It’s been a week now since my new Kindle from Amazon arrived. I coughed up the extra dough ($189 versus $139 for the Wi Fi only model) to get the 3G model and am happy I did.

My primary concern prior to using the device was whether it could work well as a replacement for a paperback book. I can now answer with a definitive yes. I found holding the eight and a half ounce ultra thin device to be easier to manage than a paperback. (If you’ve ever laid on your side trying to read a paperback book I’m sure you will agree that one page is easy to read while the one on the opposite side is a bit of a challenge). Really thick paperback (Stephen King comes to mind) are a real pain throughout. The Kindle, on the other hand, uses little buttons on both edges of the device to flip forward or back. What a breeze!

Another feature I found to be very worthwhile is the ability to get a sample of a book prior to committing to make a purchase. This gives you a chance to see if you like the writer’s style and to get a chance to get into the content. I’ve been very happy with all my purchases as a result. There is also the ability of a book that once it is downloaded can be indexed. This means that at any point, you can enter a word or phrase and all instances of that will be displayed. You can then jump to that area in the book and even save it as a ‘clipping’ for later viewing. This would be a great plus for anyone who is a student or doing research. I was able to recently download the complete King James version of the Bible (cost .99¢) and after indexing found I count go directly to areas of interest.

When you add all the other capabilities the Kindle offers, I think the money is well spent. My only concern at this juncture is the life of the non-replaceable battery. I’ve read a few forum entries that address this issue and have found that some users who have had the older version for over a year are still doing fine with it. Other entries allude to services on the Internet that can replace the battery for a fee. So, at this juncture that is not a great concern.