Why ProWebWriter Endorses the Amazon Kindle
1st generation Amazon Kindle
I don't often endorse products. I am a writer of limited means and it seems that most cutting edge technology falls well outside of my price range. My regular readers will notice that ProWebWriter has a running theme of FREE. If it's not free, it's extremely cheap. I'm typing this entry on my three and a half year old laptop, and I'm okay with that. My phone pretty much just makes calls…that's it. Yes, I can text and I even sprang for a model with a QWERTY keyboard, but there are no Apps…there's no touch screen…it's just a phone with a really crappy camera. I'm okay with that as well. My flat screen TV and Nintendo Wii were awesome deals from a secondhand store. In fact, I didn't even buy them, my partner did.
Last Christmas, I received a piece of modern technology that I consider pretty cutting edge, and it's about to get a whole lot better. I remember writing about this gadget when it first appeared on the scene in 2008. The first Kindle retailed for $399 I believe; nearly 400 smackers. It was certainly well out of my price range then and now. Something amazing happened though as happens with all tech eventually, the price dropped…drastically. So last Christmas, I got one as a gift. The Kindle changed what I read, how often I read it, and where I read it for the better.
3rd generation Amazon Kindle
By the time I got my hands on one, Kindle was in its 3rd generation. I'm glad I waited a while. Back in 2008, there were about 90,000 books available for Kindle. Now there are more than a million, and I'm only counting the FREE ones. In addition to ebooks of all lengths about everything you could imagine, there are also games, audio books, applications, newspapers, blogs, and magazines all available for Kindle. All of this great content is delivered to your Kindle in less than 60 seconds.
Imagine what college would have been like if all of your books were on a Kindle. Some of the lesser known features on Kindle are my favorite. For example, the My Clippings file. When you read any type of media on Kindle, you can highlight, make notes, bookmark pages, and clip entire articles. All of this content is saved in a file called My Clippings. That's right, all of your most important content is saved for you in one place that you can access from your Kindle or your computer. Not to mention, Amazon backs it ALL up to your Amazon account. The Cloud. That's what they're calling it now.
I usually abhor companies who release a newer, better product every year. I guess that's why people who go gaga for Apple baffle me. I might be gaining a new understanding though. Within the last month, Amazon has announced its new family of Kindles. I'm sold already. Amazon has answered every gripe that owners of other ebook readers could have presented:
It doesn't have a light
It doesn't come in color
It doesn't have a touch screen
It doesn't have Apps
The web browser is laughable
The music player is "experimental"
It costs too much
It doesn't do PDFs
Their answer? The Kindle Fire.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsH0GKUKmXM
Just in case that wasn't enough, Amazon decided that the latest, greatest Kindle should be your one stop for all your entertainment on the go. For the bargain price of $79 a year, you can access 10,000 movies and TV shows. Anything else? Well, it has a customized Android operating system (which means Apps!), a new revolutionary browser called Amazon Silk, FREE cloud storage for all your content, Wi-Fi, and a dual core processor. That laptop I mentioned earlier…dual core. It blows my mind.
So all of this should set you back 400 bucks at the very least, huh? Based on comparable tablets available on the market like the Samsung Galaxy or the Motorolla Xoom…this thing should be right up there. Even though I nearly drooled in my keyboard when I first heard about it, it certainly never occurred to me that it would be even remotely in my price range. I mean for $400, I could buy a much needed new laptop, right? As I read hungrily through the many features which only turned me green with envy, I finally got to the bottom. They always stick the price at the bottom of everything. I literally had to pick my jaw up off my touchpad. $199!?! Someone at Amazon needs to lay off the sauce! They're serious! ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE for this fantastic device.
My 3rd gen Kindle is a mere shadow of the Fire, but has been one of the best gifts I've ever received. $199 is cheaper than the most rudimentary smartphone. On top of that, you're locked into a data plan that is inadequate or you could feed a small country with your cell phone bill every month. It seems like a no brainer to me. The Kindle Fire is set to ship of November 15th. You can even pre-order it now:
Amazon stopped with the Kindle Fire. But before they got there, they improved on their E-ink readers. Not only are they releasing the Kindle Fire, but they're releasing an entire line of Kindles to meet the needs and means of any user. For $79, you can own a Kindle…cheaper than any other e-reader manufacturer on the market. You get all the wonderful Kindle content on a basic device that anyone could use. To make navigation a little simpler, you can invest 20 more dollars and get the Kindle Touch for $99. If you think you'll miss your Kindle QWERTY keyboard, you can still get Kindle Keyboard for $139 including Wi-Fi and FREE 3G. So, you see, Amazon has something to offer every existing Kindle lover. If you're new to the world of Kindle or just can't decided which e-reader if for you, look no further than Amazon and the Kindle…proudly endorsed by ProWebWriter.com.
The new Kindle family.
