Ever since the Kindle came out, I've been wary of it. I know it's a very successful product and I know people who absolutely love it. Maybe I'm a traditionalist, or maybe I'm more sentimental than I thought, but I just feel like nothing can replace a good ol' paper-bound book. The heft and weight of it in your hand as you're reading on the subway platform, or the crisp sound of a page turning, are things that you just can't get from a gadget.
Truly, there are many reasons to get a Kindle. It's compact enough that you can slip it into your purse and always have reading material on hand. You can download a book right away when you want to read it rather than having to go to a bookstore or waiting for a shipment. It's environmentally friendly because no trees were killed to print digital books, and it's great as a compact, personal library if you live in a small space.
Still, I was not sold on it. I would definitely consider getting it if all my favorite magazines were offered on the Kindle. So much paper is wasted on magazines in my home. Magazines that we save also end up taking up a lot of space. Unfortunately, the magazines that I want are not offered on the Kindle.
I am also put off by the fact that you can't download your own text files onto the Kindle from you computer. You have to send your file to a server on Amazon in order for you Kindle to pick it up, which means you're handing over possession of your file to Amazon. So if you're writing a book and want to review it on your Kindle, you have to trust that someone at Amazon ain't gonna steal it or mess with it. Frankly, I don't like the idea of some stranger having any kind of control over my stuff.
Now, given the current fiasco of Amazon deleting stuff off people's Kindle without so much as a by-your-leave, I am even more put off by it. If they have the right to do stuff like that, then my library isn't my library. It's theirs and they're letting me read from theirs for a fee. Well, screw that! We have public libraries that let me read their books for free!
I am just really disturbed by the trend of users losing complete control over technology and data that we paid for. I am also really disturbed by the complete lack of privacy to our data. At what point do people realize just how much free-rein intrusion they are allowing into their personal lives when they buy a seemingly harmless piece of equipment like the Kindle? Why do I have to connect to Amazon to do anything with it if it's mine? This ties into the trend of "cloud computing." There is inherently something sinister about letting some faceless, nameless stranger hold your stuff just so you can retrieve it somewhere else.
Anyways, that's just my two cents on the deal. For now, I'll stick with my iPhone to read digital books for free! Otherwise, a good old fashioned book can always satisfy that itch!
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