And the thing is….I’m ready jump on board. Just as I was each time I saw a TV commercial during Apple’s big build-up for its iPhone. Once I got my hands on that device and played around with it, though, my enthusiasm quickly waned. (Or maybe it was the $500 list price that served as a buzzkiller.)
Bezos promises that the Kindle is a book-reading device that can go the distance.
It has the dimensions of a paperback.
But not the flexibility.
It’s light, weighing just 10.3 ounces.
Compared to a "shipping weight of 24 ounces for Richard Russo's "Empire Falls" in trade paper. Now that's an improvement, unless we're talking about excess packaging.
It doesn’t run hot or make intrusive beeps.
But what happens when you spill coffee on it?
It has a sharp and durable image, miming the clarity of a book.
All this for $399.
The battery lasts for 30 hours.
If you believe this, I have some land for sale.
You can change the font size.
Why does the “Product Overview” section at amazon.com not provide the dimensions of the screen?
It can store up to 200 books and hundreds more with the use of a memory card.
I find that the older I get, the fewer number of books I care to have in my possession. Fiction in particular. If I had a Kindle right now, you’d definitely find all 4 “Rabbit” books by John Updike and “Bridge of Sighs” by Richard Russo. (None of his other novels are available. Guess I’d have to lobby for those and anything by Robert McCammon, with “Gone South” at the top of the list.).
It has wireless connectivity.
This could be the tipping point. It’s got me salivating and is definitely the reason I bought one for the library so staff can experiment with it. (Not anytime soon, though, as the product is "temporarily out of stock due to customer demand".)
Like any new technology product, the Kindle is instantly being recklessly hyped.
"This is the future of book reading. It will be everywhere," trumpets Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball and Liar's Poker.
Perhaps in his little world.
Reminds me of a story from college.
It’s Wednesday, November 8, 1972, the day after the Presidential election. A friend and I are walking to Norton Union after another dry lecture in Neil Schmitz’s “Modern American Novel” class.
“I can’t believe McGovern lost,” Sue laments. “Everyone I know voted for him.”
My ears start to ring whenever I recall this remark. Some folks were awfully naive back then.
In kindness, let's call it an Anita Bryant moment.
In my little corner of the world…..
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