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The decision whether to forego paper-and-ink in favour of an Amazon Kindle will be influenced greatly by how you'll be using it. Will you be reading at home or using your Kindle for travel? The arguments in favour of getting a Kindle are much stronger if you'll use it abroad.

You can buy the Amazon Kindle here: Buy an Amazon Kindle

What is the Amazon Kindle?

Most people see my Kindle and say "Is that an iPad?", confusing it with Apple's tablet computer.

The Kindle is a similar size, but it's specifically for reading. It's not a jack of all trades like the iPad - it doesn't do fancy graphics, there's no video, its sound capabilities are limited. It just does what it sets out to do - it allows you to read. Read books, read newspapers, read magazines. And with its international free internet access, read text-based websites wherever you are in the world.

Kindle Compared with Paper-and-Ink Books and Magazines

• Advantages
• The Kindle is thinner than most books and smaller and lighter in general than many.
• Once you have paid for the Kindle, the books are cheaper than their physical counterparts (especially when abroad). Amazon will send you the first chapter for free.
• Kindle books are delivered instantly.
• The e-ink technology makes reading the page as easy as reading a normal book.
• The font size can be changed - great for the the visually impaired.
• The Kindle is easier to hold and 'turn pages' one-handed. Great for reading while eating, on a crowded bus or in other situations where a normal book would be impractical.

• Disadvantages
• Books don't run out of batteries (though the Kindle will last up to two weeks on a single charge, if the internet is switched off).
• The beauty of opening a fresh new paper-and-ink book for the first time is lost. However, once you're absorbed in a book, surely the physical properties of what you're holding are lost as your imagination takes over?
• You'll be more upset if you drop your Kindle in the bath than if you drop a book. However, the Kindle is more splash-proof than most books.

You can buy the Amazon Kindle here: Buy an Amazon Kindle

Kindle for Travel - Free Internet Worldwide!

The Kindle's internet browser is not its most touted feature - it is officially in experimental mode and so Amazon doesn't make a song and dance about it. But if you want to use your Kindle for travel, it is one if the device's best features.

The Kindle's internet facility is:

• Free.
• International (over 100 countries).
• Unlimited.

No, you can't view YouTube videos. There's no chat. Pictures of pretty girls won't look so pretty on its black and white screen. But what it does allow you is access your emails, your Facebook page, your favorite news sites, About.com(!) all for free, wherever you are in the world (well, with some exceptions). No more looking for internet cafes or free wifi hotspots in Spain.
The connection is slow, so you can only use the 'mobile' version of sites. Some sites work better than others. I've found that About.com works brilliantly. So there's no need to buy a whole load of guidebooks when there's the huge About.com Travel at your fingertips wherever you go!

And I'd say that the lack of multimedia is a good thing thing, as you won't be distracted by the black hole that is the internet while you're on vacation.

Kindle for Travel - Reading Books

Now onto the Kindle's main function - for reading books. The Kindle offers almost instantaneous delivery from the Amazon store, wherever you are in the world. The strengths, especially for travelers, is that:

• Books are delivered instantly (within 60 seconds)
• Kindle books are cheaper than in your local bookstore and much cheaper than in English language bookstores abroad.
• The free internet means you can shop for books anywhere in the world. Missed your train and got a three-hour wait until the next train? Go onto the Kindle store and get yourself a book to pass the time.

Even if you can't give up your old-fashioned paperbacks for curling up on sofa with, the practicality of using the Kindle while traveling makes it a clear winner over books made from old trees when it comes to going abroad.

There are also plenty of travel guides for Spain and other countries on the Kindle store.

Disadvantage of the Kindle for Reading Books

The main drawback of the Kindle's books is that while the Kindle store is well stocked, it isn't perfect. Classic books from the early 20th century and even further back are copyright free and so are being uploaded by volunteers, while books in the digital age are uploaded directly from the manuscripts. But books between those periods don't exist in digital form. Particularly frustrating is that I've been unable to find any of the Beat Generation writers.

Of course, as with any digital media, there are other ways of getting hold of these books...

Kindle for Travel - Reading Newspapers and Magazines

Another great aspect of the Kindle for travel purposes is that you don't need to miss your favorite newspapers and magazines. Every morning when you wake up on vacation, your newspaper is waiting for you on your virtual doorstep as soon as you pick it up.

Once more, the Kindle comes into its own for travelers because foreign newspapers are so expensive abroad. Many English-language newspapers are four times more expensive in Spain than they are in the UK or US. Meanwhile, the Kindle version is cheaper than you could get the newspapers, even at home. You can often save 80% on buying the newsstand editions.

You can buy the Amazon Kindle here: Buy an Amazon Kindle