New e-reader:Kindle?

[Galaril]

I saw this when I was looking around on Amazon.com and wonder if anyone had any experiences using it. It looks pretty good and I think this could really take off once more newspapers, blogs, books and magazines get converted to it. But still even now it has almost amillion boks you can read. And each book is pretty cheap 9.99 isn't bad.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

[Drake]

The reader is $399. For something that just reads text, that seems like a really high price point to me.

I might feel differently if I was a train commuter or spent long periods of time stuck in traffic, though.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Drake

The reader is $399. For something that just reads text, that seems like a really high price point to me.

I might feel differently if I was a train commuter or spent long periods of time stuck in traffic, though.

Even if I were a train commuter, I don't think I could choke down $400 for a one-trick pony. Not when I have an iPod (where I can listen to books from audible.com or podiobooks.com) and a PDA with a good screen (where I have eReader installed and can grab books via that).

It does some things that the Sony reader doesn't, namely it has the ability to connect (or so it says) to Amazon's EVDO network so you can grab books "whenever" at no charge for the connection and download, but that's not appealing to me. Again, my eReader Pro (free for Pocket PC) has the ability to buy books and download them right from my PDA, either via a dialup through my phone or via wi-fi.

Apparently it supports the Kindle reader format (whatever that is) and .txt for user-input stuff, i.e. if I have a PDF I want to read, I'm SOL (again, not the case with my PDA).

I can understand why people don't like to read on PDA's and prefer the e-ink on the Kindle and the Sony reader (I think the Kindle is using the e-ink), but truthfully, I can't see it being something I'd consider unless the price drops to $50 or less (which it likely never will). Between audiobooks on my iPod and books (and games and email and my schedule and my contacts and a lot more) on my PDA, $400 for a single-purpose book-reading device seems just silly.

/tk

[Drake]

That's some fantastic analysis, kristen. You should put it in your blog.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Even if I were a train commuter, I don't think I could choke down $400 for a one-trick pony. Not when I have an iPod (where I can listen to books from audible.com or podiobooks.com) and a PDA with a good screen (where I have eReader installed and can grab books via that).

It does some things that the Sony reader doesn't, namely it has the ability to connect (or so it says) to Amazon's EVDO network so you can grab books "whenever" at no charge for the connection and download, but that's not appealing to me. Again, my eReader Pro (free for Pocket PC) has the ability to buy books and download them right from my PDA, either via a dialup through my phone or via wi-fi.

Apparently it supports the Kindle reader format (whatever that is) and .txt for user-input stuff, i.e. if I have a PDF I want to read, I'm SOL (again, not the case with my PDA).

I can understand why people don't like to read on PDA's and prefer the e-ink on the Kindle and the Sony reader (I think the Kindle is using the e-ink), but truthfully, I can't see it being something I'd consider unless the price drops to $50 or less (which it likely never will). Between audiobooks on my iPod and books (and games and email and my schedule and my contacts and a lot more) on my PDA, $400 for a single-purpose book-reading device seems just silly.

/tk

Good points. I am not looking to replace my blackberry just areader. I understand price point is a bit high but if it comes down which it will eventually to say $199 I might get it out of the convenience. As far the Pocket PC or PDA with an e-reader sure that is an option if I had a PDA but I got a blackberry so..... And audiobooks: I don't maybe I am getting old but reading the book is half of the enjoyment of the experience. If the book is for an IT security certification or something work related like that than sure a MP3 file is fine otherwise I will take the reading or an audio just me

[ISiddiqui]

I've seen the videos for it on Amazon and other places. It looks fantastic, although the style of it is pretty ugly. I've been very interested in an e-Ink reader for a while and the Kindle allows quick and easy downloading of books (for $10 for new releases, a bit less for those already in paperback) anywhere you can get an EVDO connection, with no computer needed (but you can use one if you want.. like where you can't get a cell connection). Also some cheap newspaper subscriptions are pretty interesting as well. Just turn the EVDO on in the morning and it downloads your morning paper in a few seconds to read on the train for like $6 to $14 a month (based on the paper).

If it was $200, I'd be on it like white on rice. If it even drops to $300, I may have to get it. I was intrigued by the Sony Reader dropping to $300 with $200 in books ("classics"), but the EVDO connection and the ability to buy new released for $10 to it with no fuss makes my jaw drop.

[Galaril]

Some more info on the kindle.

