I am a heavy reader.  Much of my workday is spend reading – normally on a computer screen.  During my leisure hours I consume both technology books, non-fiction and novels.  Frequently I spend more hours in a day reading than I do sleeping – I don’t sleep much.   When  not reading, I am often composing, designing, or architecting systems – again staring into a computer screen.  Needless to say, I suffer from frequent eye strain.  The computer monitor backlighting takes a heavy toll on my over 40 eyes.

Enter the Kindle.  I was attracted to the Kindle because of its “e-ink screen” display.  Having used the Kindle DX for a month now, I can tell you it is easy on the eyes.  It really is just as easy on the eyes as paper.  After a long day of abusing my eyes, I can relax with a good book on the Kindle and simply enjoy.  I can also move PDFs, blogs and other technology or work related documents from my computer onto the Kindle and read without the normal eye stress.  I am on the road frequently, so when I do need to unwind with a novel, I can search, purchase and be reading in a few short minutes.  These were the primary reason I bought the Kindle and it has fully met my expectations.  I give it a 5 star rating in this regard.

Ok; having met my primary needs, I will succumb to human nature and consider my secondary needs – let the whining commence…

Regarding novels or other non-photo intensive pleasure books, I really have no complaints.  I do have a single concern; 20 years from now, how do I re-read one of the books that I am buying for the Kindle today.  Not having the answer to this question, has already caused me to delay a couple purchases.

Regarding technology books, the Kindle really only adequately addresses one of my three main use cases;  initial reading of the book to get an overview of the technology.  If you are a technologist, you are used to constantly balancing trade-off to find the best solution.  As an overview reader, the Kindle is great regarding ready access to materials, physical space requirements, briefcase travel weight, as well as the easy on your eyes quality described above.  It is a little slow with page refreshes for speed reading and the highlighter is not as efficient as using my yellow marker in a paper book, but overall I would rate it 4 stars.

Where the Kindle really lacks is in the other two use cases:  using the book as a quick reference, and copying code for use in building sample applications.  First the quick reference;  When I am learning a new technology, I highlight the book, sticky-note bookmark key sections, and frequently flip back and forth aiding my absorption.  The Kindle has similar constructs and capabilities, but the speed in which you can navigate is radically slower.  So much slower that it is a real barrier to effective use.  Many technology books also include a PDF, on CD or downloadable, which also allows a more rapid key word search and navigation than using the Kindle.  This speed issue is so significant to my methods of learning, that I would have to rate this capability as 2 stars.

Regarding copying sample source code from the book:  Once again the Kindle offers a way to mark text in the book, clip the text into a separate file and then copy this file to your computer, and finally search the text in this clipping file for your specific sample code.  Due to the timing and complexity, this is not really a practical sequence.  Of course, if you have a paper book you will have even less options (scan plus OCR).  But as mentioned before, many technology books include the PDF for the book or at least the sample code.  In its current state, I would rate the Kindle a 1 star in this capability.  Fortunately, Amazon can easily solve this problem.  If you purchase a book that normally includes a CD with the PDF, and you buy the Kindle version then also include the PDF in the download.

A final note: Most of the shortcomings of the Kindle for my use with technology books can be easily solved by including a Kindle Reader for the Mac (and I guess the Windows guys can have one too).  In fact, if the Kindle version had the same sync ability between the Kindle and Mac, then the solution would be far superior to the paper book plus PDF version, since bookmarks and clippings could also be synced.  It is rumored that this is on the way – see PC Week article – so at least for now I will continue to purchase tech books on the Kindle with a cautious eye towards the Kindle Reader for Mac release dates.