[logdog]

Originally Posted by Pturner

Go for it!

Hoping it will help you decide, here are exerpts from the review I posted on Amazon around May 2008, shortly after purchasing the Kindle 1:

Oh for the love of Kindle! In the month I've owned it, I've spent at least an hour a day (often more), dog at my side, cat in my lap, Kindle in hand, lost in a good read. It has exceeded my expectations because:

* It's easy to read on Kindle. I hate reading text on a computer screen. Reading Kindle is in some ways easier on the eye than reading a print book. For example, pick the size type you want. I read Kindle with its cover on, so it feels like holding a book-- except lighter.

* Need to look up a word in the dictionary? You're a scroll and two clicks away. One more click returns you to your place in the book. As a result, I look up more words that I'm unsure of than I used to.

* Want to read an endnote? Again, you're a scroll and click away--and another click returns you to where you were.

* You can bookmark pages, highlight text and take notes. These are all saved for easy retrieval. Want to search for something in the book you didn't highlight, bookmark or make a note about? No Problem. You can type in a search.

* There's no need to bookmark the page you stopped on. No matter how many different items (books, magazines, blogs, newspapers) you might be reading, when you open an item, it opens to the page you left off.

* With these and other capabilities you would think there would be a learning curve. Not. It is remarkably intuitive and easy to use immediately.

* Kindle is easy to carry in my purse. Waiting at the doctor's office or standing in a long line is no longer irritating. I just turn on Kindle, select content-- and feel content. Wow.

* Wirelessly downloading content is a breeze. It's amazingly easy to find what you are looking for. You can read reviews or download just the first chapter for free before deciding whether to buy. You can save items to buy later, then return to your saved items easily.

* Subscriptions are delivered before you wake up in the morning. Wake up, get coffee, start reading the morning paper. To think you used to have to throw on something decent and go to the end of the driveway!

* It takes two hours to charge and the charge lasts a week even with a lot of reading. Battery life is less when you download content.

Kindle was worth every penny I paid. Let me be the first to make it a verb it: I Kindle daily.

The Nook does everything a Kindle does plus you can share books and check out library books with the Nook. Also, you can take your Nook to Barnes & Noble and read best sellers for an hour at a time for free and they usually offer free smoothies, candies and some other treat when you show your Nook. B&N offers free ebooks every Friday. Most don't appeal to me but there are one or two keepers every month. The Nook also has expansion capability and allows you to change your batteries. The current Kindle has to be sent back to Amazon if the battery dies.

If you like to read for long periods of time, buy a Kindle or Nook (black & white versions). They are both good but I like being able to access library books with the Nook. Dedicated black & white e-readers are easier on the eyes. You can't read them in the dark without a light but neither can you read a regular book in the dark.

If you're an occasional reader, get one of the many color pads. They are much more versatile. You can compare several models plus the Nook and Kindle at Best Buy.