Hands On with the Amazon Kindle DX

Hands On with the Amazon Kindle DX

Hot on the heels of the super-successful Kindle 2 launch, Amazon announced the Kindle DX ($489 direct), a larger, higher capacity, and more expensive version. I was able to get some hands-on time with the device and found it to be just as advertised: a larger version of the Kindle. That said, that extra screen size and the new partnerships with textbook vendors could help the Kindle DX open markets previously untapped by e-book readers.
The biggest difference between the Kindle DX and the Kindle 2 is the size of the screen, which is 2.5-times larger than the original. Moving from a 6-inch display to a 9.7-inch display makes the reading experience a lot more like reading a standard 8.5-by-11-inch piece of paper. Whereas reading the Kindle 2 is akin to reading a book, the Kindle DX feels more like reading a magazine. Indeed, Jeff Bezos said at today’s announcement that presenting structured, designed content is one of the key reasons for developing the Kindle DX.
The device measures 10.4 by 7.2 by 0.38 inches, and indeed, it feels incredibly thin when you hold it in your hand. It weighs 18.9 ounces and has about the same heft as a spiral bound paper notebook. Two small slits on the left side of the device will be used to attach a protective case, but none were on display today. The back of the Kindle DX features the same brushed metal back as the Kindle 2. Not much to see there.
One upgrade that won’t be immediately obvious is the increased memory. The Kindle DX comes with 4GB of memory and room to store about 3,500 books, compared to the 1,500-book capacity of the Kindle 2. I doubt many Kindle users ever max out their libraries, but since Amazon is increasingly pushing the Kindle as a tool for reading your own documents, the extra capacity could come in handy. There is still no removable memory slot adding memory.
The Kindle DX’s interface hasn’t changed much from Kindle 2. The Home button is still the best way to restart your navigation process and the five-way directional toggle lets you navigate the menus. I still think this process could be smoothed out some, but it isn’t too difficult to move around. Although the Page Forward and Page Back commands are still along the right side of the device, they’ve been removed from the left-hand side.
One key improvement is the addition of an accelerometer. Like the Apple iPhone, the Kindle DX can detect its orientation and rotates the screen accordingly. This lets you view documents, photos, and charts in landscape mode. In fact, the device can even be operated upside down, so that left handers can use the Page Forward/Page Back keys with their left hand if they want. (Typing on the QWERTY keyboard upside down is much, much more difficult.)
The Kindle DX also adds native PDF and RTF file support. Although previous Kindles have been able to display PDFs, this support was experimental and often achieved mixed results. The Kindle DX will ship with native PDF support that uses Adobe Reader Mobile technology. The demos I saw included nautical charts, maps, and legal documents, and the results were very impressive. Of course, I will have to load my own PDFs to really evaluate this feature.
Otherwise, the Kindle DX supports the same assortment of file formats, including Kindle, (AZW) TXT, Audible, HTML, Doc, JPEG, GIF, and PNG. Files can be sideloaded via the microUSB cable or sent through Amazon’s Whispernet service for $.15/MB.
As with the Kindle 2, the Kinlde DX comes with a built-in 1xRTT EVDO modem for wirelessly loading books and other digital content using the companies Whispernet service. Whispernet works seamlessly in the background, but it should be noted the company recently moved to per MB pricing for files that you upload to the service. If users do start uploading lots of their own files to the device, as Amazon seems to want them to, this could end up adding to the price of the device.
Other than the increased size, the biggest improvement in the Kindle ecosystem is the deal with textbook publishers. The textbook market will be key for the DX to succeed. Amazon has already signed up three of the top five textbook publishers (Cengage Learning, Pearson, and Wiley) as well as 27 University Press Publishers. The Kindle DX will be used in trials with at least five universities this fall.
There are lots of unanswered questions about the Kindle DX that I will answer when the device comes into PCMag Labs for testing. That said, given how closely the device builds on the Kindle 2 platform, it seems like a useful addition to the Kindle portfolio. This will be especially true if Amazon can succeed in evolving the device from a pure e-book reader into a device for reading all sorts of digital documents, including textbooks, magazines, blogs, word documents, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, e-mails, or any other document people currently print out.

