Anyone use a Kindle? Do you like it?

1/23/2009 2:44:18 AM

I has one. Freaking awesome. Being able to buy books over the air is a great feature, plus having your own documents converted for cheap/free. Only drawback I've experienced with mine is the terribly unfortunate placement of those forward/back buttons on the sides.

Is it really worth the $ they charged? Not really, no. It should cost less. That said, if you REALLY want to get rid of your paperbacks, and read a lot, it might be worth investing in now, for the future.

1/23/2009 7:11:12 AM

How much do books typically cost on those things?

1/23/2009 7:16:34 AM

relatively inexpensive. you can get most new editions for less than half the cost (i.e. a $22 hardback would cost like $10).

a list of the titles they have available:
http://www.amazon.com/Books-Kindle/b/ref=sv_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&node=154606011

1/23/2009 9:30:50 AM

I'd get one if the price to buy book from amazon wasn't so expensive. If they cut the prices of books by 2/3 - 3/4 I would seriously consider having one. Independent of that however, eInk kicks ass.

1/23/2009 11:25:44 AM

I got one for Christmas and I could not love it more. If you read with any sort of regularity, it is a great thing. The cost of books isn't bad at all to me considering the kindle price is consistently less than what I would pay for a physical copy. Plus I am not having to deal with storing all the books.

I do agree about the button placement. I wish they had not made them quite so big. But it is a very small quibble all things considered.

1/23/2009 11:36:38 AM

Any chance we will see a new kindle updated soon?

1/23/2009 9:48:15 PM

hard to tell... signs equally point to a yes or a no. but eventually, yes. how long are you willing to wait?

1/23/2009 9:54:07 PM

I am willing to wait. Just not sure if the upgrade will be worth the wait. I have heard they may come out with one geared toward college students.

1/24/2009 8:30:05 PM

im waiting for a redesign. it's so hideous looking, I can't get past the design to even consider the functionality.

1/24/2009 9:31:35 PM

^^ there's really nothing about it now that isn't already geared towards college students, except for a widespread lack of textbook e-books. And that's not Amazon's fault, it's the fault of the publishers that are in love with dead tree flakes.

^ you have to get past the exterior. once you've used it, it's worth using again.

1/24/2009 9:49:27 PM

new model coming feb 9

http://www.pcworld.com/article/158439/report_amazon_to_launch_new_kindle_on_feb_9th.html

1/30/2009 2:34:24 PM

I think Maverick has one with him in Iraq right now. He seems to really enjoy it. Then again, in his circumstance, flying around the desert in a helicopter with yahoos taking the occasional pot shot at him, a large collection of books is probably impractical.

He did some interview with a Kindle fan group.
http://www.thekindlechronicles.com/2008/12/26/23-starbuck-in-iraq/

Might be worth asking him on his thoughts.

1/30/2009 4:08:09 PM

Quote :

"im waiting for a redesign. it's so hideous looking, I can't get past the design to even consider the functionality."

yeah that was how i felt too. if it has so obviously little exterior design consideration, how could the software be any better. kindle2 looks GREAT though, i'd love to try one now.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/02/hands-on-with-kindle2-what-a-difference-a-screen-makes.ars

2/9/2009 6:06:11 PM

the Kindle 2 looks like a huge step up from the first one.
However, I still won't be buying one until they do something about that keyboard and the huge bezel. Bezos said several times something about "getting lost in the book" or making "the device disappear". I find it hard to image how the device will "disappear" when barely 50% of the device is dedicated to actually reading. The Palm Pre showed that you can make a sleek, retractable keyboard that doesnt' take away from the overall aesthetic design or functionality. Since the vast majority of your time on the Kindle is supposed to be used for reading, the keyboard should be hidden for that time.

First, make a virtual keyboard (the iPhone shows that virtual keyboards on much smaller screens are usable, although the E-Ink may be the limiting technology in this case) or make a retractable physical keyboard.
Second, make the screen bigger and put it more to the edges of the device, instead of framing it with 1.5" of white plastic.
Then, i'll think about it

2/9/2009 6:34:22 PM

$359?

I don't think so, I'd rather have a netbook or iphone/palm pre

I'm thinking more like $149, maybe $199, until then, no thanks.

2/9/2009 7:23:02 PM

One of the things I read about it that might discourage me is that it can't display fixed-width fonts. This isn't important for most novels, but would be very important for any computer programming books I might want.

Anybody with a kindle have any books that include code? What's it look like?

2/9/2009 7:29:26 PM

looks just fine. i've seen a couple of books with varied type, a couple of included charts/maps, that sort of thing. it's the same quality that you'd find in a paperback/hardback book.

