Kindle Wireless Reading User Review...
By: SerenityFL
Before I ever purchased the Kindle Wireless Reading, I did a LOT of researching, a LOT of reading and spent a LOT of time at the review boards. I had some things I was apprehensive about. Just how delicate IS this thing? I'm not the most graceful swan on the planet so is this a good idea? And what about all these other complaints? Are they valid? Do these people have a point? Should I run screaming for the hills if someone holds a Kindle Wireless Reading out to me?
I had to give up all of my books when I moved because I had no room for them. I miss those books and I've watched FAR too much television since I moved. I like reading. But what choice did I have?
Sure, I could go to the library but I don't like reading a book with all those germs on it. I don't know how many people have touched that thing, coughed in to it, wiped their nose on their hands and then touched the pages I'll be touching...or worse.
Also, when I was a little kid looking in the catalog to create my gift wish list, I would dream how wonderful it would be to be able to just touch the image and have the item appear right then and there. Well, the Kindle Wireless Reading sort of does just that. So, a childhood fantasy has come true.
The Kindle Wireless Reading arrived two days earlier than I was expecting it. I turned it on, noticed there was about a half a battery charge and proceeded to find my way around the thing. It was perfect. Everything worked fine on the Kindle Wireless Reading itself. I was pleased.
Then I went to hook it up to my computer via the USB cord provided. Snag. Device was not recognized. This is not the fault of Amazon, this is the fault of the Vista OS. Because we all know how wonderful Vista can be. However, because I had done so much reading and researching before the Kindle Wireless Reading arrived, I knew exactly where to go to find help. And I learned that if you just restart the Kindle Wireless Reading , suddenly Vista calms down and allows the device to be recognized and all is well. Fancy that.
Everything works exactly as it should and the Kindle is exactly what I was told it would be. It's a light weight, very small, electronic reader that I can take with me anywhere.
In fact, when reading my first book on the Kindle, (UR by Stephen King), I became engrossed in the story and completely forgot I was reading on a device. I reached out to turn the page manually quite a number of times. So, it does sort of disappear.
My only concern is how fragile it is. However, it has it's own little "bed" in a clothing cupboard and the cats are not allowed to touch it. I handle it with care and am very aware of where it is at all times.
Now, let's get to some of the negative reviews and address some of those "concerns".
No backlight: Pointless. The Kindle Wireless Reading uses e-ink. You cannot back light e-ink anymore than you can backlight a page of a book.
No cover included: Frankly, now that I have the Kindle Wireless Reading, I'm glad they didn't include the cover. We have a choice. And seriously, anyone who thinks that they are "getting" the cover for free from Sony has not been paying attention. We have all paid for our covers whether it's an "extra" cost or added in to the price of the e-reader.
Can't get whispernet to download books: Just like with cell phones, not all areas are covered. Them's the breaks. I live away from civilization and was not expecting any coverage. I did my research and checked out the coverage area map that Amazon provides for everyone to look at. You can see before you buy if you are in the orange covered area. Naturally, I was not. I was in the green coverage area which meant I may or may not get any coverage. However, I do get coverage. Sometimes it may take a moment or two to get the signal but it works. If you can't get the signal, if you have internet connection, you can get books. Some people are upset and feel entitled to whispernet because Amazon said you don't need a computer to use the Kindle Wireless Reading.....well, I'd like to drive around in a Mercedes 560 SL convertible but you don't see me crying that I'm not. It is what it is and there are other options.
When purchasing upgraded Kindle, can't move purchased books on to new device: Completely untrue. It can be done and has been done several times. Again, one needs to READ CAREFULLY the steps to take to get this done. And, again, it's a smart thing to back up everything, all your purchases, on to a hard drive. As long as the upgraded Kindle Wireless Reading is on the same account then yes, transfer is possible.
The audacity of Amazon to come up with the DX mere months after the K2 release: Except for size and the ability to transfer .pdf yourself, I don't see much difference. Want it? Sell or return your Kindle Wireless Reading 2.
It's fragile: Yep. It is. Some people have dropped theirs and rendered it useless and some have banged their Kindle Wireless Reading all around and nothing has gone wrong. That's how it goes sometimes. As with anything electronic, treat it with care. I learned the hard way never to have any liquid around my laptop even though I had seen it time and again when I worked in offices. For some of us, I guess it doesn't sink in until it happens to us. This is not something I recommend for a child. Maybe a very responsible teen ager but definitely not for kids.
I dropped it and Amazon won't replace it unless I give them $200: And? Who would? My cat spilled milk in my keyboard and Dell didn't give me a free keyboard. Amazon is not charging full price to replace a broken or damaged Kindle Wireless Reading. That says a LOT about them. Buy the extended warranty and it would have only cost you $65.
The warranty is NOT a "two year" extended warranty!: Actually, yes it is. You GET a one year warranty with the Kindle. You may purchase an extended warranty that will make your full warranty last two years and will cover the cost of a user caused broken or damaged Kindle, hence the name, "Two year" extended warranty. If you do not purchase this warranty, you do NOT get a replaced Kindle Wireless Reading for nothing if you drop it or break it. The warranty is extended. It's for two years. What is the problem here?
You want us to pay $65 for a one year warranty?: Again, that is not a one year warranty. It is an extended warranty. And again, if you drop or break your Kindle in that two years, Amazon will replace it. You do not have to pay $200 or $360 for a new one. Let's see, I drop my Kindle on the bathroom floor. It cracks and no longer works. I have the extended warranty. I paid $65 for that extended warranty. Essentially, my replacement Kindle Wireless Reading cost me $65 instead of $200-360. Yes, I must be an idiot for purchasing the extended warranty.
Have to buy books only from Amazon: Totally false. You can find books on many different websites that will convert to be readable on the Kindle.
Jeff Bezos said that all books would be $9.99 or less and yet, they are not!: I believe that what he said was that when the books were on the NYT Best Seller's list, they would be priced at $9.99. When the book was no longer on that list, the price could change. Nor did this cover every last book available to man. There are text books and other books that run in the hundreds of dollars price range...of course they won't be priced at $9.99
It costs too much: Hmm. Really? Let's see now. I've got 43 books on my Kindle and I've spent about $16 thus far. Considering I could not find a NEW book in the store less than $5, (after tax and gas), we're looking at $215 and I just got started. The difference between the books I've purchased and the price of the Kindle is about $166. I've had it less than a week. What could happen in TWO weeks?!!?
It won't play games.
It won't cook my breakfast bacon.
It won't walk my dog: The Kindle Wireless Reading is an e-reader. It's not supposed to act as a phone, an MP3 player, a DVD player and a gaming system. It's an e-reader. You read books on it. It does exactly what Amazon said it would do. It stores up to 1500 books and you can click on those books at any time and begin reading them anywhere. You can read a book on this device. Just like they told you that you could do.
Here is my review on a product I've never owned, seen or touched: Don't even bother reading these. Why would I listen to someone talk about something they have no first hand experience with? It's like asking me my opinion on seafood at any given restaurant. I've never eaten it and have no intention of eating it, and I hate seafood. Ask someone who HAS tried it.
To summarize: I am liking the Kindle Wireless Reading so far. It has a cover so it feels more sturdy than if it were running around naked. It won out over the Sony PRS-505 because of book availability. That's what this device is for and that's what I'm expecting it to do. And it has not let me down. I was hesitant to buy this thing. I was wondering if I should have gone for the Sony. I was thinking maybe this was too much money. I wasn't jumping for joy and anxiously awaiting its arrival like others were. Sure, I was looking forward to it but it wasn't something I was giddy about. Until it got here. Amazon won me over with this product.
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