Pictures of my southwest Lansing, MI neighbors meeting together
Part 2--A World War II South Pacific vet and my uncle talks about his radio background

Does Amazon's Kindle 2 make sense for baby boomers?

My book reading has been tailing off over the past several years from what it used to be.  I admit that as a 62-year-old baby boomer who has typically read a lot from books to magazines.

But, I've found it more difficult to read books for a variety of reasons.  I like watching certain television programs at night and when they are over I'm generally tired and during the day, it's not always easy to pull out a book because of distractions.  And my eyesight is not what it used to be.3460407723_b14ca44844_m

So, when my son Justin got his Kindle 2 and I had a chance to use it, I decided to take the plunge.  I've had it for a week and I've run it through it's paces.  I've used it while waiting in the dentist's chair, while waiting for a long train to pass and in bed with my head firmly on one pillow trying to see if reading would make me feel drowsy tired.

Then when my wife and I decided to take a couple hour lunch at a state park on a lake, I took it with me.

A first conclusion:  It's a conversation starter and a meeting stopper.  In the dentist's waiting room, patients who typically have a look like they're waiting for their execution, excitedly asked me about who my Kindle worked and whether I liked it.  A meeting where I participated got started a half hour late because everybody wanted to see it and had many questions.

The test was yesterday's lunch at the Sleepy Hollow State Park about a half hour northeast of Lansing, MI.  We ate lunch on a picnic table in the sun with the wind blowing.  It worked like a charm.  I could see the page perfectly.  I read 10 pages of my book and then I tried the audio where the Kindle reads the content to you.  Perfect.  My wife who was down by the lake shore could hear it. 

And then I tried to download a book sample.  The 3G inside the Kindle locked right into a signal and within a minute I had the content.

I will continue sharing as I use it.  I'll also share my growing reading list where I'm starting to check off items that I've read.


Comments