As a curiosity seeker for the Kindle 2, I appreciated this well thought out review, especially the photos and friendly tone. But please...good grief... run a spell check? After all this obvious work, the glaring spelling errors detract from the professionalism.
Personally, I'd love to see Kindle put overpriced textbook publishers on notice.
Forget on notice, how about out of business: I shouldnt have to spend $400+ for 2 books for a 100 level poly sci course that isnt even related to my major (CS)
Too bad we don't have our own version of a 7-11" anything now.
Some of us do...
Sorry, couldn't resist.
But really, I look for Apple to be the one htat can bring Nvidia and intel to the table to settle the netbook chipset issue, and if they can have exclusivity to the Nvidia atom combo for some amount of time, they would smoke the netbook market...if they dont charge $600 for a 300$ device...
Considering that an unsubsidized 8GB iPhone is about $600 USD
Weren't the 8B selling for $399 at one time? Isn't the $600 really a cash grab as people think it's cheaper than locking into a contract so it IS cheaper, but really not a representation of what the product is worth?
I truly would buy a sligthly larger iPhone that still fits in my pocket, but in landscape mode, would be a great reader. Do you know how much email/surfing I do on it even at home when I have a perfectly good iMac just across the room? ;-)
Although a Kindle would be a possible fantastic replacement for college textbooks, etc. there's the convergence factor in there somewhere.
I'm not going to carry around a GPS, Cell Phone, Music Player, E-Book Reader, Video Player, Game Player, Picture viewers, Note taker, etc.. 1 Device please.
Those Dell Inspiron Mini 9's are now going for $199 .... with the right software/form factor, someone is going to break outta the pack.
Heck, Adobe could come up with some sort of interface tweek to Acrobat and you know how many devices could become ebook readers.
They were priced at $399, but AT&T was also paying Apple a per month fee for each iPhone on their network so the actual retail cost of the handset was actually higher, even though you could buy it outright at an Apple Store without signing up for a contract. Remember that the software unlocked hadn't happened yet.
Well firstly it's an electronic reader not a book replacement! Anything electronic could/would probaly suffer damage if dealt the same fall.
But that's too bad- did Amazon replace it? There must be some kind of warranty-no?
Returns with amazon are usually never a problem, that why i shop there a lot. I have dropped my iphone at least a dozen times and guess what, it still works! so i would say that the kindle does have a problem in being not sturdy enough.
no back light, trashes my needs. Family goes down at 9 and I read pleasure or professional development = journal articles for 1-2 hours. Done with head lamp. No back light a serious flaw
I don't think they need to disclose numbers actually as long as the product delivers. I really don't think users care about how many Kindles sell as long as it works for them and I haven't heard of many complaints.
They will care if it gets orphaned like the mobipocket market looking on at the kindle market wondering why the hell Amazon decided to shaft that whole ecosystem that Amazon already owned with a new, incompatible DRM format. Shades of Zune and playsforsure.
Lookee at all these ebook reader orphaned from the kindle market just like all the playsforsure mp3 players:
They will care if it gets orphaned like the mobipocket market looking on at the kindle market wondering why the hell Amazon decided to shaft that whole ecosystem that Amazon already owned with a new, incompatible DRM format. Shades of Zune and playsforsure.
Lookee at all these ebook reader orphaned from the kindle market just like all the playsforsure mp3 players:
Returns with amazon are usually never a problem, that why i shop there a lot. I have dropped my iphone at least a dozen times and guess what, it still works! so i would say that the kindle does have a problem in being not sturdy enough.
Trust me, a lot a people have had problems with iPhone too- haven't you seen all the lawsuits? Maybe you should start a class action lawsuit if you think it's so poorly built? Others have with the iPhone- so why not be the first with the Kindle? (just joking)
Normally I treat every suggestion for a product Apple doesn't currently do with a degree of ambivalence but I have to say it again Apple really are acting absurdly stupid in letting the 7 to 10" table form factor pass them by..
I agree. I would go one step further and say they are really stupid if they don't join the eBook market soon. Amazon are deliberately designing their products in a rather Apple-esque style. Soon they will have patents on how things work and look, and Apple will be the ones producing bad imitations of the Kindle.
