Yea you can run a Kindle on batteries for a very very long time without recharging.

It is an e-reader. With 3G wireless. So any book, magazine, or newspaper on Amazon and some other sites I can get on my Kindle within 60 seconds. Oh and it connects to Wikipedia, so whenever I am curious about something I bust out the Kindle and look it up. Basically it is the real deal Hitcherhikers Guide to the Planet.