[SanAntone]

I received my Kindle today and I thought I'd share my thoughts for those of you waiting for your Kindle or trying to make a decision.

First, Amazon clearly took a page from Apple. The packaging was very clever. The box looked like a book and everything was clean and neat. What really was amazing to me, and it made me feel like the Kindle was mine right away, was that right after I turned it on it showed Michael's Kindle at the top of the screen and I had a letter from Jeff Bezos addressed to me waiting on the book. It must have come across as soon as I turned it on, but it was a clever and thoughtful way of helping someone gain ownership of a new product.

The Kindle looks a lot better in person than in the initial FCC pictures. The Amazon site does a good job of giving you a good look at what it really looks like.

The interface is where the Kindle shines. The Kindle store is fantastic and very quick to browse...much like Amazon (which it is). It is easy to find books by using the keyboard or looking up the Top 100. It even has recommendations for you once you start purchasing a few books.

Delivery is almost instant (less than a minute for a book). I've subscribed to several newspapers and blogs and the blogs are updated throughout the day.

The screen is obviously fantastic, much like the Sony 505. The slider wheel is what you use to navigate and it is really unique and clever looking. It has a shiny silver icon that changes size based on the item you are selecting. You do almost all of your navigating with this clever wheel.

There is a home button and a search button on the keyboard that will jump you to the most used pages (home and search). It is quick.

The most important part of any ebook reader is the experience while reading. You do disappear into this reader just as you would a book. The page turner is most of the right side (or part of the left side) and is very easy and intuitive to use. Easier than turning a page of a real book.

There have been lots of complaints about the look and ergonomics but I'll tell you that once you use it, you'll realize that the Kindle is highly functional and it really grows on you.

While I am enjoying reading a book on the Kindle, I really love the newspapers, magazines, and blogs. I've had other ebook readers before but I'll use this one probably 10x as much due to the other content that is updated regularly.

I really like the feature that you can try any blog, newspaper, or magazine for free for 14 days to see if you like it. It is also very easy to cancel your subscriptions on the Amazon account page.

Another great feature is downloading the first chapter of a new book. What a great way to avoid disappointment!

There are so many things to like about the Kindle. The only thing I don't like is it's cover. It's ok, but not great.