Rush to Judgement

Amazon just announced a brand new reader called Kindle. Click the link to see a short video explaining it's features. Over the past 24 hours I've been reading countless reviews of the new device.

Let me save you some time. Depending upon who's review you're reading, it's either "been there, done that" or the "next big thing".

One thing is certain. We're in a rush to judgement. And that's a mistake. Books and magazines have been around for hundreds of years. With all their drawbacks (weight, storage, environmental impact, lack of search, time to purchase) we're used to them. We know how they work. They're part of our everyday lives. They're familiar.

And it's for these reasons we should wait several weeks before reading any meaningful reviews. If there's one thing for certain, many people resist change - until they've tried it or been exposed to it for a period of time. And we're suffering from a lack of experience with the product.

On the face of it, Kindle offers the advantages of (virtually) instant delivery of your reading material, be they newspapers, magazines, blogs or books. It's lightweight and doesn't take up much space. It has a battery that enables it to last a long time.

It's biggest disadvantage? It's new.

Another disadvantage? It has hit the market after the iPhone. Now iPhone customers are suggesting that their phones would also be a good place to read books. While I understand the desire to consolidate a book reader into the iPhone (after all it already has a browser), I'm not sure how well it would work as a book reader. Smaller screen, shorter battery life etc.

So my advice? Keep an open mind and judge slowly.

Start reading the reviews mid December after early adopters have gained the wisdom of having actually used the product!