Amazon Kindle DX

Amazon Kindle DX Review

Amazon Kindle DX was announced back at the beginning of May, but it’s taken until now for the first of the oversized ebook readers to reach buyers’ hands. The Kindle DX begins shipping this week, promising more E Ink real estate, more memory, and more file-type support on top of the Kindle 2’s existing Whispernet wireless and other features. Is bigger necessarily better? SlashGear put on our reading glasses and set to finding out.

The differences between the Kindle 2 and the new Kindle DX are obvious: a 9.7-inch E Ink monochrome display dominates the front panel, offering around 2.5x the space of the smaller ebook reader and squashing the QWERTY keyboard into tic-tac tininess at the bottom. Amazon Kindle DX has obviously worked hard to minimize the screen’s impact on the overall chassis, with mixed results. It’s a scant 0.02-inches thicker than the Kindle 2, at 0.38-inches, with a metal back-plate lending stiffness, but the left-side page controls have been dropped.

Make sure to click through for the full review, photo gallery and unboxing/walkthrough video of the Amazon Kindle DX.

That means that anybody who automatically goes to use their left-hand to turn pages (and that’s not just the left-handed among us) will have to either retrain themselves or follow Amazon’s advice and flip the display 180-degrees. Doing so obviously puts the keyboard and joystick out of easy reach, so it’s not an ideal solution.

Anybody planning on doing this regularly really should get into the habit of using the included USB 2.0 to micro-USB cable, though, as Amazon’s Whispernet conversion fees can quickly mount up. Shortly before they announced the Kindle DX, Amazon quietly changed their policy on wireless conversions: where previously they charged a fixed $0.10 per document, they now bill per megabyte. Files are rounded up to the nearest whole megabyte (MB), each charged at $0.15. Given that a typical research paper will range in size from under 1MB (which Amazon will round up) to perhaps 10-15MB depending on length, graphics and whether the original is in color or monochrome, you’re likely looking at least a dollar per conversion. Manual transfers via the USB cable (Amazon will also convert documents not natively supported and send them back to your email account) are free.

Amazon Kindle DX

Kindle DX - Amazon’s New 9.7″ Wireless Reading Device

Kindle DX - Amazon’s New 9.7″ Wireless Reading Device
Amazon has recently released yet another digital book reader, the Kindle DX. This new model aims to address a common limitation on other e-book readers, whether it is the Kindle 1, Kindle 2 or the Sony PRS series. Prior to the release of this new model, the largest screen on any e-book readers in the market measure at 6-inches. Although this is a sizable dimension (good for reading books), it take a little getting used to reading magazines and newspapers on a tiny 6-inch screen.
Among other features, the new Kindle DX comes with a huge 9.7-inch making it the largest screen on any e-book readers in the market. It incorporates most of the features on the Kindle 2 and a few additional features. The features retained in this new model includes the slim design (at just 0.38″thick and about 19 ounces in weight), 3G connectivity, Whispernet, and an instant-lookup dictionary.
There are also several new features on the new Kindle DX. It has an auto-rotation features, like iPhones. You can choose to read in portrait or landscape mode by just turning the reader to the side. It also has a larger 4GB memory (the Kindle 2 has only 2GB) for you to store your e-books and mp3 files. With a larger screen I would expect that the battery lifespan of the new model will be shorter than the Kindle 2. According to Amazon, the Kindle DX too can last up to 2 weeks on a single charge.There are also some experimental features such as a basic web browser and the read-to-me function.
To make space for the large screen, the size of the keyboard on the Kindle DX has been reduced. The keys consist of small rectangular tablets much like those on cell phones. Unlike Kindle 2, the page turn buttons on the new model is only found on the right side of the reader.This gives the user a better grip over the larger Kindle DX. The additional features on the new reader does come at a price. At the time of writing, the new reader costs $489 each.

by Troy Richards

Kindle DX : Perspective from a biomedical researcher

Kindle DX Review : Perspective from a biomedical researcher

Kindle DX : Perspective from a biomedical researcher

I don’t generally write reviews, but I hope this one will be useful for other scientists who are contemplating a Kindle DX. My use for the Kindle DX will be different from most of the users who have posted reviews. I maintain a library of nearly 4,000 PDF manuscripts/grants/documents. I probably have minimal use for eBooks from the Kindle Store. The number of PDFs is constantly growing as new research manuscripts are published (and downloaded to my computer). My principle reasons for purchasing a Kindle DX were to:1) Carry the electronic equivalent of binders of PDFs with me when traveling. An iPod for PDFs. This is a metaphor that works for the way that I view an eReader, though it probably doesn’t apply equally well to everyone.

