I'm just going to break this down to the basics of the Amazon Kindle:The Pro's of the Amazon Kindle:
1. The screen is everything they say it is and more, it's mind-numbingly cool to read with a kindle and you do forget that you're reading on a device rather than from a book.
2. The battery life is phenomenally long-lived and doesn't even come to mind while using it. I was able to turn over a thousand pages and had absolutely no problems with the battery in my Amazon Kindle.
3. Amazon has enough content on hand to satiate any taste. If you need to read a PDF of your own, you can convert it with MOBI, which adjusts the font size and margins so that it's not an eye strain or a scrolling nightmare.
4. Free wi-fi service as stated. That alone is worth the price if you actually use the device, as well as internet access to Wikipedia. I read Wiki articles every day. It's an added bonus.
5. As a tech geek, I've NEVER had as many women come up to me and ask me if I was reading from a Kindle and if I liked it. No other piece of technology has ever evoked such interest from curious onlookers as this does. It's like the early days of cell-phones and iPods all over again. The point I'm making is that a lot of folks are aware of the Amazon Kindle, but few people have real experience with it.
6. The Design. The point is to be able to slip into reading reverie without distraction of crazy colors or blue-lit on buttons, etc. I like the design and understand why Amazon went this direction with the Kindle.
The Con's of the Amazon Kindle:
1. DRM. Digital Rights Management. You would think the world has wisened up about this by now. It's sad to know that this problem ain't going away any time soon. We'll just have to live with it for now.
2. PDF's. Yes, I know what I stated above, but sometimes, you'd rather not convert files in order to read them. It would've been nice if the amazon kindle did this for you on board and while-you-wait. It could've been a nice additional feature but wasn't.
3. Cost. Yes, $400 bucks is steep, especially for Amazon Kindle 1.0. The upgrade and the cost reduction is just around the corner. Early-adopters are even holding out for a few months on this one.
4. Many people are not in SPRINT covered network areas and thus wont be able to find use with this. Some folks are just too far away from coverage, but it is these people that the Amazon Kindle would actually benefit, being so far from services.
5. The Gauntlet Problem. Amazon has really thrown it down with the Amazon Kindle and impressively at that, but unfortunately Steve Jobs and Faculty WILL answer the call and probably best them before 2008 comes to an end. Obsolete technology is just too imminent here. You'll probably wake up one day to see another iPhone ad boasting new features to read PDF's (jk).
6. The Design. Enough people have griped about it that Amazon will probably now make adjustments and offer colors and other features, too. So many reviews slammed it for being similar to an early 80's pong game. The Amazon Kindle has been derided as being ugly and other things like this, but it is just a minimalist style I think.
That's about all that needs to be said about the Amazon Kindle.
I've used it, I liked it and I'm in the market to purchase - despite my reservations. I can say one thing for sure ... I've spent a lot more, on a lot less.
Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device
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