Review Kindle DX Review
With its large-format Kindle DX (being announced this morning), Amazon aims to reinvent newspapers for the modern age. (And for textbooks, for that matter, but that’s a separate commentary.) The popularity of the Internet, coupled with the current economic downturn, has left the newspaper industry in a shambles. The magazine industry is not too much better off. But I don’t see the Kindle DX and other such e-reader devices previously discussed by companies like Hearst and News Corp. as the salvation of newspapers.
Woebegone Print Days
All of that said, I remember my days as a railroad commuter, and can see the appeal of digital version of newspapers pushed to a device. After all, the Kindle-delivery of newspapers has its advantages such as no more newsprint bleeding onto my fingers, no more wrestling with a tabloid and broadsheet-sized newspapers (New York commuters have perfected the four-way fold for reading The New York Times), and no more paper to have to recycle.
But the danger for Kindle DX, and other Kindle-clone devices, is that the aforementioned advantages only apply to a dwindling subset of the population that still subscribe or buy newspapers. The rest of us will need more convincing to start paying again for news and for a hardware device.
Of course, if a publication wants to subsidize my device purchase, in exchange for a subscription commitment, that could sweeten the deal.
Maybe consumers that have given up on newspapers could be enticed if the device is heavily subsidized by publishers. But even that approach is fraught with caution: Acer’s Aspire One is not much of a bargain at $50, if you consider you’ll be committing to a 2-year AT&T Wireless data contract that will cost you $1440 to $2400 over the life of the contract.
Whether or not the Kindle 2 or Kindle DX will save newspaper is open to debate, however I find the more interesting question to be will the Kindle ever manage to save itself?
Instead of fixing conversion problems present in the Kindle 1 and 2 Amazon has produced a yet more expensive machine with a larger screen for “native” viewing. . . um, ok, but I just bought a Kindle 2 like five minutes ago, how about fixing the problem instead of simple producing an expensive stop gap?
Also what about increasing the ease with which notes can be written and highlighting accomplished. How about a touch screen so that I can actually write notes in my margins and have them instantly convert to typed text.
And really, doe the kindle NEED a knock-off accelerometer? That seems to be everyone’s pet add-on to every new technological device, but in this case, even when reading newspapers or viewing graphs with that ginormous screen I really don’t see the pay off, thin or not, wave goodbye to real portability, my kindle two fits in a coat pocket if need be, not so it’s gargantuan counterpart.
Unfortunately Amazon has circumvented rather than solved issues with the Kindle 2 and created an expensive giant that is scarcely different. Just look at their own side by side comparison chart.
With its large-format Kindle DX (being announced this morning), Amazon aims to reinvent newspapers for the modern age. (And for textbooks, for that matter, but that’s a separate commentary.) The popularity of the Internet, coupled with the current economic downturn, has left the newspaper industry in a shambles. The magazine industry is not too much better off. But I don’t see the Kindle DX and other such e-reader devices previously discussed by companies like Hearst and News Corp. as the salvation of newspapers.
Woebegone Print Days
All of that said, I remember my days as a railroad commuter, and can see the appeal of digital version of newspapers pushed to a device. After all, the Kindle-delivery of newspapers has its advantages such as no more newsprint bleeding onto my fingers, no more wrestling with a tabloid and broadsheet-sized newspapers (New York commuters have perfected the four-way fold for reading The New York Times), and no more paper to have to recycle.
But the danger for Kindle DX, and other Kindle-clone devices, is that the aforementioned advantages only apply to a dwindling subset of the population that still subscribe or buy newspapers. The rest of us will need more convincing to start paying again for news and for a hardware device.
Of course, if a publication wants to subsidize my device purchase, in exchange for a subscription commitment, that could sweeten the deal.
Maybe consumers that have given up on newspapers could be enticed if the device is heavily subsidized by publishers. But even that approach is fraught with caution: Acer’s Aspire One is not much of a bargain at $50, if you consider you’ll be committing to a 2-year AT&T Wireless data contract that will cost you $1440 to $2400 over the life of the contract.
Whether or not the Kindle 2 or Kindle DX will save newspaper is open to debate, however I find the more interesting question to be will the Kindle ever manage to save itself?
Instead of fixing conversion problems present in the Kindle 1 and 2 Amazon has produced a yet more expensive machine with a larger screen for “native” viewing. . . um, ok, but I just bought a Kindle 2 like five minutes ago, how about fixing the problem instead of simple producing an expensive stop gap?
Also what about increasing the ease with which notes can be written and highlighting accomplished. How about a touch screen so that I can actually write notes in my margins and have them instantly convert to typed text.
