Shiny happy Apple fans holding hands

So, although I shy away from conformity, I allow myself to indulge in a few hysterical trends.

Gossip Girl
Jersey Shore
anything Apple.

I've been an evangelical Mac convert for going on 2 years. Mostly, I made the change because I wanted a laptop, and always seem to be catching a godamned virus. Maybe it's because I open up all those solicitations for penis pumps. I don't know.
I digress.

Through working in publishing, I've had both a Sony E-reader and now a Kindle, which I'm glassy eyed over. Most of what I read, I don't have to pay for, which is a luxury most people don't have. There's really no point in measuring how much greater the kindle reading experience is versus the e-reader. Amazon designed a great product, that feels very natural in your hands. My favorite feature is the digital dictionary, and note taking feature. Oh also, you can freaking e-mail yourself documents to your kindle in any format. That coupled with $9.99 books and a plethora of free public domain books (mostly classics I've been meaning to read) adds up to one satisfying device.

Ok, now that the I-Pad has debuted, the gloves come off between Amazon and Apple. Company similarities? Both are super customer-centric. The great difference lies in Apple's commitment to make equally sleek and user-friendly products. Since Amazon is an e-commerce company, they obviously don't have practice manufacturing devices outside the kindle. Unless Amazon gives it a stunning facelift, I think people are going to snuggle right up to the i-pad. Look at what a great viewing experience the ITunes store provides - besides being filled with a great selection, the layout makes you want to stay there and keep browsing.

This is where Amazon needs to make a change, like now. The browsing experience on the kindle sucks. Mostly, you are limited to NYT bestsellers, and "new and notables," which includes a random assortment of sci-fi/romancs, free classics, and the occasional nice find. Amazon allows you to buy books or send a free excerpt directly to your kindle from your computer. I find myself doing that rather than searching directly on the device. Now that's a major problem, and a weakness that Apple will easily take advantage of. When you connect to ITunes through a i-phone or i-pod touch, it is apparent that it was carefully designed with the browsing customer in mind.

Though I'm as warm and gooey as the next girl for the IPad, I'm sticking to my kindle for now. Yes, partially because I just bought it in January. Mostly, a dedicated e-reader is my general preference. I'm very easily distracted, so if I had the option to hop around from my book to e-mail, facebook, and twitter - I'd never finish a page. But you better believe I'm going to find out who the first person in my office is to buy one, and beg them to let me play with the I-Pad. Because this is an i-pod on steroids, and that's way cool.