Monday, July 19, 2010

Yeah, I Read That on my Phone

Tip of the Day: Check out the new home of MigWriters, my middle grade critique group, and see me as a cartoon!

So I'm stuck in one of those horrible, noisy bounce houses where apparently every kid in town has to hold his seventh birthday party, waiting for my son. I can't chat with Birthday Boy's Mom because she's chasing her even-younger kids around, and I don't know any of the other parents. But I have my new Android phone with me, so I decide to download the Kindle app and check it out.

Wow! Just wow.

Reading was easy. The print didn't seem any smaller than this, but I could change the font size if I liked. The pages were crisp and clear, turning pages was intuitive and natural, and the bookmark feature was great for my son's interruptions for bounce-related boo-boos. Amazon had a large selection ready for the Droid phone, too, and very reasonably priced. For my trial run, I bought a P.G. Wodehouse short story collection for $2. Best two dollars I ever spent. The average book price for a "modern" book ran from about seven to 13 dollars.

Not every book I would want to read was Droid ready, but I think it will become more common. In fact, Barnes and Noble sent me an email today that the B&N download for the Droid is "coming soon!"

I wouldn't sit at home and read my Droid instead of an actual book, but the next time I'm stuck in a bounce house or somewhere similar, believe me, I'll be ready to buy a download.

-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

3 comments:

Andrea Mack said...

Kate, I could see myself doing that. Sometimes I'm annoyed with myself for not bringing a book when I ended up waiting someplace. But a phone's easier to tuck in your purse.

Michelle McLean said...

ooo I just got a Droid phone - I didn't know I I could that! Swim lessons will be so much more fun now! :D

DeenaML said...

I ALWAYS carry a book with me, but at the same time walking into the bounce house with one could get some dirty looks from other parents who think you're not gonna be watching your kid or something. Which we know you are -- you just need a distraction from the screaming until the screaming is your kid. :)

Oh, and your cartoon Kate at MiG is adorable! It really is you! Who did those drawings?