Took my Kindle out in public for the first time today

[CRoss]

I took a mental health day from work and went out to lunch and saw "Watchmen" all by myself. Heaven, especially since the last time I ate a meal in peace was well before the little guy was born.

Anyway, not ten minutes into my meal, a guy at the next table turned around, saw my Kindle, and said "Oh, COOL" and proceeded to grill me about it. What was it, how did it work, where did I buy my books, how long did it hold a charge, etc... He was very impressed and told me he was going to start researching e-readers for himself as soon as he got home that night.

No real point to this post except to say that it was a lot of fun getting to show off my new toy to someone who really appreciated it.

[BookishDreamer]

Sounds like you and your Kindle had a very nice day together.

Yup, if you plan to read in public very often, you'll get used to the curious people. I've lost count of how many people have asked about my Sony 505.

Dreamer

[daffy4u]

Get used to it!

[lilac_jive]

I enjoy showing off my device and seeing people's eyes light up when they see it.

[slayda]

Usually the question I most often get asked is, "Oh, is that one of those Kindle things?" Until this Tuesday just passed, it wasn't. It was usually either my Cybook or My EZ Reader. It'll still more likely be my EZ Reader which is my favorite now that i have the OpenInkPot firmware on it. My Kindle 1, though, is ideal for the final proof read of scanned pbooks since I can highlight the line where OCR errors are for easy correction back on my computer. My EZ Reader willonly allow me to bookmark the page and I've had to hunt the error so I had used my Palm TX for the final proof. It's nice and when I was working, it was always with me. However the pages are small and now that I'm retired I don't usually carry it with me.

[Elsi]

My Kindle accompanies me to lunch or dinner several times a week. At my usual, local restaurants, the wait staff has become accustomed to me bringing it and will comment if I've got a paper book instead of the Kindle.

[TheMadBrewer]

I am a gadget guy. I have to say I've gotten more questions from people with the K2 then I have any other gadget I've bought. (Though I wasn't an early adopter of the iPhone due to contract considerations). They have ranged from "little old ladies", "sufer dudes", "nerdy looking high school guys" and even the "sweet young things" waitress at the diner where I had lunch yesterday. Nobody asked the price, though

[NavyDad6]

I arrived early to a meeting at work today and was passing the time reading my K2. By the time the meeting started, I had a group around me looking and asking questions. I never did get to actually read very much.

[rcuadro]

I get that all the time when I take mine out... people thing is it the neatest thing until I tell them how much I paid for it.

[GraceKrispy]

cool! I chat with a bunch of people I've met online and I have managed to convince more than a few that they need ereaders! Only a few people in person have even noticed I'm reading in public. Way to spread the world (and enjoy a day with a nice meal and a movie!! I'm way jealous of that, since I can't remember the last time I did that...)

[sirbruce]

My nurse was fascinated by it as was my landlord. At first they both thought it was a PDA of some sort. While I think the Kindle is great as an ebook reader (and they were enthusiastic about the idea of ebooks), I also think that what's really attracting looks from people is the large screen and form factor of the device. I've seen similar reactions with tablet PCs. So I think the PDA folks should take notice of this and consider making something larger like a Kindle, not smaller like a cell phone or blackberry (which get almost no notice these days).

[krisk]

Let's see if I can manage to not get the bashing I got the last time I skirted this subject. My manicurist and her employees are fascinated with my Kindle. Right now they rely on a very limited supply of Vietnamese books available here in the States. They have asked me if there are Vietnamese resources for e-readers. I've given them this website to keep track of and promised to continue to look at other sites for them.

[brn_eyed_girl81]

I wanted a Kindle when they came out, but I wasn't officially obsessed until the dad of a patient was showing it off to us. Then I was hooked. Now I like to show mine off too - kind of paying it forward I guess. I get lots of questions at the gym - my Kindle fits perfectly on the rack of the Arc Trainer.

[Sydney's Mom]

It is amazing who you can meet when you are out in public knitting, or reading an ereader. There are a bunch of people on my train who talk very loudly and inappropriately in the morning. The other day, I was standing near them, reading, and stopped to make a phone call. When I finished, one of the guys, dressed more casually than most, asked if he could ask some questions before I went back to reading. He turned out to be very nice, and quite a reader, and admitted he had a book in his backpack, but didn't feel like reading that particular book at the moment, and felt bad about the time he was wasting.

And I'm sure what I was reading was trash compared to what he was reading!

Can't judge a book by its cover.

[shima]

I love flying for work, pulling out my Kindle and then getting to show it off and get the other frequent fliers (and reading lovers) to want one