Nerd Heaven

I love my books. I almost always have a book with me. Right now I have three books that I’m in the process of reading. I also love technology. Combine both technology and books and you’d think that I’d be a happy man right? Not entirely.

I have previous experience with e-books. In fact, I own a lot of them. I have used Logos Bible Software since 2004 and have gradually built of a rather large library of books. My digital library includes numerous Bible editions, all of Luther’s Works, about four editions of the Book of Concord, and the entire Concordia Commentary series. This solution is perfect for a student. It allows me to carry around an entire library of theological resources without breaking my back. However, it is not perfect especially since I do not enjoy reading long sections from my computer screen and printing documents kind of defeats the purpose of having an “e-book.” What’s my solution? I actually own the print copies of many of my e-books. Why? So I can read long sections. Why own the e-book? So I can carry it wherever my laptop goes and also because I can do incredibly powerful searches with the software.

That covers my view on “non-fiction” e-books. I think they are a valuable resource, but not necessarily a replacement for the print volume.

I was intrigued when the Amazon Kindle came out but didn’t really get worked up by the product, primarily because of the cost. However, about two months ago I saw that the Mead Public Library in Sheboygan, Wisconsin had Kindles available to be checked out. I signed up on the waiting list hoping to get one before we headed back to St. Louis. Last week I got the call to pick one up and on Friday I got mine for one week. It came loaded with over 100 books (no magazines or newspapers). I dove right in, especially when I found that it had Dave Ramsey’s, “The Total Money Makeover,” a book I had been wanting to read. I also began reading Mark Levin’s, “Liberty and Tyranny,” but won’t finish it before I have to return the Kindle.

Here are my reactions:

Pros:

• It is very easy to read items on the Kindle screen. Both my wife and I commented on how clear it was.
• The device itself feels very sturdy.
• The device is very easy to hold for reading even with the protective cover on it.
• The number of books that one can have on the device is awesome. I can see how this would be perfect for a frequent traveler or a person who is going to live somewhere with space restrictions (I instantly thought of a sailor on a submarine).
• The price of books is appealing. For example, most books seem to be priced at $9.99 when their companion printed copy might cost over $20.

Cons:

• The books don’t feel like they are “mine.” Even if I actually own this kindle I would have no access to the book files or any of the workings of the Kindle. That is not my experience with the Bible software mentioned above. With that software I have the ability to move the files around and back them up myself to whatever media I wish.
• Big Brother. Logos does not have the ability to go in and delete files on my computer. If they did… I probably wouldn’t be using their software. Amazon however, does have that ability and have already exercised that power. See this story: “Amazon’s 1984 Kindle Credit.”
• The interface stinks. I think I would feel differently if I didn’t have an iPhone. However, after having used the iPhone with its touch screen and the ability to “flick” from one screen to the next, the Kindle’s interface is clunky and hard to navigate. To move through pages you have to “just keep clicking” until you get to the one you want. Searching is not the most intuitive thing either.

There is a newer model available, the Kindle DX. It has a larger screen and a native PDF reader. However, it doesn’t appear that the interface has changed much.

Will I be buying a kindle? Nope. I have too many concerns over the interface and in regards to Amazon’s policies. If my life situation changes might I consider it? Maybe, but not without some major changes. Go ahead and try to amaze me Amazon… I’m waiting. Same goes for you Apple… show me what you’ve got.

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This entry was posted by admin on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 8:42 am and is filed under Apple, Books, Internet, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.