I agree. I would go one step further and say they are really stupid if they don't join the eBook market soon. Amazon are deliberately designing their products in a rather Apple-esque style. Soon they will have patents on how things work and look, and Apple will be the ones producing bad imitations of the Kindle.
Except the iphone can already do what the kindle does with the primary difference being size and eInk.
I would also expect Hearst to do a iPhone app eventually.
Except the iphone can already do what the kindle does with the primary difference being size and eInk.
That's like saying "Well my MacBook can read books so we're good."
The primary differences are the things I would want for an eBook. I want a machine whose batteries last a lot longer than an iPhone. I also want something bigger than an iPhone (say, paperback sized!) so I don't strain my eyes.
That's like saying "Well my MacBook can read books so we're good."
The primary differences are the things I would want for an eBook. I want a machine whose batteries last a lot longer than an iPhone. I also want something bigger than an iPhone (say, paperback sized!) so I don't strain my eyes.
It's like saying "Apple better make a netbook because Amazon is going to patent how netbooks work and look" without understanding that Apple already makes 13" laptops. Hence the comment that the iPhone already does eBooks.
Sizing an ipod touch/iphone up to paperback size is straightforward.
Electronic distribution of books via the internet is straightforward (and already done).
The tradeoff between eInk and LCD is understood and both have advantages and disadvantages.
A paperback sized iPod touch will be a multi-function device that will trash the Kindle 2 in market penetration, usability and function simply because it's an iPod that will be able to do games, video, music, applications, and ebooks. It's not like ebook readers are all that hard to write and Apple itself doesn't need to do so itself.
The thing that Amazon has is content which it has carefully locked into the .azw format. The problem is that the Kindle is no iPod and market penetration is already dwarfed by the number of ebook readers on the iPhone.
And eBooks.com has a good number of titles.
And the power cost of reading an eBook on the iPhone is really minimal. In airplane mode, it lasts from DC to Honolulu with enough battery left to call your ride and chat a while. With a spare battery pack it can last until Bangkok.
And you need a phone anyway, so charging one is kinda par for the course.
It's like saying "Apple better make a netbook because Amazon is going to patent how netbooks work and look" without understanding that Apple already makes 13" laptops. Hence the comment that the iPhone already does eBooks.
Sizing an ipod touch/iphone up to paperback size is straightforward.
Electronic distribution of books via the internet is straightforward (and already done).
The tradeoff between eInk and LCD is understood and both have advantages and disadvantages.
A paperback sized iPod touch will be a multi-function device that will trash the Kindle 2 in market penetration, usability and function simply because it's an iPod that will be able to do games, video, music, applications, and ebooks. It's not like ebook readers are all that hard to write and Apple itself doesn't need to do so itself.
The thing that Amazon has is content which it has carefully locked into the .azw format. The problem is that the Kindle is no iPod and market penetration is already dwarfed by the number of ebook readers on the iPhone.
And eBooks.com has a good number of titles.
And the power cost of reading an eBook on the iPhone is really minimal. In airplane mode, it lasts from DC to Honolulu with enough battery left to call your ride and chat a while. With a spare battery pack it can last until Bangkok.
And you need a phone anyway, so charging one is kinda par for the course.
I think what you describe is the current downfall of eBooks. No one can deny that eInk-based devices, which are designed for reading text for long periods of time, will last considerably longer than the iPhone or a personal computer, and hold considerably more data in the same amount of space than a physical book, but if the cost of the device makes it impractical and the other devices have a good enough aspect in enough areas for the majority of people it just won't be an option. I find that the iPhone is acceptable for reading despite the small screen, and it will last for a very long time when you aren't running the radios or peaking the processor.
I do think that eBooks will eventually be as commonplace as iPods, but not until color eInk that can represent printed magazines becomes a reality. Then I think we'll see a new wave of media being distributed to such devices which many print magazines and newspapers going to digital subscriptions that are most likely distributed via email or secure-type RSS feed. (specualtion)
Except the iphone can already do what the kindle does with the primary difference being size and eInk.
That encompasses a lot, in fact, everything that makes it possible to read on an ebook reader and very difficult (not to say impossible, since someone will read an entire book just to prove that "it's not impossible") on a backlit iPhone or iPod touch, even enlarged.
