Kindling up a conversation

[hingyfan]

Since a review I read of Kindle mentioned MAcs many times, and quoted somebody as saying it's the next iPod, i thought I'd get some opinions of it here.
This is it:
http://tinyurl.com/23jgja

I'd like one but i think it's perfect for my wife, who unlike me takes the train to work and has to stay on top of current events.

The free wireless access alone would seal deal for me, but  the again, when i bought my Performa, it was with the understanding it came with free tech help for life!

Anyway, it mioght be a hype but these things are selling. It's expensive but a couple of medium priced gifts would start to catch with up it. And one size fits all!

Any observations?

[Paddy]

Um...329 one and two star reviews to 251 four and five star reviews? I'd be more than a tad cautious, especially given the price. Like many of those complaining about the Kindle, lack of PDF, poor Sprint coverage and the fact that you don't own the content and you're reliant on the Kindle and ONLY the Kindle in order to access the content, might give me pause.

Interesting comparison (and comments following) here:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/tech...ws/4232344.html

The subscriptions to the newspapers aren't free BTW.

Thoughts on the Kindle and the iPhone: http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/11/1...techkindle.html

Me? I'd get the iPhone - it's way more flexible and does a heck of a lot more. And for reading a book, give me the old-fashioned paper sort, please!! But that may just be me, although the fact that electronic books still have not taken off makes one wonder. There is something about the experience of reading a book that this entirely different from reading an electronic screen.

[hingyfan]

We both have sprint phones with new 2-year contracts. They have mobile internet access and are pretty wondrous in that regard. I got them because i thought the bill would be a lot less than the iphone. It's less, but not "a lot."
The appealing thing to me about the Kindle is the free net service on a fairly good sized screen. I would think with that you could continue to look at whatever free newspapers you regularly visit. It is ugly though. Someone calls that theft deterrence.

[gunug]

I think you're going to be stuck with some sort of DRM but if it won't read PDF files (the defacto standard) then I don't think too much of it.  I'd also like it to do LIT files, html, and regular ascii text files.  I carry around an iPAQ all of the time that can do all of that; it just doesn't have a very big display!

[Paddy]

You can read newspapers online for free, BUT - they're not formatted for the Kindle and apparently it's a bit of a dog's breakfast. The CNET review comments (briefly) on the Kindle's limited web browser. Their home page, for instance, appears as 18 separate pages on the Kindle.
http://reviews.cnet.com/e-book-readers/ama...?tag=prod.txt.1

More info:

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix
http://www.ebooks.com/help/reader_comparison_table.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_formats

It will be interesting to see if Apple does indeed jump into the eBook area one of these days, as many are predicting.

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

It will be interesting to see if Apple does indeed jump into the eBook area one of these days, as many are predicting.

And if they do, there will already be a full color display, not merely a four shades of gray screen. The Kindle is simply not made for web use, period. And even it's eBook usage is limited to what Amazon decides to offer. And it has an extremely limited memory capacity (the limited color 'gamut' helps avoid most problems there) but also means it will probably have to have constant Internet access since it won't be able to store much of the 'book' in memory. Not a problem in most urban settings, not so good when flying/driving out of town...

I believe most of what you are paying for is the Internet access, anyway. The device, itself, is not very unique or innovative. It's basically a simple, limited-gray-scale-monitor receiver for text (not PDF, which would probably add licensing fees). Of course, as profits come in, it could be upgraded to full color and even have a real web browser included. But that would both add battery drain and increase bandwidth usage not to mention added memory needs.

The best 'innovation' I've heard about the Kindle is its reflective background screen which makes it easier to read in daylight. Of course, it will be impossible to read in a dark room/car/starlit backyard...

All in all, the Kindle and any iPod are two distinctly different products. I have no desire/need to own either. An HD radio, however...

[hingyfan]

The built-in memory can holds hundreds of books. An additional card, cheap these days. puts it in the thousands. The internet access is for DL-ing the books (a minute each) and browsing the net, such as it is.
It can read PDF files if they are converted. An article compares it to ripping music files from CDs for the ipod.
One stock savvy guy says this will do for Amazon what the ipod did for Apple. Along those lines, the ipod does have its own file format but it can read many. Same for kindle.
I think i have talked myself into but i will read that browsing article as it is a concern. Thanks!

[Mayo]

I read a review this morning about Kindle and I have to agree with its writer:  wait until it matures and is less expensive too. He said that the battery needed recharging within 24 hours. PDF files that he transferred were rendered without proper formatting.

David Pogue has posted a min-review and like the other reviewer he notes that the large buttons used to "turn" the pages are too easily pushed by accident. David ends with this: "But once its price comes down and its design gets sleeker, the Kindle may be the beginning of a great new chapter."

Electronic books have come and gone, and unless you have $400 burning a hole in your pocket I would advise against being an early adopter of Kindle. You can get her an iPod Classic for $249 (80GB) or $349 (160GB). She can listen to Audible.com books, listen to free podcasts (I put Rick Steves' radio show on my wife's iPod...) and watch TV and movies.  And it plays music too... the 80GB seems big enough to me.  My new 80GB iPod has over 400 CDs (at a relatively high bit-rate of 192kbps) and it is still less than half-full.

[hingyfan]

Thanks for the comparison article. I had already read Pogue's.
The huge unstated difference between the iphone and the kindle is the former costs at least $100 a month to run as opposed to zero. As I mentioned, we have fresh unbreakable two-year contracts for phones with unlimited mobile internet access.
The more accurate comparison would be with the new internet able Ipod. It does require a contract but outside the house the net service  basically works only at Starbucks.
I had one in my hand at the Apple store the other day and was not impressed. I only wish I passed on the Leopard update but that's another story.

[Mayo]

Since I paid only $649 for my iBook I would have trouble paying $400 for what is essentially a one (OK, maybe two...) trick-pony...

[hingyfan]

QUOTE(Mayo @ Nov 27 2007, 01:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Since I paid only $649 for my iBook I would have trouble paying $400 for what is essentially a one (OK, maybe two...) trick-pony...

Can i get one in black at that price!
We have a (big) laptop but seldom use it. Gettign the dust off it  is the one positive in the Leopard snafu. Soon Kindle will probably soon join it on the shelf.

[Paddy]

One comment I just saw after the review at Macworld:

"Browsing anything other than Amazon with the web browser incurs charges you *will* be liable for. Read the fine print of the agreement. " - might want to check into that!!

I found the comments more interesting than the review itself:

http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/11/26/kindle/index.php

http://www.macworld.com/forums/ubbthreads/...;view=collapsed

[hingyfan]

PAddy, that fine print does give pause and just in time. THanks.

[hingyfan]

Back to the earrings!