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-982...=2547-1_3-0-20

[ISiddiqui]

Here is a vid from Popular Mechanics:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog...s/4232367.html

[Klinglerware]

It's at a pretty high price point for a single function device. I would never get one. But with that being said, if you are a serious e-book reader, a dedicated reading device of some sort might be your best bet. They are larger than your typical smartphone, so long periods of reading ought to be less taxing on your eyes. I haven't actually seen it, but purportedly, e-ink is much more legible in direct sunlight. And the final practicality is that they're designed with a relatively long battery life (about a week between charges), another must for long reading sessions.

Again, an e-book reader is not my bag, but I can certainly see it as a useful device that fills a niche. l myself am loving my internet tablet. It has a lot of the same multifunctionality of a smartphone, but it has a bigger screen, so it is much more comfortable to use (I'm actually typing this from my tablet now). Yet, it is small enough to fit in my pocket (I find the larger size of the e-book reader a disadvantage for my own personal needs). For me, the tablet is a good middle ground, size-wise, and it is actually getting more use than either my phone or home computer.

[lordscarlet]

...you can convert PDFs to the Kindle format. (I forget what it's called.. MOBI maybe?)

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

...you can convert PDFs to the Kindle format. (I forget what it's called.. MOBI maybe?)

Yeah, there are tools to convert things to its format, but I was speaking natively, it can't take PDF or anything but .txt (per the review I read somewhere). So if you use its wireless to download an attachment to an email or something somebody sends you, you can't open it natively...

I still can't see buying one given that it's got nothing I can't already do (though the screen is nicer than a normal PDA screen) and the $400 price point is the same price-point for a nice PDA. PDA + eReader Pro (free) + wifi = same functionality, and the books on eReader can quite often be cheaper than 9.99 (case in point I bought the "His Dark Materials" trilogy for 8.99 from eReader 2 nights ago on my PDA). However, people must like the idea of it, it's apparently sold out the "first run" through amazon.com I guess if you don't want a PDA/phone and want the e-ink display, it's for you, but I'm still surprised it's sold out (I think I saw on Engadget that it was).

/tk

[lordscarlet]

..I think this is a step in the right direction. The e-ink seems to be amazing (I saw the Sony reader in store). I can't read anything for too long on my iphone, and the readibility on it is 10x that of a Pocket PC. I've always longed for something at least the size of a book for reading. I've wondered why there are tablet PCs and there are PDAs but there is nothing in between. Star Trek:TNG had them YEARS ago. But, really, if I'm going to switch to a paperless world I need something that is relatively easy to carry around but not so small that my eyes strain to read it or I get too few characters per page. I don't know that the Kindle quite hits the mark yet, but have you seen the first gen ipod lately?

I just long for the days that we have digital ink technology like they have in Firefly.

[Subby]

I am just trying to figure out a way to justify getting these for folks in my office. We have a number of regular travelers and I love the idea of the Post or the Journal being readily available to them when they wake up in the morning in a random city somewhere. They could also use it to review documents on the plane (easier than fumbling around with their laptop, right?) I love it, I love the idea of it, and I think it is a major leap forward for information delivery.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Subby

I am just trying to figure out a way to justify getting these for folks in my office. We have a number of regular travelers and I love the idea of the Post or the Journal being readily available to them when they wake up in the morning in a random city somewhere. They could also use it to review documents on the plane (easier than fumbling around with their laptop, right?) I love it, I love the idea of it, and I think it is a major leap forward for information delivery.

I think reviewing/marking up documents is the big downfall. I haven't looked at it in depth, but it (and all other readers I am aware of) don't seem to have a good way to replace highlighting and writing in the margins of a book.

[ISiddiqui]

The e-ink seems to be amazing

Yep. I'd rather read on something with e-ink than an LCD screen for long periods of time.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

..I think this is a step in the right direction. The e-ink seems to be amazing (I saw the Sony reader in store). I can't read anything for too long on my iphone, and the readibility on it is 10x that of a Pocket PC. I've always longed for something at least the size of a book for reading. I've wondered why there are tablet PCs and there are PDAs but there is nothing in between. Star Trek:TNG had them YEARS ago. But, really, if I'm going to switch to a paperless world I need something that is relatively easy to carry around but not so small that my eyes strain to read it or I get too few characters per page. I don't know that the Kindle quite hits the mark yet, but have you seen the first gen ipod lately?

