Amazon Kindle 2 review

[rockymtnhigh]

After more than a year, I finally succumbed and bought myseld a Kindle. I got the new second generation device. I was intrigued by the DX, but thought the price was too steep, and I really did not want a device that weighed 2 lbs. with a case. So I dug into my pockets, and spent the money on the K2 (as I am calling it).

I also splurged for the $3.99 overnight, and it arrived today around 1pm. I opened the box, and plugged it in to start charging; and turned it on. Amazon pre-configures these for the user, I did not need to register it or anything. It knew it was me. The screen was set to tell me how to set it up. Very simple.

The screen is interesting, in that even when off, it displays a static picture (right now, it is displaying a picture of Mark Twain). I was surprised by it. Since I already had tried to Kindle iphone reader, I had 8 books in my library. All I needed to do was go to archive, select the book and the 3G whispernet network downloaded the books. As promises, under 60 seconds.

I ended up buying a book on Amazon, as well as trial subscriptions to the Washington Post and PC Magazine, and they showed up almost instanteously.

Now to the device. It has pretty intuitive buttons; was able to figure it out without having to read the manual (which comes preinstalled, of course). The screen is very readable. THere is a fraction of a second refresh from page to page that I think could be a little less noticeable, but all in all, the black and white screen seems easy to deal with.

Kindle also has a basic and advanced web browser, and I was very intrigued by that. So I opened it, and tried to load up SatGuys. I selected the PDA mode, since they say the browser works better on text-based devices. It was slow, but actually worked. I had a few issues with it remembering the login cookie, but in a pinch, that works. I need to try other websites.

I then tried to download a PDF to it. I setup my kindle email address, and sent a Supreme Court decision that was recently handed down to myaddress@kindle.com. In a minute, the converted file was on my device. But since they charge .15 to download private content, I decided to try the free method. I sent another PDF to myaddress@free.kindle.com, and in a minute it send the .awz file back to me. I needed to setup the device to work with windows. This is where I ran into problems. I plugged the cord into my Vista-64 machine, and it automatically recognized the Kindle, and downloaded the driver. But as soon as I went to Explorer, Explorer froze. Ultimately had to reboot. Did a google, and found out that this 64-bit issue is not unique. I did a soft reset of the kindle, uninstalled the drivers, and tried again. This time when I plugged it in, it said it needed to reformat the drive (no way). So... I turned on my WinXP netook, and connected the Kindle. It recognized it, and the drive popped up, as it should have. Transferred the file from my email to the drive, and it worked like a charm.

So, obviously there are some Vista-64 issues (apparently they are 64-bit issues, and not stuff that occurs with Vista-32 bit. I still need to play with that.

Will this revolutionize how I read? Only time will tell. But so far I am pretty impressed with it. Going to take it outside tomorrow, to see how it does in the bright light, but I think it will be ok, given the nature of the screen.

And that, dear faithful readers, is my initial review, of my not quite 6 hour old Kindle 2.

 

[TheForce]

I think the Kindle and anything like it will be short lived. The real problem is that it is just another device to carry. Today, the only disadvantage I see with using your cell phone to read books is the screen size.
Here's my solution to screen size problem. With test to speech software getting better, the days of needing to read long form articles to books will be numbered. Reading books on the cell phone / PDA phone will be the way of the future. Small screen phones- audiobooks will become the norm and test to speech for news articles will be the backup.
No doubt, news items will have to be redesigned from traditional news article format to that which is more like a TV news program, that has written news length and detail along with random search capability like you get with written word news media, but everything will be available in TV format for cell phone distribution. Imagine a new program that has search engine capability with chapter stops, like a DVD, but nested in a headline, short synopsis, complete story, format that you decide how much detail you get. But all of it is in TV style presentation.

The Kindle is a way to bring newspapers into the 21st century. But it is not forward thinking enough to appeal to the teenager of today. I have heard that the Kindle mostly appeals to people my age. But I'm younger thinking and prefer to have all my information come to me either by my cell phone or my desktop computer if I am here at the desk. I do not want to carry around all different devices that specialize in different types of information. Give me one good device that does everything very well, that I can customize as I want and is easy to carry.

