Amazon Kindle DX - I want one!

[Crusader]

Since most of the readers hang out here I thought it would be the right place to post this.

Amazon just announced the Kindle DX (http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-DX-Amazons-Wireless-Generation/dp/B0015TCML0/ref=amb_link_84277971_5?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=1NGFJVGS721CNFATT7YM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=476565871&pf_rd_i=507846):


* Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
* Carry Your Library: Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents
* Beautiful Large Display: 9.7" diagonal e-ink screen reads like real paper; boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images
* Auto-Rotating Screen: Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages
* Built-In PDF Reader: Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go
* Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle DX, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, no annual contracts, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
* Books In Under 60 Seconds: You get free wireless delivery of books in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
* Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging
* Read-to-Me: With the text-to-speech feature, Kindle DX can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book's rights holder made the feature unavailable
* Big Selection, Low Prices: Over 275,000 books; New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are only $9.99, unless marked otherwise
* More Than Books: U.S. and international newspapers including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, magazines including The New Yorker and Time, plus popular blogs, all auto-delivered wirelessly


This seriously looks like eBook readers are maturing to mainstream readiness. I definitely wouldn't mind getting my hands on one. Too bad that it won't be available outside the US :(

[diabolus]

Since most of the readers hang out here I thought it would be the right place to post this.

Amazon just announced the Kindle DX (http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-DX-Amazons-Wireless-Generation/dp/B0015TCML0/ref=amb_link_84277971_5?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=1NGFJVGS721CNFATT7YM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=476565871&pf_rd_i=507846):



This seriously looks like eBook readers are maturing to mainstream readiness. I definitely wouldn't mind getting my hands on one. Too bad that it won't be available outside the US :(

I'm sure someone will import it for you, i know wantitall got the Kindle version 2 http://www.wantitall.co.za/PC-Hardware/Kindle-2-Amazon-s-New-Wireless-Reading-Device-Latest-Generation__B00154JDAI

Main issue is, this thing costs more than a laptop! I'm talking R5k+ for an ebook reader....in fact that amazon price is $489....that's easily R5k in SA. Seriously...for that price i rather get a touchscreen-mini-laptop [those that folds down on top of the keyboard].

[Crusader]

That's the problem with places like Wantitall. The product will cost more like R10k (double the US price).

There are some more affordable readers available, but the DX seems to be the only one that will have the capacity to display full page PDF's easily. Ebook readers are slowly maturing and slowly becoming more affordable. I can't wait till they become as mainstream as iPods and actually a viable alternative.

Currently they do cost the same as a laptop, but the e-ink makes a huge difference when reading. Your eyes don't get fatigued as easily and the contrast seems better. Not to mention that most of the e-ink devices will be able to last about 2 weeks on a single charge.

[ads]

Expensive, but apparently the display is one of the best around, allowing you to read it for hours without the eyestrain you'd get from other screens.

The 3G it uses is EV-DO, so the only network it would work on in South Africa is Neotel's. Maybe they should import some.

[jem]

Kindle's are DRM ridden and pretty chained to amazon.

Check out the sony readers instead - even the older PRS-505e kicked the kindle2. Slimmer, better build quality as well. The new 700 series is touchscreen, but apparently not as clear.

PRS-505 goes for about +- $240 new, less than half of the new kindle @ $480ish

Played with a UK guy's one in Egypt, hoping to pick one of them up in holland in june - they too are only released and shipping inside US & UK, but released about a month or 2 ago in Benelux and DE.

WantItAll are horrifyingly expensive. I laughed my @ss off about their 'cheap' toshiba hard disk announcement a while back in their hardware prices coming down news release on myBB.

[Crusader]

Well. I'll take any eBook reader with the same specifications as the DX. Guess I'll still have to wait a couple of years before actually seriously considering buying one. I was very tempted to get the Cybook Gen3, but think I'll hold off for a year or two to see what new developments are in the pipeline.

[jem]

yah, there's a cell - *think* it was a samsung - thats just been announced which has paper-ink display tech...

it's all just a matter of time.

I reckon stick to the right tools for the job - get a reader for reading, a netbook for portable simple crap and a laptop for portable real work. And for me anyway, video and 3d - a good desktop.

[CathJ]

Yep, the eInk displays are amazing. I have Sony PRS-505, and it's just like reading a book, no eyestrain at all. It doesn't do pdf's too well, though. And mine currently refuses to charhe for more than a few minutes at a time, so it's probably going to have to go back to expansys to be shipped to the UK and fixed... sigh. But when it worked, it was beautiful!

