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Amazon Launches Kindle DX eBook Reader with 9.7" Screen
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For those interested in colour screens GigaOm had an interesting piece about them yesterday
http://gigaom.com/2009/05/05/vogue-on-your-ereader-new-e-paper-tech-will-make-it-happen/
They are coming eventually.
http://gigaom.com/2009/05/05/vogue-on-your-ereader-new-e-paper-tech-will-make-it-happen/
They are coming eventually.
Just get a MBA and you have a computer to boot. www.pubmed.org is public and is what the scientific community uses.
Do you really think the displays are expensive? I think the Kindle display is equivalent to a 1980's Gameboy screen. Amazon is probably using those displays for profit and battery life. I would love to see a breakdown of raw cost for the new kindle.
I hope Apple does get into the ebook market, they can easily beat the price of the kindle and already have a a way better OS to run on their device.
One thing I know for sure is that amazon did have to get something like this out, because the Hearst family is making a epaper for all the newspaper companys they own.
it is a great device, it is easier to read than on a computer, but 600?? if it was say 300 i'd consider it. who is buying these at that price? it's not like the books ar free once you buy it.
I wish I had $500 to blow on this. Well actually if I did I'd probably buy a Mac Mini instead and use it as a media center. It's a really nice device though. My iPod Touch 2G will suffice until Kindle's are cheaper,
As nice as it is I still don't get the newspaper aspect. Why would you want to pay bloated newspaper subscription fees for outdated news when you can go online and get the same content free and updated to the minute?
-PN
As nice as it is I still don't get the newspaper aspect. Why would you want to pay bloated newspaper subscription fees for outdated news when you can go online and get the same content free and updated to the minute?
-PN
Kindle can't
This thing is just too limited for the size and price. It seems like an interim product that will have an extremely short life, unless Amazon has some ambitious plans for it as some sort of mobile platform. Even then the competition is fierce.
The appeal of the iPhone/iPod touch (not that they're comparable) is that they COMBINE and EXTEND several devices into one. iPod, PDA, pocket email and web browser, gaming platform, cell phone or Skype. It can even be used as a remote and with OS 3, data acquisition.
So the Kindle does one thing AND it's big, it's expensive the design is boring. 4GB of RAM is a joke for that price. If it could even play music, that would be nice, but it doesn't. For the price, you've got half a MacBook or some POS DOSBox.
This thing is just too limited for the size and price. It seems like an interim product that will have an extremely short life, unless Amazon has some ambitious plans for it as some sort of mobile platform. Even then the competition is fierce.
The appeal of the iPhone/iPod touch (not that they're comparable) is that they COMBINE and EXTEND several devices into one. iPod, PDA, pocket email and web browser, gaming platform, cell phone or Skype. It can even be used as a remote and with OS 3, data acquisition.
So the Kindle does one thing AND it's big, it's expensive the design is boring. 4GB of RAM is a joke for that price. If it could even play music, that would be nice, but it doesn't. For the price, you've got half a MacBook or some POS DOSBox.
Wow; that looks really nice, but it's kind of big; the Kindle 2 is the perfect size; read about some universities giving these to students and loading textbooks on them: that I wouldn't mind getting; sure the price would be integrated into our already monstrous tuition prices, but since we're already paying 6 figures for college how much more could it get? 
Let's see your MacBook last a week on one charge with continuous use. Try staring at that screen for hours on end.
Your just comparison is like comparing a book to a gameboy.
Let's see your MacBook last a week on one charge with continuous use. Try staring at that screen for hours on end.
Your just comparison is like comparing a book to a gameboy.
from what i read it is a special kin of display that almost looks like paper. very easy on your eyes.
This is true.
That said, there is no way to put a book you already own on the Kindle without purchasing the Kindle version.
Generally speaking, Kindle versions of books do not represent good value, particularly academic texts at the moment.
Kindle will not really take off until decent deals between publishers and Amazon take place. Unfortunately textbook publishers were not in the position record labels were in in 2003.
There have always been people who have criticized the iPod for forcing people to use the iTunes store to load it despite the reality. The Kindle is the manifestation of that reality.
No more left-handed usage?
I just saw, in person, the smaller Kindle and was very impressed with the screen; nothing like a 90's GameBoy. But I didn't like it was so small nor that it lacked touch features. Buttons seem so "yesterday", esp. with a device that size.
The DX really needs touch features, esp. if it is going to remove the left-side buttons! The 2nd generation of Kindle was big on announcing that the buttons were on either side, which is great for lefties. Now they've gone back to square one and removed the buttons on the left side? Meh.
I do like the large screen though. Just wish it had a touch screen.
/vjl/
I just saw, in person, the smaller Kindle and was very impressed with the screen; nothing like a 90's GameBoy. But I didn't like it was so small nor that it lacked touch features. Buttons seem so "yesterday", esp. with a device that size.
The DX really needs touch features, esp. if it is going to remove the left-side buttons! The 2nd generation of Kindle was big on announcing that the buttons were on either side, which is great for lefties. Now they've gone back to square one and removed the buttons on the left side? Meh.
I do like the large screen though. Just wish it had a touch screen.
/vjl/
Quite obviously you do not know what you are talking about. Or don't remember the 1980's Gameboy. The screens are VERY different with VERY different purposes. Not to mention 20 years of separation.
Look at a Kindle live in action, then you will understand.
