Remember when everyone had a Kindle ? If you were traveling, you would see people in hotels and motels sitting in the lobby reading their Kindle. On beaches, paperbacks were replaced by those little gray devices that someone had received for their birthday or Christmas. It was all the rage. However, when we stopped going south for the Winter, my Kindle was relegated to a desk drawer. Last week, I recharged it for a trip to my granddaughter’s wedding. Stuck it in my suitcase, and sailed through TSA at the Indy airport. But on the return trip from Atlanta, I was stopped by airport security and told my bag would have to be opened. Did they think an octogenarian in a wheelchair was carrying something dangerous? Turns out, Granny’s Kindle alarms Atlanta TSA.
Whew. They didn’t inspect my Kindle for suspicious reading material. Actually, I didn’t even have to remove my sandals. But I learned my lesson. Should have put my Kindle device in the tray along with my cell phone. Then I would have avoided the embarrassment of exposing the contents of my sloppily packed suitcase.
Here’s what’s happed to the Kindle: It’s gone out of style. When launched ten years ago, it seemed miraculous. You could carry hundreds of stories in that little slip of thick, black plastic. And it was pricy, at $399. In 2014, 32% of adults used a Kindle or Nook for reading e books. Currently, only 19% own an e reader. Why? Because they’re considered clunky compared to reading an e book on your I phone.
Yes, I could spend hours gripping my slippery cell phone and squinting to read a 435 page novel. But I’d much rather relax with my trusty Kindle that I can prop on my knees during a plane ride When you have arthritic fingers, bigger is definitely better. And reading a Kindle is much easier on the eyes. Amazon uses eInk technology on Kindle. This means that the screens reflect light in the same way that paper does, so that your eyes won’t get tired when reading like they do when looking at an iPhone.
At home, I prefer reading real books. I like turning pages, and the feel of a hardcover in my hands. Not sure if or when I’ll be getting on another airplane. But you never know what’s going to come up. So, I’ll store my Kindle in a drawer, available if needed. . However, since Granny’s Kindle alarms Atlanta TSA, I’ll throw it on the conveyor belt in plain sight if I ever fly again.
