I don't ever want to own a Kindle, or any device like it. I am in love with the feel of a book, the smell of the paper, and the sight of a shelf full of my favorites, lined up like old friends waiting for me to visit again. An electronic device cannot EVER replace that, at least for me.
I can certainly see many uses for such a thing. A person who travels often or at length might want to use it to carry books along. A person who has a visual impairment might find the magnifier helpful. A person who lives in a very small apartment or who moves often might appreciate the space-saving properties. I can even, as a teacher, hesitantly say that it might be a way to hook the next generation of tech-addicted youth into reading.
HOWEVER, completely apart from my purist aesthetic objections, this article illustrates some of the more practical things wrong with this new technology.
- How can you determine whether or not the seller from whom you buy your e-Book actually has the right to sell it to you?
- What if a book's copyright has expired in one country, but not in the country where you live? What is the right thing to do?
- What if your Kindle breaks and you don't have your books backed up?
- How do you go about sharing books or selling old books? What about used books? No longer possible with Kindle.
- What if the seller, or some other organization (the government?) determines that you no longer have the right to possess the digital copy of the book you bought and paid for? Apparently, according to this article, it's as easy as the click of a mouse to delete any content that anyone thinks you don't have the right to. This is a very scary step toward censorship...Fahrenheit 451 anyone?
