Getting to Know the Kindle: When a Mobile Air Card Can Replace a Trip to the Library
The Holiday Season always brings with it the emergence of new and different gadgets and technological toys. Though these items exist year-round, during the months of November and December, they sell out in high numbers as gift-givers set out to be the most popular Santa Claus of them all.
In past years, this list of technology gifts has included laptop computers, smart phones and mp3 players. And while all of these things remain hot items, this year, we got a look at a new gadget – the Kindle.
The Kindle, today manufactured by Amazon, is a reading device that allows users to download books, newspapers and other reading materials to it. It displays e-books and other digital material that is easy to read in a format that is quite simple to use. Easy on the eyes and the mind, the Kindle stands to change the way we receive written information.
The original Kindle was released to the public in November of 2007. Manufacturers figured that they were onto something when that first offering of the device sold out in five and a half hours. That original device featured a six-inch four-level grayscale display and an internal memory of 250 MB that could hold approximately 200 non-illustrated titles.
In the past two years, the Kindle has gone a long way. With new models being released, it is now more affordable and more technologically sound. The 2009-released Kindle DX holds approximately 3500 non-illustrated e-books. This technology, it seems, will only get better.
What is interesting about the Kindle is that it brings about a more scholarly side to the possibilities of wireless internet. We are always talking about the capabilities of wireless in smart phones, mp3s and other more play or business related devices. We speak of 4G and what it will mean to YouTube videos and live stream video conferencing. We talk about WiMax and the ways in which it will soon be able to support businesses should a primary internet source fail. Smart phones are used to check e-mails, send text messages, play games, listen to music, get around, and more. These technologies, however, are not ones we often associate with more scholarly purposes.
The Kindle could very well alter the way in which we receive information. With newspapers and magazines largely being replaced by internet news sources, this digital medium may represent a way for them to stay alive. College students will be able to download Textbooks instead of buying them – saving themselves both back problems and money. And those who read for pleasure will be able to enjoy their favorite fiction and non-fiction books without ever having to set foot into a library or bookstore.
While nothing can entirely replace paper – a medium upon we have historically depended immensely – the Kindle may give it a run for its money. In the world of the bookworm meets the technology nerd, this electronic book may just be the way to go. It certainly was for many gift-givers this year.
