Question about Amazon’s Kindle?
Please note that I know a limited amount about this device. And when I research reviews with pros and cons the termonology confuses me. (Yes I am a Tech Tard). I really don’t care about the locations of the buttons or how some people claim it is ugly. The only thing ruling wheither I will buy it or not is the following questions: With the keyboard can you search for keywords in a book (this would help with my lit papers and such)? All I want to do with the thing is read books, plain and simple, not listen to music or read a doc file or type a paper, so will this meet my simple need? Another question how does this wireless internet whatnot thing work? My understanding is that you can buy the digital books though the device without having to get on your computer, is my assumption correct? My next question is do you think it is worth it to wait for a better more adviced version or will this current version meet my needs?
Yes, you can easily search for specific words with the keyboard. (It saved my butt with a Greek-lit paper on metaphors.) Right now it’s a universal search (all of your books), and then you can click on the book that you’re interested in. The search results show up as snippets, so you can choose the passages that you actually need.
The free wireless service works perfectly, and you can buy books directly from the device. (I’ve bought books at 2am, and was so happy that I didn’t have to wait until morning to visit a bookstore … or even get up from the sofa.) The internet was important to me because I hate dragging around a laptop, and I haven’t been disappointed. It operates on EVDO (like a cell phone on a data plan), and the wireless can be turned off with a switch if you want to save battery power or are boarding a plane. BUT make sure that you’re in the coverage area: http://www.showmycoverage.com/mycoverage.jsp?id=A921ZON .
If you’re a lit major, you should definitely be aware that you can add non-Amazon texts to your device. (You can add them through a computer connection or an SD card for free, or send via e-mail for 10 cents.) I’ve used my Kindle to read scholarly articles and classic books for free, which is really helpful as a student. You can check out sites like Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org ) for tons of free books, and I’ve started an online library of Kindle-specific books at: http://kindle.sinshoppe.com .
You might be surprised by how many functions are useful beyond just the book-reading aspect. The Kindle allows for “highlighting” and note-taking, which are accessible from the text and are collected in a single file on the Kindle. VERY helpful for writing papers, although it’s not yet perfect (it’s a dumping ground organized only by the time of the notation).
The next version will probably be better, but I don’t think that it’d be worth waiting for. The current one gets wireless updates, so new features can be added to the first-generation device whenever they’re done. There’s no telling how long it’ll take for version 2.0 to appear, and this one will meet your needs. 
(And yes, I love my Kindle. I’m sure it’s hard to tell. 
)
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