gdgt

So here is the deal... I have a wife who loves to read. She isn't much of a techie but also isn't afraid of electronics. I'd love to get her a Kindle 2 for Christmas but she doesn't seem interested.

Will a person that loves hardback books enjoy the Kindle form factor?

I really haven't been exposed to the Kindle (I'm not really a reader) but everything I have read (ok, I read on my PC) online is so freaking positive.

I just don't want to disappoint her with a gift that's not really something she would end up being happy with.

What do you think?

Some people have a very strong love for good ol' hard & softcover books.

I love my Kindle, but I have several friends who look at it in disgust. Statements of "You could've bought so many more books with the money you spent on it!" and "Don't you love the joy of having a book on your shelf after you're finished?" come up.

I myself (being a member of gdgt) have embraced technology to the fullest and accepted that eventually everything will be digital. There are still the majority (I think) that don't see the need and truly do not want to do so. I really feel that there are several sacrifices with Kindle. You can't share books, the book you want isn't always available and you really don't get the satisfaction of having a physical book with you. It's something that I do miss, but live with.

Since getting the Kindle I read more, different titles and I love having as many books with me as I desire. That being said, it's definitely not for everyone. She may love it, but she definitely won't hate it. One thing is that there is a 30 day return guarantee, but the problem is that you're getting it for Christmas. Why not buy about 2 weeks before Christmas and then you'll still have 2 weeks afters to return it if she's in absolute disgust with it? If that's not possible, I suppose this is one gamble you'll have to bet your senses on!

Best of luck - and I'm pretty sure she's not going to hate you no matter what!

If she doesn't seem keen then don't bother! Save your money and buy her a normal book and use the savings to get yourself something nice ;-)

why would you buy her something she doesn't want?
The kindle isn't even backlit - it's junk.
get her a little laptop instead. Then she can surf the internet in bed...

My husband did this for me for my birthday: bought me a Kindle even though I hadn't shown any interest in it. I love books. I like the feel of paper and the heft of a book in my hands. That said, the Kindle is great is some scenarios. I use it extensively in these situations.

Travelling is a big one: I used to travel with more books than clothes (literally: my suitcase would be filled with mostly books). I save myself that weight (and probably save jet fuel to boot!) by using my Kindle, complete with reference books and entertainment.

Another situation is when taking notes is needed: you can highlight parts of the books and annotate the section, saving your notes for later.

One of the features I just love is the dictionary feature. Hovering over words brings up the definition, which can then be annotated (again).

There's also a feature-light web browser, which is sometimes good.

In all, despite being (and remaining) an avid book lover, I'm really glad I have the Kindle. If you're enthusiastic about the Kindle, worst comes to worse, you can use it instead! My husband has to fight me for mine.

Ars Technica has a nice article about ebooks. Although it doesn't answer your question, it might help you make the right decision: arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/02/the-once-and-future
-e-book.ars

With contribution from Kitt above, I think you should go for it. My experience tells me you should also offer her something inexpensive you know she will like, so that her initial disappointment for getting the Kindle is softened :) and she can test it without too much prejudice.

BTW, is the Kindle your only choice? Have you considered Sony's reader PRS-600 with touch screen? A touch screen is soo fun to use :)

Anyway, good luck :)

Wow. Thanks everyone for the advice. I still have time to decide ultimately what I want to do. This is my first topic started in gdgt and I'm floored by all the helpful insight.

Thanks everyone!

Just an update. I've decided I'm going to buy one for her. I'm following Love's advice and trying to order it as late as possible to still get it in time for Christmas and have time to return it if she doesn't like it. I'm not really expecting her to dislike it to be honest. I have a feeling she's really going to like it.

I'll let you know what she thinks.

Ok, so I started this thread pre-Christmas and though I would just let everyone know how it went.

My wife is not really a techie but isn't afraid of it at the same time. She loves to read and expressed no interest in a Kindle.

I love technology but I'm not a reader. Everyone that loves to read and has a Kindle has seemed to REALLY like it. Knowing that, I decide to buy her one for Christmas.

On Christmas, the reveal went about as expected. I think she was curious enough about the device to give it a go but really didn't expect much. I explained she had a couple weeks to try it out and that if she really didn't like it, we could return it.

The first couple days were busy with Christmas and she really didn't get much time to play with it. Finally the time comes to play with it and she gains a little interest. Reading a book on it is easier than she thought and much more comfortable. At this point she seems to like it but really still doesn't know if it is worth the extra money.

My wife's next experience with the Kindle was in bed. Should I be jealous? :) I actually think this is what won her over. Apparently it's VERY comfortable to read with the Kindle in bed; more so than a book apparently because you have to worry about holding it open. Who knew? The Kindle is good in bed.

At this point I knew I had her. She was downloading books (both free and paid) and working on getting content on the device. All I needed now was for her to admit that she actually liked it. In less than a week she fessed up that she indeed did love her Kindle. It's not going back.

While I'm sure she's still going to read the existing unread books she has, any new book surely will be digital. It's the only thing she's used to read since Christmas.

Your mileage may vary, but this woman (my wife) who at one time saw no need for a Kindle now apparently loves it.