Review: Amazon Kindle

As promised last week, I am today reviewing my new eBook reader, the Amazon Kindle. Or should that be Amazing?

Now, let me start out by saying that I have been highly sceptical of the Kindle, but decided to spring for it, for two major reasons: Ease of purchase, and the fact that it is backed by one of the largest retailers of books in the world. Now, I don’t think that a monopoly is a good thing, but I do think that I, as a consumer, should take advantage of the advantages that are available to me.

But, this is not an opinion-piece, it is a review! So, on to it!

Build quality

The Kindle is lightweight and feels solid, though the back panel could do with some stiffening, as it sometimes feels like it gets pushed in a little. The keyboard has decent feedback, and the pageturner buttons are well placed. All in all, the Kindle feels like a well built product. It’s lighter than the Sony Reader, which is mostly due to being built in plastic instead of metal.

Ease of use

Where the Sony Reader at times felt a bit clunky, the Kindle is noticeably quicker, improving the already remarkably good readability, and updating pages much quicker. The menu system feels much the same, and navigates just as easily as the Sony Reader. The feature that makes the Kindle stand apart is simple, and fairly obvious; I can buy books directly on my Kindle. I have many times already finished a book, and immediately picked up the sequel, which is delivered within seconds.

Final thoughts

If you are looking for a cheap, user friendly ebook reader, the Kindle is most certainly worth looking into. I am very happy with mine, and have already taken it with me on vacation. I bought a few new books then, too.