Amazon Kindle Review

So the Kindle was introduced as the newest way for ebook readers to enjoy their books. Many places on the Internet are even giving this device a fairly decent review so far. What does that mean about the device? How does it stack up to current mobile technologies? I'll explore all those aspects but first a bit about myself. I'm something of a mobile power user. Daily I've got either a laptop of Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) with me. For most bases of comparison I will be comparing the Kindle to the Samsung Q1b Ultra Mobile PC.

Before I review the Kindle we need to address what the users needs are. If the Kindle does not address the user¡¦s needs properly the device may be given an inadequate review or a biased one because the device simply cannot complete the tasks which are set for it. I spend the majority of my time using mobile computing devices regardless of laptop or UMPC using three applications; a web browser, a text editor (normally Microsoft Word), and a calendar application to keep my schedule. Now, let¡¦s see if and how we can compare the Kindle to my current mobile devices.

The first point of comparison will be our web browsing capabilities. On either my UMPC or my laptop I've got the option of Firefox or Internet Explorer. The Kindle uses a simple web browser. Simple is the word I'm choosing because while you can navigate to many text-based websites, something along the lines of YouTube.com just won't fly with the Kindle. The UMPC and laptop both have Flash plug-ins and add-ons, YouTube works like a charm. This one I've got to say the Kindle loses. Like I had mentioned, there is not a fair basis of comparison here. The Kindle doesn't have any calendar application to it currently. While the Kindle does have a QWERTY style thumb board on it, it is designed for text input for searching and writing notes. You won¡¦t be using it for any long term papers. For that reason you can't compare the devices. Now a place where the Kindle beats the pants off the competition is battery life. Because the Kindle isn't backlit it saves a large quantity of energy. With wireless off amazon.com states you can get a week's worth of use out of the Kindle, with the wireless on, a whole day. Either of those measurements beat both of my mobile devices easily.

So my conclusion regarding this new gadget by Amazon.com is the following: If you are a mobile user, and tend to spend a large portion of your time reading novels or newspapers, the Kindle is probably a good investment. For someone who reads online news columns and blogs, you gain nothing with the Kindle. The largest advantage that the Kindle has over many devices is the length of battery life which surpasses most bases of comparison by a long shot. The Kindle's fairly intuitive user interface makes reading on the device easy, and finding new books to read is even easier with the built in Kindle Store that users can access. So if you are someone who spends a good portion of your time reading, and perhaps space is an issue, or maybe you just want to have the ease of access of having it all in one place the Kindle is for you.

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