Derrick
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- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
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Our only real criticism is that it’s too easy to press buttons accidentally while reading. And, available only in white, the Kindle is far from good-looking. It could use the design touch of someone like Steve Jobs
Ray Bradbury’s disturbing 1953 novel, Fahrenheit 451, describes a future in which reading is outlawed and books burned for the “good of humanity”. The title refers to the temperature at which books ignite.
I’m not sure it was intentional, but the name of US e-retailer Amazon.com’s e-book reader, the Kindle, makes me think of Bradbury’s novel.
The Kindle is the first e-book reader we’ve seen that could make paper-based books unnecessary — though not in the Bradbury sense, of course.
What makes it so good is its sharp, 600×800-pixel screen. The clarity is superb — arguably better than that of a book. The screen works by using ink, like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. It reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other electronic displays. It can be easily read in bright sunlight. Font size is fully adjustable.
The Kindle is so far available only in the US, so if you want one you’ll have to go there or have someone ship it to you. You’ll also have to jump through a few hoops to get it to work.
Apart from the fact that you need access to a US billing address to buy the books in the first place, you can’t use the Kindle’s built-in wireless antenna in SA. In the US, Kindle users buy e-books over the air using Sprint’s EV-DO network, which also delivers them directly to the device. Users outside the US must buy and download books on their PCs and then sync the Kindle via USB. This means getting a book onto the Kindle takes minutes in SA rather than seconds, as it would in the US.
Nearly 200 000 e-books are available for the Kindle. New releases and bestsellers cost a reasonable US$10.
The Kindle weighs 300g — about the same as a paperback. It can also be used to subscribe to electronic versions of top international newspapers, though this function really cries out for a working wireless connection.
The device holds 200 e-books on its 256 MB of internal memory. This can be increased by 4GB using an SD card.
The Kindle has a built-in speaker and 3,5mm jack for listening to audio books. Battery life is great, especially with the wireless turned off. It can be used by right- and left-handed people.
Our only real criticism is that it’s too easy to press buttons accidentally while reading. And, available only in white, the Kindle is far from good-looking. It could use the design touch of someone like Steve Job
Ray Bradbury’s disturbing 1953 novel, Fahrenheit 451, describes a future in which reading is outlawed and books burned for the “good of humanity”. The title refers to the temperature at which books ignite.
I’m not sure it was intentional, but the name of US e-retailer Amazon.com’s e-book reader, the Kindle, makes me think of Bradbury’s novel.
The Kindle is the first e-book reader we’ve seen that could make paper-based books unnecessary — though not in the Bradbury sense, of course.
What makes it so good is its sharp, 600×800-pixel screen. The clarity is superb — arguably better than that of a book. The screen works by using ink, like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. It reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other electronic displays. It can be easily read in bright sunlight. Font size is fully adjustable.
The Kindle is so far available only in the US, so if you want one you’ll have to go there or have someone ship it to you. You’ll also have to jump through a few hoops to get it to work.
Apart from the fact that you need access to a US billing address to buy the books in the first place, you can’t use the Kindle’s built-in wireless antenna in SA. In the US, Kindle users buy e-books over the air using Sprint’s EV-DO network, which also delivers them directly to the device. Users outside the US must buy and download books on their PCs and then sync the Kindle via USB. This means getting a book onto the Kindle takes minutes in SA rather than seconds, as it would in the US.
Nearly 200 000 e-books are available for the Kindle. New releases and bestsellers cost a reasonable US$10.
The Kindle weighs 300g — about the same as a paperback. It can also be used to subscribe to electronic versions of top international newspapers, though this function really cries out for a working wireless connection.
The device holds 200 e-books on its 256 MB of internal memory. This can be increased by 4GB using an SD card.
The Kindle has a built-in speaker and 3,5mm jack for listening to audio books. Battery life is great, especially with the wireless turned off. It can be used by right- and left-handed people.
Our only real criticism is that it’s too easy to press buttons accidentally while reading. And, available only in white, the Kindle is far from good-looking. It could use the design touch of someone like Steve Job