In 2009, GT readers voted the Amazon Kindle Reader the best travel gadget of the year. Coincidentally, I received my very own Kindle for Christmas. The device also happened to be one of the best sellers for the 2009 holiday season. I’d say Amazon is pretty happy with its product, which has spawned numerous other similar products. Barnes & Nobles’ Nook was released right before the holidays, and Sony has The Reader, the most expensive of the bunch.
I am completely happy with my decision to go electronic. I’m a huge reader, so I was a little skeptical at first, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the Kindle. My book habit was getting expensive; in an attempt to save money, I tried going to the local library, but then my late fees were costing me an arm and a leg. It’s hard to put a time restraint on a book. Plus, books were bulky on my travels, and it always seemed like I was just about to finish a book just as I was leaving for a trip, so I ended up lugging two books around. And I hated the lull in between books. I would finish reading one and not have another to start until I had the time to go buy one.
The Kindle was the solution to all my problems. All the books, magazines and newspapers are cheaper on Amazon then buying them in the store. So even though I’m still shelling out money, I’m saving too. I just bought a book that is a bestseller for $4.98. The device is super lightweight and can store up to 1,500 books. I can lug hundreds of books around at once without any back pain. My Kindle works wirelessly around the world, and books download in seconds. I can finish a book and be started on a new one in minutes. And the best part is, I can read a free sample of any book before I buy it. If you are a voracious reader, you should definitely consider purchasing a Kindle.
And I didn’t have to give up on printed books. My grad school professor made sure I had to purchase plenty of them!
Travel tip — Kindles are treated like laptops, so be sure you take them out and put them in a separate bin before going through security.
— Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive
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