Tech Talk
Kindling a New Passion for Reading
by Robert Bittner

On Monday, March 30, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press newspapers ceased daily production of their full-length printed editions and began distributing a shortened, shared edition, with reduced home delivery.

"Today marks the start of a new era for delivering news to our readers," wrote editor Paul Anger on the Free Press Web site (www.freep.com). In lieu of print on paper, "we're putting more emphasis on digital ways of getting information to you."

Those "digital ways" include two hardware devices: an e-reader from Plastic Logic (scheduled for release in 2010) and the currently available Amazon Kindle. "These e-readers will give our subscribers a convenient and environmentally friendly way to view the paper, and to tote it around," noted Jonathan Wolman, editor and publisher of The Detroit News.

It all may sound like so much spin from executives scrambling to stanch the bleeding during an especially bloody time for the newspaper industry. But that doesn't make it any less true. E-readers offer portability, mass storage, searchability, and almost-instantaneous content delivery. The Plastic Logic reader is still an unsold unknown. But since its introduction in Fall 2007, the Amazon Kindle has emerged as perhaps the most viable e-reader ever.

I've been a Kindle owner and fan since January 2008, when I acquired the original version of the reader. Since then, I've upgraded to the Kindle 2, a thinner reader with a more powerful battery, a higher-resolution screen, and improved navigation buttons. It amazes me every single time I pick it up. And although it may never replace print – or singlehandedly save the newspaper industry – the Kindle is, in my opinion, an invaluable, if not essential, tool for people who love to read.

The Kindle isn't the only e-book reader out there; the Sony Reader PRS-700 is currently its main competitor. (For a comparison of the Kindle 2 and the Sony Reader PRS-700, visit http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/033009-sony-reader-prs-700-takes-on.html )

But the Kindle's seamless integration with Amazon's online store, via a free wireless 3G connection called Whispernet, sets it apart from the current competition. To date, all other e-book readers require downloading content to a computer, then transferring that content, via USB, to your reader.

The Kindle is to Amazon and books what the iPod is to iTunes and music. And while it is nowhere near as ubiquitous yet as Apple's media player, it's catching on: Citigroup analysts estimate that Amazon will earn roughly $1.2 billion in Kindle-related sales – readers and content purchases – by 2010.

Here's why I'm happily con-tributing my own funds toward that billion-dollar income:

• Books. Amazon claims to have over 250,000 titles currently available for the Kindle. (The Kindle itself can supposedly hold around 1,500 books.)
  • Browsing for and buying books couldn't be easier. Turn on your Kindle, go to the Kindle Store, and you're shopping. Use the Kindle's keyboard to type in author names, subjects, and titles to search for favorites. The Kindle Daily Blog at the Kindle Store highlights new titles and author interviews.

  • Free samples are available for every Kindle title, and most Kindle books are discounted –a little or a lot – from their print counterparts. Find something you like, and it will arrive on your Kindle in less than 60 seconds.

• Newspapers. I subscribe to the Kindle version of the daily New York Times for $13.99/month. (The Times is not available locally.) When I get up in the morning and "wake" my Kindle, the paper is waiting for me. Dozens of other national and international papers are also available. (As of April 22, however, neither the Detroit News or Free Press was available.)

• Magazines. I recently dropped my print subscription to The New Yorker in favor of the Kindle version. Cost: $2.99/month. Newsweek, Time, Reader's Digest, Technology Review, The Atlantic Monthly, and a dozen or so other magazines and newsletters are also available.

• Built-in Dictionary. When I come across an unknown word in anything I'm reading, I use the Kindle's five-way navigation button to scroll to it. Immediately, thanks to the built-in New Oxford American Dictionary, a definition appears at the bottom of the screen. (I've caught myself reading a printed book and then reaching for the button to quickly look something up.)
  Wireless Web. The Kindle's bare-bones browser is no replacement for Firefox or Explorer. But the Whispernet connection makes it possible to visit a variety of Web sites with little effort and zero cost. I regularly rely on the handy links provided for Wikipedia, Google, and local weather.
  Adjustable Text. A dedicated "text size" button on the Kindle's keyboard makes it easy to choose from six onscreen text sizes while maintaining the original publication's font. (The same button also brings up the option to turn on "text to speech," enabling the Kindle to read onscreen text aloud to you, as long as that feature has not been disabled by the content's copyright holder. The resulting "speech" is like a cross between a Speak 'n' Spell and your car's GPS, but it's handy if you need to set the Kindle down for a couple of minutes.)

  Several other Kindle-owning ASJA members are as enthusiastic as I am, even as they acknowledge some of the original Kindle's flaws. "I love my Kindle!" says Carolyn Magner Mason. "I have the [original Kindle] and it definitely has kinks and clunks. The [navigation] side buttons are clumsy, and it's easy to accidentally hit them. But I've gotten used to the flaws" (since improved on the Kindle 2). "I like it because it's not particularly high-tech or glitzy. It's utilitarian, delivering a book in under 60 seconds. I've read about nine books so far and just returned from a trip to Key West where I read in the sun. I don't have to use my reading glasses, since you can adjust the type.