2) Have an easier way to read papers when traveling. Easier means not worrying about battery life, unfurling a laptop in a cramped airplane, or carrying a bag full of papers.

3) Reduce eye strain from staring at a computer screen by moving serious reading from the laptop screen to the Kindle DX.

From my preliminary use, I think the Kindle DX is a qualified success. Text in manuscripts looks great. Figures from manuscripts do not render well in portrait mode if there is a lot of detail; switching to landscape mode helps substantially. Zoom into individual images/sections of PDFs would be welcome.

Navigating large numbers of PDFs from the home screen is currently clumsy. Lack of directory support to organize large numbers of files is an issue. I’ve read about users using complex naming conventions to use ’search’ as an indirect way to find files. Renaming hundreds (or thousands) of files to make them easier to find is not a great solution. I suspect this will improve in time, either through a firmware update to this device or in the next generation of hardware.

I’m also hoping against hope that one or more of the reference manager software providers (Bookends, I’m looking at you) realizes that their software is to the Kindle as iTunes is to the iPod. If I could manage the content of my Kindle through a reference manager, I would be thrilled. The idea of downloading a paper and syncing it in one step to the Kindle to take with me is really appealing. This wouldn’t completely overcome the problem with a flat file hierarchy once the papers are on the Kindle, but it would help organize getting content onto and off the device.

The biggest surprise to me is the functionality of the web browser. Yes, it is pokey to render pages. No, I wouldn’t want to use it to web surf. But if I had a destination web site that is heavy on content, I think reading on the Kindle will be vastly superior to reading on the iPhone or other mobile/tablet devices. I do doubt, however, that wireless data access will remain free on the Kindle long-term. I can’t imagine how Amazon will be able to continue subsidizing the data costs. I think that this is a feature that should be enjoyed while it lasts, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes away at some point in the future.

Though it adds another $50 to the cost, I think the matching case is attractive, functional, and creates an easy-to-carry package.

So is it worth the high cost? I don’t think I (or anyone) can really evaluate that until determining how well it integrates into daily work habits. I suspect that I will get heavy use out of it, but then I read a ton of PDFs. I do hope that the PDF support for dictionary lookup, highlighting, and annotation improves, but I base my review on what the product does - not what I would like it to do.

By	D. H. O’CONNOR

Kindle DX - An Introduction

Kindle DX - An Introduction
The Amazon Kindle DX is the latest addition to the Kindle series of e-book readers. It is much larger than the other models as it is targeted at a different niche in the market (newspaper and textbook readings). This new model has a 9.7inch display, which is great for reading newspaper articles, magazines and textbooks.
The screen quality is similar to the Kindle 2, having a paper-like feel that is very easy to read without much strain on the eyes. In fact the layout and position of the keypad and buttons are almost identical to the Kindle 2. This new model is very thin with rounded corners and a matte metal/aluminum panel on the back. It measures at 10.4 x 7.2 x 0.38 inches and weights at just 18.9 ouches. It also has tiny speakers at the bottom of the unit.
One of the new features found on the Kindle DX is the ability to rotate the display. You can choose to read the content in portrait or landscape by just rotating the reader to the side, very much like the iPhone or the iPod touch.
If you plan to get an e-book reader to read mainly newspapers or magazines, the Kindle DX will prove to be a better choice over the older models. The bigger screen makes it much easier to read long articles and view pictures without the need to constantly scroll the screen. It also comes with 3.3GBs for storage that is more than enough for most of us. With the wireless feature turned off, you can use the Kindle DX for up to 2 weeks on a single charge.
For more real reviews and product information, visit Amazon Kindle DX.

