I have had my Kindle Fire for a little over a year and I felt that enough time had passed that a review was in order.
Amazon Kindle Review
From the standpoint of an average reader, I’d have to say that the Kindle more than serves its purpose.
From the standpoint of a tech geek, the Kindle Fire is a little slow when compared to a powerhouse like the iPad.
When it comes to Survival, the Kindle has some major ups and downs.
The good:
Instant access to over 1 million books, and that number is continually growing.
100’s of books are available for free every day, and many sites are available that have daily updates on what books have been made free. My favorite one is freedigitalreads.com
The Kindle Fire is a tablet computer that offers reading as well as video and games that can provide entertainment for yourself as well as your children. This is a great thing to have in both disaster situations and long road trips.
Most books have a ‘Preview” feature that allows you to get a good look inside before you make a purchase.
Libraries are now offering free online rentals of books. This has saved me from having to spend a ton of money on books that end up not being that good.
Books are stored directly on the device as well as in the cloud. This lets you read even without an internet connection.
The Bad:
It is Wifi only which leaves you tethered to a wifi hotspot when you want to make a download.
The most obvious drawback to the Kindle for a survivalist is that when the battery runs out, you are cut off from accessing your library.
The Kindle is tough, but in a survival situation, you will have to take extra time to make sure that the tablet doesn’t get broken.
Using it for anything other than reading or watching videos will quickly show you just how watered-down a tablet is compared to the iPad.
The bottom line:
If you are an avid reader and want to have total access to an ever-increasing library of books, then you need a Kindle.
I realize that it is nowhere near the same as having an entire library filled with books that entertain you as well as improve your skills.
While it is true that you are out of luck when it runs out of juice, you can still use it during normal circumstances to increase your knowledge right up until the lights go out.
If you don’t care about apps and only want to use the Kindle for reading, the new “paperwhite” version of the Kindle takes a major leap in the right direction for survivalists. It boasts up to 8 weeks of battery life on a single charge.
It is becoming harder and harder to find an actual bookstore to browse and at any used bookstore you are never guaranteed that the book you want will be in stock. With the Kindle you can preview almost any book before you buy the digital version and most books also offer physical copies for purchase.
A Kindle won’t feed you or provide fresh water, but it will provide a wealth of information and entertainment that is instantly available at the push of a button, in a package that will fit in your back pocket.
What are your thoughts on digital books?
* Just to make a note, the Kindle software can be downloaded onto a PC/Mac and is also available as a free app for smartphones.
Want more? Check out other articles we have for you from our site:
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65 Survival Lessons from the Great Depression
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 21, 2013, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.