My Kindle Owner Bona Fides
Because I almost exclusively read e-books, I occasionally offer criticsm of the Kindle and suggestions for enhancements. I'm not just offering drive-by criticisms. I've been a loyal Kindle owner for over 6 years now. My opinions are informed by my long experience using the devices and by my observations of what has—and hasn't—changed over the years.
Here's my experience as a Kindle owner.
- Original Kindle: Purchased in August, 2008.
- Kindle 2: Purchased in December, 2009, after my Kindle was stolen.
- Kindle 3G: Purchased in December, 2010.
- Kindle 3G Graphite: Purchased in January, 2012, on the promise of the higher quality eInk Pearl screen.
- Kindle Paperwhite 3G: Purchased in September, 2012, on the promise of a brighter, whiter screen.
- Kindle Voyage: Purchased in September, 2014, on the promise of a 300-dpi screen, better backlighting, and the return of physical page turn buttons.
With each edition, I've tried to buy the top-line model. Once the 3G wireless was available, I bought that with each new model. I always wanted to be able to get new books delivered, no matter where I was and whether or not I had WiFi. When Amazon introduced ad-supported models, I made sure to always buy the ad-free model. (Books are too important to be forced to look at an ad each time I want to read.)