By Tim Pecunia

he Kindle DX has better screen

Kindle DX : News
ts worth nothing that the Kindle DX has better screen contrast and handles PDFs well – technical documents look great. At the same time PDFs don’t have annotations, Text To Speech, etc. While a lot of owners love the larger size (think hardcover; size of kindle dx screen equal to full size of kindle 2) others think it kills portability and if you have weak hands it makes the Kindle DX too heavy.
Bottomline: At the moment the average rating across every Kindle DX review is 4.2 stars at Amazon and 4.5 stars across all kindle forums. Owners love the Kindle DX.
Kindle DX Review Stats – Blogs and Newspapers
Here’s what we have (only linking to a few) -
Steven Levy at Wired gives it 7/10.
Walt Mossberg thinks the Kindle DX is bigger, not better than the Kindle 2. The actual review is pretty balanced and tends towards a 7.
CNet gives it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Boing Boing complain about the price and document conversion and seem to be tending towards an 8/10.
Gizmodo seem to be giving the Kindle DX a 7/10 and seem rather pessimistic about the future of eInk.
BusinessWeek are generally positive. 8/10.
SlashGear have an amazing number of photos and a video. They seem to be tending between 7 and 8.
Every single blog and news site seems to be saying -
Its good, its too expensive, it can never take on the iPhone, and it will fail. The consensus seems to be a 7 out of 10 rating.
Bottomline: Big blogs and news sites are lukewarm on the Kindle DX. They expect it to fail.
One key difference between reporters’ Kindle dx reviews and owners’ Kindle dx reviews is that the owners seem to understand that kindles are a work in progress.

Amazon Kindle DX: Official Info and Price

Amazon Kindle DX: Official Info and Price
The Kindle DX has appeared on Amazon’s website and we can now confirm the previously leaked specs: 9.7″ display (16 gray levels), auto portrait/landscape mode, PDF reader, wireless 3G, “days” of battery, text to speech.
The price is set at $489, which is not bad compared to the $359 6″ Kindle. We actually prefer this larger version by far. Amazon is taking orders of the Kindle DX, but there’s no estimated delivery date other than “this summer”.
Update: here’s a quick description of pro, cons and “may be”.
Pros
· A big screen is great
· No monthly fee
Cons
· No zoom, scroll or pan
· Books are not cheap compared to the paper version (especially used ones)
· The lack of PDF support for the Kindle 2 is painful. Some users were pissed this morning as they bought their Kindle 2 last month.
Price: Many were complaining about the pricing of the device ($450+). Yes, it is too expensive for mass acceptance, but there’s no real competitor on the market and it seems to sell well, so the price is certainly what the market can bear. Also, I’d like to point out that if you subscribe to many magazines and buy books and or send big files to your Kindle, the cost of the content adds up quickly. If you think that it is too expensive, just don’t buy it and wait…

Students Skeptical Kindle DX Can Replace Paper Chase
Students pointed out plenty of other issues about the Kindle DX to Wired.com. For instance, students often loan textbooks to one another, and currently that’s not practical with a Kindle, as you’d have to loan your entire reader and library. Also, the beauty of paper textbooks is the ability to highlight sentences, underline keywords and keep all of them open at once. While the Kindle does have highlight and notes tools, the reader is sluggish with performance, and the keyboard is unnatural and clunky to type on.
However, it’s too soon to say how Amazon Kindle DX will fare on campuses, as the students polled by Wired.com had mixed opinions. Overall, 19 students replied to our query via Twitter, five of whom said they would definitely purchase a Kindle DX, seven who said no and seven who said maybe.
“Law students are waiting for Kindle books!” said Twitter user “SoCaliana.” “We have so many books to carry around. I couldn’t find my texts on CD or anything!”
We can expect Amazon to cook up some interesting sales models after it completes Kindle DX pilot programs with Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, Princeton, the University of Virginia and Pace university. Meanwhile, let’s get the brainstorming started. What would you suggest for e-textbook sales strategies, readers? Here’s an idea: Selling e-textbooks by individual chapters as opposed to complete books, since most classes don’t read textbooks in entirety anyway. That would certainly cut costs.

