Pirate Journalism

The Kindle 2 is as thin as a pencil, but can hold thousands of books, blogs and several other document types.

As a geek, and particularly a sci-fi/fantasy geek, there are two things that I really love: gadgets and reading.

I am a voracious reader. Back in high school, I was known to go through two to three novels a day. Sadly, I have to admit that I have slowed down on my novel consumption since then, but I still have a stack of reading materials on my nightstand and at my desk, jumping from one subject to another as the mood takes me.

Now, with my known status as an uber geek, you might have thought that I jumped right on the eBook bandwagon, and you are partly right. I have been reading eBooks (publications converted for digital formats) for well over a decade now. Back when PocketPCs were putting Palm Pilots out of business, I was reading books on my handheld.

Of course, back then the selection was limited to technical journals and homemade translations of novels. Windows had a .lit reader, but the format pretty much died out, and with lack of material, my eBook interest followed suit.

Now there had been several attempts at eBook readers over the decade, but none really caught on until Amazon.com released the Kindle. Combining a dedicated eReader and a library of (now) over 400,000 books, Amazon did it right.

Nevertheless, I still wasn’t sold. I knew from Star Trek, that we would all be reading digital books in the future, but I wasn’t sure than time had come yet. Therefore, I waited and watched, admittedly with growing interest.

Then, Amazon released Kindle software for the iPhone/iPod Touch. It was free, so I gave it a shot, downloaded some free books and toyed with it.

Then one day, I decided to pick up a new series of Star Wars novels. In the bookstore, I would get 10 percent off. Through Amazon/Kindle, I would get 20 percent off. So, I got the Kindle version, and even though my iPod Touch’s screen is much smaller that a Kindle’s, I found it easy to read and enjoyable.

Therefore, I decided to get a Kindle for Christmas. However, as the intervening months passed, Barnes & Noble touted their Nook and Sony had their own eReader. I considered these. Sony was out right away because of the questionable availability of books. B&N lost out because of the questionable availability of the Nook, and my fear of the growing trend in brick-n-mortar bookstores (e.g. going out of business), so I stuck with my Kindle, $260 and free next day shipping for Christmas Eve. (Thanks, Mom and Dad for the Xmas money!)

A bit larger than a paperback, and maybe a quarter of the width, the Kindle is easy to handle. The ability to scale the font makes for easy reading, and the built in dictionary is a great boon for when the authors break out the thesaurus. Books are delivered near-instantly through Whispernet (free cellular connection via AT&T)

Probably the biggest, most important advantage to the Kindle is that most Kindle versions of books sell for much cheaper than the print version. Many new releases are only $10-13 (compared to $20 plus in Hardback) and paperbacks are usually at least 20 percent off if not more.

Personally, I have now found myself speeding through books again, reading novels in 2 nights or so (about 3-4 hours for 50 percent of a book) and that is a big bonus in my mind. Your results may vary.

Now, you may have noticed that eReaders were one of the big things at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, with many different versions with many different add-ons, combinations and features.

However, I believe the Kindle is your best bet, primarily because the Kindle doesn’t have these features. Yes, there is a limited web browser and Internet services (about enough to go check your Gmail account), but there is nothing to distract you. The Kindle is made to make you forget about the Kindle and focus on the book. Having two screens or a built-in netbook might be nice, but it is just another distraction and more weight to deal with when you are lying in bed trying to read.

For more information on the Kindle you need to go to Amazon.com.

Christopher Huff is a self-confessed and unrepentant geek who as been living, writing and playing on the Grand Strand for several years. You can learn more about him and his writing at www.piratejournalism.com. Comments can be sent to chris@alternatives.sc