I was always a reader. I read everything I could get my hands on, from fiction, to non-fiction, to geek books (big surprise there!). However, in the past couple of years, my reading of conventional books has slowed down to nearly a stand-still. I read blogs, news feeds, Twitter, Facebook, and any other small, bite-size forms of media out there, but I haven’t sat down with a good book in a long time.

I blame technology.

I sit at my computer all day, working, and taking the odd break to take in some information. I have my Android phone in hand reading Engadget, The Onion, Digg, and my Google Reader feed. I have my T.V. which, depending on who has the remote, I’m either watching Dr. Who (me), or one of the sideshow freaks on T.L.C. (my wife).

Now, technology may not be all that bad. I bought my wife a Kobo e-reader for Mother’s day, and have already read most of a book on it, and I have to say, I really like it. It satisfies my need for gadgetry, yet still allows me to get some real reading in.

E-Readers aren’t new to the scene, but they are really starting to gain momentum in the book and publishing industry. Most use a technology called E Ink, which very closely resembles an actual printed page. It’s not back-lit, so for someone like me who spends almost 14 hours a day staring at a lit computer monitor, it comes as a very nice relief.

I have decided to get one of my own, so that started the extensive research. Here are the major contenders for me.

The Kobo - This is a Chapters/Indigo initiative. It comes with a bunch of free books, and is very simple to use. It basically has one button to navigate the pages and books, a few menu buttons, and a power button. It’s a no-frills, clean and simple e-reader. Cost: $149 CAD. You can also use any format you want on this reader. This is a very good choice for someone who wants an inexpensive, easy to use reader without too many distracting settings and features. http://www.koboereader.com/

The Kindle - Amazon has hundreds of thousands of books available for this reader. Another great thing is that you can buy books directly to the device over 3G, from anywhere a cell signal is available! The downside to this reader is that it uses a proprietary, rights-managed format for the e-books. Which means that you are limited to buying books from Amazon, and nowhere else. Cost: $189 USD. I have never used one of these, but I hear pretty good things about it. http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Reading-Display-International-Generation/dp/B0015T963C

Sony – The Sony e-readers have been around for a while, and come in two options, Pocket, and Touch. The touch screen one has a larger screen, and has quite a few more options, but the price tag matches that. The Pocket version costs around $189 CAD, the Touch version I have seen for $279. This reader supports almost any format. http://www.sonystyle.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=1000623&storeId=20153&langId=200&catalogId=100803&N=4294959113

Nook – Barnes and Noble – This is my choice, and I’m getting Jenn to get me one in the US this weekend! The benefit of this is that they have two options, WiFi + 3G ($199 USD), or WiFi Only ($149 USD). The Nook also has a colour touch screen below the E Ink screen that can be used for navigation, picking and purchasing a book, typing, and it even comes with Sudoku and Chess games. It’s a bit more of a geek’s e-reader, but is also open to any format of eBook, including PDF, ePub, PDF, Images, and also plays MP3 files. It also has a very basic web browser, so you can check your e-mail, read blogs, and view basic websites. The huge downfall of this e-reader is that you can’t actually buy one in a country other than the US! http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp

After a few weeks of asking around, Jenn told me she was going to the US, so I’m one step closer to relaxing with a good book and a beer.

Does anyone else find that technology keeps them away from books?

It’s that time of year, where most people have their holiday shopping done, and I haven’t even started. You can ask my wife, and she will tell you that I have no clue what to buy a woman for Christmas, but let me shop for a Geek, and I’m all over it. I’m lucky that my wife is a Geek Chick, and this list can also apply to her!

So, what do you buy that special Geek/Gadget freak for Christmas?

1. A Smartphone – This one is a really bad gift unless you know they really want the commitment. Sure, you’re paying the up-front costs, but you’re also sticking them with a monthly bill of $60 or more. may be a good idea to offer to pay for a few months of usage. There are tons of models out there, and it will all depend on the person you’re shopping for. The safe bet is an iPhone, as it has mass appeal, is simple to use, and is also an iPod, so you can skip my next gift idea. I would buy my wife an iPhone if I was to get her a phone as a gift. For the geek out there, I think an Android phone is the way to go! If the person is all about work, and has no idea what the internet is, then go with a Blackberry.

