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a whole computer that i can read books on last 3 hrs

Your computer only lasts 3 hours?

Time to upgrade.

There's a point at which battery life no longer matters. I've never cared about how long the battery on my iPods last. All I know is that they never drain before I recharge them. Now I get the same thing from this computer. It probably won't last 9.5 hours, but whether it lasts 9.5 or 7 (as the battery meter predicts), it will never die before I recharge it.
 
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I'm not really sure how this is supposed to replace text books or scientific papers. There is no easy way to "highlight" or write notes. This ignores the lack of color as well. I mean I'd love for a replacement for reading scientific papers but at the moment my iphone and laptop would do a better job due to iphone always being on me and the laptop having a much easier to use keyboard.

Just use a Mac and the Skim software...there you go.
 
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that's the same price as a netbook. I wonder which one I'd buy...

a book reader

or a whole computer that I can read books on

...hm thinking about it.

I'm so tired of this argument, yes we get it it's as much as a netbook, the netbook has more features because it's a computer.

"It has a full color screen too!" another one I've heard over and over, if you have never experienced reading an e-ink screen for READING then you can't say anything, a netbook is for internet writing and writing documents, the Kindle is for READING.

Is this one overpriced? YES, I guess that's what makes the netbook/kindle thing somewhat justified, but it's like saying I want buy a Chef's knife, expecting it to be used as scissors ( and yes the scissors shouldn't cost so much )

They have different markets for different target demographics. But again I do agree they are overpriced, at first glance but some things do make it justifiable for around $300 for K2 and $400 for DX

Kindle 2:
Free internet
Free downloads
Hardly has to charge
Small
Easy on the eyes ( as much as I am on the internet it's a nice change not straining my eyes)
Storage of many books
Reading and switching to any book
Read faster (I have doubled my reading speed from reading regular books)

$299 would make it more appealing to others, but again the e-ink screen doesn't get through to them.
 
Read faster (I have doubled my reading speed from reading regular books)
Huh??? Wow, I've read a lot of glowing praise about the Kindle, but you're the first person I've seen to claim the Kindle somehow doubles your reading speed. Can you elaborate on that?
 
Just use a Mac and the Skim software...there you go.

Yes, but this changes the utility of the Kindle how? I already have ways to read and annotate on my mac, I'm talking about how Amazon is missing the boat if they think that letting people read pdf's and putting a bigger screen on the device will suddenly make it usable by scientists.
 
Why would you buy a separate device just to read books??? It would be different if that said device fulfilled other features such as a phone too. I cannot see how a single device would ever catch on.
 
As far as the Kindle is concerned, it's a step in the right direction e-ink, but otherwise it fails. It came too late in the game for newspapers, blogs and magazines. Carrying a Kindle is not convenient because it doesn't fit in my pocket and if I'm not on the move, I'll use a computer to get this information.

I am a reading aficionado, if such a term could be applied. I read about 1-2 books a week when I can because reading a good book is truly entertaining.

I have tried to read books on the iPhone because I do use my iPhone for reading news/blogs/etc., but it's not the same. It's not the size though. Books just shouldn't have buttons. There is a phenomenal tactile experience to holding a book and turning the pages.

Since when does the New York Times fit in your pocket? :rolleyes:

I think the point being missed by the "use my computer" crowd is that spending several hours reading "e-ink" is much more pleasant than reading off a computer screen.

I also beg to differ about the iPhone for reading blogs/news/etc. You don't spend hours reading a novel on the iPhone. I doubt anyone who does do that would have an eye ache. Not to mention that its just not fun having to scroll around so much.

I agree on the tactile feel of books, but then again people used to complain about the loss of fidelity when listening to MP3.

Clearly the Kindle is still an early adopter product but it is going in the right direction. When the price comes down (and it will), color is added, and simulated tactile feel that allows you to swipe the page in order to change it (haptic touch screen), eBooks will replace paper books/ newspapers the way MP3 are replacing other ways of distributing music.
 
Huh??? Wow, I've read a lot of glowing praise about the Kindle, but you're the first person I've seen to claim the Kindle somehow doubles your reading speed. Can you elaborate on that?

Okay well it hasn't exactly doubled but I used to be a slow reader, even in things I was interested in, a 500 page book would take me months because with a regular book I:

Was uncomfortable holding the book for some reason, any book really it'd take me a while to get comfortable. and then forget about reading on your side.

I think I have slight ADD because I always get distracted when the two pages are facing me. I see the other words on the other page at the same time I'm reading.

It'd take me a couple of minutes to read a page.

With the Kindle the same number of page book took me 1-2 weeks reading intermittently ( one took me 3 days :D ):

I felt very comfortable holding it, on my lap, stomach, on my side too and it's lighter than some books.

Looking at one page at a time allowed me to focus a lot better

I ended up reading pages a lot faster maybe 30-50 seconds

even though the refresh rate is said to be a bit slow I felt I was getting to the next page faster.


I liked reading before but wasn't much of one before the kindle 2 I've read about maybe 15 books for pleasure in my lifetime ( I'm 21 ) now after having it only a few months I'm on my third novel and reading a 4th simultaneously.

So now I don't just like reading I LOVE IT.
 
Yes, but this changes the utility of the Kindle how? I already have ways to read and annotate on my mac, I'm talking about how Amazon is missing the boat if they think that letting people read pdf's and putting a bigger screen on the device will suddenly make it usable by scientists.