I just long for the days that we have digital ink technology like they have in Firefly.

Yeah amazon reproted it sold these out in 5 1/2 hours http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.en...e-sold-out.jpg
I saw this and my first impressionwas to find what company actual has the patent on the e-ink and move some stocks around and purchase a bunch of said company since I see this being something big someday. I think the technology is the improtant thing the reader is just hardware. It is just like computers the hradware is it the main thing it is the programs that runs on them that is the real money maker. Shit a new license for a fully loaded XP Professional OS plus Microsoft office with everything is almost as much as a new laptop.

[Mac Howard]

I'm sold on the idea of the ebook but $399 is a long way off the right price point.

[Bonegavel]

Anybody get one yet?

[Raiders Army]

Stephen King likes it in his last column in Entertainment Weekly. Then again, he's a millionaire. *shrug*

[chesapeake]

My wife has expressed an interest in the Kindle and I am thinking about getting one for her Birthday. Has anyone bit the bullet and gotten one yet?

[Kodos]

My wife's dad got her one. She seems to really like it. Personally, I like to have an actual book.

[vtbub]

For someone who wrestles with a paper book, would this be worth it?

[tyketime]

I'm on the fence for getting one of these as well. I've been a subscriber to Audible (audiobooks company that so happens to have been bought out by Amazon). I usually listen to books on my Ipod. I did more research on the Kindle last night, and it does have the capability to play back the audiobooks I've already purchsed. So... one less hurdle to clear.

I'm still having a hard time throwing down 4 Benjamins for it. $200-$250 would be more reasonable to me. I do buy physical books on occasion, and the $9.99 price tag to download the book means I would have to buy 30-40 books to recoup the initial investment.

I'm worried about buying a 1st generation device. If I knew for sure a "version 2" was coming out this year, that would make the decision much easier.

Any other anecdotal evidence from those of you who already have one?

[Draft Dodger]

I just got the Sony reader last week. I didn't pay for it - it was a prize - and it's not something I normally would have shelled out $300 for. But I'm enjoying it.

My issue doesn't have much to do with the reader. I don't buy a ton of books - I'm more of a library guy - and those I do buy are usually either used or otherwise discounted. So I personally find the price of ebooks to be too high. I thought it would be a great device to throw some computer related reference guides on, but those are even more expensive. It doesn't really make sense for me to pay more for a digital version than I would for a print version. If you are the type of person who buys a lot of books, especially hardcovers, then it's probably a better deal for you.

[Drake]

Hey, DD - there are free books on my site that will work with your reader. :P

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

[Draft Dodger]

oh, thanks for the reminder. I'm totally going to take advantage of that

[Drake]

In all seriousness, you should check out manybooks.net.

It's practically a Project Gutenberg for any format you could possibly imagine -- plus, it's got lots of "current" works where the writer has opted for Creative Commons releases.

[sterlingice]

Ok, I'm an idiot- what is "e-ink", beyond the standard wikipedia blurb about it?

SI

[Yellow5]

My wife just purchased a Kindle for me as an early fathers day gift and I've been happy with it.

The text is clear, easy to adjust the size and it works well in direct sunlight which is nice. The ability to bu a book and instantly have it download is really nice but I wish there were more books available. I've been converting pdf books to the Mobipocket format with their free creator software and I have also been grabbing free books from the sites mentioned above.

The number of magazine and newspaper subscriptions is small but prices are fair. Seattle Times is $5.99 per month

I probably have 40+ on my Kindle right now and still have 132MB of storage available. The Kindle takes SD cards so I added a 2gb card to the already decent sized built-in sotarge.

I also grab and convert the game guides from IGN so I can have them in front of me while playing on the 360/PS3/DS/Wii.

The "experimental" browser is pretty basic, but it lets me look something up or send an eamil in a pinch.

I also carry lots of technical books around because I need them for my job. Easier to carry them on my Kindle than try to cram 5 or 6 large tech books into my backpack. You an bookmark and highlight text areas and save the clips for later.

Things I dont like:

1 - Can't organize the books into groups or folders. I would love to be able to "tag" my books with keywords like I do with gmail or soical sites like del.icio.us. Would love to be able to search through my books using the tags or at least organize them that way. Right now, the books are stored in one big list and you can sort by name, author and that's about it.