Backlighting strains the eyes after not that long a time. It looks great on a page for a while, but it's not made for extended reading.
Size is vital. An iPhone or touch large enough to be an eBook would be a lousy phone; there would go the "you need a phone anyway" advantage. Yet the size of the page is critical to reading not just because you can read more before turning the page, but because the continuity of comprehension is aided by context and continuity. Maybe not much of a big deal in best-seller novels (though even there it is), but if you aim to read Aristotle's Categories or any demanding work, you need to be able to read in a larger literary context than the paragraph that, say, Stanza on the iPhone permits. On this point, even Kindle (and all the other 6" screen ebook readers) is a fail for me--there's woefully little on a page, even at small and unreadable type sizes.
I'm sure Apple would do a great ebook reader with eInk, if they decided to do one, but they won't. And a larger iPod device doesn't seem to make sense because of the drawbacks of screen (the ink is not optional, so far) and cost, not to mention phoneliness.
I wonder what year it will be when I finally see one of these in the wild...
Maybe the same year I see someone carrying a laser based pencil sharpener.
I love the R&D and progress being made. But I also see kindle-like devices as a becoming mere footnotes in the history of portable computing.
These are basically limited use computers in what has historically been a fairly unpopular form factor. Is there a market for computers larger than a pocket computer (smart phone) but smaller than a laptop? My take... only if so cheap that people can keep one around for occasional, casual use.
So will it sell? I predict no, definitely not at the current price point. Perhaps not even at 25% of the current price.
That encompasses a lot, in fact, everything that makes it possible to read on an ebook reader and very difficult (not to say impossible, since someone will read an entire book just to prove that "it's not impossible") on a backlit iPhone or iPod touch, even enlarged.
I've read many books on my iPhone. For fun and not to prove something. I even put down a hardback version when I suddenly realized that the ebook version was different (one of the Weber ones).
Quote:
Backlighting strains the eyes after not that long a time. It looks great on a page for a while, but it's not made for extended reading.
Is eInk better for eyestrain? Sure it is. On the other hand there are many folks that look at/read from a backlit display for hours and hours at a time for work and play.
Quote:
Size is vital. An iPhone or touch large enough to be an eBook would be a lousy phone; there would go the "you need a phone anyway" advantage. Yet the size of the page is critical to reading not just because you can read more before turning the page, but because the continuity of comprehension is aided by context and continuity. Maybe not much of a big deal in best-seller novels (though even there it is), but if you aim to read Aristotle's Categories or any demanding work, you need to be able to read in a larger literary context than the paragraph that, say, Stanza on the iPhone permits. On this point, even Kindle (and all the other 6" screen ebook readers) is a fail for me--there's woefully little on a page, even at small and unreadable type sizes.
And, as you say, the Kindle is a fail there too. The only eBook that would meet your criteria is the iRex 1000.
And Kindle is a double fail because no .azw book can be read on a larger display. If I buy pdf or mobi books I'd rather have an iLiad or a 1000. Or a netbook/tablet.
If I'm going to lug around a Kindle sized object it will be a netbook. Oh gee...and folks do.
But if I need a reference, I keep it in my iPhone. If I want a novel for whenever I might be stuck waiting, I keep it in my iPhone.
Quote:
I'm sure Apple would do a great ebook reader with eInk, if they decided to do one, but they won't. And a larger iPod device doesn't seem to make sense because of the drawbacks of screen (the ink is not optional, so far) and cost, not to mention phoneliness.
A larger iPod device makes sense if Apple doesn't want to do a netbook with a keyboard. The selling point will be video and the web, not books. Doesn't mean it won't also kill the Kindle though.
But someone like Hearst would be very small minded to ignore that as a platform...especially since I think the Hearst ebook will be DOA unless it's really cheap. As in free with a 2 year subscription.
I atually think that's possible. Someone did a back of the envelope calculation and concluded that the NYT would have saved money by giving everyone a Kindle vs printing on paper.
If they did that, I'd be an instant SF Chronicle reader even through I live on the opposite coast. And I'd probably buy a magazine or two as well as long as I could also read PDFs on the thing.
Comments
Personally, I'd love to see Kindle put overpriced textbook publishers on notice.
