Product Review – Amazon Kindle Strengths and Weaknesses
Amazon’s high-profile e-book reading device called the Kindle has caught the attention of readers. But the cost of the device, which ranges from $350 to $400, gives people pause. This product review will introduce you to the Kindle’s features and my thoughts on its strengths and weaknesses.
What the Kindle can do
The Kindle is a paperback-sized e-book reading device. With a screen that uses electronic ink display technology, it allows you to comfortably read digital text in both sunlight and artificial light. The screen refresh rate when turning a page in an e-book is faster than turning a paper page. Depending on whether you use the Kindle’s internal memory or add memory cards, you can store dozens to hundreds of eBooks and audiobooks.
If you like audiobooks, the Kindle is a great device because it has an internal speaker to listen to audiobooks directly. Or, it can be connected to headphones or external speakers, like in your car. Since mp3 files for audio books are larger than e-books, you’ll need memory cards if you plan to load up your device with more than a couple of audio titles.
In addition to eBooks and audiobooks, the Kindle can access numerous newspapers, magazine publications, and blogs.
A leading Kindle capability is wireless shopping. Right now, you have immediate wireless access to the Amazon store in the United States. You can make purchases and upload content to your Kindle without using a computer.
The strengths of the Kindle
In general, the physical features of the Kindle are ergonomically comfortable. The page turning buttons work smoothly and can be easily used by hands of all sizes. The device’s power usage is conservative, and depending on your reading habits, you can easily expect to go a week or two without needing to charge it.
The huge selection of content through Amazon for your device is also a strength. With thousands of e-books, audiobooks, newspapers, magazines, and blogs available wirelessly to users, you won’t be short of easy-to-access media.
Also note that wireless service does not have ongoing cell phone charges. Your Kindle operating costs will be determined by the amount of content you purchase for it.
Kindle Weaknesses
Being a first-generation device, the Kindle isn’t perfect. In my opinion, the user interface was difficult to understand and the menus were cumbersome to use. For example, when navigating through the table of contents of an e-book, I found it a bit difficult to align the menu cursor with the titles.
I have noticed that the mechanical parts are comfortable to use, but I did not always agree with their placement. The right side only has a page forward control while the left side has page forward or page back controls. Therefore, to turn a page backwards, you are forced to use your left hand. I think the page up and page down controls should be on both sides of the device. Adding to my confusion was a control labeled “Back” on the right hand side, which I accidentally clicked when trying to go back one page. This control actually took me back to a different menu.
Another general complaint from many users about the Kindle is the proprietary format of Amazon’s e-books. The device is intended to guide you to make purchases only on Amazon. This is understandable from the company’s point of view, but it means that e-books purchased through Amazon can only be viewed on your device. If you decide in the future to purchase an e-book reading device from another company, then you will not have access on that new non-Kindle device to any e-books you purchased from Amazon.
Although designed to be an Amazon device, the Kindle can be used to read e-books from other sources. A USB cable will connect the device to your computer where you can upload eBooks in the widely available Mobipocket format (unencrypted files only) or plain text files.
conclusion
The Kindle presents you with a quality device for reading e-books along with other media. Although it’s not perfect, especially with a user interface that often left me confused, it still serves its purpose well. A final consideration is the vendor of the device. Amazon is a great company with a great selection of content and, more importantly, an excellent reputation for customer service.