Semi-Charmed Life

iPad vs. Kindle

I've finally had a chance to take the Kindle for a figurative spin this weekend and was pleasantly surprised by how convenient it was to use. With the leatherbound cover, it has a really nice "book feel." It makes the device feel more substantial in my hand without adding any significant weight to it. The cover was definitely a factor in my overall experience. Here's a nice review from an Amazon customer:

Link

I have to hand it to the designers at Amazon. If nothing else, they listen to our comments and react.

The cover is fabulous. It's a piece of nice leather lined with quality padding and soft felt. It folds all the way back without any difficulty, making reading with one hand a breeze. The band helps to show which way the Kindle inside is facing, and keeps the reader from opening the cover the wrong way, which damaged many K2's. The corners are softly rounded, adding to the comfort and ease of use.

The patent-pending hinge is a work of genius. None of the Kindle is obstructed by bands or elastic straps. It securely locks the Kindle in place, leaving the whole device exposed.

I have to remark on the quality leather. Even my wife, who over-criticizes almost everyting, was very impressed with the fine-grade pebble-grain leather and actually had nice things to say after opening and inspecting it. If you knew my wife, you would know the value of this comment.

Unlike some other readers out there, Kindle makes available a custom-designed cover that works in concert with the device. I'm satisfied with the cover (and the Kindle3) and give it my highest recommendation.

I would say that's a pretty accurate assessment. I'd also add that with the cover, you can easily read this with one hand.

The actual device itself . . . well I've had my ups and downs so far. The only thing I'm really annoyed with right now is when I save a bookmark on my book, after I get out of it the bookmark doesn't save and instead brings me to another section of the book. I'm sure it must be a user error on my end but I know I'm saving the bookmark each time . . . what the hell am I doing wrong? The page refresh is little slow which detracts a little from the experience too.

I also found the user interface a little archaic and not user friendly, but maybe I just need more time with it. I'm sure a little bit of my distaste comes from the fact that I now have this Pandora's box of modern technology called an iPhone which is just an amazing experience. Touch screen interfaces are the shit.

So naturally, some people have asked me: So why didn't you get an iPad?

Well, despite the gripes I've had so far, reading from it really has been a pleasurable experience. I thought the 6" display would be too small but it's perfectly fine. "Turning" the page is intuitive with the option to turn the page from both the left and right side of the device. Very solid construction and design overall. The battery life is also incredible. You can go forever without charging. When was the last time this was the case with an Apple device?

It's an e-book reader, so of course it's going to excels at the one thing it's made to do.

When I talk to people about it, they always ask me if you can browse the internet with it? I believe you can with the higher models (which looks very shitty btw), but the first thing that popped into my head was: Why the hell do you want to browse the internet while reading? What kind of ADD do you have that you can't just sit and read a book for more than five minutes before you need to access the damn internet?

I know it's the best thing in the world to have internet access on your toasters and cameras and watches and just about everything you own, but sometimes it's just more of a distraction than anything.

I have no doubt the iPad is totally awesome as it is Steve Job's gift to the world, but for me it does not beat out an e-book reader to replace books. There is too much fun shit going on in that thing to make impossible for anybody to do any significant reading.

I know it's not a problem for everyone, but I can't stare at lcd displays for too long so that's where the e-ink is a plus. And of course, price is anothe hurdle. The lowest model starts at $499. I'm going to be so worried about thugs jacking my iPad on the subway or me possibly breaking the damn thing that it'll probably barely get to see the light of day.

So yea, I know this is not exactly a fair comparison because some people might call this a one-sided review, but give me $499 to invest in an iPad and I'll give it a shot as my go to e-reader.

Otherwise, the price and functionality of the Kindle fits the bill. I would have never gave it a shot if the price didn't drop to $139. If you're interested in cutting down on your growing book collection or want the ability to carry multiple books around, this is your most economical solution. This is obviously for people who are primarily looking to only read from it.

Now if only I could get people to stop asking me why I didn't buy an iPad.

I'd be more than happy to receive one for Christmas though =D

ING New York City Marathon

Congratulations to Andy Au for finishing the ING New York City marathon at a very respectable 3:35:02!

Going to the various locations to support Andy and cheer him on was more fun than I thought. It almost felt like a scavenger hunt or something. We projected Andy's arrival at the half-way point to be at noon or so using an estimate of 7:3omin/mile and sure enough, he reached the half-way point averaging just a little over 7min/mile. He still looked fresh and pumped at this point, which was a good sign.

After we saw him, we quickly raced to the second spot on 86th and 2nd ave but we were unable to find him. I'm pretty sure that had we waited around a little longer we would have seen him.

After our failed second attempt we made our way to Central Park at around the 24 mile marker. When we finally saw him, he was the complete opposite of how he was at the half-way point. Instead of enthusiastically running over to give us high fives he had a stank face on and barely acknowledged us with a weak fist pump of a hello. He told us later that at around the 18 mile marker, his body crapped out and he had to stop and stretch to recover, which hurt his time significantly.

All in all it was fun to go out and support Andy but I hope he does not run another one again. I'm not a fan of super long distance running like that but I guess that's because my goals are different (plus I think it's terrible on your body!).

PS - Read Hyperbole and a Half. It is all kinds of awesome.

My New Favorite Blog

Hyperbole and a Half

If you're bored at work or need a good laugh, check that blog out. I love her writing and her stories are just HILARIOUS.

“Kanye is a Fucking Genius”

One of the top comments: "KANYE IS A FUCKING GENIUS."

You know what. I think I might just have to agree. Hell of a teaser for his next album.

Following Your Dreams

From jigg's blog:

Now that I'm married, I guess I could say that I'm "all grown up," but still, I have no idea what I am absolutely passionate about--but no one tells you that it's okay. We live in a society where it's necessary to have dreams, but the truth is, I live a day at a time and I'm pretty happy. Going where life takes you is an adventure in itself. My goal is simply to live the happiest life possible and to always be forward, always to be better than I was yesterday.