Amazon Kindle (regular) E-reader Review: Part 1

It happened. It finally happened. I caved and got an Amazon Kindle, joining the e-reader "revolution" that started years ago. This isn't the first time though. I once had an "e-reader" in the form of a Blackberry Playbook. There was a Kobo app available along with some free promotional books. The app was very nice with a lovely digital bookshelf and interface. Unfortunately, I discovered that tablets and I don't play well -- no, we just don't play because I barely used it and finally sold it for a third of what I paid.

If tablet = yes, why e-reader = no?
Enter the e-reader. These things have been around for years, maybe as long as tablets (i.e. the iPad)? They've also been cheaper relative to fully functional tablets. To be honest, I don't recall the price of entry level e-readers changing significantly over the past few years. I recall options available in the CAD$/US$ 100-150 range. The point is that if I could afford a tablet, I could had more than afforded an e-reader in the past, so what took so long?


Too much stuff, bad odors, cheaper books
An accumulation of too many worldly possessions, a really awful smelling book, and some price variances greater than 100% between Kindle and physical versions. Electronic versions of books have gotten larger over these years. In particular, it was one book that I bought for $35 that stunk like a new vinyl shower curtain despite days of airing out in the house -- and months in the warehouse? This book was also just a tad under 50% cheaper in Kindle form compared to physical form. Thank goodness for return policies. And did I mention that all of my bookshelves are packed full? Time to cut down on "stuff".

Amazon Kindle E-Reader

Time to choose: Kobo, Kindle, or Sony
Nook probably belongs on that list, but I don't know where to easily get one in Canada. Each of the three options had offerings around the $100 that I was looking at. For a bit more, a full tablet could have been purchased with much more functionality. However, we all know how tablets and I don't play well together. I wanted to keep the budget low to minimize any potential loss if the device were to be thrown in a corner after a short while.

There was never really a contest between the three options in the end. My heart's always been with Kindle, just because. Maybe all the ads got to me over the years and I shop there so much anyways.

 Part 2: Overview of the Amazon Kindle >>>