Kindle eBook Reader is technically the best alternative for the paper-made books. At first, it was the initial Kindle, later on; Amazon developed the Kindle 2 eBook Reader with the interesting new features. The device has a weight of 0.3 kilogram and a size at 0.9 cm. This makes Amazon Kindle 2 very portable and comfortable to be used. If you normally travel around, then buying for such a product would be the best option to take.

The original Kindle for sure had some downsides and limitations. Thus, it has been upgraded to Kindle 2 to feature a much improved performance, better internal memory, built-in speakers and the text-to-speech audio reading addition. The device’ keyboard has been designed to become much easier to navigate. The keys are in circular shape and the space bar has been made longer. With the easy-to-use keyboard, you will be able to enter some notes while reading, keying in text for searches at the Kindle store and typing in the URL’s upon surfing the web.

The text on the device is very legible to read on because they are using e-Ink technology. E-ink enables the words and letters look like the one’s people read from the bound books. For this reason, your eyes will be protected from any possible defects. With the new Kindle 2, individuals are given the option to adjust the text’ font size into six different levels. The purpose of this is to provide the users with different choices to pick from.

Kindle 2 is packaged with a free wireless connection called Whispernet, which sets it apart from the other devices. With the wireless connection, the users will get to search where to buy Kindle 2 online. All you got to do is download your favourite books through it and within just a few minutes, you will finally get to read the books that you ordered. With Whispernet, avid readers can do everything real fast from shopping, buying and the downloading of books.

This second version of Amazon Kindle is very useful especially to those people who travel a lot. They don’t need to load themselves with paper-made books when travelling. All they should do is purchase a handy and more importantly a user-friendly machine such as Kindle 2. There is actually a lot to appreciate with this upgraded Kindle. Amazon has indeed given the people with a whole new different reading experience.

Its wireless delivery system is highly appreciated as it serves as the Internet connection of the device to possibly download thousands of books online. Customers can directly shop, order and purchase book content right on Kindle eBook reader with the use of Whispernet. Unlike the other ways of downloading things, personal computer is not a must to be able to do so and you don’t need a hotspot area to perform the download. With Whispernet, you can be anywhere within the country for the Internet connection.

The traditional ways of reading through books, newspapers, magazines and others have already been enhanced into something which loads up so much content in just one portable eBook reader. The interesting thing about this product is that customers can download the first few pages of the books for sample reading prior to finalizing the deal. Aside from that, they also offer a free trial subscription for newspapers. Where to buy Kindle is not a problem because it is always available at Amazon’s online shopping site.

Kindle eBook reader is definitely user-friendly. It won’t result to any eye problems because it is purposely made to be crisp and natural to read on like what everyone got used to reading the paper books. The impressive features of this eBook reader include the smart automatic cross-device bookmarking and annotation, fast page turn, adjustable text size, text-to-speech and the immediate on-screen dictionary.

The processing time upon doing the download is very quick; you can absolutely get the books you want in just a matter of few minutes. Additionally, Amazon did the upgrade on the processor of the product so that the screen will refresh around 20% quicker between page turns. Furthermore, it has the ability to load up to 1,500 books or the different classified newspaper and blog subscriptions, including the JPEG images.

Choosing to buy Amazon kindle is a blessing because it lessens family expenses and saves a lot of time because you no longer have to visit at the store for the books. If you travel a lot and you don’t stay long at one place, the best option for you is to have the device so you don’t have to bring with you your favourite weighty books. It is going to be a completely different reading experience for both the avid and the occasional readers.

Pros of the Kindle

*Wireless- Its 3G wireless features allow you to download books directly to the device anywhere at anytime without fees or contracts.

*Speedy Downloads-Its speedy downloads allow you to download an entire book in under 60 seconds without using a PC.

*Lengthy Battery Life-Allows you to go numerous days without charging.

*Read to Me-Has a function which allows any book, magazine, PDF, Web page or blog to be read aloud by the kindle unless disabled by the book’s rights holder.

Cons of the Kindle Electronic eBook Reader

*Fragile Design-Although its sleek design is appealing beware if dropped its display may be ruined.

*Poor Screen Contrast-There has been complaints of its poor screen contrast and inability to adjust the contrast. There are also complaints of its poor display of pictures which ties in with poor contrast.

*Poor Battery Life Indicator-Although the Kindle Electronic eBook reader can last for days without being charged you can barely see the battery life indicator making it difficult to know when it needs to be charged.

Overall i insist that the Kindle eBook reader is a great product. When you think about how much space and money is being saved from purchasing eBooks the pros outweigh the cons. I would recommend this product to anyone who is in search of an electronic eBook reader.