Another emerging technology that can resolve screen size issues with the smart cell phopnes and PDA's are LCD glasses that can connect to the phone for display. Currently these are now being sold to watch movies and video but could be configured as a reader. If I wanted to carry two items, give me a pair of glasses with LCD display lenses and wireless connectivity to the phone. Design the glasses that when shut off, would double as magnifying reading glasses for conventional print or telescoping binoculars at the flick of a switch. BTW- I saw a pair of LCD display glasses at CES last year, connected to a hacked iphone with hard wire display connection. The rep said that they used this hacked iphone because it is already designed to allow display to external screen while most other phones don't have such an interface.

 

[Smith P.]

Nay, you cannot substitute my Kindle DX. I have a lot of manuals, standards, schematics in PDF format and all of them perfectly visible and instantly available and easily for search. I can bring it into any lab ( while I'm in restricted areas I must turn off the WAN - no big deal ) and get all info right away.

 

[jayn_j]

Nay, you cannot substitute my Kindle DX. I have a lot of manuals, standards, schematics in PDF format and all of them perfectly visible and instantly available and easily for search. I can bring it into any lab ( while I'm in restricted areas I must turn off the WAN - no big deal ) and get all info right away.

I think this is where it is going to be an instant success. The limited edition stuff, especially reference material.

I heard that Arizona State U is requiring a kindle for all undergrads and is closing the bookstore. That makes a ton of sense to me. The student always has every textbook, even last semester's ones. The backpack just got a lot lighter as well. And it works like a book, not a PC.

I'm not convinced it will live on as a fiction hardbound replacement. I like having my library available for a long time. Old books are old friends which must be visited occasionally. My experience with electronic media is that it is a struggle to keep it viable over the decades.

 

[TheForce]

Smith-

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Can I get the same quality by storing all those manuals in pdf on a small laptop, plus have the laptop capability as well. My point is busy mobile people need to converge and simplify their lives. Adding a number of devices to carry complicates life.

In my case, a laptop is an extension of my office computer and it capable of doing video editing in the field as well as communications and office stuff while I travel. The PDA is an extension of my laptop and gives me communications as well as e-mail and good enough internet to research stuff while away from the laptop, plus it doubles as a GPS, entertainment with sling and I can do books, plus do stock trades and even banking, when necessary, I can tether it to a desktop too for broadband internet connection. So, when I travel, I have everything I need in the PDA phone and laptop. Don't need the kindle nor an ipod. I believe this is the case with most people, the Kindle is excess baggage!

 

[Smith P.]

Ahh. I have more computers around me then I would use. And I'm not telling about IT-like job. An engineer job. There is no question about using PC/Mac/Linux/etc machines - they are using for full strength.
Using K-DX is totally different experience; one of an examples - big chamber is full of sensors, cables, connectors, etc; it's not a place to work, but testing, tuning, tweaking - just temporary; there is no environment to comfortable sitting, you must fix/tune/install something/test and should go outside to run the equipment. During that time you must consult with schematics, books, test procedures, patterns and much more then I could write it here.

 

[TheForce]

Yes, I understand, but your environment is unique to one in your profession. What I was referring to is the general population who operate in a mobile world. Business people like my wife, who needs to have e-mail, cell phone, occasional internet look up but also gets stuck with idle time waiting on the next appointment and can take a break with a good read, listen to music, or play a game. These people don't want a separate device to have to carry along as they leave the office for a meeting in another city. When my wife had to switch to blackberry from her Treo, she was not very happy that now she needed to haul along a Garmin since the TomTom software we had on her Treo was no longer at hand. If I told her she had to now stop using a Blackberry for reads and news updates and start hauling along a Kindle, she would think I was reverting back to the old days where we had a special device for each use. But Dear, the Kindle has a larger screen. Her response would be if I need a bigger screen I'll get my laptop out of my purse.

Equally irritating are the damn chargers for these devices. For every special device, we have the ubiquitous power cord; all different; all bulky.

So, I repeat, for a mobile business person, a laptop and cell phone with lots of PDA features, should be all you need.

PS- you'd have a broad smile if you could see my workstation. 4 large CPU's stacked vertically from floor to ceiling, 3 small wide screen video monitors in rack mount, audio PA mixer, wide screen computer monitor, PDA stand with audio interface and laptop dock. It all runs for an hour with UPS and then I can switch to a 7KW generator.

 

[StevenD]

I bought one for my fiance several months ago. She absolutely loves it! She travels about 50% of the time and she is a BIG reader. When she would go on a two week trip, she would have to find room in her luggage for 5-6 books if its a work trip and 15 books if it was vacation. Sure, there have been a few books she wanted that werent available on the Kindle yet, but those are few and far between. She no longer travels with a laptop, just her WinMo and Kindle.

