Kindle

Christmas unexpectedly brought me a Kindle, the one with a keyboard. As far as I can tell, the only difference between this and its baby brother is the keyboard and 3G internet access, so what follows applies to either model.

The good :
Screen technology has moved on since I was given Sony's first touchscreen reader, the E-ink screen on the Kindle is excellent in natural light, and not too reflective under artificial light.
Fonts and font size options are good and legible at all sizes and the reading experience is very comfortable.
The Kindle Store is beyond simple to access from the device, and buying/downloading a book is a breeze and takes seconds.
Your Kindle will synch with your account on Amazon, so it is simple to log in from any Kindle, or Kindle App on phone, tablet or PC and still find yourself on the last page you read.

The bad :
The Kindle is not backlit, so you really need to buy a light to go with it.
No case/protective cover is included with your purchase, the officially branded covers are high-quality but extremely overpriced, a rip-off in fact.
Books cannot be shared with friends and family (in the UK), unless you share your account with them, and you are locked in to Amazon's proprietary format for downloads.
The device doesn't have a touch-screen. In the days of smartphones, the horrid clicky joypad navigation and buttons to turn the page feel retrograde, uninstinctive and a nuisance.
The page turn buttons (left and right sides of the device) are stupidly located if the Kindle is seated within its official leather cover. There really ought to be one along its bottom edge.

Overall, a brilliant device, thoroughly recommended, but not the end of the story, there remains plenty of room for improvement.

The light:
I thoroughly recommend this overpriced Octovo light for your Kindle, though it is unsuitable if the Kindle is layed flat, and you do have to get used to tilting the Kindle toward you a little so as not to be blinded whilst reading in bed :) It is well made, ergonomically pleasing and works very well. [Click here].

The handy link :

Buying books is an expensive business, and the Kindle an easy way to do it. Amazon's site has plenty of links to free content, but we can always use more. This (UK) site, if you sign up, will watch the Amazon.co.uk website and send email notifications upto three times a day with notifications of new books for free categorised by genre, plus details of ebook price-drops. If you can stand that number of emails each day, it is a great new way to discover new things to read, give it a whirl. It is eReader.co.uk
There are a lot of children's books available for free by the way, so if you have Kindle and kids, this could save you a lot of money.