The Kindle Touch – is this another nail in the coffin for books?

There are those who will never pick up one of these little marvels, and this is simply down to an overwhelming sense of tradition; i.e. they prefer the feel of a book and sometimes, rather bizarrely, the smell. However, if you are one of these people I would like to change your mind or if you are open minded, I would like to introduce you to one of the latest e-readers on the market – the Kindle Touch. Now, Amazon and the Kindle range has really revolutionised the way people read and approach literature, magazines and newspapers, so before we get into the Touch, let me tell you about some of the advantages of using any kindle device.

Advantages of any Amazon e-reader over the book – My Top 5

1. There is nothing more frustrating than walking around a bookshop for ages and not being able to find what you want. But, with the Kindle you no longer have to traipse around bookstores looking for a needle in a haystack, but you can now download a book in a matter of seconds. Not just books – you can also read a range of the latest newspapers and magazines on your Kindle – all you have to do is subscribe and the most recent edition will be sent to your Kindle. Even the books you have to pay for are a little cheaper than the standard book! All kindle books are just a simple search away and can be downloaded in under 60 seconds using a WI-FI connection.

2. The Amazon store also offers a range of FREE classic and modern books, meaning you don`t have to spend a single penny on some classic pieces of literature.

3. You can have you entire literature collection in ONE place, therefore enabling you to take your entire library anywhere in the world, rather than taking just the one book with you. Once you have purchased something on the kindle, this can be sent using Amazon`s whisper technology to up to 5 kindle software enabled devices ( such as a Kindle, iPad, iPod, iPhone, smartphone, pc, etc).

4. Unlike tablet screens or smartphone screens, the Kindle uses e-ink technology to cut out glare and this means you can read from the kindle in direct sunlight!

5. Kindles also have astonishingly long battery life; for example, the Kindle Touch can last for up to two months on a single charge – so there is no need to worry about losing power halfway through your favourite thriller.

The Touch £109/ Touch 3G £169

The Kindle Touch is light, compact and pretty stylish grey design. The E-Ink touchscreen display uses Amazon`s `EasyReach` touch technology which allocates segments of the screen to touch when you want to shift pages on or go back. This means that the Kindle can easily be held in one hand and controlled with a single finger. The E-Ink display is a fantastic technological marvel as its anti-glare finish and crispness makes for a reading experience which does not impact upon the eyes, unlike other back lit screens. Reading from an E-Ink screen is painless on the eyes and I even prefer it!

The Kindle Touch also has the ability to perform Amazon`s brand new `X-Ray` feature. According to Amazon, the `X-Ray` function allows users to explore the `bones of a book` by organising passages into ideas, ficitional characters, historical characters or whatever you so wish. The `X-Ray` function also pulls information from Wikipedia to give you a little more breadth of knowledge on a subject. Now, I love the concept of this idea, but any informative function which relies on elements of Wikipedia is a little flawed, because let`s face it, Wikipedia is hardly the most reliable source of information, is it?

I found the battery life to be utterly tremendous and after a good couple of weeks of usage, entailing an hour a day of reading, I noticed that the battery life was still well over 60%.

For an extra £60 you can upgrade to the Touch 3G. This particular Touch offers a subscribtion free worldwide access to 3G, therefore meaning that you can download books around the world even if you don`t have WIFI. This 3G is completely free and all you pay for to get it is the additional £60 in the RRP. Although, I didn`t get to try one of these Kindles, I have tried one of the original Kindles which came with 3G and I can easily say that the global freedom of the 3G is invaluable.

Some little niggles with Touch

• There is a slight issue with page turning, but only on occasions. The pages sometimes skip too far and too far forward with a single click – this can become a little frustrating and somewhat ruins the immersive reading experience.
• The position of the off button was a little annoying for me; just at the base of the kindle and on the outer rim, the button was too easily pressed when in use and often meant me turning it off by accident,

4.5/5 star – almost there, the Touch just needs to refine its touch screen accuracy.

To buy yours, please click here: www.amazon.co.uk