If you have been considering the purchase of an eReader then there are a few things you absolutely need to consider before making your final decision.  An eBook, of course, is nothing more than a digital file which is the same as the normal printed book except it’s just electronic.  Until the roll-out of this technology, eBooks were read through your PC or laptop.

So how does an eBook Reader differ from a PC or a Laptop?  With a specialized technology called e-Ink or e-Paper, the eReader is will display text and images that feels almost like it’s on real paper.  This helps you prevent eye strain like you usually will experience when reading from a computer screen for extended periods of time.  Also, it’s energy efficient and requires very little charging.  The only time you are truly straining your battery at any level is when you actually turn a page.  And the best part of all, you can read in bright sunlight without any problems.

So let’s look at 9 important factors to take into account when making your purchase:

1.  What books are available? 

You want to make certain that you have access to all the books that you might want to access through your reader.  Consequently, keep in mind, that the Sony store has somewhere around 100,000 books, whereas the Amazon Kindle store has over 280,000 books.  Oprah endorsed the Kindle and the choice of books seemed to be one of her most talked about features.   It doesn’t do you much good to find a really great eBook reader if there are no books to read!

2.  Pay Close Attention to the Display. 

Since you are going to be spending a lot of hours reading books it is important that the display is comfortable to the eyes.  So what do we need to consider.  First of all take a look at the size of the screen.  Standard size is 6” but most people prefer a little larger than this and the Fujitsu Flepia offers 8” and the new Kindle DX a whopping 9.7”.  

Also keep in mind if you are going to view a lot of graphics you might want to also consider the gray scale.  The standard is about 8 gray scales. The Flepia, however, offers a touch screen with the capability for 260,000 colors. At $1000 you pay for it!  The BeBook by Dutch company Endless Ideas offer multiple fonts that can be changed as you read (except in PDF format), and three levels of zoom.

3.  Long Battery Life is a Big Deal. 

It’s not much fun to have to recharge your device every couple of house.  You should be able to experience around 7000 page turns before recharging. The Flepia by Fujitsu offer 40 hours of continuous use on one charge and Sony’s PRS-505 gives you an average 6,800 page turns, and the Kindle DX four days on wireless. 

4.  Size Matters.

Size is extremely important if you travel a lot.   It’s imperative that the Ebook Reader be portable.  You have to find a happy medium between the reader taking up too much room and it being large enough to read easily.  The average weight is about 10 ounces, but the BeBook weighs in at only 7.8 ounces (220 grams). 

5.  Make Sure the Reader Supports Various Types of File Formats. 

Some only support very specific file formats.  Case in point is the Amazon Kindle 2 which doesn’t support PDF Files.  It does however offer an option that lets you convert PDF files into a Kindle format.  The Sony PRS-700 does support PDF files, Doc files and others. The iRex iLiad supports PDF, XHTML, Mobipocket and plain text, and can also display BMP, PNG and JPEG images, though not in color. It also has stereo speakers giving it audio book capability.  The Kindle 2 also offers text to speech capability.  The Kindle 2 does not support PDF, but the Kindle DX can read native PDF files.

6.  Can You Go Wireless? 

Again, this is strictly a personal choice but one that more and more consumers are demanding.  It’s definitely worth considering, and the iLiad and Kindle 2 have wireless connectivity, as does the Flepia with wireless Bluetooth and wifi. 

7.  What Type of Warranty Is Offered? 

As with any new technology introduced into the marketplace, bugs and glitches are often prevalent at first.  Therefore, it would be worthwhile to have at least a one year warranty just in case.  You can, of course, also always purchase the extended warranty where offered.

8.  Have You Reviewed the Testimonials?

 It’s always important to see what other users think about a piece of equipment.  Since many of these eBook Readers are bought online it is relatively simple to find testimonials regarding the various types.

9.  How Often Do You Want To Use Your Reader? 

Do you want this to replace actual books or do you just want to use the Reader when traveling?  This is definitely a consideration and might affect many of the buying decisions discussed above.

In short, the eBook Reader can offer you many options that regular books do not.  And although you might want to consider an endorsement from Oprah, she might not always know the best choice for your individual circumstances.  So shop around, do your homework and choose the right reader for your specific needs.

Weight

The Amazon Kindle comes at 10.3 ounces and is as light as a medium sized paperback. Mobipocket is lighter at 6.5 ounces and the Handspring Visor weighs around 6 ounces. The hiebook weighs 8.8 ounces while the PalmDoc Mobipocket is available at 4-6 ounces. Depending on your preference regarding the weight of the handheld reader, you can make a choice from a wide array. Gemstar is large and weighs 17 ounces. A pucker is a free offline Web and ebook reader. It works on Palm OS devices.

