Making the switch to Kindle
Kindle e-book reader
A review by Barbara Bigham, Chiropractic Books, Etc.
The news didn’t surprise too many people: e-books now outsell print versions and the top selling e-book reader remains the Kindle.
While most chiropractic books haven’t yet made the transition, more than 130 books answer to the keyword “chiropractic” – everything from D.D. Palmer’s “The Chiropractor” to the 2010 edition of “Chiropractic Technique: Principles and Procedures” by Thomas F. Bergmann and David H. Peterson.
It’s inevitable that more and more will take advantage of that format in the future.
Although there’s a downside to using Kindle (no color photos, lack of clarity in some illustrations, absence of resale value) the advantages mostly outweigh the disadvantages.
For chiropractors, one key advantage is space. A Kindle can hold thousands of books, as well as a wide variety of other documents (magazines, articles, web pages, etc.)
It handles Kindle (azw), pdf, txt, mp3 audio, mobi and prc files natively and can convert html, doc, rtf, jpeg, gif, png, and bmp files. While Kindle has its own conversion procedure, I prefer to use Calibre, a free and open source e-book library management application that converts files, syncs to the Kindle, manages titles, and includes an e-book viewer. (Despite what some websites report, I have had no difficulty viewing most pdf files.)
I was amazed at the features and capabilities available in the Kindle – far beyond simply reading text books on a screen. Among the unexpected bonuses: the ability to click on hyperlinks in a document and open a browser to the referenced page, import web pages (I use SENDtoREADER, a free and easy app that can let me read e-articles away from the computer), and listen to audio files, and share passages on my Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Additionally, you can upload text files from your computer, in Word or pdf files, and read them on your Kindle anywhere. You can download books directly via the built-in wireless connection or through the “Free 3G” connection. You can search a document, place “bookmarks” in a book, and even access the numerous different formats, making the Kindle an even more versatile and fun tool.
Despite my “old eyes,” I find reading off the 6” Kindle screen easy at the default size, but you can increase and decrease the font size if needed. You can also rotate the orientation of the screen and read it in landscape format, which is handy for viewing widescreen websites on the built-in browser.
There are even a few apps for the Kindle, such as a calculator, note pad, and calendar.
My recommendation is the 6” Kindle 3G. The DX model provides a bigger screen (9.7”) but the resulting 10” x 7” device size is more cumbersome that the 7.5” x 5” model. I definitely suggest getting the “3G” over the plain wi-fi since it will allow you to connect to the internet anywhere – without a wi-fi hotspot. It uses a technology similar to cell phones and coverage is extensive.
There are specials available but these come loaded with “sponsored screensavers” – a fancy name for ads that display whenever you aren’t actually reading a book. When the Kindle is closed, the ad covers the entire face of the screen. When managing files, etc., it appears at the bottom. It may be easy to ignore them after a while, but I’d opt for the model without them. At some point it’s likely the ads will be for drugs or medical “treatments” and I prefer not to have them staring me in the face every time I want to read a book.
In the future, Chiropractic Books Etc., will try to note the availability of Kindle versions for all books it features.
Click here to learn more about the Kindle, or to order our recommended 6” Kindle 3G.





