THE WORLD IS NOT READY

First of all, what is the Kindle Fire? Well, it’s the Android powered follow-up tablet to the beloved and extremely popular Amazon Kindle. This one has a color screen and completely abandons the e-ink display of old.

The question remains should you buy one? The answer is probably going to be yes. As a matter of fact I can’t believe I even want one but I do. There has been a war brewing between two factions — those who support e-book readers and those who don’t. I am quite the fan of real physical books. I love the way they feel in hand and I even like the way a new book smells. It’s an experience you just can’t get with a plastic device with electronic guts. 

At the same time I commute to work and my love for reading has taken a hit. Why? Well it’s often tedious to throw a book in my bag. I mean honestly the book I’m reading at any given time is 3 to 10 times thicker than my laptop. So room in my bag being scarce I just can’t bring it along anywhere I go. Beyond that I don’t just read one book at a time and because I don’t I am forced to pick — book A or book B, maybe even book C. I don’t want to be cut down to such limited choices.

With the Kindle Fire I will have not only choice but mobility. I can take it anywhere just as I take my MacBook Air anywhere. I toss it in my messenger bag and off I go. Now with the Android backend and the color screen I also have an entertainment center in my bag. Quick tasks can be handled via the $250 tablet. I am never without my library. Technology has given us a chance to immerse ourselves on the go in our libraries of vast wisdom and information! Why shy away from that?

It’s small enough and powerful enough to get the job done — beyond that it adds extra features that books just don’t have. Does this mean I will abandon books? Certainly not! I love buying and collecting old books. Some of the best books I’ve ever read were no more than $2 or $3. Buying books is a hobby — so is reading. The medium isn’t as important as the content; which brings me to my point.

Who cares how you read books? Digital or physical… the point is you and other people like you should read more. It doesn’t have to be deep reading or something you aren’t interested in, it just has to be something. Knowledge is transferred and if you are more comfortable doing that with a 7 inch tablet then do you! All the power to you. Enough of the foolish debate — just read!