 

[sonic2000]

Have had my K2 for 6 months and absolutely love it. Especially during unexpected airport lay overs. I don't have to pay the (airport) bookstore price and get something new immediately.

 

[Smith P.]

Don, "Her response would be if I need a bigger screen I'll get my laptop out of my purse."
Perhaps she never carry K2 ? Day and night especially if she is carry women type of purse.
I would bet for the Kindle 2, if you'll give her the K2 for a month, she will tell you different story .

Actually, the point of having Kindle or its like - to read same way as a book/magazine, but use more convenient form factor and get instant access to your library and ability to obtain the source in a few minutes after request.

 

[grydlok]

I bought one for my fiance several months ago. She absolutely loves it! She travels about 50% of the time and she is a BIG reader. When she would go on a two week trip, she would have to find room in her luggage for 5-6 books if its a work trip and 15 books if it was vacation. Sure, there have been a few books she wanted that werent available on the Kindle yet, but those are few and far between. She no longer travels with a laptop, just her WinMo and Kindle.

My fiance wants one as well. Considering how many book she owns. I think the Kindle is well worth alone just to get rid of the stack of book.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Don, I do not think the kindle will be short-lived at all. I absolutely love mine. Read books, newspapers, magazine, all electronically on a device that weighs 10 oz. I am typing on my 2lb. netbook, and while it has a cool factor, the kindle blows away the ereader on this. And I do not have the DX. The digital ink is readable inside or out, it is fun to read wirth.

I can't remember the %<, but Amazon is now reporting that a decent percentage of its book sales are for kindle books.

I have not had this a week, and I really don't see this as a fad. I'll be very surprised if it is. AND I think the DX would be great to use as my notes device in a classroom for teaching. Who knows, maybe I can get a teaching and learning grant to get one.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I think this is where it is going to be an instant success. The limited edition stuff, especially reference material.

I heard that Arizona State U is requiring a kindle for all undergrads and is closing the bookstore. That makes a ton of sense to me. The student always has every textbook, even last semester's ones. The backpack just got a lot lighter as well. And it works like a book, not a PC.

I'm not convinced it will live on as a fiction hardbound replacement. I like having my library available for a long time. Old books are old friends which must be visited occasionally. My experience with electronic media is that it is a struggle to keep it viable over the decades.

I read a lot of legal opinions for work, and I have already converted several to the kindle, and I must say, I love it. I do not need to print out the cases, can just keep them archived electronically. Easier to read than on the laptop.

 

[TheForce]

Don, "Her response would be if I need a bigger screen I'll get my laptop out of my purse."
Perhaps she never carry K2 ? Day and night especially if she is carry women type of purse.
I would bet for the Kindle 2, if you'll give her the K2 for a month, she will tell you different story .

Actually, the point of having Kindle or its like - to read same way as a book/magazine, but use more convenient form factor and get instant access to your library and ability to obtain the source in a few minutes after request.

Doubt it! She needs laptop to be able to open large Excel and PP presentations, connect to conference room projectors, connect to on site printers etc. The laptop functions where the Black Berry can't. If she needs to read a doc or watch a DVD, the laptop fits the bill. Why would she ever want to carry another device with a slightly smaller screen, little less weight but really more weight than a laptop alone just to read docs? Makes no sense to me except for the iphone like cool factor.
I'm not cool because I listen to music on my PDA phone rather than carry an ipod.
I'm not cool because I use a win Mobile PDA that does everything rather than an iphone that has an apple on it.
So I suppose I'm not cool because I use a laptop to read a doc rather than a Kindle.

My wife is just a little bit cooler because she has a blackberry.




If you don't need a laptop in the field and like to read docs, then I see no problem and think the Kindle may be the right tool for your needs, but to drag along a Kindle to read on, stuff that you could store and read on a laptop seems decadent and redundant. Like if I knew I needed to review MOV video and AVI video, I would drag my Macbook Pro as well as my Dell along on a trip. NOT! LOL! Fact is, I only drag my Mac along if I need to do something in Final Cut, otherwise I take the Dell.

 

[Smith P.]