2 - No backlight, or any kind of light. The Kindle is great in an area where there is normal light but it sucks in low light situations. I need to buy a clip-on light to make up for this and shouldn't have to do that on something that costs $400.

3 - Charging for blog feeds. That's just lame.

I wasn't sure if the Kindle was something that I would like until I actually got my hands on the device. After spending the past week using it I have to admit it's pretty damn nice to have, warts and all. Can't wait to see if they drop more firmware/software updates on us to include or improve some of the current features.

[ISiddiqui]

If it had a light, though, it'd take up battery power. That, and paper books need light too .

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

... it would seem to make reading a lot more convenient.

I'm genuinely interested what you mean by this.

[cougarfreak]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I'm genuinely interested what you mean by this.

Download a book instantly, carry a whole library of books with you?

[QuikSand]

I guess I don't lead a sufficiently "mobile" life to see much benefit in carrying a library of books with me. I guess I get the point if you are on the road a lot or something, but for the way I read books, I find taking a book in hand (or in my car, or whatever) to be extremely convenient.

To me, reading books just isn't a complex endeavor. I generally am reading one (non-poker) book at any time, and it sits by my bed. When I'm done with it, it holds very little continued utility to me to continue to carry around. Books, to me, just seem like the exact opposite of music -- there's an obvious and profound advantage to having your music collection portable. I don't see it for books at all.

I guess if I were using books for research or reference, the wide instant access would be a benefit. But clearly that's not enough of a market to make a company any real profits. So this has to be a product that people (more or less) like me are buying and using. And that, to respond to your apparent puzzlement, is why I ask.

Download a book instantly? Okay, I get it. I don't think I'd pay a premium for the privilege, but I get that much. Carry all my books (or scores of them) around all the time? I don't get it at all, why bother?

[ISiddiqui]

I mostly read my books on the train. And it'd be easy to carry around to the park or in public areas (can get a few pages in while waiting for someone - I'm usually overly punctual, so I sit around bored until my friends show up for dinner).

[sabotai]

bump

I do not like reading off an LCD screen, so I print out a lot of txt files and PDFs. Having something to read them with instead of printing them would save me a lot of time (since I print using both sides of the paper, and if I can, print 2 or more pages per side....takes time to print stuff the way I like), not to mention saving me the cost of ink and paper.

I've been thinking of either getting a Kindle or the new Sony eBook reader that's coming out next month. Since the Kindle is still a 1st gen product, I'm leaning towards the Sony one. Plus, reading over the features, it seems the Sony reader will support (either true support or conversion) more file formats than the Kindle, but it seems like the Kindle has a lot more "goodies". I figured I'd bump this and see what anyone has to to say about them.

[ISiddiqui]

Kindle 2.0 may be coming out soon. Boygenius had a few pics on their site:



http://www.boygeniusreport.com/galle...azon-kindle-2/

[McLovin]

Kindle 2 is out. $ 359 . Hmmm...

[ISiddiqui]

And looks like the pics they were showing in October. Looks very nice... and super thin as well.

[albionmoonlight]

How is the screen on the eyes? Is it more exhausting than print on paper, or have they passed that threshold?

[Scoobz0202]

$359? My god..

My iPod touch was almost a hundred dollars less then that..

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

$359? My god..

My iPod touch was almost a hundred dollars less then that..

Apples and oranges (so to speak). The Kindle is built for one thing, presumably it does it very well. While the ipod can do e-books too, it's not optimized for that (e.g. limited screen resolution, can't use it as a flash drive unless you hack it, etc). If I am someone who commutes and reads a lot on the train or whatever every day, I certainly would consider a Kindle over the Touch.

So, the kindle is pricey (I wouldn't buy it since I don't really read e-books), but the idea is interesting enough that for a certain niche audience, they will probably pony up for the convenience and quality of the product...

[AgustusM]

I bought a kindle when they first came out and for me it has been worth every penny.

I have purchased about 50 books and considering they are 10 cheaper that is $500 right there.

the larger savings comes in the 50 books I downloaded the sample read the first two chapters and then never bought. prior to the kindle I would have bought 75% of those books and they would sit on my bookshelf largely unread.

I couldn't be happier with mine, I take it everywhere and I use it everyday.

having said that, in this economy, I won't be upgrading to the 2.0 right now. Will probably wait until a ver3 comes out.