Not sure of your point. pudmed is free but the articles are not. A kindle that was in color and could store my 2,000 PDF articles on the go would be great. This one is a joke for any scientist. Like you said a laptop and a decent hardrive is still the best way. As far as pubmed, well your university and your grant money pay for the articles- but it is not free.
Wow, so many whiners on MR these days. I think I'm going to have to skip the forums (or find another Mac site) if people don't stop responding to every single story with one-line complaints about price and/or features. It's getting silly.
I realise that I'm having a bit of a whine myself, but meh, I don't care
As for the larger Kindle, I think it looks like a great device. I wonder if you can disable the auto-rotate thing? That's one feature in Safari on the iPhone that drives me mad -- trying to read a lengthy page while lying/slouching at an angle is impossible because it keeps flipping orientation!
I've not seen a real-life Kindle, because I live in the UK and Amazon have (understandably) decided to concentrate on the US market (to keep the whole rights business nice and simple I imagine), but I have seen a Sony reader and the B&W screens are amazing -- really easy on the eye compared to LCDs and very legible. I don't have one, but I am very tempted. I'd probably want the smaller size though, to make it a little bit more portable.
I can't wait until this tech really takes off and we can buy all of our books online. It'll be a major step forward, and it'll save me a lot of weighty boxes when I move house
I realise that I'm having a bit of a whine myself, but meh, I don't care
As for the larger Kindle, I think it looks like a great device. I wonder if you can disable the auto-rotate thing? That's one feature in Safari on the iPhone that drives me mad -- trying to read a lengthy page while lying/slouching at an angle is impossible because it keeps flipping orientation!
I've not seen a real-life Kindle, because I live in the UK and Amazon have (understandably) decided to concentrate on the US market (to keep the whole rights business nice and simple I imagine), but I have seen a Sony reader and the B&W screens are amazing -- really easy on the eye compared to LCDs and very legible. I don't have one, but I am very tempted. I'd probably want the smaller size though, to make it a little bit more portable.
I can't wait until this tech really takes off and we can buy all of our books online. It'll be a major step forward, and it'll save me a lot of weighty boxes when I move house
I agree that it's pricey, BUT I must say that it looks like a very cool product. The iPhone is a multi purpose item and is very handy because it can do multiple tasks, however it doesn't substitute other single purpose devices like gps or e-book readers.
The iPhone must function primarily as a phone, you can use it as an ipod, gps or game station or to surf the web once in a while (these capabilities make it unique), but you still need the other devices which are better for the single tasks since they are made specifically for it (e.g. you would rather read a book on a kindle than an iPhone or use tomtom since it has a larger screen and a better gps antenna, preloaded maps, etc.). The iPhone battery would drain in 30 min if you use all its functions for everyday tasks.
Hey, can you tell me where you got this 10% discount figure? Besides out of your ass, that is....thanks for the help!
I think people here would be surprised at the number of reading aficionados out there. Will this have the worldwide success of the iPhone, not likely, but it will find its niche and do well.
Heck, I laughed at the Kindle 1 when my girlfriend got it. But after using it for awhile, I became a big fan and just recently got the Kindle 2. They are great devices.
As for all of the "that's too pricey comments", puuhhhleeease. Most of us on here have purchased Macs and iPods and iPhones as early adopters at quite a premium. Does this thing do as much as the iPhone or Macs? No. But people will pay for what they like and there will be plenty of people who will like this.
I really like the textbook idea assuming they make it worth the while as far as prices of content.
Heck, I laughed at the Kindle 1 when my girlfriend got it. But after using it for awhile, I became a big fan and just recently got the Kindle 2. They are great devices.
As for all of the "that's too pricey comments", puuhhhleeease. Most of us on here have purchased Macs and iPods and iPhones as early adopters at quite a premium. Does this thing do as much as the iPhone or Macs? No. But people will pay for what they like and there will be plenty of people who will like this.
I really like the textbook idea assuming they make it worth the while as far as prices of content.
Everybody whining about "no color" and "too expensive". Well, this product is NOT for you then is it? The original Kindle did quite well in B+W. For people who read text (i.e. books) it's perfect. As for price, the iPhone was $600 when it debuted with a very small screen and no app store plus a two year commitment and a high monthly rate. This is a one time fee. Books are generally $10. Readers will dig this. I bet this Kindle sells better than the last one. It's not an iPhone killer, but that was never the intention of this device.
To answer my own question, it looks like you can disable auto-rotation on the Kindle. What a smart design feature! I wish there was some way to do the same on the iPhone -- anybody know if I'm missing a trick?
This Is The Future
The bad news for the kindle is that the defenders of higher priced computers and MP3 players first reaction is how much!
Just think about how outrageous it would sound if we all used PCs.
Like the first batch of MP3 players the price will drop over time and we will start to see more products enter the market place, then wait a year and watch Apple kill them all.
The bad news for the kindle is that the defenders of higher priced computers and MP3 players first reaction is how much!
Just think about how outrageous it would sound if we all used PCs.
Like the first batch of MP3 players the price will drop over time and we will start to see more products enter the market place, then wait a year and watch Apple kill them all.
I applaud Amazon for continuing to promote this type of the device. At such a price though, I doubt it will see wide adoption for the time being. I imagine Apple will continue to bide its time and then release its own color, do-everything tablet once the technology gets settled.
irony
If Apple made same thing and priced it at $500, people wouldn't complain but quietly march to Apple store and buy it for each member if their family.
LOL
If Apple made same thing and priced it at $500, people wouldn't complain but quietly march to Apple store and buy it for each member if their family.
LOL