Why Kindle is the perfect e-reader

I recently stumbled upon the features page of the Amazon Kindle. If you are not familiar with it, here's a summary:

The Amazon Kindle is an e-book reader, made and sold by Amazon, the leading online shopping site. Amazon sells Kindle version of books, ranging from the latest titles to classics on its site too. The Kindle format of books can also be read on a PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones using the supported applications available and books can be synced with all devices. Your books are also linked to your Amazon account.

Credit: Amazon

So, I had always thought, why invest in an e-book reader like the Kindle, or the Barnes & Noble Nook, when you can go get an iPad, which can also do many more things. But after I read about the Kindle on the Amazon site, I was amazed by its simplicity.

Many people don't actually need an entire, full-fledged tablet, which is also more expensive. If you want to read just books on the go with convenience, an e-reader is perfect for you. If you need an iPad, I am not stopping you. Go ahead and buy it (it's even shipped in a day by Amazon itself, click the link).

Yes, that black thing's a Kindle!

The Kindle, though not as sophisticated as the iPad, is much slimmer, lighter and smaller. (There is a bigger version too, if you like it, but it is more expensive.) It is ready to use, right out of the box, no computer required too. Plus, if you buy the Wi-Fi + 3G version, you get free, no-payment 3G connection in many regions, and also slower connections elsewhere (though not everywhere). Now, if you are a non-US resident, you say, what do I have to do? But no. The Internet coverage is available in more than 100 countries! Click here to see a map.

Thus, you can buy and download books from almost anywhere in the world. And where there is no 3G or other web connection available, you still have the Wi-Fi. You can even access Wikipedia from anywhere. So useful.

There are many more reasons why you'd like a Kindle as your reading device. It can also read PDFs, stay in sync with the page you are on on other devices too, and you can store upto 3,500 books at a time on one of the new ones. Battery life is not just fine, it's amazing. It can run for upto a month on a single charge, with wireless off, according to Amazon. It's also about 1/3 of an inch in width.

Here's one of the best things about the Kindle, according to me: It has an electronic-ink display, which has no backlight. Thus, it has no glare in the sunlight, compared to a phone, a laptop or even the iPad. It also doesn't strain your eyes, and the text is sharper and everything is smooth and clear. This does have a few disadvantages though, too. The screen is black and white, and it cannot be read in the dark. Well, that can be sacrificed. If you are thinking about the dark thing, here's a reading lamp for it, which is one of the many, many available.

Here are some more reasons why a Kindle is better than any other kind of reader: It never gets hot. It has a perfect design, which allows you to hold it easily, no matter where you are. It's simple to use. You can take down notes as you read, you can look up words online as you read and with no hassle. Also, because the Kindle is connected to your Amazon account, you don't need to worry about losing your books. Everything's in sync, plus, if you get the books deleted, you can re-download them, with all your notes and still continue reading where you left off. Useful if you happen to lose it too.

Click the link in the box on the right to get a comprehensive feature list on the Amazon website. I really recommend it.

So, I think those are a lot of reasons to get a Kindle for yourself. Enjoy.

Why Kindle is the perfect e-reader