Kindle Pricing
By Rick | December 20, 2007
One of the chief complaints about Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader is the $399 price tag. While it’s true that the Kindle comes with some conveniences that other ebook readers don’t have (most specifically, free wireless and downloads from the Amazon Kindle Store), it’s also true that a low-end laptop can be had for not much more. The Sony ebook reader is $100 dollars less ($299) without the wireless functionality and access to Amazon. On the other hand, the Cybook Gen 3 costs almost as much as the Kindle ($350) even though it also lacks the wireless capabilities. If you’re not going to get a dedicated ebook reader with E-Ink for much less than $300 anyway, the free wireless and Amazon access is certainly worth the additional $99.
Topics: News | 1 Comment »
Kindle Status Check
By Rick | December 19, 2007
If you’ve ordered a Kindle and need to check the shipping status, try the following Amazon link and click on “View Shipping Details”:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/h.html
Then, count your blessings that you actually have one on the way!
Topics: News | 1 Comment »
Green Books
By Rick | December 18, 2007
Some users/proponents of ebooks espouse the advantages of soft copies over “dead tree” versions of books from an environmental standpoint. I have no idea whether ebooks are “greener” overall once you’ve factored in what goes in to producing the reader, the wireless transmissions, etc., etc. But, it did occur to me that people used to predict that we’d use far less paper with the advent of the computer, when in fact I believe the opposite is true. Computers made it so easy to revise and reprint that many modern offices and homes have never gone through so much paper before. Is it possible that the same effect will be spawned by ebooks? Will more hard copy books be sold as a result of people finding themselves exposed to more authors and texts electronically in their spare moments?
Topics: Lifestyle | No Comments »
Font Size Trade-Off
By Rick | December 17, 2007
I’ve been following a discussion on the Kindle Korner Yahoo! group about the trade-off a small font size forces on the Kindle. It seems that some Kindle owners like to minimize the font size in order to minimize the frequency with which they have to turn the page. I suppose minimizing the paging frequency might save some amount of time or “hassle” in the reading process. Unfortunately, it seems the smaller font size slows down page refreshing when you do actually have to turn the page, which makes sense because there would be that many more characters to load.
It never occurred to me out here in the analog reading world that the smaller the print, the less time I had to spend turning pages. Bring on the magnifying glasses!
Topics: Technology | No Comments »
Kindle for Christmas
By Rick | December 16, 2007
As much as I’d like a Kindle for Christmas, it just isn’t going to happen. For one, $400 items are always the kind of gift I have to give myself and I’m tapped like everyone else this time of year. Secondly, as everyone knows, the Kindle is on backorder. What’s interesting is that some people are paying as much as $1,500 for the Kindle on Ebay. Of course, for $3,000 you can “Buy It Now”! That’s nuts. As of right now, I expect to order one in January after things have died down a bit. Hopefully I’ll have it in February, but who knows. Is it possible that Amazon with intentionally keep them in short supply for the hype factor? My guess is, they’d rather sell and ship as many as possible before they have to drop the price of the device; stronger competition may be just around the corner.
Topics: News | 1 Comment »
Kindle for Work
By Rick | December 14, 2007
The Kindle’s ability to read Word and (converted) PDF documents means the bulk of my work documents can be placed on the device. THAT is a huge benefit. Imagine having all manner of policies, procedures, regulations, etc., readily at hand even when you’re away from your desk. It seems I’m forever carting stacks of reports and white papers home to read for work. Loading them up on the Kindle and reading them anywhere will save a lot of paper and facilitate me getting around to reading more of that stuff as I find spare moments. (Not to mention sparing me the difficulty of getting in and out of the car with my hands full!) And, I can annotate as I go. Do we live in a great time or what?
Topics: Lifestyle | No Comments »
Kindle 2.0
By Rick | December 13, 2007
Since the first reviews came out, people have been talking about what would make the Kindle better. Among the suggestions:
- Add WiFi connectivity in addition to the already present EVDO connectivity
- Smaller and better placement of page turn buttons to prevent accidental page turns
- Better positioning of the on/off button
- Native PDF support
- A better web browser
It will be interesting to see how much time goes by before Amazon introduces a new and improved Kindle. (I don’t think I’ll wait for that though.)
Topics: Technology | No Comments »