Kindle Fizzle

WJ's Kindle with Kindle brick and cellphone brick and cords

Right in the middle of an engaging New Yorker article my Kindle fizzled. I knew it was low on battery power. I knew that it needed a charging time, but I had this idea that I could get thorough one article on the little bit of charge left.

That didn't happen. So I plodded downstairs and plugged it in alongside the other brick (charger) that I carry around for my cellphone.

A magazine wouldn't have run out of charge. Nor a book. Along with the ease of portability and incredible digital storage that e-readers have there is the inevitability of running out of power. Kindle uses the E-ink technology that is dark gray print on pale gray background so it consumes less power than an e-reader with color, but, as last night's abruptly ended reading session shows, it does eventually need to be recharged.

David Pogue's New York Times article this week (or maybe it was a blog post -- I still haven't paid for the NYT on my computer or Blackberry since I already pay for it on Kindle!) outlined the pluses and minuses of e-readers. Some who commented on the article want e-readers to be limited. "I just want to read books or newspapers -- I don't need to see everything else like my email, YouTube, etc." Other comments can't wait for newer, app-full e-readers in full color.

I think I'm with the black and white, more limited crowd right now. Kindle is where I turn for bedtime reading and for portability. And when the Kindle fizzles, well, there's nothing like an old fashioned, honest-to-goodness book.

By the way, the engaging article is "The Aquarium" by Aleksandar Hemon from the June 13, 2011 New Yorker. It's a personal history account of a child's isolating illness and a compelling read.

Copyright 2011
Wanda Hayes Eichler