I got my hands on a Kindle Touch yesterday so I want to tell you a little about it and why you may want one. No, I’m not getting paid anything from Amazon but I am a regular customer of theirs. As the header shows here I am targeting this review toward seniors. When I talk about e-books to some seniors I often get a list similar to the one below on why they don’t think they would like to go that route:
- get headaches from reading computer screens
- You can’t use a computer in bright sunlight.
- The batteries don’t last long enough
- I like to highlight sections I read for viewing them again later
- Computers are just too heavy and cumbersome to read from for extended periods of time
- They are too expensive
- I like to read the classics and they probably aren’t available on an e-reader
The list can go on and on but I think you get the idea. As a means of introducing you to Kindle Touch lets address these issues.
Kindle Touch uses something called e-ink and it is much more like paper and ink than it is a computer screen. One of the advantages of the reader is that you are able to adjust the font size to whatever is comfortable for you. You no longer have to search out a large print edition if that is what you need. Another advantage of e-ink is that there is no difficulty in reading in even in bright sunlight. It is not back light or have a glossy screen. As a matter of fact if you want to read it in bed you will need either a book light or another light source.
Highlighting text is rather simple with this reader. Just point and scroll down through what you want to highlight and it will be saved on your copy of the book as well as a special file that can be downloaded to your computer. The batteries on the reader are said to last up to two months between charging but since I have had this one only one day I can’t verify that. But the Kindle reader this one is replacing could go weeks without having to plug it in.
The weight of the Kindle Touch is actually less than most paperbacks and the size is about the same. Amazon charges just $99 for the Kindle Touch. That is no more than the price of a handful of paperbacks and it can hold about 3,000 books in its memory. I personally have over 100 books in my Kindle collection. I have found that the classics including Walden by Thoreau are downloadable for about $0.99 each or even less. There is even mention of a book lending program that is starting up for free.
Before I leave I want to warn you of a few things. Not all e-readers, even those from Amazon, use e-ink. Most including Amazons Fire use a backlighted LCD screen similar to TVs and computers. So if you want readable in sunlight you should go with e-ink readers. I have been using Kindle for over two years now and they never let me down. The books are easy to download and manage on the reader.
So, if you are interested you might want to give a hint to your hubby or kids that you would like a Kindle Touch reader. It is not too late to get one for Christmas.
RJ's Corner 
Thank you for this Kindle info, Ralph. I recently downloaded a free Kindle app for the PC from Amazon that allows me to read any Kindle formatted ebook. Then, I borrowed a couple from my library to see how it works. Not too bad. It allows you to change font size and screen background to white, sepia, or white print on black. It’s easy to navigate and bookmark, etc.. While not as slick as a real Kindle it is a good way to have a test run with ebooks. The library has a limited number of ebooks and there is great demand, but you can reserve them just like a book…then you get an email when it is available and you can just download it from there. A nice feature is that it just expires after 21 days…never overdue! I don’t know how easy it is to get them onto a real Kindle. I’m still not a huge fan of reading on the computer screen tho….the Kindle e-ink sounds better. Your good information may help make me a convert sometime soon.
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Thanks for the comments Jane. Believe me the Kindle e-ink is nothing like staring at a computer screen. I spend too many hours a day looking at monitors as it is. In the warmer weather I enjoy time “on the mountain” which is at the back of our homestead laying in a glider reading Kindle books and of course taking occasional naps. Wouldn’t be without one now and they do save quite a few trees.
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I am thisclose to getting a Kindle Fire. I agree with the potential problem of sun glare but the Fire offers so many exciting uses for me I will probably put up with that potential problem. I originally wanted an iPad, but at less than half the cost the Fire is going to make me very happy.
Amazon has launched the free “borrowing” service for many of the books in the Kindle library, If you are a member of their Prime service. My book is free for preview under that program. Whether that results in more sales, we’ll see.
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Hi Bob, welcome back. Yeah if you can live with the screen glare the Kindle Fire sounds like a pretty good device at only twice the cost of a Touch ($200 vs $100). It seems to be very iPad like but it is not an iPad in form and function. The iPad has nearly twice the screen size and better resolution. and it has much higher integration to other Apple products. That smaller screen size would bother me with my “senior” eyes but if you are used to browsing the web and reading text from an cell phone it would be a step up. I must admit that I bought an “iPad like” unit before I got my iPad2 and was just not satisfied with it. The operating system was buggy and the screen had a very narrow viewing angle.
It sounds like the Fire is getting some initial criticisms but they are being addressed quickly by Amazon. I have confidence that Amazon will stand behind their Kindles including the Fire. The “iPad like” device I bought was taken off the market about 6 months after initial introduction so it is now acting as a paper weight!
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Hi, RJ… Thanks for the instruction on the method for highlighting on the Kindle Touch. I’ll give it a try. Happy New Year, Bill
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