gdgt

Arguably the best e-reader yet, but it has some slight design cues that make it potentially ergonomically uncomfortable. It is very small and very thin, which most reviewers are claiming as an outright positive. I would dare say it is too small for some people however. The device is so thin and the bezel is so small I find it a bit difficult to hold in one hand without wanting my thumb to rest on the screen for a natural hold. The Nook on the other hand, while slightly too heavy, has a much more natural feel in the hand with its thickness and curved back.

The build quality appears to be pretty well done. It feels solid, but I do have concern for its long term durability. The entire body is plastic. That, combined with its thinness make me leery . A simple drop on your kitchen floor or accidental sit on the couch could instantly crack this thing in two, or at least it feels like it. The page turn buttons also have a cheap feel to them and do not have a satisfying click or surface area as compared to the Nook.

All that being said though, this is an excellent device when it comes down to its core purpose: Reading. The screen is very crisp and clear to read on. The page turns and navigation are fast for the most part and the Amazon store is excellent. It is still disappointing that there is no ePub support, so one is locked into the Amazon ecosystem, but that is not a bad ecosystem to be locked into. I personally do not hold too much weight into the argument that Amazon's store is superior to other stores. My searches for common books from my Goodreads list on Kobo and B&N found that all three vendors either had or did not have the books I was looking for except for one book. My list included recently released as well as some older books. The one book that was on Amazon's Kindle store and not on Kobo or B&N was "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The "exclusives" in the Amazon store from my experience were all less popular or niche books.

I would be cautious though to say that it is as far ahead of the competition as the marketing and online hype seem to imply. Unless you are looking at e-ink screens side-by-side I did not notice a significant difference in the new e-ink screen to the older ones. At the end of the day the inability to comparison shop for e-books at other stores or use Overdrive for library books and side load them on the device as you can with the Sony, Nook or Kobo readers is really something to consider as a consumer looking for an e-reader. That may be a deal break depending upon your reading habits or how you purchase your books currently. If you are the type of person who currently purchases all of their books from Amazon then this is a no brainer. However, if you are vested in the B&N or Borders brick and mortar stores and buy your paper books there, you might pause on the Kindle. B&N offers in store deals such as free coffee or chocolate if you bring a Nook into the store. They also offer in store reading of books for free. You can also purchase a book from the Border's store for example and load it onto a Sony reader, Nook or Kobo. Also, if you heavily use your local library to get your books, only those readers that support Overdrive can do that. The Kindle is not one of those readers.

I would highly recommend anyone who is a heavy reader to really look at their existing consumption habits for reading and find the e-reader ecosystem that matches your existing reading habits. It is out there and if you are already vested in an ecosystem such as B&N, Borders, your local library, seriously take that into account when making a purchase. However, if you already buy all of your books online from Amazon then you have nothing to lose with the Kindle and at $139 to get in the game it is very affordable.