What’s the verdict? Well I can tell you this, nothing annoys me more than reading reviews of products that have only been used for a day or two. Personally, I’d love to see a website that carries product reviews of items that have been used for at least 31 days. I mean really, what do you know of stability or usability when you’re still in the new-gadget-honeymoon phase? You are all too likely to be blinded by the joys of a new toy than see product limitations. It can take time to notice what is NOT in a product.

So, what am I writing about then? Well for starters, aside from my limited user experience, this device is just simply impressive! I have been reading for months that many websites are more pleasant to read on the iPhone than on the PC and I figured those people were simply insane. A small screen versus a PC (or Mac) with a full keyboard, and people prefer that? By the way, no offense if you are one of those people – I probably admire you and am jealous of your iPhone.

This morning though, I began to understand. I had a morning like Corvida described in one of her recent blog updates, and was almost beside myself. In just a few minutes I caught up on my Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, checked the weather, and read the headline news on USA Today – all from my iPod Touch. And, all before I climbed out of bed. Browsing on the Touch (or iPhone) is actually pleasant! Do I access those items on my Curve? Hell No! Facebook, sure, sometimes, but it’s barely functional. Twitter is decent on TinyTwitter but there is simply no comparison. This REALLY makes me want an all-in-one device and hunger for the iPhone, but, will I switch?

The BlackBerry still rules the road when it comes to productivity, and typing, let’s not forget typing! Have you TRIED to type on an iPhone? I keep reaching for a stylus since my fingers seem way too fat for the tiny keyboard, yet I have no trouble at all with tactile keys half their size on the Curve. What about Copy and Paste? I use that all the time on my Curve and it is not natively available in the iPhone. In order to get Copy and Paste I will have to Jailbreak the Touch (there are 3rd party applications available to make this “kind of” work) and I can’t even do that yet since there was a recent firmware update the other day and there is not yet a new hack for the updated firmware.

Bottom line? The iPod Touch has an amazing interface, and it is a beautiful browsing device (and of course music too, it is an iPod after all) but I’m on the fence as to what my next cell phone will be. Then again, it appears though a new iPhone will be out soon, so maybe some of these issues will be better in the next version?

Maybe I’ll ditch the BlackBerry, AND the iPhone and just go for the Palm Pre…

If you are not familiar with the Kindle, it is an electronic reading device, but it has a special e-ink screen that make your eyes feel like they are reading from paper, not a lit screen. My BlackBerry makes a decent reading platform, but not a GREAT one. I enjoy reading in short spurts on it (as mentioned previously, I am seriously addicted to Viigo) – but the backlit screen is just not comfortable for extended periods of reading.

Moving toward a digital library is becoming easier as time goes by, as every day more and more books are being released in the digital format. Most Classics are free, and there is a large selection of ebooks available in a variety of formats. Although Kindle Books (purchased through Amazon) are tied to a single Amazon account, more than one device can be managed by an account to allow content sharing. This isn’t a perfect situation, as sharing only applies to books, not subscriptions such as blogs, magazines, or newspapers – and “Amazon Recommendations” will no longer be geared toward YOUR reading preferences. The slight problems aside, I am absolutely adoring my new Kindle, and I can say in earnest it really is as cool as everyone says it is. Reading on the Kindle feels equivalent to reading newsprint but ink smudges are a thing of the past.
If you are looking to add ebooks to your digital collection, here are a few links to get you started:

• http://www.freekindlebooks.org/
• http://manybooks.net/ or http://mnybks.net
• http://www.feedbooks.com/

Happy Reading!
Image credits: Kindle by John Pastor, Books by Manu M

My personal favorite feeds to read on the go are: BerryReview.com, BlackBerry Cool, Cool Tools, MakeUseOf, and Mashable. I probably subscribe to at least 50 feeds, but I’d never admit to it!

To get a copy of Viigo, just go to http://getviigo.com/ or http://getviigo.com/beta from your mobile browser.

Viigo is my #1 most used application on my BlackBerry Curve. What is your favorite BlackBerry application?

Photo by ntr23