Features

The Mobipocket provides touch-screen based page changes. Its 240X200 pixel LCD provides a clear view but may be comfortable to the eyes if frequent breaks from reading. The Handspring Visor comes with a 3”X4” screen and allows some color display. The PalmDoc provides LCD with a backlight for easy reading. The hiebook has dimensions of 480X320 and also comes with touch screen and LCD display. The Microsoft Reader has 16 color display and a reflective LCD. The Palm Doc, on the other hand, Handheld PC provides a 6.5” color LCD display.

Price

The Mobipocket is priced between $129 and $ 199 while the Gemstar eBook comes at $299. The Handspring Visor costs between $169 and $299 and the Palm Doc comes between $249 and $399. The hiebook costs $249. The larger sized devices are the Handheld PC that comes between $800 and $1100 and the Microsoft Reader has a price range of $499-$2000.

In addition, students are often working with a number of electronic documents for research projects and this would eliminate the need to access a computer to review the documents. Handouts, term papers, forms, spreadsheets, and a number of other documents are often carried around from place to place by the student. Almost all of the weight of the textbooks could be lightened and almost virtually eliminated by the eReader. They typical machine weighs about 10 ounces – less than one college textbook.

Asked for his views on eBooks in education, Keir Graff, Senior Editor of Booklist Online responded “How long do you have? Personally, I think they make great sense for school and for reference.” (Direct Contact PR)

Listed below are 7 reasons why the Universities should consider converting textbooks to eBook Readers:

Elimination of Certain Health Problems

Back problems are becoming more and more prevalent in young adults and many people in the medical profession are attributing this to book bags. Years of carrying heavy books on one’s back can certainly take its toll – even on the younger, more healthy individual. This could be virtually eliminated with a Reader. Any one who has carried a heavy load for hours at a time can certainly empathize with the desire to lighten one’s load.

Ease of Use

Many people jump to an area of interest in a textbook or a specific assigned chapter. This is not an uncommon practice and is something that would not be prohibited when using a Reader. Current Readers in the marketplace provide great simplicity when searching for a specific topic or scanning for a topic of interest.

Read To Me Feature

Many of the newest machines have a read-to-me feature which offers many advantages to the student of today. If the student is traveling to and from class or simply cooking dinner or doing activity that permits listening, the specific document, lesson, or information could be read aloud to them which would allow for multi-tasking and more production. When traveling long distances in a car, this benefit could be even more effectively utilized.

Great Storage Space

Many of the most popular Readers provide storage space to accommodate around 1500 books. This would allow the student to have textbooks, term papers, research documents, and even novels for pleasure reading all in one simple location.

Sense of Familiarity

Although some baby boomers seem to want to touch and feel the real book, the generation of today, is far more familiar with holding an electronic device in their hand. Thus, the eBook Reader would not only be comfortable but familiar to the college student today.

Create Space in the Dorm Room or Small Apartment

Any student who is trying to figure out how to create more living space in a dormitory or small apartment would certainly appreciate the benefits of a Reader. No longer would students sharing an area have to find a place to locate all those textbooks, papers, and documents when space is already at a premium.

Cost

By producing eBooks, the university could reduce their overall cost. Ebooks would not wear out like textbooks, nor would the university have to be concerned about books being sold back or leased books returned. This cost savings could be passed down to the student.

Although there are still a few issues to be worked out with having eBook Readers for college students, the pros probably by far outweigh the cons.  One issue that is being considered is how one might be able to simulate highlighting or writing in certain areas of the eBook. Many users would find that appealing since it is a study technique that has been utilized for many generations.

Another issue is of copyright and lending from university libraries. The Harold B. Lee Library, the main campus library of Brigham Young University, has acquired Amazon Kindles as a pilot for lending to students. One of the problems is that Amazon states that it is not permitted to lend them, and although Amazon reps have verbally given the nod, this was not put in writing.

According to John Biggs, Technology Writer for The New York Times, “eBooks are the future. The Kindle and devices like it will replace printed text in the next 30 years.”

Only time will tell whether John is right, and whether or not the universities are willing to totally implement cutting edge technology such as the eBook Reader. Their terms of use could be key in their decision. One thing is for sure, however: the changes it would provide for the students are immense and vast, and certainly worth consideration.

Read our Kindle DX Review and see it in action! What would be the best ebook reader for you? Visit us to know more about these devices and to get indepth reviews of the most popular readers sold today.

The Amazon Kindle is one of the hottest portable ebook readers on the market right now. See it in action by watching the video and full Amazon Kindle 2.0 review here. Afterwards, you’ll have a better understanding what it’s all about and why publishing ebooks for it is so lucrative.