I was originally resistant to even the idea of an eReader, and I thought the Kindle 1 looked a bit klunky. But when the K2 came out, I began to be a bit more interested. Weight was good, and I'd just spent a painful time reading an 800 page book. I was ready. I looked around and no Kindle in Canada (at the time), and the only model readily available was a Sony. But I knew that the Sony would not have the ease of use of the Kindle. What to do?
I was in the US for business at about that time, and an associate had a K2. She let me play with it for a half hour or so, and I was sold. Ordered my K2i via Amazon Prime and had it the next day. (I keep a US mailbox for things that are a nuisance to get in Canada, since business takes me down there fairly often.)
My wife was totally resistant until the K3 came out because the contrast on the K2 was a bit low for her vision. I got her a K3 WiFi and she now hates to have to read a DT book. I upgraded to the K3 3G in white and we gifted the K2i to a friend's son who is an avid reader.
Compelling reasons for me were form-factor, weight, eInk, and the Kindle store. I can (and do) order for other sources, including the library, now that Calibre and Apprentice Alf have made it so easy to do. But that initial decision was definitely influenced by the desire to go with the very large Kindle store. If I was going to be tied to one store for direct purchases, then Amazon was clearly the choice.
One factor I now use quite a bit is browsing and email over the 3G network. I don't have a data plan on my phone when I'm in the US, and being able to quickly check my email via the Kindle has turned out to be a real bonus.
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