Kindle Owner Interview: Lisa Haneberg

In my ongoing quest to interview several Kindle owners I managed to find Lisa Haneburg and her Management Craft blog. In addition to her initial review of the Kindle I found her blog to be full of excellent management insight; be sure to check it out. Here are Lisa's answers to my questions:

JW: Given the $400 price point and first generation technology, how hard was the decision to make the commitment and buy your Kindle?

LH: I was lucky and one of my friends and blog readers bought it for me! That said, I would have bought one. We spend $300 on iPods and $600 on Blackberries, and this seems like something much more interesting in terms of fun and quality of life. It transcends just business and enables more leisure reading.

JW: How many books do you typically read in a year? What genre do you tend to focus on?

LH: I read between 75-100 books a year clumped into three areas, nonfiction/business, fiction, and essays.

JW: What has been your impression of the Kindle so far?

LH: I love how easy it is to read. The page forward and back bars make it seem like a natural reading experience. After a few pages, I don't even realize I am flipping the pages, I am just reading.

JW: Have you been using your Kindle for anything other than book reading ( e.g., magazine/newspaper subscriptions, blogs, etc.)?

LH: I have the New York Times, Slate, and the Onion coming in. There are publications I was not reading on a regular basis before and it is nice to have this at my finger tips. The blog selections are too limited at this time.

JW: How do you feel about the pricing levels Amazon is featuring since launch for e-books, magazines, etc.?

LH: The prices seem fine. Books are cheaper, so that's nice. I understand that part of the price is to offset the wireless communication costs. I would rather pay for the subscription than have to subscribe to another wireless plan. This way it feels more like pay-as-I-go.

JW: Do you have any recommendations for Amazon to consider when they look to finalize a feature set for Kindle 2.0?

LH: This is not mechanical, but I do not like the cover at all. It is stiff and the Kindle does not fit well into it. Perhaps some aftermarket covers will come out. Also, I think that making in in Black might make the already bright page pop even more. Some people want to see a color screen, but I like the traditional black and white. Again, it does look like a printed page.