About The Different Kindles, And Why I Bought The Kindle Touch

There's an awful lot of ereaders out there on the market today.  While there are some worthy competitors out there, I decided to limit my choices to the Amazon models.  Why?  Great selection, and Amazon's awesome customer service.

Of course this still left me with a lot of thinking to do, as Amazon currently offers 5 models of the Kindle. Yikes!   Here's a brief summary of each one:

Kindle- A basic model for $79 (with ads).  The smallest and lightest of the current Kindle models.  Has a 6 inch e-ink screen, and you type using a toggle switch at the bottom of the screen.  No speakers on this model.

Kindle Touch- A touch screen model starting at $99 (with ads). Slightly bigger and heavier than the base Kindle, its touch screen makes it easier to use.  It has more memory than the Kindle, and also has a speaker- you can play music and audio books on this device.  Also available with 3G.

Kindle Keyboard 3G- This is basically the old style Kindle with the buttons at the bottom.  Bigger and heavier than the other models, but with the same 6 inch screen.  Priced at $139.

Kindle DX- The largest (and most expensive, at $379) Kindle on the market.  Has a 9.7 inch screen, and buttons at the bottom

Kindle Fire- At $199, the Kindle Fire has a 7 inch color screen, and is much more than just an ereader.  You can watch movies, play games, and browse the web in full color.

A couple of notes here- the first four models mentioned also allow you to browse the web, but it's very basic black and white browsing.  It'll do in a pinch.  And regarding Amazon's 3G models-  be aware that a Kindle's included 3G will ONLY allow you to access Amazon's marketplace.  You won't be able to use it to browse the web- you need wifi for that.

So with all of these choices, which one did I pick for myself?  I liked the small size of the basic Kindle, but I thought that typing in titles with that little toggle button would drive me nuts.  The Kindle Keyboard and DX?  Too bulky for my needs.  I really liked the Fire, but it too was bigger and heavier than I wanted, and after all I have lots of other electronic critters for web browsing, etc.  I was looking for an ereader, and for me the Kindle Touch fit the bill.  Nice size, easy to use, not too heavy, plenty of memory.  That's the one I picked, and after using it for a few weeks now, I know I picked the right one for me. :)

So Why Did I Buy A Kindle?

I'll start out by saying this- I love books.  The old-fashioned kind, with covers and pages and spines.  So why did I buy a Kindle?  Two reasons, actually.

First of all, portability.  If you travel, or if you're the sort of person that always has to have something to read with you,  you can have thousands of titles with you at all times.  And secondly, there's lots of good new authors out there that are only publishing in ebook format because they can't get a deal with a publisher.  Sad to say, we live in a world where Kate Gosselin and Snooki can get a book deal, but many talented writers can't.  Ugh! 

So with these things in mind, I bought myself a Kindle.  I've had it a couple of weeks now, and I'm enjoying it.  I'm going to share my Kindle journey in this blog, so that others who are contemplating buying one can get an idea of what to expect.  Hope you find it helpful!