I was initially not a big fan of Amazon’s Kindle. But having owned one now for more than a year, I’ve become pretty attached to it, especially when I travel.
Though I don’t think I’ll ever give up my hard copies of guidebooks (there’s nothing more fun for me than to sit in a coffee shop and highlight information about my destination), I’m pretty darn excited about being able to carry several books in a digital format – cutting way back on both the weight and volume in my luggage.
The new Kindle can hold over 3,500 books, weighs in at about 8.5 oz. and is 7.5″ x 4.8″ x .3″. I’ll let that sink in for a moment.
If you’re traveling for just a couple of weeks – how many books do you bring with you? Now imagine a longer journey or a vacation where you’re spending hours by the pool. Lots of reading time, right? But who wants to stock up on a half dozen books when you’re trying to cut back on the number of bags you’re carrying?
Not only is the Kindle easy to carry, it’s easy to download content onto it. It wirelessly connects to the internet, allowing for super quick downloads from Amazon’s website. Since the unit is registered to your Amazon account, it’s actually easier than one-clicking.
There are dozens of newspapers which you can subscribe to as well as hundreds of blogs.
The Kindle uses an electronic paper display which can easily be read in bright sunlight (I know, I tried it during one of the few summer days we had here in Seattle).
When reading, there are highlighting and bookmarking functions which I find convenient. You 
can even add comments to remind yourself why you bookmarked a particular section.
It does come with both a power adapter and USB connection so it can easily be recharged either way. Leaving the wireless mode on will drain the battery more quickly. Otherwise I’ve traveled for weeks, reading every day, and haven’t had to recharge it.
Amazon has addressed most of the issues that people (including me) complained about in the earlier versions and with the amazingly low price of just $140, I can highly recommend this to every traveler.
