Kindle vs. iPad

Well, the showdown occurred here on our bucolic little farm, and I feel obligated to let you all know about it. I've written here glowingly about my ongoing love affair with my large-screen Kindle reader. I cannot even begin to tell you how much reading I've been able to do between meetings, on airplanes, cooling my heels in waiting rooms, etc. The NYT and WSJ download into it every day, and I have a number of books just electronically sitting there waiting for me.

The Kitten recently purchased an iPad. Some background is required here. I have not warmed up to the iPhone, though I am cognizant of its many charms. The plain truth is, i type a LOT of emails everyday on the run, and the iPhone touchscreen keyboard demands a dexterity that is simply beyond me. My Blackberry with actual keys suits my needs far better.

But since an iPad is simply a big iPhone (with even less utility), the whole keyboard thing is overcome. And I've been presented with a dilemma.

You see, I've crowed about my allegiance to the Kindle, largely from the perspective of "knowing myself"--that is, my Adult ADD, short attention span life. Because one can ONLY read on the Kindle, I am not tempted to check my email on it, get stock quotes on it, watch TV shows on it, or do anything else but READ. I have a laptop, I have a Blackberry--i have what I need to do those other functions--but the Kindle provides a superb reading experience--and nothing else.

Then the Kitten got the iPad. I gotta say, the thing is wicked cool. The reader function is great (page turning interface is awesome). It's reading screen is quite nice--in low light, it is superior to the Kindle's (which is not backlit), though I prefer the Kindle's in sufficient light). And yes--all those things I thought I would not like about the iPad and its impact on my reading--apply, but to a degree I only dreamed of before. It really is a fascinating little portal to the wonders of the world.

But--I don't think I'll get an iPad anytime soon. My Kindle is just fine, and what good conservative would throw over a perfectly fine thing doing exactly what it was designed to do? But when it comes time to replace it for whatever reason......I'll probably go with an iPad or some follow-on.

Prediction: "Found" I-Phone Story A Hoax

I smell's a rat here.

UPDATE: Based on CR's confusion, I am asserting that this is indeed an Apple iPhone prototype--the hoax is that it was "accidentally" left behind in a bar.