Friday, July 3, 2009

This Is Why I Cannot Buy a Kindle

I just finished an e-book. A 667 page pdf file. I'm not even kidding.

Now, I LOVED the book. (Review coming Monday!) I did, I loved it.

But I stared at this blasted computer screen for HOURS to read it! Talk about a headache. (Actually it was a dull ache behind my eyes.)

This is why I can't get a Kindle. I mean, okay, a Kindle is at least portable-- or more so than my laptop, but the screen is SMALLER.

I don't have good eyesight. In fact I have really really bad eyesight. Like my perscription is somewhere around -11.75 in one eye and -10.5 in the other. (Trust me, that's bad.) Without my glasses I am pretty much all alone in the world.

Given all of that, I don't see how I could read anything on that small of a screen.

Plus, there's the contrast issue. Glowing screen+text gives me a headache MUCH MUCH faster than paper+text. There's just something about it. And my eyes start playing tricks on me.

It's no good, I tell you.

I mean, alright, you can carry potentially limitless numbers of books with you in one little device, but.... I'd miss the paper. I'd miss turning pages. I'd miss the smell of old books. (I love the smell of old books. Someone should bottle it.)

And I'm not sure I can ever read something that long in pdf format again. Not sure my head will let me.

How about you? Have you taken the technological plunge?

4 comments:

  1. I can't see reading a book on my computer, even though I have a very nice laptop. Too many distractions, for one thing!

    I can see using an e-reader. I'm not happy with the Kindle for DRM reasons, but I'm sure I'll get some e-reader at some point!

    ReplyDelete
  2. When I perused a book on a kindle, I found it wasn't as difficult on the eyes as a computer screen. But, I am not a big fan of that kind of reading myself. Convenient: yes. Comfortable: not really.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'mBookingit- yeah, it is really distracting too. DRM?

    Melissa- good to know that it's not as hard on the eyes, but yeah, I'm with you. Just not as comfortable as a real book!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm intrigued by the idea of the Kindle, but I don't think I could do it either.

    ReplyDelete