And really, doe the kindle NEED a knock-off accelerometer? That seems to be everyone’s pet add-on to every new technological device, but in this case, even when reading newspapers or viewing graphs with that ginormous screen I really don’t see the pay off, thin or not, wave goodbye to real portability, my kindle two fits in a coat pocket if need be, not so it’s gargantuan counterpart.
Unfortunately Amazon has circumvented rather than solved issues with the Kindle 2 and created an expensive giant that is scarcely different. Just look at their own side by side comparison chart.
Three differences
1) Kindle DX holds 3,000 instead of 1,500 books
2) Huge geriatric friendly screen.
3) Knock off Accelerometer
Worth the extra cost? I think not. Real solutions please!
Amazon Kindle DX Is Now Official
1) Kindle DX holds 3,000 instead of 1,500 books
2) Huge geriatric friendly screen.
3) Knock off Accelerometer
Worth the extra cost? I think not. Real solutions please!
Amazon Kindle DX Is Now Official
We have told already you pretty much everything that was needed to know about the new Amazon Kindle. The Kindle DX had all its details leaked a day before the official announcement and all we need now better pictures of the new device and the official price. The new ebook reader is about the size of a netbook and it will fit well with all your reading needs. The Kindle DX is now available for pre-order and the first devices will be ready to sheep this Summer. And you’ll need is $489 to get it.
Kindle DX Amazon releases a brand new
Amazon has released its brand new shiny toy today, the question is will it do everything they say it will do, and my question is why can’t we get an ebook reader in color?
The 489 dollar Kindle DX was showcased in New York this morning, and while I still want my tablet, ebook reader and still not getting it (come on someone), the Kindle DX is the next step forward, but it is still not color. I’ll hold out personally for the color edition of anything before I’ll buy black and white displays. In the mean time though what is interesting is that some people are calling it the Uber Device, the one device that solve textbook and the newspapers problems.
Probably not, while about a dozen schools are set up to use the device experimentally, newspapers are looking at this as a way to continue to deliver content to people without the costs associated of doing mass printing, the question remains, will you read your Sunday comics in black and white? I think the Achilles heel of this whole thing is that it is not in color, and we are by nature a group of people that want color output. While we dealt with monochrome screens in the 1980’s, no one would think of going back to the green monochrome screen for delivery of data anymore. Black and white is just as bad as green monochrome. While early adopters might pick this puppy up because it is a new shiny toy, the first one to market with a color ebook reader is going to win this game, and I am failing to understand why we are still working in black and white.
Needless to say, it will go over well, people will buy it, the text book test will most likely be successful (I know I would use it for some courses, but not for any of my web design courses where we need to see color pallets or photo color renditions), the news papers will probably see a spike in readership via the kindle because it makes sense (I know I would do this on a bus), but we are still back at the question of compelling value.
I just don’t see it with the Kindle DX, until it goes color.
Life is about colors, ebooks need to go in that direction to hit mass appeal and adoption. I will put money on this one, the first person with a color ebook display wins this one, and while we are distracted with kindle, Sony, and other black and white ebook readers, it still needs to be in color.
Kindle DX Amazon releases a brand new
Amazon has released its brand new shiny toy today, the question is will it do everything they say it will do, and my question is why can’t we get an ebook reader in color?
The 489 dollar Kindle DX was showcased in New York this morning, and while I still want my tablet, ebook reader and still not getting it (come on someone), the Kindle DX is the next step forward, but it is still not color. I’ll hold out personally for the color edition of anything before I’ll buy black and white displays. In the mean time though what is interesting is that some people are calling it the Uber Device, the one device that solve textbook and the newspapers problems.
Probably not, while about a dozen schools are set up to use the device experimentally, newspapers are looking at this as a way to continue to deliver content to people without the costs associated of doing mass printing, the question remains, will you read your Sunday comics in black and white? I think the Achilles heel of this whole thing is that it is not in color, and we are by nature a group of people that want color output. While we dealt with monochrome screens in the 1980’s, no one would think of going back to the green monochrome screen for delivery of data anymore. Black and white is just as bad as green monochrome. While early adopters might pick this puppy up because it is a new shiny toy, the first one to market with a color ebook reader is going to win this game, and I am failing to understand why we are still working in black and white.
Needless to say, it will go over well, people will buy it, the text book test will most likely be successful (I know I would use it for some courses, but not for any of my web design courses where we need to see color pallets or photo color renditions), the news papers will probably see a spike in readership via the kindle because it makes sense (I know I would do this on a bus), but we are still back at the question of compelling value.
I just don’t see it with the Kindle DX, until it goes color.
Life is about colors, ebooks need to go in that direction to hit mass appeal and adoption. I will put money on this one, the first person with a color ebook display wins this one, and while we are distracted with kindle, Sony, and other black and white ebook readers, it still needs to be in color.
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