CRUISE CHALLENGE, DAY 5: THE BIG AND THE LITTLE

Day 5 (Tuesday, May 10) and I am still having big trouble with e-mail and texting from the ship far at sea. It has become a pervasive issue on this Cruise Challenge. Also there have been passenger complaints (many of them) that a big bill runs up on your wireless device (phone, laptop, tablet, e-reader) even though you have logged off. (More about this problem on another blog entry.)

The big buzz around the ship is about the little 6-inch Amazon Kindle e-reader (above, in the sun). Everyone who has one is a walking advertisement for the product. I have heard absolutely no complaints about it. People say they can download a big library (books -- hundreds? thousands? -- and periodical newspapers and magazines) on it (many books for free, or little cost), and you can adjust the font size (big or little) for optimal readability. Reports are that a battery charge on the device is "big."

All in all, the Kindle appears to be an excellent pack-light gizmo, especially for my friend Steve, an avid reader and pack-light convert, who would "readily" exchange all the clothes in his carry-on for reading material if he could get away with it. (You can't, Steve!)