Could be, but let me take a pause and wait for one year, then we will continue the discussion.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Doubt it! She needs laptop to be able to open large Excel and PP presentations, connect to conference room projectors, connect to on site printers etc. The laptop functions where the Black Berry can't. If she needs to read a doc or watch a DVD, the laptop fits the bill. Why would she ever want to carry another device with a slightly smaller screen, little less weight but really more weight than a laptop alone just to read docs? Makes no sense to me except for the iphone like cool factor.
I'm not cool because I listen to music on my PDA phone rather than carry an ipod.
I'm not cool because I use a win Mobile PDA that does everything rather than an iphone that has an apple on it.
So I suppose I'm not cool because I use a laptop to read a doc rather than a Kindle.

My wife is just a little bit cooler because she has a blackberry.




If you don't need a laptop in the field and like to read docs, then I see no problem and think the Kindle may be the right tool for your needs, but to drag along a Kindle to read on, stuff that you could store and read on a laptop seems decadent and redundant. Like if I knew I needed to review MOV video and AVI video, I would drag my Macbook Pro as well as my Dell along on a trip. NOT! LOL! Fact is, I only drag my Mac along if I need to do something in Final Cut, otherwise I take the Dell.

Don - I think you are equating the kindle with the killer app, it is not meant to be; it has a very specific function, and for that function, it does it extremely well. To be crude, I can take the kindle into the bathroom with me in the morning and read the paper while I am doing my business. Can't do that with the laptop. Its ease of use is really quite impressive. And since it includes a bonus experimental web browser, that comes in handy in a pinch.

Will I cease to buy real books? Of course not, but the Kindle, in just a short period of time, has become a very important tech toy to me. I love it.

 

[jayn_j]

Another point that hasn't been brought up yet. Kindle books are $10. The average new hardcover is $25 retail and $20 at Amazon. So it takes somewhere between 25-30 books to pay for itself. That's a year or so for me and many, even ignoring the other features, such as tech data everywhere.

 

[TheForce]

To be crude, I can take the kindle into the bathroom with me in the morning and read the paper while I am doing my business. Can't do that with the laptop. Its ease of use is really quite impressive.

!sadroll :haha

Not sure what Kindle killer app is but I don't understand why your laptop doesn't work in your bathroom. My laptop works in my bathroom, but I won't take it in the shower. While the laptop does work in the bathroom, I' m not inclined to loiter on the thrown like some people do. Too busy. I think you spend too much time taking a dump, Mike.

But back on a serious note. None of the arguments here have anything to do with my premise that the goal for some people is to reduce devices they use to get by on a daily basis. For others the goal is to add complexity by increasing devices. I agree that reading a doc on a PDA with reading glasses may not be as slick and cool as a Kindle, but at the end of the doc, both of us have the benefit of having read that doc. As for a book, I may buy audio books on my PDA to have the book read to me while Kindle users will have to actually read the book themselves. In my case I may be able to do two things at once, but with having to visually read the book, it is hard, at least for me, to do other tasks while reading a novel.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Too busy. I think you spend too much time taking a dump, Mike.

Oh well, I am busted.

But back on a serious note. None of the arguments here have anything to do with my premise that the goal for some people is to reduce devices they use to get by on a daily basis. For others the goal is to add complexity by increasing devices. I agree that reading a doc on a PDA with reading glasses may not be as slick and cool as a Kindle, but at the end of the doc, both of us have the benefit of having read that doc. As for a book, I may buy audio books on my PDA to have the book read to me while Kindle users will have to actually read the book themselves. In my case I may be able to do two things at once, but with having to visually read the book, it is hard, at least for me, to do other tasks while reading a novel.

And I agree it is not a multi-tasking device; never said it was. And I think the debate of more or less devices is kind of a separate issue altogether. Although I could certainly see how the kindle could be transformed into such a device (but thus we get into the realm of Star Trek and a comm pad ) But for what it does, it does it extremely well, and is so much more pleasurable to do than with an e-reader app on a cell phone/pda or laptop.

 

[nsaspook]

I read a lot of legal opinions for work, and I have already converted several to the kindle, and I must say, I love it. I do not need to print out the cases, can just keep them archived electronically. Easier to read than on the laptop.

I would buy a Kindle DX for work if they had good PDF support. Most of our TECH docs are 11x17 format and some over 100MB. Without links, zoom, directory support or indexes current support is very poor. Cheap Kindle DX: Amazon's 9.7" Wireless BestDeal!