As a web developer who likes to study and focus on usability, readability, and overall user experience, it pains me to see what people insist on including on their websites. With web users now having the attention span of a goldfish, you have to be very careful, and very specific as to what you put up on your site.

Some people like the good old “let’s throw it all on the wall and see what sticks” approach, including their life stories, complete history, and in-depth essays on why you should choose them. That may have worked 10 years ago, but the times they are a changin’.

Here is my personal list of things that I don’t think belong on a website. Keep in mind that this is a general list, and there is sometimes a specific need for some of these things.

This fall, Microsoft made a pretty big move, and released its own Antivirus software called Microsoft Security Essentials. And believe it or not, it’s actually pretty good! I guess no one knows Windows vulnerabilities like Microsoft. The best part of this is that it’s completely free, and I’m sure the competitors, at $60 a pop, are a little taken aback by this.

Personally, I think the free part is great, but also a necessity for Microsoft. If you are going to make a product with holes in it, then you should work at plugging those holes. Not to mention the giant target on the Operating System’s back due to the amount of market share it has. Why make a virus that infects only a small percent of the population when so many people can be hit by a Windows virus. Although, for you Mac users, there are viruses out there, and as more people move to a Mac, it will only get worse. The scary part of this is that most Mac users have that “There is no such thing as a virus for US, so I don’t even need internet security!”.

As a web developer, part of my job is to test each and every website in multiple browsers. With so many browsers out there, that task is becoming more and more difficult. I generally test in Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, and the troublesome Microsoft Internet Explorer.

This is where it gets tricky. It seems that most people who use a browser other than IE tend to actually update their browser more than once every 5 years. This helps keep up with the momentum and progression of web technologies and techniques. This would be kind of like renting a Blue-Ray, slapping it into your VCR, and wondering why things aren’t working properly.

I have a Dream. An HTC Dream. The first of the Android phones. And this is my review so far. I’ve had it for a couple of months now, and have taken it through it’s paces.

I don’t have an iPhone, and I’ve been known to openly bash Apple, even though I absolutely love their products. It’s a love/hate thing. I love my iPod touch, and am attached to it, but hate Apple and how proprietary everything they do it. I’m kind of an open source hippy sometimes.

My brother has an iPhone, he’s a technophobe, and his main use for it is to take pictures of himself while pooping at random public (and private) restrooms and then e-mail them to me. Luckily, they are from the waist up. Talk about a waste of an iPhone. Although, it’s no more of a waste than some of the applications that are out there. I mean, iFart? Come on?!?! You have a sophisticated piece of technology, and the best thing you can come up with is making it fart? Check out this video from CollegeHumor on cell phones, it’s great: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1899978.

Okay, back to the point. I’m going to go on record, like many others, and say that Twitter is going to be the biggest thing of 2009, by far. Facebook is now trying to copy it with its new home page, and more and more people are using Twitter. It is no longer just a haven for geeks.

I’ve tried a few iPhone apps for Twitter, and have landed of TwitterFon (iTunes Link). It does pretty much all you need with regards to the feed, friends, following, replying, Tweeting, and even searching…and it’s free! I haven’t tried any of the paid apps yet, because I’m cheap, and this one does everything I need it to do. So, try it out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Stay tuned for more ways to use your iPhone/iPod touch to its fullest.

Okay, here’s a link that I heard about last week. It’s kind of a guilty pleasure, but I figured that since most of kitestring is now on Twitter (@Chris_Farias, @jennhudder, @the18 (Brandon), @creative_error (Alisha), @DanielMercurio, Geekie where are you!?!?!?!) I thought this was at least a topical link: secrettweet.com.

Chris is really going to love this one. People can post totally anonymous tweets to the site, confessing their secrets, and some of them are pretty crazy. You can comment, or reply to them right from your Twitter account if you want, or do it from the site. There are some interesting things in there.