The iPhone and Kindle

I may or may not have mentioned it before but when it comes to new technology I’m a slow adopter.  It’s not because I don’t want some of the latest and greatest gadgets.  I spent many years working in the Help Desk industry and have seen too many cases of where getting the latest and greatest also came with frustration.  Not a lot works with it or doesn’t work the way it should.  And because it’s new there aren’t many people around you can ask questions.

But I am slightly salivating over an iPhone.  My husband bought one after his Palm Treo died.  Oh, he lets me play the games but the thing that caught my attention was the free Kindle app that can be downloaded for the iPhone.  I wouldn’t be limited to just .pdf files for my ebooks.  It would be a trade-off.  As I understand it, there isn’t an Adobe Acrobat Reader for the iPhone.  But Adobe has one in the works.  So it’s only a matter of time before it’s available.

In the meantime, I may just keep using my Palm TX and pay as you go cell phone.  Otherwise I’d have both my Palm and my iPhone to keep on me.  I’m on the fence about it; I’m glad I don’t have to make a decision this minute.  As a reader it’s great to have some choices in how I read my ebooks.

As a writer, I don’t think ebooks will ever completely replace a print version.  But it’s interesting to see how it changes the way authors handle their marketing and try to increase sales. 

J.A. Konrath, known for the Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels series, has posted some interesting numbers regarding his Kindle sales.  Visit his blog to see the JA Konrath Kindle sales numbers from April until June 11th.  His candor is refreshing.