At the beginning of this summer, I made up a bucket list, with “e-reader” written at the top. After going on two trips and lugging around heavy paperbacks and a laptop, I decided it was high time I invested in an eBook reader. With my mind set on Kindle, I worked overtime and saved some of my balloon money.
Alas, purchasing an e-reader or tablet is much more complicated than buying balloons. I started wanting other things, like something that took pictures and enabled me to check email. Although you can check your email on Kindle the virtual keyboard is tiny. For some time now, I’ve had a lot of issues with reading small print. So I started researching the tablet category — a LOT of research, with brands like Samsung. I’ve bought a telephone through Samsung, and that phone lasted me over six years.
One of my work buddies showed me her Samsung Galaxy Player. The photos she took with it were awesome, and in a Wi-Fi area, she can check and send email. The size of the keyboard was an issue with me though. It was too tiny. If I wanted to stay with Samsung, I had a choice between the 7 inch and 10.1 inch tablets. So I headed to Best Buy to check out these tablets. The 7 inch Galaxy called to me, much the same way the butterfly balloons do at the Giant. It was light as a balloon, and all of the apps were right there on the front screen, so I tried getting into Kindle. The keyboard came up, but again the letters were tiny. I tried punching in my password and kept hitting the wrong letters. Grrrrrr!
I moved onto the 10.1 inch display. This tablet was a bit heavier and pricier, but I had to admit, the keyboard was balloon-lady-readable. I so loved the smaller one I couldn’t make up my mind which one to get. So I took a democratic poll with my writer and work buddies, people who’ve seen me have my trouble reading small print. “Get the 10.1 inch one,” they told me. “Easier on your eyes.”
So I went online with Best Buy and ordered the 10.1 inch Samsung. I have to wait a week until they ship it from their warehouse. It will have the goodies I want. When it comes to my writing, it will never replace my laptop or desktop. But at a Starbucks, doctor’s office, and other places with Wi-Fi, the tablet will come in handy for checking my email and Facebook. And I can use it to photograph family gatherings and my balloons.
Do you have an eBook reader or tablet, or are you thinking about getting one? I’d like to hear about your experiences with them.
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