Review: I love the NYT -- sometimes. (Personalizing my experience.)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 8, 2010
When I first got my Kindle, one of the first things I did was take advantage of the 30 trial and subscribe to the NYT. At that time I think the monthly rate was either 11 something or 13 something. The novelty of it was great at first. Seriously, the only thing that makes a person feel spoiled about waking is a newspaper delivered right to your bedside is a butler and breakfast in bed, or so I imagine. It didn't particularly bother me about the features missing because the price was good and the convenience was amazing. In the middle of nowhere, it was feasible to get most, if not all, of the news that's fit to print. Good deal.The paper is usually a delight, but here's where the practical came in. I ended up falling into a pattern of not reading it every day, and what was initially perfectly fine. The subscription was a bargain. The paper was there on the days I wanted it. When they announced the subscription hike, I knew it wasn't for me, because it made it feel wasteful, it made me feel guilty to think of not reading it daily. Once something I read in my leisure time feels like an obligation... In my case, and your needs might be quite different, the folks at the paper priced it right off my Kindle -- except by invitation.There are still periodicals I do subscribe to, like Time and Newsweek, blogs like Slate, and  a few others where the prices are in a range that I don't feel horrible if I skip an issue. With newspapers, however, I prefer to buy a single issue when I feel like it or if there's an event I see as historical. Sunday usually has me buying 3-4 papers to read over breakfast and throughout the day. (NYT, of course,  The Sunday NYT is heaven; my hometown paper, The Detroit Free Press; The San Francisco Chronicle; and often the Boston Globe. I feel more spoiled than ever now, because I'm taking advantage of having the papers *I* want, when I want them, without getting the editions I don't want, and it takes 2 minutes to select and receive them. When I hear of a good article on a day when I haven't purchased, it's usually found online.My recommendation is to get the trial and see what you think. See if you read it daily. See if it feels like a bargain. The beauty of the Kindle format is the convenience and so it only matters what method works for you -- subscription or my method of buying as needed.The NYT is 4 or 5 stars on the days I read it, but too expensive for me to maintain a subscription and allow issues to remain unread, so I'm giving it 3 stars overall since most people are probably reading this with subscribing in mind and strongly suggesting potential subscribers take advantage of the trial period.