YLB must have water in the bathtub when she's reading...what is she thinking? Tell her Happy Birthday! Oh, I'll tell her myself.

Pretty cool! I went to your link and read about it. My only question is: is "The Fire Ant Gazette" one of the top 300 blogs that is on it?

is "The Fire Ant Gazette" one of the top 300 blogs that is on it?

I'm still negotiating with Bezos on that point. Or, I would be if he'd ever return my calls. Or, at least, acknowledge my existence.

I think she'll be very happy with the Kindle. I've heard so many good things about it.

I would get one myself, but as it is most of the books I read are about photography so it doesn't really work for me.

Yeah, the grayscale screen sort of puts a damper on its ability to be a photographer's best friend (unless, of course, you're Ansel Adams, but then you'd be dead, and that too is a major drawback ;-).

I'm still negotiating with Bezos on that point. Or, I would be if he'd ever return my calls. Or, at least, acknowledge my existence.

I'd suggest driving out to his ranch north of Van Horn the next time they're doing one of his test space launches (and if needed, you can bring the waterlogged Kindle with you and see if you can get a replacement).

I love my Kindle which I got for fathers day. I got it primarily because I travel so much and was tired of carrying books with me. So far I have downloaded a few books but have found the daily access to the newspaper (13 US) and a few magazines most convenient.

No reading in the bathtub for me but I do worry about the 3 foot drop from the sofa to the tile floor in my den.

...I do worry about the 3 foot drop from the sofa to the tile floor in my den.

Are you saying that you sometimes read through your eyelids? ;-)

please please do keep us updated on how she likes the kindle... i keep looking at them and then deciding to wait for the next version.

Supposedly they have been drop tested for that fall to your tile floor.

Supposedly they have been drop tested for that fall to your tile floor.

Lynellen, thanks for that reminder. In fact, Amazon has posted a drop test video on its Kindle web page.

I'll be curious to see how she likes it over the long haul - please do keep us posted. Cause...well...I'm sort of tempted, but they really haven't managed to, ahem, kindle my interest fully.

Beth, I'm in your camp. The whole concept of e-books hasn't captured my imagination at all. So I'll be interested in her reaction as well.

We did see a really cool little e-reader in a Sony store in Austin last year (it has the unimaginative name of Reader Digital Book); it looked much slicker than the Kindle. But having Amazon's backing and network was a big selling point for choosing the latter. Also, the WiFi capability of the Kindle is huge. The Sony model requires linking up to a computer, sort of like the iPod/iTunes relationship. And, finally, Amazon has several times more titles in its library than does Sony, although I don't know how they stack up when it comes to downloading free reading material from non-affiliated sites.

I'm sure the folks over at otterbox.com could get right on that waterproof case thing. They have a case for just about everything else.

What a great present---she gave you electronics for your birthday, and you gave her electronics. Say---she could sit on the back of bike and read out-loud while you steer :)

I look forward to the report. I would especially like to know how well it works in bed (because my tri-focals are worthless).

Ospurt, you may be right, but my wife has already agreed that she won't be getting anywhere near the tub with the Kindle.

Deborah, I'm afraid you're going to find that whatever issues you have with books you'll also have with the Kindle. However, you can resize the text on the e-book reader, so that might mitigate the trifocal issue. Personally, I can't stay awake long enough to do any serious reading in bed.

By the way, I received an email from a friend who said that she was getting great enjoyment out of Glove Box Stories. So...when's the next one going to show up? ;-)

I hope YLB enjoys her Kindle. It's not perfect, but I've enjoyed mine. It's nice to be sitting by a lake and get my morning WSJ on my Kindle, and it really is a space-saver.

It has its annoyances, most notably the ease with which I can go back or forward to the wrong page. Also, on mine, the battery cover tends to slide off too easily.

Along with Amazon's offerings, there a wealth of old classics available for free.

...most notably the ease with which I can go back or forward to the wrong page.

That's the first drawback I noticed: the "next page" bar on the right side is just too sensitive. It would be nice if Amazon could make the sensitivity adjustable, or even permit disabling the bar entirely. I didn't notice the same problem going backwards, but I didn't really get to play with it that long (for some reason, MLB thinks she ought to be the one who gets to use it!).

Didn't I read something about a hookup for libraries as well? The big drawback for me is that I'm a cheapskate. After an audit of my book spending by the CFO at home resulted in what else, another lost argument, I became a born-again library guy. So paying anything per title is a limitation of this cool new technology for me, even if I could persuade myself to spend the money on the reader.

Bret, it's probably difficult to justify a Kindle on a purely economic basis, unless you're in the habit of dropping $24.95 at Barnes & Noble for every new Dean Koontz or James Patterson novel that comes out. In that case, the payout is quicker than you might imagine.

I draw an emphatic line, however, at paying a monthly subscription to download blogs (not that I begrudge the bloggers' ability to generate some revenue for their work; I hope they're getting the lion's share of those subscription fees).

You should hear some of the stories we hear of things that happen to books lol. Weirdly (coming from a woman who is known for her technical gadgetry), I'd prefer to stick to the book but I hope she enjoys it and looking forward to hearing stories about it!