The Kindle eBook Reader from Amazon is great for RVers.  I appreciate the ability to have hundreds of books and magazines in our motor home without taking up more space than a single book.

Books are usually delivered to the Kindle wirelessly in about a minute and cost less than $10 bucks, sometimes free.

Did you know that you can put your own content on your Kindle?  It’s easy.  You can load PDF documents from your computer to the Kindle using the USB cable.  You can even use email to send documents to the Kindle.

Every Kindle has its own email address.  Just attach a file to an email to your Kindle address and Amazon will take care of getting it to your Kindle.  That will cost a whopping fifteen cents.  How Geeky is that?

This really came in handy recently when I had some problems with my generator.  I didn’t have the specs for my unit.  I found the manual on the web and downloaded it to my computer.   No big deal.  Now, I needed that information outside by the sick generator.  I could take the computer out there, but that would be inconvenient.  I could print out the manual, but then I would have papers to store.  Not very green.  So I sent a copy to my Kindle.  Now I have the manual in an easy to read, convenient device.

TIP: To keep it clean, I put it in a Ziploc plastic bag.

The Geeks On Tour have a Picasa For Beginners book.  We offer it in eBook form, too.  Transferring it to the Kindle makes it much more convenient to read.   Now, if would just play the videos…

There are other eBook readers beside the Kindles out there.  The iPhone has an app for that.  Sony makes several models.  Barnes & Noble has the new “Nook”.  Hanlon, Iriver, Bookeen and others make devices to read eBooks.  Some have proprietary file formats, but most will work with PDF files.  Screen sizes vary.  Some offer text-to-speech, it will read the book to you.  Other phones will have readers available, too.

I think it all comes down to screen size and portability.  Reading a book on a computer monitor is not always convenient, like sitting on the john or reading in bed.  Phone displays are too small.  The Kindle is just right for me.  Check it out at Amazon.

Related posts:

1. Technology Top 5 for 2009
2. Email Choices on the Road
3. Ten Rules for Email ‘Netiquette’
4. Using Gmail for All your Mail
5. Why we like Gmail for Travelers