Amazon has just come out with a reading device called Kindle which is basically an e-book reading device. You can download electronic versions of books from Amazon.com at a much lower cost then you would you in the paper form. You can also download excerpts of the books before you buy the entire version.The device is portable and can travel with you anywhere you go. Think of the possibilities for high school and college students to buy cheap, portable books!
I was reading a blog called, “Kindle, First Impressions” at timlaur.org and he explain another use for the Kindle: “Like most administrators, I have a shelf full of binders full of documents from my school district. Things such as our district administrators’ handbook, our discipline handbook, and the union contract, just to name a few. I simply emailed the PDF files to my Kindle email address and the files were sent back converted to the Kindle format. I then transfered the converted files to the Kindle via the USB cable. Now I have access to the contents of these documents and can use the Kindle’s search feature to look up information. Being able to quickly look up and reference my own content, in a small and convenient device, is the main reason I bought the device and it is proving to work as I had hoped.”
This sounds like something many professors and researchers would find useful!
Here is a description of the device I pulled off of Amazon.com:
“Three years ago, we set out to design and build an entirely new class of device—a convenient, portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers. The result is Amazon Kindle.
We designed Kindle to provide an exceptional reading experience. Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, reading Kindle’s screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper—and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen. Kindle is also easy on the fingertips. It never becomes hot and is designed for ambidextrous use so both “lefties” and “righties” can read comfortably at any angle for long periods of time.”
December 19, 2007 at 12:54 am
This device makes me wonder if students are going to be asked to read books this way for class, particularly in those districts where books are scarce. This may make textbooks more accessible to everyone, all depending on the cost of the device. Like anything else, the price should drop as they become more popular. It definitely opens up possibilities.