thinkPhD

Kindle December 24, 2007

Posted by thinkphd in : Miscellaneous , trackback

Have you watched the promo on Kindle at Amazon? Kindle is a new ebook reader with a high-resolution “paper-like” screen. It retails for $399 (backordered) but over on ebay you can pick one up for $600-700. WOW. If you want to Buy-it-Now you can get it for the low price of $1035.

So what is so great about Kindle? Kindle uses a different technology than computer monitors and the text is more like a book. Ebooks have just not taken off like they were supposed to; most of the problem was the screen resolution and size. The school where I teach delivers all the texts online with no books to buy. I have tried but my old eyes just cannot read those etexts, so I download and print them to read them. Kindle is also about the same size as a paperback book and has no wires. It connects like a cell phone and can hold about 200 books. You can also subscribe to newspapers but the disadvantage here is that no photos or color is available at this time. Most books are $9.99 to download and subscriptions vary in price. Once downloaded, Amazon keeps a record on their website so if your Kindle stops working or is stolen, you can still get to your purchases with a new Kindle.

I love to read and this new technology sounds enticing. When I was a young person, everyone seemed to be reading a novel; you shared them and talked about them. A lot of movies were based on books and someone always said, “Well, the book was better” (and it usually was!). Carrying a page-eared novel on top of your textbook stack was normal. We did not have computers or laptops or cell phones or PDAs. If you were stuck in a long cafeteria line or waiting on your mom to pick you up after work, you pulled out a paperback. At college, we used to take a blanket to the quad or sit under the trees and read. We shared them and traded them at bookstores. Walk in with three that you already read and walk out with three different ones.

Kindle will not replace books; Kindle will be another way of reading and not the only way. Browsing among stacks of books and smelling the aged paper and leather is a joy that cannot be replaced. Touching a book and having it available to read now and years from now is irreplaceable. Sharing a well-read book with a friend is not possible with Kindle.

Reading is fundamental to learning. Most of our brains are not geared to absorb without reading which reinforces the learning. As an educator, I am always harping on reading the text - maybe Kindle would get students to read!

Kindle may end up being just another electronic gadget that flames up and then dies back.

I hope not.

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