[ISiddiqui]

Yeah, the Kindle is using a vastly different tech than an iPhone. LCD screens (even touch screens) are fairly cheap compared to e-ink screens. Also, you are paying for free internet access for purchasing cheap books and wikipedia through the life of the product.

[Subby]

Might be time to take the plunge...

[RainMaker]

Things I still don't like about the Kindle:

1) Too thin. Just doesn't feel ergonomically right to me.

2) Too expensive. You'd think since they were selling books too that they would subsidize more of the cost.

3) Books are not cheap enough. It's one thing if the Kindle version was $5 while the book was $20, but often times there is maybe a difference of $5 in versions. Most of the bargain books are actually cheaper than the Kindle version.

4) The format is still Amazon based. Meaning I could spend thousands building a nice digital library and only be able to use it on Amazon's system. What if e-readers never make it big and Amazon stops making Kindles? What if a much better e-reader comes along that I want to use? This is my biggest gripe. I'd rather pay a few bucks more and own the book. Be able to give it to friends, sell it used, etc.


I do think it's an interesting device for the guy riding a train to work everyday. Or someone who likes sitting in a coffee shop and reading the newspaper. If the price was much lower, I would buy it just to grab all the public domain books I could for it. But ultimately, I like the feel of books too much to ever give them up.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Quiksand

To me, reading books just isn't a complex endeavor. I generally am reading one (non-poker) book at any time, and it sits by my bed. When I'm done with it, it holds very little continued utility to me to continue to carry around. Books, to me, just seem like the exact opposite of music -- there's an obvious and profound advantage to having your music collection portable. I don't see it for books at all.

Very well said, QS. I could not possibly agree more to your statements.

That said, what I have done is to get quite on-board with audio books. They have been around a long time but with the iPod, I have found, in the past year, that 50% of my reading comes in the form of listening to unabridged audio versions, including those that are 40-115 hours in length.

[ISiddiqui]

If continued adoption tends to push the price of digital books down (remember this is still early adopter phase, so book prices will be higher now than when more people jump on), it could make it more worthwhile.

That, and it is much easier to carry this than some big ass hard cover books. I remember "A Feast for Crows" would make my right hand/arm sore as I tried to read it while standing on a train with my left hand grabbing onto a rail.

And there is, of course, a ton of classic books whose copyright has run out that you can download for free, which doesn't yet exist for music (as the recordings of any classical pieces by fairly modern orchestras aren't old enough to escape copyrights yet).

[jeff061]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

How is the screen on the eyes? Is it more exhausting than print on paper, or have they passed that threshold?

I saw one in person. I had always been under the impression that there was no way the screen could be high res enough to make one of these worthwhile. But it's actually really good, not sure the what the technology is, but you really can't see the pixels and there is not a sharp contrast between the text and the background, seemed to be very easy on the eyes.

That said, I only looked at it for a couple minutes. I don't know what problems could crop up during long term reading.

[chesapeake]

I can't comment about Kindle v.2, but I did end up buying a Kindle for my wife for hre birthday last summer. Going in, she wanted to hate it for a variety of reasons I won't go into. It is now one of her best friends. Things she likes about it:
1) Text is all scalable. She likes to blow it up for easy reading and to reduce fatigue.
2) She likes the size. By itself, she would agree it may be a little small, but it comes with a notebook-like cover, which she uses to make it more book-like. But even with the notebook it is about the size of a trade paperback, so it is very easily portable.
3) AgustusM's point about being able to browse the first chapter is big with her. She has avoided buying a number of books sounded good but sure didn't read that way.
4) We're treehuggers, and ultimately it is better for the trees to read an e-version.

Newspapers and magazines are available on the Kindle, but it doesn't do pictures, so we have not gone that route. Kindle v2 does, so that may make these media more readable.

I empathize with the luddites out there who don't want to put down their books. I doubt you'll ever have to. But I think the genie is out of the bottle on this one, and your kids might. The Kindle is a strong -- and improving -- product and Amazon is rapidly expanding their available titles. And based on the sales of v1, there is enough demand in the marketplace.

[PurdueBrad]

I'm an English teacher, a die-hard book person but frankly, I'm on the verge of breaking down and buying this. My trips to the book store (every two weeks) cost, on average, about $120-150. I read a lot for pleasure and read very quickly, so this sounds like a nice alternative. I looked up book costs and realize that this would cut my spending by over half. My one big fear though is that my spending may go up as it is much easier to just download and buy something rather than waiting to go to the store.