Amazon's Kindle Marietta College Students Excited About Kindle

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Amber Davis is a guest writer for Writing on the Mall.  She is involved with the Media Writing Two class at Marietta College, which has been submitting articles to us.  Her article is the first of many that you will see hit the site.  If you would like to see more like this, just let us know at patrick_h at writingonthemall dot net.

Danielle Stein, a sophomore at Marietta College, was faced with the tough decision on whether or not to return to Marietta College this year. Due to the rising prices of textbooks and tuition, it seemed that what Stein would spend a year on textbooks, would be the equivalent of one semester at a state college close to home.

This seems to be a common concern among many college students and it seems that there really is no current solution. Even buying textbooks on Amazon or eBay still can run students around $300, and they consider that a ‘deal’.

Amazon has recognized this problem and is currently working on the solution. Kindle, a portable digital reading device only about one-third of an inch thick and a 3G wireless connection capable of downloading entire books in under one minute is their answer.

Really, the question is why wouldn’t students want a Kindle? With the average price of textbooks per year ranging more than $800, spending the $300 on a Kindle seems like the obvious choice.

According to Kindle’s official website, textbooks will be available for downloading in 2010. Kindle also has added a new text-to-speech feature making reading textbooks even more convenient and entertaining for students. Student would even be able listen to their reading assignments while working out or doing laundry.

Many students on Marietta’s campus are ecstatic about the Kindle craze. Marietta junior Amanda Jeffers is highly anticipating the Kindle textbook option.

“Kindle is going to help make college so much more affordable for me and other students. It is ridiculous that some semesters, I am spending about the same as tuition at state colleges.”

Kindle is currently available for purchase at www.amazon.com/kindle.