Rating: 5/5

Three-Word Summary: Still best e-reader

It may be obvious from this blog, but I love reading books.

For the longest time, that only meant paper books. But that all changed when Amazon introduced the first Kindle back in 2007.

The world’s largest book retailer creating an electronic book reader was pure genius. Even now that several other e-readers are available, the Kindle remains the cream of the crop.

I didn’t get a Kindle until the third generation, when I received one as a birthday present. I was skeptical at first about replacing my beloved paper books.

But in the four years since owning a Kindle, I’ve never looked back.

Without a backlight, the reading experience is nearly the same as reading a paper book. The revolutionary e-ink means reading without glare or eye strain.

The battery life lasts so long, I sometime forget that it has to be charged. Best of all, I carry my entire library of hundreds of titles on one small device.

When I purchase a book online, it have access to it instantly. Classic literature is available to download for free. And I can read all of the same books on the Kindle app on my laptop, tablet or mobile phone.

When I don’t know a word, I simple click on it and get a definition. I can search for characters and terms. I can even highlight and leave notes across devices.

The perks and features of the Kindle are seemingly endless. I’m just one of many bibliophiles that has been delighted by this wonderful technology.

The Kindle is different because it’s not a Swiss Army knife, like the iPad, that does everything okay. It does one thing phenomenally — and that is read books.

I’ve owned my Kindle for four years, but I post this now because I recently dropped and cracked by device. It still works, but I’m considering purchasing a newer model.

I will say that I’m concerned that Amazon has converted all of their devices to touchscreen. Trying to compete more directly with the tablet market may dilute the rich reading experience that they’ve been able to build with the world’s best e-reader.

Still, I’ve grown as attached to my device as I once was to paper books. Don’t get me wrong — I still read paper books, but I now prefer the enhanced digital experience.