Consequently, I don't spend a lot of money on, well, just shopping. Just going out and buying myself stuff. But about once a year (give or take a few months) I go on a little binge. I'll find something (or some things) that I really want, and I'll just splurge and get them.
That was this week.
First I got this cool-ass little hat.
I love this hat. It's just ... cool.
Then I got this awesome bag.
I've been seeing this in the What On Earth catalog for a long time now (a couple years?) and kept thinking, "I'd really like to get that." Well, I did. (That's where the hat came from too)
But the big surprise purchase was this!!
It's a Sony PRS505 e-book reader. Yeah! (Sorry for the blurry picture, I didn't want to use the flash, but it was really kind of dark when I took the picture).
Okay, here's the deal. Ever since Amazon came out with the Kindle, I've been wanting an e-book reader. (I spend a lot of time at Amazon, especially during the holidays, so I saw that thing splashed all over their main page every time I went there). And I do tend to be a little tech-geeky at times, wanting the latest cool little elecronic gadgets. But I usually don't indulge my whims and get them, as most of the time I can't justify the expense. So I kept thinking, eh - an e-book reader - I don't know. Do I really need this? So I'd wait.
Then the Kindle 2 came out, and I thought some more about it.
Then I decided to read War and Peace. I've always wanted to read some of the 'classics of literature,' and this year just seemed like a good time. So I went and got War and Peace at the library. Then I realized there was no way I was going to get through that book before I'd exhausted all my renewals. So I was considering buying it - but after the disaster of (a) getting rid of hundreds and hundreds of books over the last year, and (b) still having a freaking nightmare moving what I kept, I've been more and more wary of buying new books.
Not to mention the fact that the 5 lb. War and Peace (hardcover) was getting to be a pain in the butt to lug around.
I decided to revisit e-book readers. Not just for W&P, but knowing that there were tons of other books I want to read, and thinking how cool it would be to have dozens of books at my fingertips any time I wanted (oh, the joy when packing for a trip - not having to lug half a suitcase of books with me).
I went and did a ton of research. I rejected the Kindle 2 after all, and settled on the Sony PRS505. And I am sooo glad I did! The thing is amazing! It's perfect! I love, love, love it.
They use this new technology called "eInk" which - well, basically, replicates a printed page. Why, you ask? Well, I for one (and many others, from what I've read online) can have problems reading for long periods of time on traditional LCD or backlit screens. The eInk page actually, truly looks like a regular book page. In fact, after reading for a few pages, I noticed that it began to look more and more like someone took a regular page out of a book, and slipped it into a little frame with a window in it to view the page through. It's incredibly easy to read. There is no glare and no difficulty in different lights - I can read it as well in bright daylight as I can indoors with subdued lighting. Amazing!
And that's in addition to the utter coolness of being able to download thousands of free e-books! Oh yeah, there are plenty you can buy too - but the types of books I most want to read are generally out of copyright, and so available free. Just having all those books at my fingertips, without having to buy hard copies, store them, and worry about how to get rid of them if I ever decide I don't want them again.
(okay, yeah, there's the library - but that still involves lugging around physical copies, and worrying about returns and renewals)
So anyway, I am totally loving the "Sony Blue", it's like my favorite possession at the moment, and I don't know how I lived without it. Oh - and the bonus, I got a crazy good deal on it. Check this out: the Kindle 2 sells for about $350, which I was considering. The Sony's list price is $299, but I saw it on Amazon for $269. But just about the time I decided to get it, Borders sent out a very limited time coupon to us 'Borders Rewards' members to get the Sony 505 for $199.
How serendipitous is that? And if you're interested, I heard that the coupon is available on their website, and you don't have to be a Borders Rewards member to use it ... but it's only good till June 14.
So yeah - I blew some cash this week, but I got some awesome cool stuff. And that was my annual splurge.
And if you're considering an e-book reader, (a) DO IT; and (b) seriously consider the Sony PRS505 - I did a ton of research, and it does indeed rock. It's not the latest model - there's a PRS700 - but after comparing the two and reading tons of reader reviews, I - like a lot of other people - decided the slightly older 505 was better than the 'new improved' 700, on which their improvements actually screwed up several things, most notably the non-glare clarity of the screen. They still support the 505, so it's not on the verge of becoming obsolete or anything like that. And I definitely think it was the better option.
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