Amazon has been advertising for some time that their Amazon Kindle e-book reader is their top-selling product. Which is saying a lot, considering Amazon is the most popular shopping site on the Internet today. (According to Alexa.com, Amazon currently ranks as the 15th most popular Website in the world.)

My family has not gotten a Kindle yet–mainly, because we love books so much. I just can’t imagine that a mini computer screen will ever take the place of a good old hardback in my hand. That being said, I’m beginning to seriously consider some kind of tablet, just for the cool factor. (And I guess I can only resist new techie-toys for so long–especially with a little helpful encouragement from my son.) The Apple iPad Tablet is pretty sweet, I’ll admit–it’s got cool apps and a good-sized e-reader, all rolled into one. But to save a little money, I think I’d be just as happy with an Apple iPod touch for it’s awesome applications, plus a separate e-reader like the Amazon Kindle for fulfilling its niche purpose–to recreate the experience of reading a book, but without the book.

Upon researching Kindle further, I’ve come to realize that it has some pretty cool features that actually make it superior to a physical book, in some ways.

How the Kindle is Better than a Book

With Kindle, you can get any available title in mere minutes–delivered wirelessly, right to your device. No need to make a trip to the bookstore or wait for your book order to show up in the mail. Just select your title of choice from the online Amazon Kindle Store, pay, download–then read away!

Imagine–you’re on the phone with your mom, and she tells you about this great book she just read. You look it up on your Kindle, and it’s in your hands just a couple of minutes later. And Kindle never runs out of any given title, no matter how popular it is. On top of everything else, the Kindle display has an adjustable brightness, so you can alter it to be as bright as you want, depending on your mood and on the lighting conditions where you’re reading.

As cool as all these features are, the best thing about Kindle is that there are lots of books are absolutely free!

Where to Get Free e-Books for Kindle on Amazon–listed on Amazon’s site as limited-time offers

Free Kindle Popular Classics on Amazon

Coming Next Week:

Check back for another exciting episode of “Why I Decided the Amazon Kindle Is Awesome” (Episode 2). In this second installment, you’ll learn how to get free apps to read Amazon Kindle e-Books from your computer, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and more! I’ll also give a review of one of these apps, so you’ll know what to expect.