Monday, February 13, 2012

The Kindle Revolution

And so I decided to delve into the realm of the Amazon Kindle.

Actually, it was something totally unexpected. I never thought that I would join the growing ranks of ebook readers, considering the fact that I've been reading lesser and had hardly picked up a book last year. I've even stopped following mangas, mainly because the Full Metal Alchemist series had ended, and Chuangyi had stopped publication of the Negima series (for whatever reason, I don't know). The last book I read was probably the final Harry Potter book for a quick refresh before catching part 2 of the Deathly Hallows movie.

I never considered picking up a book to read, mainly because there were so many other alternative (and arguably more alluring) entertainment options out there (games, movies, dramas etc.). The rigors of undergraduate life also meant that the only reading I could get done were lecture notes and newspapers. Even the monthly National Geographic magazine which I've always looked forward too suffered some form of neglect. I did enjoy the occasional tome now and then though, mainly pinched from my sis' library (Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns).


            









VS

Guess who won?







Why the sudden return to reading?

Well, it was nearing the end of December 2011, that time of the year when one starts worrying about gifts and stuff like that. I was racking my brains for a practical, meaningful gift that didn't end up in the sewers or the rubbish chute for my girlfriend. Since she'd been complaining of doing nothing but watching dramas and movies on her laptop the whole holiday (and contributing to eye fatigue), I figured a book would make a nice gift.

This led to that, and I thought to myself, why get one single book, when you can get an ebook reader that can read (and store) thousands of ebooks for a fraction of the price?

The Kindle Touch 
And so I got myself a couple of Kindle Touches, for only USD$99 each from Amazon.com, excluding shipping of course. Amazon doesn't ship the Kindle to our sunny shores of Singapore (I wonder why, considering there's a huge demand for them over here), so I had to go the long way by using Vpost.

Thankfully both Kindles arrived safely here within a couple of weeks. Needless to say, she was absolutely enthralled by this thin, little 6 inch device. I loaded in a couple of Nicholas Sparks' novels and she was glued to it for nights on end.

What is it about Nicholas Sparks that draws ladies like sugar to ants?

That aside, I've been using it for almost a month now and I can safely say that I'm ready to give up reading physical books (yes, I'm one of those people that are contributing to the downfall of Borders, PageOne and other bookshops). Its just so simple to use and pleasing on the eye - if you've ever tried to read an e-book on your computer screen or even an iPad/tablet, you'd be rubbing your eyes after a couple of hours. Not so with an e-ink reader like the Kindle Touch.


The text rendered by the e-ink screen is absolutely gorgeous. Nothing else can match it when it comes to rendering pure, black text. I've used it for a few hours at a stretch and the only strain I get is a backache from sitting too long. Tapping the screen flips the page in an instant (after a software update 5.0.3), while long pressing a word brings up dictionary definitions. Highlighting and annotations are also possible, if you're into that sort of thing. Font and font sizes are customisable as well.

All's nice and rosy for the Kindle Touch right? Not so, especially when it comes to actually buying e-books to read with the Kindle Touch.

To cut the long story short - Amazon doesn't accept Singapore-issued credit cards when buying e-books from their online store. And this is the part that turns most people off - I almost gave up the idea of ordering the Touch thanks to this. There is a workaround, thankfully, as described by this blog, which gives a rather comprehensive guide to getting a Kindle and e-books here:

http://jeffyen.blogspot.com/2011/11/amazon-kindle-touch-in-singapore.html

The steps are tedious and complicated at first, but once you get used to the idea (of using gift cards), it'll become second nature to order e-books from Amazon.

But wait! There's more!

After even more research I realised that you can actually buy books from other online stores and convert it to a format supported by the Kindle (MOBI format). The software to do this is Calibre, a free software which acts like a e-book library organiser as well as a converter.

http://calibre-ebook.com/

In other words, you don't have to be chained to a single e-book retailer like Amazon (which is actually what they want, to earn even more, just like printers and ink). You can borrow e-books from our local libraries (NLB), or buy from Skoob, a local  e-book online store launched by Singtel. Prices are competitive and I must say cheaper than those offered by Amazon (due to the exchange rate). Note that the e-books sold by Skoob can't be read by the Kindle directly due to DRM, however this restriction can be removed (which I shall not mention here).

So, if you're considering getting an e-ink e-book reader, you might want to consider the Kindle Touch!

PROS:
- Affordable price (USD$99)
- Attractive, slim form factor
- E-ink display is excellent
- Interface is simple to use and master
- Page turning and refreshes are fast (after software update)
- Month-long battery life

CONS:
- Cannot read under low-light conditions (all e-ink readers suffer this)
- 3G and Whispernet (which syncs your books and bookmarks online) only works in the US.
- Difficulty in getting e-books from Amazon
- $99 version comes with ads, which are actually quite tastefully done IMO

If you're not a fan of touchscreen interfaces (which shouldn't be really, considering everything is going all touchy), you might want to consider the cheaper Kindle 4 (USD$79) that uses good ol' buttons for navigation.

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In true Budget Geek fashion, if you're looking to save some moolah on books over the long term, I'd recommend getting an e-book reader. E-book prices are typically 20-30% cheaper than their physical cousins, and older ones can cost up to 50-70% cheaper. Free e-books can be found in abundance as well, not just from the libraries (even in the Amazon store), so you'll definitely save in the long run.

And lastly, if you, like me, have been neglecting your books in favour of the LCD/LED backlit screens of your computer, you'll rediscover your love for reading with an e-book reader.

*My parents asked me a question when I told them I bought the Kindles: "Why not get an iPad? You can watch videos, play games, do so many things!"
I replied: "Because all I wanna do is to start reading again." /likeaboss