A new Kindle electronic book reader arrived yesterday, now in its third edition. It was eagerly awaited since its announcement a month ago. I've been using software versions on my iPod Touch, and PC, but was looking forward to fewer compromises and the text-to-speach (TTS) audio voice in the real thing, with a significant price reduction.
It is striking in how much the screen resembles ink on paper. The shape and weight have been reduced to the size of a paperback, but the storage increased to hold 3,500 books. The voice that provides the TTS audio output is labelled as experimental, but does a good job in all respects but one: instead of pausing between paragraphs, the voice speeds up completely misinterpreting most dialog. But it is still a great asset while reading on an aerobic machine at the Y: it keeps going, if you momentarily get distracted.
Another super neat feature is the ability to automatically post your highlights and notes to facebook and twitter. A great way to keep your friends informed about your daily encounters, without the complete triviality normal to such media.
Those who recommend waiting until the third iteration of electronic innovation, were completely right in this instance. This is the only way you will want to read books from now on. If you are the least bit unfamiliar with this wonderful tool, buy one from Amazon. You won't regret it.
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