[jem]

Apparently it uses the same power adapter as a sony PSP, might be worth a bit of googling and a try.

How bad does it screw PDF's? I have a small horde of pdf's, some with diagrams etc. Maybe I'll need to look at the newer 700 series then...

[Mila]

Q: Does reading like this not hurt you eyes?

[Crusader]

Not with the eInk devices. That's what makes them so desireable for reading ebooks. Not to mention their super battery life of about a week or so (sans wireless etc.).

[Mila]

Cool!!

[CathJ]

Apparently it uses the same power adapter as a sony PSP, might be worth a bit of googling and a try.

How bad does it screw PDF's? I have a small horde of pdf's, some with diagrams etc. Maybe I'll need to look at the newer 700 series then...

Mine doesn't do diagrams at all, it just strips them out. But then I'm using Calibre, not the official sony software. Even so, unless the pdf has been specially formatted for the smaller screen you'll run into problems (but google it in case there have been any new developments)


Q: Does reading like this not hurt you eyes?

Not at all. It's just like reading a paperback. I've read several long novels on it with no eyestrain at all.

[BCO]

My ideal ebook reader would be one with a largish screen, NO 3G or other expensive wireless tech and no retarded DRM restrictions on the books.

I would like to be able to buy ebooks from any vendor and read them on my reader. I would also be quite happy to simply connect the reader to my PC via USB and transfer books across.

That should cut the cost down a fair bit. I'd buy one at R2k.

[CathJ]

My ideal ebook reader would be one with a largish screen, NO 3G or other expensive wireless tech and no retarded DRM restrictions on the books.

I would like to be able to buy ebooks from any vendor and read them on my reader. I would also be quite happy to simply connect the reader to my PC via USB and transfer books across.

That should cut the cost down a fair bit. I'd buy one at R2k.

That's pretty much the Sony. It's like an iPod - you can buy DRM books, or you can download free books with no DRM. The DRM is more a characteristic of the book, or the book store, than the physical device.

[BCO]

That's pretty much the Sony. It's like an iPod - you can buy DRM books, or you can download free books with no DRM. The DRM is more a characteristic of the book, or the book store, than the physical device.

What if you want to buy a book (to support the author) but it's only available at the Amazon store?

Or what if the (haxxed) ebook you find is only in Word format or RTF?

[CathJ]

What if you want to buy a book (to support the author) but it's only available at the Amazon store?

Or what if the (haxxed) ebook you find is only in Word format or RTF?

I doubt any book would only be available at Amazon; but yes, that's the one situation where you would either be stuck or have to resort to... less legal methods to convert it after buying it.

Formats are a lot easier - Calibre converts most formats to sony-readable ones. Besides, you'll never get any piece of hardware that can read any and all formats (whether it's books, music, or anything else).

[Crusader]

BBC has a nice article covering the Kindle DX and e-readers in general.


Alan Rusbridger, the editor of UK newspaper The Guardian, for one, has predicted there might be an "iPod moment" for the industry with the coming of a handheld device on which reading a newspaper will become commonplace.

The Rise and Rise of E-readers (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8037058.stm)

[noxibox]

Unless I get the advantages of real books or a much lower price for the electronic versions I will be sticking with paper. Last time I checked the prices for Kindle books was not at all low, on top of the exorbitant price for the gadget.

[bwana]

Unless I get the advantages of real books or a much lower price for the electronic versions I will be sticking with paper. Last time I checked the prices for Kindle books was not at all low, on top of the exorbitant price for the gadget.Yeah - it looks like the price of the kindle versions are only $1 or so less than the price of the paperback. :confused:

[Crusader]

I think prices for ebooks should drop once the readers become mainstream. At this stage publishers see it as a neglible market and aren't offering much to early adopters.

Interestingly it seems authors themselves are embracing the tech giving away much of their works for free in ebook format.

[bwana]

I think prices for ebooks should drop once the readers become mainstream. At this stage publishers see it as a neglible market and aren't offering much to early adopters.If that was true mp3 albums would cost less than they do.

[Crusader]

True. It will depend on the publishers though. Some might see the light of selling 100k cheaply rather than 10k at a high price.

Older editions seem to be available at cheap prices and it should open the doors for authors to publish and distribute themselves.