I did it! I pre-ordered the new little Kindle.
Based on my recent postings about the Kindle, I never thought it would happen, including The Reason I Never Bought an Amazon Kindle and Kindle 2 is a Little Less Effing Fugly.
In its 3rd version, Amazon has done it in the new Kindle Wireless Reading Device.
Amazon has brought the price point down well enough, has offered a sexy dark graphite-finished color selection, and has been able to speed things up and improve the speed, the rendering, and all this stuff:
- All-New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen – 50% better contrast than any other e-reader
- Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
- New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
- New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6″ size reading area
- 15% Lighter – Only 8.7 ounces, weighs less than a paperback
- Battery Life of One Month – A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off
- Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 Books
- Books in 60 Seconds – Download books anytime, anywhere
- Free 3G Wireless – No monthly payments, no annual contracts
- Built-In Wi-Fi – In addition to the 3G wireless, you can connect to Wi-Fi hotspots
- 20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
- Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
- New WebKit-Based Browser – Free 3G web browsing (experimental)
Why did I pre-order this little device even though I am rocking an Apple iPad? Well, I use my Apple iPad a lot — every chance I can. I read the FT, the WSJ, the Times, Wired, my mail, my Google Reader — everything — on my iPad.
However, I don’t read books on my iPad. I do my magazine and book reading at the gym and on my super-long walks, and the iPad is too shiny, too expensive, and almost impossible to read in direct sun. Additionally, it lives by my chair and is my constant go-to. When I am traveling, I grab my Lenovo ThinkPad X61 and generally wouldn’t consider bringing both the iPad and the ThinkPad, because there would be too many valuable things in the lurch.
Now that the Amazon Kindle is smaller, lighter, less-whiter, faster, and quickers — and at a much lower price point — then it can live in my Filson Briefcase and be there whenever and wherever I need it: when I am on the plane, when I am on the train, when I am on the bus, when I am on the metro, and when I am on one of my 3-hour walks, in direct sunlight.
OK, I will admit it, the version 1 of the Amazon Kindle was fugly, the version two of the Amazon Kindle was less fugly but just as nancy-ass white and un-sexy, but the third Amazon Kindle, like the proverbial Story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the third Amazon Kindle is just right!
So, I have pre-ordered the new Kindle and even ordered the nice little black Kindle Lighted Cover — I was tempted to get the burnt orange, but I do a lot of business travel and I just wussed out and decided to keep it all manly and TUMI-class.
