I just started using my new Kindle from Amazon ($139), and I like it so far. I’ve been lusting after an e-reader for a long time. I don’t like carrying heavy books and papers. Digital not analog for me, please. The iPad’s backlit screen strains my eyes if I read for a long time, and I can’t justify the $500 price tag.

The Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s nook are both e-readers that use electronic paper technology to display text that’s as good as traditional ink on paper. After testing out the nook at my local Barnes and Noble and finding the touch-pad interface rather sluggish and unwieldy, I placed an order for the Kindle. Although books that Amazon sells through its online Kindle store have a proprietary AZW format, you can read PDF and TXT files on the Kindle. I was worried about the Kindle not supporting EPUB documents but figured that if I really needed to I could find a way to convert EPUB files to PDF or MOBI or AZW.

My only complaint: does the Kindle cover need to be $35? That’s excessive. Amazon contracted out my order’s delivery to a third party courier service that somehow didn’t get it to me on time (perhaps they missed the doorman who would open the door to the mailboxes in my New York apartment?). I didn’t receive my cover for 1.5 weeks. But Amazon’s customer service is excellent: congenial, professional, and effective. The customer service representative sorted out the missing delivery and placed an order for a replacement cover free of charge. I was charged a dollar, which I don’t mind, and ended up receving two Kindle covers. Maybe I’ll just sell one on eBay and make a profit.

Now I have to come up with a name for my Kindle. Post your suggestions below.