GADGETS
I cannot get over the amount of gadgets there are for reading books. I frequently have discussions with friends regarding their value. I own a Kindle, an iPod Touch and a netbook in addition to my school and home computers. I use ALL of them to read books. The Kindle is the originator of most volumes. I then transfer Kindle editions to my other gadgets via Kindle for Mac or Kindle for PC. In any discussion of e-readers, I am always the one who proposes that while there are times when I need an actual book, for example when there are things I need to copy for use in my classroom, usually adding a book to my Kindle makes me feel powerful. I shelves and shelves full of books, but now I keep a large portion of them in my purse on my Kindle or in pocket on my iPod Touch.
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By far my favorite feature though is the ability to download samples. I am reading much more now since I have the ability to read a couple of chapters of a book before deciding whether or not to purchase it. I have been in the middle of a discussion when a book is mentioned and I can immediately get a portion downloaded and ready to read. Guests on talkshows are always hawking their latest book. Normally, I wouldn’t bother writing down a title because it would be a long time before I could go to a bookstore to check it out. Now, I can get on my ever present laptop and have the chapters downloaded in seconds. I read more because I have the opportunity to take a look at more and I eventually end up purchasing more. The book authors are not losing any money on me if they offer their books on Kindle. (I must add that Kindle is the best e-reader because of battery life. While you need a light to read in the dark whereas other e-readers are backlit, my Kindle last for weeks without charging.)
My only problem with devices is the inability to loan books to students. I hope to figure out a way to make this happen without buying a class set of Kindles. Perhaps Amazon will come up with a Kindle Klass for Mac application which will allow multiple copies of purchases for educators. A girl can dream.