2/9/2009 7:31:56 PM

But have you seen books with source code examples in them?

2/9/2009 8:28:43 PM

Quote :

"However, I still won't be buying one until they do something about that keyboard and the huge bezel. Bezos said several times something about "getting lost in the book" or making "the device disappear". I find it hard to image how the device will "disappear" when barely 50% of the device is dedicated to actually reading. The Palm Pre showed that you can make a sleek, retractable keyboard that doesnt' take away from the overall aesthetic design or functionality. Since the vast majority of your time on the Kindle is supposed to be used for reading, the keyboard should be hidden for that time. First, make a virtual keyboard (the iPhone shows that virtual keyboards on much smaller screens are usable, although the E-Ink may be the limiting technology in this case) or make a retractable physical keyboard. Second, make the screen bigger and put it more to the edges of the device, instead of framing it with 1.5" of white plastic. Then, i'll think about it"

I couldn't agree more.

There's absolutely no reason they can't throw a resistive touchscreen overlay on the screen and reduce the form factor by 1/3. It would equal out to about the same cost.

The framing though is a technical limitation right now for pretty much all e-ink displays, and frankly I think it's a good thing. You physically need a gripping surface for a device like this, and grip pressure on nonflex e-ink = disaster.

$359 is a fucking retarded pricepoint. It's got to hit $149 somehow. Hell they could subsidize it with a subscription service similar to audible, but using their own book repository.

2/9/2009 9:31:50 PM

359 is probably close to 149 in redmond dollars

2/9/2009 9:51:06 PM

Quote :

"The framing though is a technical limitation right now for pretty much all e-ink displays, and frankly I think it's a good thing. You physically need a gripping surface for a device like this, and grip pressure on nonflex e-ink = disaster."

yeah, i've never actually held one, so maybe the frame is ok for holding it.
i dunno, it just seems to be excessively large bezel, at least compared to the size of the screen. and the bright white seems distracting around the screen, but I guess that depends on how the screen actually looks.

2/9/2009 10:00:33 PM

^keep in mind, it's also THINNER than the iPhone. which im sure was another huge trade off in hardware (and probably a big reason for that pricepoint)

2/9/2009 10:05:49 PM

that's true, but then you have to wonder, was that worth it?
Is thinness really that big of a factor for a book reader? It's not like a phone where you have to slide it in your front pocket. Sure, thinner is usually better, but at the expense of height and width, especially for something that is supposed to function like a book (which are usually thicker, but not as tall/wide as the Kindle)

2/9/2009 10:15:02 PM

As with the V1 Kindle, I think Amazon has proven they have no business being in hardware design.

Again, pretty much completely agree with you. Being razor thin is not really a benefit, but it's definitely got cost. Unfortunately, a lot of ID consulting firms still don't really get the idea of soft interfaces.

2/9/2009 10:18:43 PM

Yeah, the Kindle is ugly as hell. The new one looks better, but still not all that sexy, with excessive additional surface area.

I wanted one of these ebook readers a while back, but decided to hold off until they were cheaper (or I got more money).

The Bookeen Cybook was the one that really caught my eye.



http://www.bookeen.com/ebook/ebook-reading-device.aspx

[Edited on February 9, 2009 at 10:50 PM. Reason : ]

2/9/2009 10:49:48 PM

^That think is 340 bucks US after VAT, and has no wireless, no notes capability, 1/4 the storage, 1/4 the grayscale range, and much slower hardware response.

That's a hell of a lot "left out" for saving 20 bucks.

[Edited on February 9, 2009 at 11:09 PM. Reason : slow]

2/9/2009 11:09:23 PM

eh, I just pre-ordered one.

I'll tell you if it sucks!

2/9/2009 11:25:01 PM

Me too, damn amazon 1 click.

2/9/2009 11:47:52 PM

Doesn't the Kindle's price though include the wireless service that pushes data over the cellular network, without a monthly fee?

Considering this, it seems worth it to me the cost they're charging, if you read books.

2/9/2009 11:49:31 PM

My sister bought a Kindle for my mother as a Christmas gift... the box has not been opened to date. Some people just aren't meant to have cool gadgets, and by some people I mean Mom.

2/9/2009 11:56:00 PM

^^ yeah, it does include that. 3g apparently which is pretty neat.

2/10/2009 12:24:30 AM

Quote :

"^That think is 340 bucks US after VAT, and has no wireless, no notes capability, 1/4 the storage, 1/4 the grayscale range, and much slower hardware response."

Yeah I was looking at them when the first kindle came out.

