[Desertway]

My boss just received his first eReader, a Kindle 3. Since I'm the (supposedly) most techy employee I got to set it up, learn how to use it and give him a lesson (he's 85).

There is no doubt that it is the right reader for him. He needs the integrated eco-system. But, much to my surprise, I just didn't like it.

It weighs about 1/2 an ounce more than my Libre. In it's pretty leather case it weighs nearly twice as much. And it seems that most people do use it in a case, though I never would.

I found the menu navigation fussy, and the new 4-way pad is actually difficult for his manly fingers to use.

The screen: Yes, it is beautifully high contrast and completely without glare. But I don't like how much of the device real estate is NOT the screen. And I'm still bothered by the refresh delay, even though it is faster than the K2. On the Libre, by the time my eyes are back to the top of page, it's the NEXT page.

Battery: I charge my Libre about once a week. I don't travel. I can see why this would be an important factor for someone who does.

Of course the trade off is that we have to buy books on the PC and transfer them. But my To-Be-Read list is so long, and my public domain collection so large, I could transfer a whole lot of books at one time and not have to do it again for quite awhile.

What is comes down to is user experience. I just didn't enjoy using it.

Anyway, just my 2 pennies. Yesterday I was frustrated at missing out on a $139 dollar Kindle. Today I'm not.