I’ve had my Kindle Wireless Reading Device for just about two weeks (graduation present!) and I have to say I could NOT live without it at this point. I love this thing so much I told my mother in law that I’d give up chocolate for it if I had to.

And it isn’t at all like reading off a computer screen. It uses electronic paper which doesn’t cause eye fatigue. For reading in the dark, I bought this clip-on light (Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light, Black, Kindle Version) to go with it which works really well (since the screen isn’t illuminated—it really is just like reading off paper). You can prop it up on a pillow, curl up into your favorite position, and just read and read and read without having to constantly re-adjust your book or find new ways to keep it open to the right page. Are you like me and fall asleep while reading, before you get a chance to stick your bookmark in? (And then the book falls off the bed? Arg!) Then you have to spend five minutes trying to figure out where you were? Not a problem on the Kindle. Reading while eating? No more trying to wedge the book under the edge of your plate to keep it open!

The awesome part? THEY JUST LOWERED THE PRICE!!! It had been $359, and they just lowered it to $299!!! I called them up and they agreed that since I’d just gotten mine 2 weeks ago, they’d refund me the difference. Go Amazon! You guys rock :)
UPDATE: They’ve lowered it again! As of October 2009 it’s only $249!

I can’t recommend this thing enough, I really can’t.* It comes with free, unlimited lifetime access to their wireless network so you can shop for books from just about anywhere. It holds 1500 books (and remembers what page you’re on in all of them!). Books are almost always under $9.99 each (but A LOT of them are FREE! Yes, FREE (see a partial list).) Oh, and they download in less than a minute. You can buy them directly from the Kindle or you can get them at the Amazon website, but then POOF they’re on our Kindle ready to read. Or you can download the first chapter for free before you decide to buy it. You can also access Wikipedia, the dictionary, lots of blogs, newspapers, and magazines… You can also get any of the free Project Gutenberg books on your Kindle (instructions here).

And if that wasn’t enough, it also has a text-to-speech function so it can read aloud to you (and then remembers where it was so when you go back to reading on your own it’s at the right spot). It also lets you highlight text, make notes, and then backs up your highlights and notes on Amazon’s server so that you don’t lose them.

I got a protective vinyl decal for mine that covers the front and the back to keep it from getting dirty/scratched, as well as a clear film screen protector. And I got a silicone sleeve to put around the edges for a little more protection, and a waterproof bag so I can take it in the pool/lake and not worry about ruining it. Whee!!!

*(And yes, I do get a commission if you buy one from clicking the link here, but I’ve been hawking this thing to my friends since I got it, without even having put this page up. It’s just THAT COOL. Buy it however you want—heck, buy it used on ebay. You won’t regret it.)

— 01:52:28 PM
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