My wife Louise on the other hand is a very keen reader. She is extremely knowledgeable about current literature, and she gets through a book at a very rapid pace compared to me. So, much as it was with the iPhone, Louise was the early adopter of Kindle technology in our house.
She didn't start off with an actual Kindle however. Her E-Reader experience began with the Kindle App for iPad. This had its good and bad points however. Although the Kindle App is in full colour, the iPad screen is a bit too large, and also too reflective. There was the option to change the text to white on black, which helped a little but overall it really wasn't ideal.
So, she got an actual Kindle. This was the 3rd generation of the device and it's probably the one that people picture in their minds eye when they hear the word Kindle.
We both liked this little gadget immediately. This was not a tablet that just happened to have an E-Reader App available on it. This was an E-Reader, pure and simple. It was light, and easy to use. Amazons E-Ink technology makes it look and feel like you are actually reading a book. It's a really nice reading experience.
We chose the WI-FI only version. A lot of people like to have 3G as well, but we felt that we could easily find a WI-FI connection out and about if we really needed it, and in any event - if we were planning a holiday we could simply download enough books to the device in advance.
If there was one downside, it was that this was not a touchscreen device. By this time, Louise had become so accustomed to touchscreen technology on iPhone and iPad that it was instinctive to want to do the same on the Kindle. This was the only real negative however and a very minor one at that!
New Kindles
When Amazon announced a refresh of their Kindle range last year, I decided to get Louise the latest model, and keep the original for myself. As I already mentioned, I'm not the biggest reader, so this was one of those rare occasions where I really didn't mind inheriting a hand me down device as opposed to having the latest and greatest version of the product.
Although the Kindle Touch had been announced at this time, it was not yet made available in the UK for some reason. So I got the latest standard Kindle for Louise. This was the first Kindle not to have a physical keyboard.
This Kindle was wafer thin and really much lighter than it's predecessor. Functionally it was pretty much the same device, but with a brand new look more pleasing to the eye, and nicer to hold as well.
So now we had two Kindles, and the good thing about this is that we could share books using the same Kindle Account. I take a lot of reading recommendations from Louise and she normally suggests some great books for me that I have really enjoyed. Like Louise, I instantly appreciated how much nicer this was that reading on the heavier, reflective iPad, and I very quickly became a big Kindle fan.
Kindle Touch
It took several months, but the Kindle Touch finally became available in the UK, and I decided to get one for Louise for her birthday last week.
This device really brings that last piece of the jigsaw to this technology. Once you have used a touchscreen device, it is generally hard to go back. So this was a nice addition to the Kindle family. The ability to use the touchscreen to browse titles in the Kindle Bookstore, and to turn pages is very satisfying and convenient.
There is a trade off however. Much like "The New iPad", the Kindle Touch is bigger and heavier, but this really isn't a problem and the positives far outweigh the negatives.
So there you have it. Three Kindles and counting. They have all been great devices and have served us both well. No doubt the Kindle Touch will find its way to me at some point when the next great Kindle is released.
Sadly, our first Kindle is now looking for a new home as it's no longer needed. I am sure someone will snap it up pretty quickly however and they will enjoy it just as much as we have.
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