I LOVE my new Kindle2. Love it. I've done more reading in the last three days than I probably have in a month. It's a fascinating toy. I'm sure the fascination will wear off, but when it does I'm equally sure that it'll be just as awesome in a different way. I mean, once I'm used to using it, I can tell I won't be aware of it. Reviewers say that it "disappears when you're reading", which is as it should be. But I confess that it isn't really disappearing to me right now because I'm having too much fun with buttons and gizmos.

My favorite things:

1. The ability to highlight and annotate. Really well done Kindle books, I find, have all sorts of navigational links built right in. But if they don't, I can make up for that with the highlighter. And if I have thoughts I can digitally jot them right in using the keyboard, which is astonishingly easy to use compared to texting on a cell phone.
2. Wireless shopping! And sample chapters! I can download the first chapter to see if I like the style of writing, and I can keep that sample for as long as I like. I can also put something on my "save for later" list. I can shop right at the Amazon Kindle store, although I find that a little cumbersome and prefer to shop at Amazon. I wish I could have an on-line wish list that would transfer to my "save for later" list, maybe that's coming.
3. Portability. To the people who insist that nobody needs to drag a reference library around with them I say this: What sort of boring life are you leading, anyway?? My first downloads were all of my favorite references that are available in Kindle format. The psychic fair on Saturday was extremely slow, and my helper and I entertained ourselves by looking up animals and reading dream meanings. We were about to break out Heal Your Body and start diagnosing symptoms, but someone stopped to talk to us, so we didn't make it. Can I do that without a Kindle? Only if I'm dragging a ton of books around with me everywhere I go. The Kindle weighs nothing (relatively speaking), and fits in my purse!
4. How easy it is to use. The interface is very intuitive, and the instructions are very clear for anything less than intuitive. There are features that I haven't tried yet, but the dictionary and search functions are fantastic. Particularly when combined with the ability to highlight, bookmark, and annotate.
5. Battery life - even with being on line, I just now got the low battery warning. And I already know that I can read while it charges. Awesome!

Have I mentioned, yet, that I really really LOVE this gadget? :-)


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