I started playing around with the Kindle web browser the other day (I have the $79 most basic Kindle model), as I was sitting outside in direct sunlight and could barely see the contents of my mobile device screen – the glare was so harsh.

Not only that, but I had to turn the screen brightness all the way up (and still could not see that well), causing more rapid battery drainage.

Specifically, I was just trying to catch up on some email, so the Kindle’s web browser seemed like a perfect solution. I can read it in direct sunlight without straining my eyes.

It ended up taking me a very long time just to load a specific webpage (my Gmail account), as the typing is extremely cumbersome (you have to navigate to each letter), and trying to scroll also required multiple/consistent button presses.

By the time I actually loaded the interface, I was so tired from the typing/navigating part.

It is therefore much too difficult to use the Kindle as a basic webpage browser, but I may continue playing around with this approach. I think I would have to create some sort of Kindle-friendly webpage where I can access just the stuff I need.

Otherwise you are better off using a dedicated “Send to Kindle” bookmarklet (there are many options for this), or a service like Instapaper to save web content to your Kindle.

Finally, I am enjoying the merging of e-ink and the web – I hope this gap is closed further in the coming years.