Apparently they haven't dropped the price at all, or come out with a new version, so yeah it's a terrible value. Although basically all of them are out of my price range, so whatever.

2/10/2009 3:57:10 AM

funny to watch Jon Stewart more-or-less pan the Kindle 2 to Bezos' face (while throwing it a bone at the end).
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=218392&title=jeff-bezos

Stewart was kind of missing the big picture, probably intentionally for laugs, but at least he was calling Bezos out on some of the more WTF "features" like "one handed use" and the high price.

2/25/2009 4:18:48 PM

With any luck mine should have arrived today.

I say "With any luck" because amazon shipped it via the USPS, and the tracking is horrendous. Mine left Charlotte yesterday at 7PM.

2/25/2009 4:46:12 PM

Quote :

"I'm happy with my Kindle 2 so far, but if they cut off the free Wikipedia browsing, I plan to show up drunk on Jeff Bezos's lawn and refuse to leave."

Hehehe...

2/25/2009 4:53:57 PM

has anybody tried the sony version?

i don't know how it compares at all, but at least it's prettier
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665562069

oh and they sell them at target

[Edited on February 25, 2009 at 4:57 PM. Reason : ]

2/25/2009 4:57:22 PM

Looks OK, not sure how the screen compares. No (apparent) wireless and less storage though. The 100 free ebooks or whatever would be sweet.

2/25/2009 5:18:02 PM

i don't see wireless either. it does have a touchscreen, you can add storage w/ a memory stick, runs for 2 weeks and charges after 2 hrs (4 hrs for kindle).

i'm not trying to advocate the sony thing, i don't know much about either, it's just the only one i've seen in person.

2/25/2009 5:25:05 PM

kindle store makes a big difference to me. I like being able to just order a book from the device and have it delivered wirelessly. It's just convenient beyond words.

(I have the same tracking info on my kindle2 as you do and it shows est. delivery of 2/28??)

2/25/2009 6:25:10 PM

Mine showed 3/2 and it got here today

2/25/2009 6:40:16 PM

Impressions so far:

- I like it, I think.

- The flash that occurs when you switch pages (because of the way the display works) was unexpected and might be hard to get used to. I gather that considering the new, faster display on the kindle 2, this was much worse with the kindle 1.

- There is a very slight afterimage from whatever was displayed previously. You have to get pretty close to the display to make it out, so I'm not sure a picture would capture it, but I might try later.

- I previewed a C++ book with it, and yeah, the source code looks like ass (no support for monospaced font, or as far as I can tell different fonts within the same text?), so definitely not going to be buying programming books on here yet.

More as the situation develops!1

[Edited on February 25, 2009 at 7:03 PM. Reason : Oh: haven't bought a book yet, but subscribed to Newsweek ($1.49 / mo. after free trial)]

2/25/2009 7:02:44 PM

Here's the afterimage, it's much easier to see without a lot on the screen:

2/25/2009 8:55:14 PM

Can you put your own .chm/pdf ebooks on it? or does it only work with media purchased from amazon?

EDIT:

self-pwnt - was too lazy to check google, but i see the answer to my question is a yes if you hack it.

cool.

[Edited on February 28, 2009 at 10:58 AM. Reason : lazy]

2/28/2009 10:56:50 AM

you don't have to hack it. you have to (optionally) plug it in to your computer.

free:
e-mail the document to <name>@free.kindle.com and it will convert your doc and send it back to you so you can put it on the kindle from your computer.

10 cents:
e-mail the document to <name>@kindle.com and it will convert your doc and send it straight to your kindle.

Not sure about a chm file, but I tried it with a pdf and the amazon conversion was much better than some shitty software I found that does the same thing.

[Edited on March 2, 2009 at 11:43 AM. Reason : Of course if it's already in a format that kindle understands, just plug it in and put it on there.]

3/2/2009 11:43:01 AM

Yeah I did a PDF book conversion and it has Source examples. Came out very well, some pictures were converted nicely others were grainy.

It's a lot sexier than the Kindle 1. My coworker bought a 1 off ebay for cheap for 120 or so, so if you don't want to spend the full amount for the 2. The sample books are great, removes the need to get 10 books at Borders and try to figure out which one you want to buy.

3/4/2009 8:27:41 AM

^So are you saying the code examples were converted as pictures? That'd be better than some of the books I've sampled from amazon...

3/4/2009 8:33:12 AM

The code examples got wrapped in a few cases but largely they were ok. I was stating the code examples were decent enough and readable, but the pictures in the book were a little grainy.

3/4/2009 8:36:53 AM

3/16/2009 10:44:49 AM

kindle dx was announced today.

http://www.amazon.com

5/6/2009 11:50:42 AM