Forget on notice, how about out of business: I shouldnt have to spend $400+ for 2 books for a 100 level poly sci course that isnt even related to my major (CS)
Too bad we don't have our own version of a 7-11" anything now.
Some of us do...
Sorry, couldn't resist.
But really, I look for Apple to be the one htat can bring Nvidia and intel to the table to settle the netbook chipset issue, and if they can have exclusivity to the Nvidia atom combo for some amount of time, they would smoke the netbook market...if they dont charge $600 for a 300$ device...
Considering that an unsubsidized 8GB iPhone is about $600 USD
Weren't the 8B selling for $399 at one time? Isn't the $600 really a cash grab as people think it's cheaper than locking into a contract so it IS cheaper, but really not a representation of what the product is worth?
I truly would buy a sligthly larger iPhone that still fits in my pocket, but in landscape mode, would be a great reader. Do you know how much email/surfing I do on it even at home when I have a perfectly good iMac just across the room? ;-)
Although a Kindle would be a possible fantastic replacement for college textbooks, etc. there's the convergence factor in there somewhere.
I'm not going to carry around a GPS, Cell Phone, Music Player, E-Book Reader, Video Player, Game Player, Picture viewers, Note taker, etc.. 1 Device please.
Those Dell Inspiron Mini 9's are now going for $199 .... with the right software/form factor, someone is going to break outta the pack.
Heck, Adobe could come up with some sort of interface tweek to Acrobat and you know how many devices could become ebook readers.
Weren't the 8B selling for $399 at one time?
They were priced at $399, but AT&T was also paying Apple a per month fee for each iPhone on their network so the actual retail cost of the handset was actually higher, even though you could buy it outright at an Apple Store without signing up for a contract. Remember that the software unlocked hadn't happened yet.
Well firstly it's an electronic reader not a book replacement! Anything electronic could/would probaly suffer damage if dealt the same fall.
But that's too bad- did Amazon replace it? There must be some kind of warranty-no?
Returns with amazon are usually never a problem, that why i shop there a lot. I have dropped my iphone at least a dozen times and guess what, it still works! so i would say that the kindle does have a problem in being not sturdy enough.
I don't think they need to disclose numbers actually as long as the product delivers. I really don't think users care about how many Kindles sell as long as it works for them and I haven't heard of many complaints.
They will care if it gets orphaned like the mobipocket market looking on at the kindle market wondering why the hell Amazon decided to shaft that whole ecosystem that Amazon already owned with a new, incompatible DRM format. Shades of Zune and playsforsure.
Lookee at all these ebook reader orphaned from the kindle market just like all the playsforsure mp3 players:
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/Downloa...?device=Others
They will care if it gets orphaned like the mobipocket market looking on at the kindle market wondering why the hell Amazon decided to shaft that whole ecosystem that Amazon already owned with a new, incompatible DRM format. Shades of Zune and playsforsure.
Lookee at all these ebook reader orphaned from the kindle market just like all the playsforsure mp3 players:
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/Downloa...?device=Others
?? Like who ever heard of those. Interesting list- but who are they?
It sounds more to me like shades of Apple, iPods , iTunes , DRM and AAC.
Returns with amazon are usually never a problem, that why i shop there a lot. I have dropped my iphone at least a dozen times and guess what, it still works! so i would say that the kindle does have a problem in being not sturdy enough.
Trust me, a lot a people have had problems with iPhone too- haven't you seen all the lawsuits? Maybe you should start a class action lawsuit if you think it's so poorly built? Others have with the iPhone- so why not be the first with the Kindle? (just joking)
?? Like who ever heard of those. Interesting list- but who are they?
It sounds more to me like shades of Apple, iPods , iTunes , DRM and AAC.
If you don't know then you know nothing of ebooks eh?
iRex the other major maker of ebooks (the other is Sony)...they're great but expensive as heck.
Better than Kindle/Kindle 2 in many areas...mostly due to the wacom digitizer built in and the SDK available. Plus the larger screen on the iLiad.
The 1000 is a "professional" ebook and 10.2 inches.
Normally I treat every suggestion for a product Apple doesn't currently do with a degree of ambivalence but I have to say it again Apple really are acting absurdly stupid in letting the 7 to 10" table form factor pass them by..
