Amazon Kindle is the best way to take your book collection with you. There is no doubt that electronic books are here to stay, although there is an important sector of the public that prefers paper. It is abundantly clear that it is a comfortable device that, especially in large cities, can be comfortably taken on and off on public transport.
However, it seems that there is still a part of the users who not very clear what is Kindle. This article is for them, in which we will talk not only about what it is, but also what it is for and a few other things.
What is Amazon Kindle?
As should have been more or less clear from the lead of the article, Amazon Kindles are devices that work as e-book readers. And not only books, but also newspapers and magazines in digital format. The first model was launched on the market at the end of 2007, and since then the family has not stopped growing.
Currently, these devices are in the 10th generation and it has improved a lot both its benefits and its operation. It currently has an electronic ink screen that is among the best on the market and a more than competent processor, in addition to the fact that some current devices even allow screenshots to be taken.
Likewise, Amazon has also included new applications that come pre-installed on Kindles. This could be interpreted as a move by Jeff Bezos's company indicating that wants to take more care of these devices for the coming years, so that they continue to be among the best e-book readers on the market.
How does a Kindle reader work?
Every Kindle device is wirelessly connected to the Amazon network, although the most recent models allow you to connect to WiFi networks. This is because these devices are geared towards running their own store which, while allowing users to download titles they have purchased, is mostly used as a cloud store.
That cloud storage offers us a gigantic e-book store that, as long as they are affiliated, it would allow us to connect to the electronic book cloud of the library of our place of residence to borrow books without leaving home.
And speaking of loans, Kindle also allows lend a book to a friend for 14 days, as long as you have one of these readers. However, it must be borne in mind that not all books can be loaned, but only those that are accompanied by a specific sign next to them. Precisely related to this we have the concept of Kindle Unlimited, which we are going to explain below.
What is Kindle Unlimited and how does it work?
To put it simply, Kindle Unlimited is Amazon's attempt to create a “Netflix of books”. Its operation is very similar to that of the video streaming services that we all know: you pay a monthly fee, and in return you have a tremendous number of titles to read.
Not surprisingly, Amazon started out as a bookstore, so it's no surprise that it dedicates a special space to the pleasure of reading as part of its products and services. Now, despite the attractiveness of the offer, it is worth making it clear that the Kindle Unlimited catalog does not cover all titles for sale on Amazon. Still, it's almost a million titles in total.
Another interesting feature provided by this service is that you can also read on mobile devices, whether iOS or Android, by downloading the official Kindle app for it. You can even download the program for a personal computer and read your books on it.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that Kindle Unlimited allows you to have up to a maximum of 10 downloaded titles on one device at a time. Once that limit is reached, you will have to wait to finish a book and delete it, or directly delete it from your device and stop reading.
Is Kindle for you?
Now that you know what the device is and how it works, another almost equally important question needs to be answered: is this device for me? To help you figure it out, we've decided to give you a series of reasons to buy it, and another series of reasons not to.
Reasons to buy and not to buy a Kindle
Let us first list the reasons in favor to buy one of these devices:
- The Amazon store is one of the largest and with the greatest variety of titles. If it is anywhere, of course it is there.
- There are different models of Kindle to suit your needs. In addition, they are devices with a more than decent autonomy and their electronic ink technology makes the experience pleasant and similar to that of reading a paper book.
- Kindle readers are waterproof, so if you accidentally spill liquid near them, they are more likely to be damaged.
And now, let's list the Reasons not to buy a Kindle:
- Kindle is a dedicated book reader; it's not a multi-featured tablet that you can install apps or games on. If you buy one of these readers, you should keep in mind that you can only use it to read digital books. If you are looking for something more, there are tablets in different price ranges that may be more suitable for your needs.
- It is advisable that you add a protective cover, its screen is usually broken easily. Other devices usually have more hardness.
- You cannot extend its storage. A Kindle reader does not have an SD card reader, so you will only be able to use the internal memory. This is due to the cloud-oriented model that Amazon works with these devices.
Now that you have all the information in hand, it's up to you to draw conclusions. Whatever you decide, as a user you are sovereign and it will be well done.