The Amazon Kindle is one of the latest technologies that has been developed for readers. It is an electronic device that enables the user to download books, newspaper articles, magazines, blogs and even a few games. The user must have an account with Amazon.com. The Kindle links up with the Amazon website where books and other reading materials can be purchased and instantly downloaded for immediate reading. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you are able to "borrow" books from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library, however there is a limit on how many books can be "borrowed" each month. The Kindle can also access the local library and enable the user to borrow up to six books at one time. The books are automatically returned after a certain time period, but the due date can be extended by simply logging on to the library website and renewing the rental.
The Kindle is the size of the average reading book. It is about six and a half inches tall, four and a half inches wide, and a quarter-inch thick. It weighs less than a half pound. The Kindle can easily be carried in a purse or briefcase as well, making it easy to take anywhere.
Amazon has marketed the product so it is available to people of all ages. The user does not have to be technologically savvy either. All it takes is a few pushes of a button. The Kindle can be used in a variety of ways. Students can use the Kindle to access research items from the library. Employees of companies can also use the Kindle to access the local library and research topics. It can be used for recreational reading as well. There are multiple versions of the kindle, each varying in price, so it is available to people of all income ranges. However, the product appears to be something that will be used most by the younger generation who is used to using technology. Many older people prefer to have a book in their hands and flip pages, rather than downloading a file and pressing a button to "flip" the page. Also, the Kindle needs wireless Internet access. Lower income families who cannot afford a monthly Internet subscription most likely not own a Kindle.
The Kindle is a similar product as the Nook. The main difference between the two are that the Kindle is owned by Amazon and the Nook is owned by Barnes & Noble. Both the Kindle and the Nook have multiple versions, all of which are very similar. The prices are in the same general range as well. The deciding factor seems to simply be whether the user prefers Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
The Kindle is today's version of yesterday's book. While the book is not a technological device, it is the basis for the idea of the Kindle. The difference is that paper and ink are no longer needed and bookshelves are no longer required to store the books that are purchased. The user can have their entire home library in their hand, purse, or briefcase at any given time. In the past, if a reader wanted to carry a few books on vacation, luggage would be required to carry them around. Also, if someone wanted to buy a new book to read, they had to drive to the nearest book store, walk around and browse the selections, then drive home to read it. Now, someone can browse through the "bookstore" while comfortably sitting in their favorite chair at home. Since it is not necessary to drive to a bookstore, money is saved on gas and its ever-rising prices.
E-readers such as the Kindle have affected American culture on many levels. Americans seem to always be in a rush and prefer instant results. With the Kindle, it does not require an hour out of the day just to select a book. It only takes a few minutes and then the book is downloaded and available in an instant. It is also helping as a space saver in the home. Bulky bookshelves are no longer needed to store books.
