A Neo-luddite Curmudgeon Reviews the New Kindle 3 - by Larry Rachman

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a late adopter when it comes to e-books. And I’ll admit to being prejudiced against them… or, maybe I should say in favor of traditional dead-tree technology. Yes, I’ve read a few books on my Palm cellphone, but it wasn’t a particularly rewarding experience. So, laying my cards on the table, I’ll say I’m coming into this predisposed to dislike the whole idea.

Having said that, I’ll have to admit that I’ve become rather enamored with the Kindle 3 after just a few short weeks of ownership. Sure, it has some shortcomings, but for the most part they’re shortcomings of e-books in general, not the Kindle in particular. But even after accounting for them, what’s left over is enough to make the thing a keeper.

First impressions:

The unit is small, light, and simple. It’s got a minimalist feel to it that’s uber-unintimidating. The e-paper screen is really quite impressive for anyone (eg. me) who hasn’t seen one before; it’s got a contrast ratio similar to paper, and a viewing angle pretty much equal to paper. And because it draws no power when not changing images, it’s never really ‘off’, in the sense that a CRT or LCD goes dark when there’s no image to display. When the Kindle is off, a decorative page appears. The display is so good that when I unpacked the unit for the first time, I mistook the image on the screen for a protective paper cover.