks, 16% ebooks and a rather sad little 6% hardbacks.
It does worry me, though, that cheap books are disposable books. There is still a thrill to buying or receiving a hardback that you don't get with other formats. Because they've been around for so long and I've seen so many shelves of them in stately homes and National Trust properties, they somehow feel grander. Protected by a beautifully designed dust jacket, it's hard not to feel that a hardback is something special, something precious. I wonder if when an author imagines their book in print whether a hardback is what they see.