I agree. I would go one step further and say they are really stupid if they don't join the eBook market soon. Amazon are deliberately designing their products in a rather Apple-esque style. Soon they will have patents on how things work and look, and Apple will be the ones producing bad imitations of the Kindle.
I agree. I would go one step further and say they are really stupid if they don't join the eBook market soon. Amazon are deliberately designing their products in a rather Apple-esque style. Soon they will have patents on how things work and look, and Apple will be the ones producing bad imitations of the Kindle.
Except the iphone can already do what the kindle does with the primary difference being size and eInk.
I would also expect Hearst to do a iPhone app eventually.
Except the iphone can already do what the kindle does with the primary difference being size and eInk.
That's like saying "Well my MacBook can read books so we're good."
The primary differences are the things I would want for an eBook. I want a machine whose batteries last a lot longer than an iPhone. I also want something bigger than an iPhone (say, paperback sized!) so I don't strain my eyes.
That's like saying "Well my MacBook can read books so we're good."
The primary differences are the things I would want for an eBook. I want a machine whose batteries last a lot longer than an iPhone. I also want something bigger than an iPhone (say, paperback sized!) so I don't strain my eyes.
It's like saying "Apple better make a netbook because Amazon is going to patent how netbooks work and look" without understanding that Apple already makes 13" laptops. Hence the comment that the iPhone already does eBooks.
Sizing an ipod touch/iphone up to paperback size is straightforward.
Electronic distribution of books via the internet is straightforward (and already done).
The tradeoff between eInk and LCD is understood and both have advantages and disadvantages.
A paperback sized iPod touch will be a multi-function device that will trash the Kindle 2 in market penetration, usability and function simply because it's an iPod that will be able to do games, video, music, applications, and ebooks. It's not like ebook readers are all that hard to write and Apple itself doesn't need to do so itself.
The thing that Amazon has is content which it has carefully locked into the .azw format. The problem is that the Kindle is no iPod and market penetration is already dwarfed by the number of ebook readers on the iPhone.
And eBooks.com has a good number of titles.
And the power cost of reading an eBook on the iPhone is really minimal. In airplane mode, it lasts from DC to Honolulu with enough battery left to call your ride and chat a while. With a spare battery pack it can last until Bangkok.
And you need a phone anyway, so charging one is kinda par for the course.
It's like saying "Apple better make a netbook because Amazon is going to patent how netbooks work and look" without understanding that Apple already makes 13" laptops. Hence the comment that the iPhone already does eBooks.
Sizing an ipod touch/iphone up to paperback size is straightforward.
Electronic distribution of books via the internet is straightforward (and already done).
The tradeoff between eInk and LCD is understood and both have advantages and disadvantages.
A paperback sized iPod touch will be a multi-function device that will trash the Kindle 2 in market penetration, usability and function simply because it's an iPod that will be able to do games, video, music, applications, and ebooks. It's not like ebook readers are all that hard to write and Apple itself doesn't need to do so itself.
The thing that Amazon has is content which it has carefully locked into the .azw format. The problem is that the Kindle is no iPod and market penetration is already dwarfed by the number of ebook readers on the iPhone.
And eBooks.com has a good number of titles.
And the power cost of reading an eBook on the iPhone is really minimal. In airplane mode, it lasts from DC to Honolulu with enough battery left to call your ride and chat a while. With a spare battery pack it can last until Bangkok.
And you need a phone anyway, so charging one is kinda par for the course.
I think what you describe is the current downfall of eBooks. No one can deny that eInk-based devices, which are designed for reading text for long periods of time, will last considerably longer than the iPhone or a personal computer, and hold considerably more data in the same amount of space than a physical book, but if the cost of the device makes it impractical and the other devices have a good enough aspect in enough areas for the majority of people it just won't be an option. I find that the iPhone is acceptable for reading despite the small screen, and it will last for a very long time when you aren't running the radios or peaking the processor.
I do think that eBooks will eventually be as commonplace as iPods, but not until color eInk that can represent printed magazines becomes a reality. Then I think we'll see a new wave of media being distributed to such devices which many print magazines and newspapers going to digital subscriptions that are most likely distributed via email or secure-type RSS feed. (specualtion)
Except the iphone can already do what the kindle does with the primary difference being size and eInk.