  "I love not toting a suitcase full of hardback books, always having something to read in the doctor's office, the huge choice of books and the cheap cost, and not having to lug boxes of books to the thrift shop." For Magner Mason, the drawbacks include not being able to loan a book to a friend, unless you want to hand them your Kindle. "That's a big deal for me," she says, "because I love to pass on a good book." In addition, she has found it frustrating to read newspapers on the device. "I'd love to see a tabloid-sized 'reader' for newspapers," she notes. (Several future readers -- from Hearst and other vendors -- that would fit that description. There has even been talk of a paper-thin and flexible e-reader that could be rolled up and stuffed in a backpack or briefcase.)

  Jennifer Hellwig acquired her original Kindle in late 2008, just before the Kindle 2 was announced. "I recently saw someone on a plane with the Kindle 2, and I was a little envious of the sleeker design," she admits. "But my Kindle 1 serves me quite well. There are still some books that I will only buy the 'traditional' way, namely cookbooks and art books. But for novels, short stories, poetry, memoirs, and biographies, I love my Kindle. "At first I did miss the tactile sensation of turning pages in a real book," Hellwig noted in an ASJA Forum post earlier this year. "But I didn't miss it for long. And I don't miss trying to prop up a heavy book while reading in bed. I love the built-in dictionary and the ability to 'clip' passages," that is, saving an electronic copy of selected text on the Kindle. "The only problem I foresee is that I will be spending more money on books in 2009," she wrote. "Even though Kindle editions are much cheaper than regular books, I have been a library hound lately, and nothing is cheaper than that!"

  Sondra Forsyth, another Kindle fan, told me, "I live in New York and often visit family in Washington State and Phoenix. My Kindle, with the Whispernet turned off, is allowed on airplanes and I'm able to read for the entire five- or six-hour flights if I start with a fully charged battery. I turn the Whispernet back on when we land so that the next day's edition of the New York Times will appear. This works even though my son lives in a remote waterfront area where there is no cell-phone reception."

  Forsyth also joined the Kindle discussion on the Forum, where she noted, "I have tons of books on my Kindle -- ranging from medical tomes, for researching the book I'm writing, to novels. The screen is easy to read in any light, even bright sunlight. Of course you can't read the Kindle in the dark any more than you can read a book in the dark, but you could use a book light in bed."

  Some readers familiar with earlier e-book devices have also lamented the lack of a backlit screen. But I'm with Sondra: A backlight would actually be much more tiring to read. Its absence is a plus, not a negative.

  There are some other possible drawbacks as well.

  • If you happen to live in an area that is not yet covered by Sprint's 3G network, you'll need to download books to your computer, then transfer them to your Kindle via USB. While you'll still be able to experience the convenience of reading on the Kindle, it's the Whispernet coverage that really sets the Kindle apart from the competition. (A coverage map is available on the Amazon Web site.)

  • Several Web sites do provide public-domain content for the Kindle. However, the vast majority of your book purchases -- as well as all of your magazine and newspaper purchases -- will be through the Amazon store. If you are not an Amazon fan, this may not be as appealing as another reader that is not limited to a single vendor.

  • The Kindle is for U.S.-based users only or those who are eligible for a U.S.-based account at the Amazon store. While users can read the Kindle anywhere -- and the AC adapter is universal -- Whispernet coverage only exists in North America, and Kindle content can only be sold to users who have a U.S.-based Amazon account.

  • Despite the 250,000+ titles currently available, there are still many books that are not yet available in Kindle editions. If you won't be in the market for many New York Times bestsellers or much popular fiction, it's worth searching the Kindle Store on the Amazon site to see if your favorite authors are available yet in Kindle editions.

  • The Kindle 1 had an SD-card slot, so users could have essentially unlimited storage potential. The Kindle 2 has eliminated any external storage; you're limited to the roughly 1,500 titles that Amazon estimates can fit in the Kindle's built-in memory. If you think you'll exceed that amount, you can off-load titles to your computer's hard-drive. Kindle books, however, can only be read on the Kindle, not on your computer. (The good news in this change is that the Kindle 1's SD card was located under a plastic back cover that had the annoying habit of popping off frequently.) It's worth noting, too, that every Kindle book purchased from Amazon is backed up on the Amazon site; if you delete titles from your device to free up memory, you can later download a replacement copy from Amazon for no additional charge.

  There is a wealth of additional information at the Kindle section of the Amazon Web site (www.amazon.com), where you can find a variety of testimonial and informational videos, along with links to numerous Kindle FAQs and very active user forums. You can even search by state for nearby Kindle owners who are willing to give you a hands-on demonstration! See? I'm not the only self-proclaimed Kindle evangelist in the world.
  

  ---

  ASJA member Robert Bittner is a full-time freelance writer -- and part-time Kindle reader -- based in Charlotte, Michigan. His most recent book is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Faith (Alpha Books).