It doesn't...and as I said above, that's why the Kindle fails.
 
I think the point being missed by the "use my computer" crowd is that spending several hours reading "e-ink" is much more pleasant than reading off a computer screen.

That would be subjective. I have no problems reading off an LCD, though I read off my iPT, not computers. And yes I read full books. Looking at the Kindle, the contrast looks pretty low. Looks like it would be unreadable in low light.
 
It doesn't...and as I said above, that's why the Kindle fails.

Your logic is perfect, except that it doesn't really seem to be failing... Amazon cited, what, 35% of their sales of books with Kindle versions being the Kindle version? It seems they're not doing so badly. Amazon, apart from the obvious assumption one could make that they are lying, has suggested the Kindle is doing quite well.
 
I hate to be a party pooper but do we really need a huge headline about this on this site? Amazon is doing enough to promote it. I come here to read about Mac stuff, not Amazon stuff.

Contact me when a new version of the Kindle reader comes out for the iPhone. Now that is something to get excited about!
 
reading a real book is so much better then trying to read it on a monochrome screen.

Uhhm what color are book pages? Off white, white, and cream ? With what color text....uhh black.

At first the kindle screen is a bit odd yes, but after reading on it for a while it becomes a pleasant experience, Even when you read it near a lamp the page looks a bit traditional, but other than that it looks excellent, and the sharp text looks nice and easy to read. Have you tried one?
 
That's right I complain. A Mac can do much more than a Kindle. You should also ask the ad agency that makes the laptop hunters for Microsoft why they use Macs as well. Maybe they'll give you the explanation you're looking for.

Our Macs - hell, most smartphones - do a whole lot more than my microphone/recorder setup which at minimum runs at US$6500 with todays exchange rate. But do I want to use a Mac for what I use the recorder for? No.

How much "more" it does isn't the issue here, it's how well it does what little it does.
 
Macrumors Irony

Kindle 1 was a tremendous success and Kindle 2 hasn't show any visible signs of not performing well either. Nevertheless, you can always bet on coming to the spin city to read how a product is a "FAIL" and will never be successful.

Do people recall how slowly the original ipod was embraced?

These are the same people who will buy the Apple TV and coin it a "hobby" rather than admit it's a flop.

The minute apple comes out with a sexy version of the same device with similar functionality for similar price you will hear everyone running out to buy one and justify the price.
 
a book reader battery last a week

a whole computer that i can read books on last 3 hrs

...hm thinking about it.


Several netbook models last up to 10 hours in a low load scenario (such as reading an ebook). Enough to get you through an entire day of reading. Sure, the display wouldn't be that nice and you would have to recharge it overnight, but on the other hand a netbook has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

These days, a lot of people have / are buying a netbook anyway. So the question is, would they buy an ebook reader too?
 
Wow! This ought to draw the anger of Kindle 2 customers. Didn't they just release the Kindle2 3 or 4 months ago? Companies usually release the high end models first and the lower end later. The people who bought the high end product are happy they still have the better product. But releasing a better Kindle so soon after so many people plunked down $350? Wow!
 
Prove me wrong, the reality is, im not, and you cant, believe me i've extensively checked. You will NOT find a computer with the exact same specifications as an Apple computer for a lower price. Please, dont make yourself look even more stupid and argue it.

Dude, leave it be. This guy is just a troll. Don't feed him.
He will not listen to your points but repeat his same old sermon until he starves.
 
As I said on the other thread:

I stick by what I said when the kindle 2.0 came out

It won't take off until it can do colour and replicate a magazine or a text book in full. I still think Amazon's long term goal is to "Kindle" the market and become the leading ebook seller when the hardware big boys get involved.

That's one of the two things holding me back; lack of color, and stupidly overpriced. I'll wait a bit to see if the Apple iPad/Newton 2.0 comes out. I'd gladly pay a couple hundred more for something that does way more than just allow reading eBooks/newspapers/magazines.
 
Uhhm what color are book pages? Off white, white, and cream ? With what color text....uhh black.

At first the kindle screen is a bit odd yes, but after reading on it for a while it becomes a pleasant experience, Even when you read it near a lamp the page looks a bit traditional, but other than that it looks excellent, and the sharp text looks nice and easy to read. Have you tried one?

Ambient lighting and the refraction of direct lighting mixed together hasn't been duplicated to the human eye. It's close, but not complete. It's hard to duplicate inside a small container when the human being isn't inside that container to be enveloped by the light source.

When they come up with an OLED book of pages [say three hundred equal paper weight thick] pages that are flexible OLED sheets, with it's embedded ICs whose external surface has the tactile touch of a book and capable of refreshing [at page 300 you touch a refresh and go back to sheet 1, now page 301, repeat until the end of War in Peace, et al] as the book moves along and holds hundreds of GBs in the spine [the core shell that houses the SSD, CPU, GPU, etc] before needing a new reader list, while being capable of being used for at least a few decades, then I'll continue to love my books.

Realistically, that will happen perhaps when space travel is routine. We will continue to replace hard shell Kindles with incremental upgrades and take decades to reach the notion of duplicating an actual book.

I'd be happy for 30" Flexible OLED displays that I can throw up on backdrops hanging off my wall that doesn't require a custom housing and just works. I'll probably have to wait a decade or so for that one to happen.
 
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