That encompasses a lot, in fact, everything that makes it possible to read on an ebook reader and very difficult (not to say impossible, since someone will read an entire book just to prove that "it's not impossible") on a backlit iPhone or iPod touch, even enlarged.
Backlighting strains the eyes after not that long a time. It looks great on a page for a while, but it's not made for extended reading.
Size is vital. An iPhone or touch large enough to be an eBook would be a lousy phone; there would go the "you need a phone anyway" advantage. Yet the size of the page is critical to reading not just because you can read more before turning the page, but because the continuity of comprehension is aided by context and continuity. Maybe not much of a big deal in best-seller novels (though even there it is), but if you aim to read Aristotle's Categories or any demanding work, you need to be able to read in a larger literary context than the paragraph that, say, Stanza on the iPhone permits. On this point, even Kindle (and all the other 6" screen ebook readers) is a fail for me--there's woefully little on a page, even at small and unreadable type sizes.
I'm sure Apple would do a great ebook reader with eInk, if they decided to do one, but they won't. And a larger iPod device doesn't seem to make sense because of the drawbacks of screen (the ink is not optional, so far) and cost, not to mention phoneliness.
Maybe the same year I see someone carrying a laser based pencil sharpener.
I love the R&D and progress being made. But I also see kindle-like devices as a becoming mere footnotes in the history of portable computing.
These are basically limited use computers in what has historically been a fairly unpopular form factor. Is there a market for computers larger than a pocket computer (smart phone) but smaller than a laptop? My take... only if so cheap that people can keep one around for occasional, casual use.
So will it sell? I predict no, definitely not at the current price point. Perhaps not even at 25% of the current price.
That encompasses a lot, in fact, everything that makes it possible to read on an ebook reader and very difficult (not to say impossible, since someone will read an entire book just to prove that "it's not impossible") on a backlit iPhone or iPod touch, even enlarged.
I've read many books on my iPhone. For fun and not to prove something. I even put down a hardback version when I suddenly realized that the ebook version was different (one of the Weber ones).
Backlighting strains the eyes after not that long a time. It looks great on a page for a while, but it's not made for extended reading.
Is eInk better for eyestrain? Sure it is. On the other hand there are many folks that look at/read from a backlit display for hours and hours at a time for work and play.
Size is vital. An iPhone or touch large enough to be an eBook would be a lousy phone; there would go the "you need a phone anyway" advantage. Yet the size of the page is critical to reading not just because you can read more before turning the page, but because the continuity of comprehension is aided by context and continuity. Maybe not much of a big deal in best-seller novels (though even there it is), but if you aim to read Aristotle's Categories or any demanding work, you need to be able to read in a larger literary context than the paragraph that, say, Stanza on the iPhone permits. On this point, even Kindle (and all the other 6" screen ebook readers) is a fail for me--there's woefully little on a page, even at small and unreadable type sizes.
And, as you say, the Kindle is a fail there too. The only eBook that would meet your criteria is the iRex 1000.
And Kindle is a double fail because no .azw book can be read on a larger display. If I buy pdf or mobi books I'd rather have an iLiad or a 1000. Or a netbook/tablet.
If I'm going to lug around a Kindle sized object it will be a netbook. Oh gee...and folks do.
But if I need a reference, I keep it in my iPhone. If I want a novel for whenever I might be stuck waiting, I keep it in my iPhone.
I'm sure Apple would do a great ebook reader with eInk, if they decided to do one, but they won't. And a larger iPod device doesn't seem to make sense because of the drawbacks of screen (the ink is not optional, so far) and cost, not to mention phoneliness.
A larger iPod device makes sense if Apple doesn't want to do a netbook with a keyboard. The selling point will be video and the web, not books. Doesn't mean it won't also kill the Kindle though.
But someone like Hearst would be very small minded to ignore that as a platform...especially since I think the Hearst ebook will be DOA unless it's really cheap. As in free with a 2 year subscription.
I atually think that's possible. Someone did a back of the envelope calculation and concluded that the NYT would have saved money by giving everyone a Kindle vs printing on paper.
http://www.businessinsider.com/2009/...-a-free-kindle
If they did that, I'd be an instant SF Chronicle reader even through I live on the opposite coast. And I'd probably buy a magazine or two as well as long as I could also read PDFs on the thing.