Putting the Kindle DX Through Its Paces

Putting the Kindle DX Through Its Paces
After a fair amount of hullabaloo surrounding its announcement in May, Amazon is now shipping its large-screen Kindle DX. I got to spend some time with the Kindle recently. Here’s how it shakes out.
Amazon.com Amazon’s Kindle DX.
As with previous versions of the e-reader, the Kindle DX’s $489 price tag includes a wireless connection, and books are still about $10 a pop. You can also read e-books you’ve bought for the Kindle on your iPhone. So what do you get for the higher price? For starters, it has a 9.7-inch diagonal electronic ink display (compared with the Kindle 2’s 6-inch diagonal screen), which increases its total footprint to 10.4 inches by 7.2 inches -– almost the size of a piece of paper.
You can also rotate the Kindle DX so text can be read in landscape mode. The auto-rotate feature seems somewhat unpredictable –- sometimes it would rotate at the slightest turn and other times it wouldn’t rotate at all. Turning the device off and then back on seemed to do the trick.
Amazon hopes its larger display will attract readers who want to read documents, newspapers, textbooks and other materials that would benefit from a larger screen. The company is working with textbook publishers and a handful of universities that will offer the Kindle DX to students. It also includes a built-in PDF reader, using Adobe’s mobile reader. For those who want — or need — to zoom in on a picture or a chart, the Kindle DX lets you do that, too.
The larger size also means a bigger keyboard. While its feedback is slightly better than the one on the Kindle 2, the wider Kindle DX e-reader makes typing a little awkward. Of course, keyboard feel is one of those things where everybody has their own opinion. All I’m saying is this: a) I have small hands and b) I’ve gotten used to typing with my thumbs on a BlackBerry, so the Kindle DX experience was not ideal for me.
There’s a new “experimental” tab on the main menu, which offers users a simple Web browser, the ability to play MP3 music files you’ve added to your Kindle from your computer and Amazon’s text-to-speech option.
Amazon labels its browser option “Basic Web,” which is fitting. It comes with preloaded bookmarks for pared-down versions of Web sites like Google, CNN and Yelp. I tried to get around the need to subscribe to the newspaper by going to nytimes.com, but quickly discovered that the browser doesn’t support the full version of the Web that we view on our computers (and now, some smartphones). Tricky.
I also tested the text-to-speech option, which you can access by pressing the “Aa” key on the keyboard (the font size, words per line and screen rotation can also be changed when you click that key). You can still find the text-to-speech feature under the main menu, but it’s been moved to the experimental tab. At the default speed, the voice reads a tad too fast, but at the slower speed, it’s in slow motion. Also, Amazon has some work to do to get the computer-generated voice to pronounce words like real humans.
When I reviewed the Kindle 2 in February, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to get on the e-book bandwagon. Still, I found it to be convenient and just the right size to fit in my handbag. It at least felt like a book. But after toting around the Amazon Kindle DX, it suddenly feels as if I am carrying a computer. Furthermore, its larger size means the DX is, while no heavyweight, still heavier than I think I’d want it to be. (One indication: eventual palm fatigue when holding the Kindle DX in one hand, as I would when riding the subway.)
For those of us who don’t need to read PDFs or, say, all 1,328 pages of “Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies,” the regular Kindle should suffice.

Amazon Kindle DX - Review

Amazon Kindle DX - Review

You can get the Kindle DX at Amazon for $489 (preorders – DX ships in the summer). Here’s my Kindle DX review based on information currently available. Do leave a comment if you have questions.

The Kindle DX is great if you’re -

1. In college – its perfect for textbooks and has in-built PDF support.
2. At school – again, DX is great for textbooks. Its light and you no longer have to carry a ton of books.
3. A frequent traveller and/or a daily commuter. Do note that the Kindle 2 is more compact, and consider the trade-off between larger screen, PDF support and better newspaper readability VS compact size and lower price.

The Kindle DX is a good choice for –

1. Reading newspapers.
2. A Professional who wants a way to carry around documents and books. No more printing sheets of paper and printing out emails.
3. Reading books. (If you prefer a compact screen, consider the Kindle 2).

The DX is just 0.38″ thin (which is a nice contrast to the 9.7″ screen) and looks good

Kindle DX with 9.7″ screen and PDF Support

The DX has a shiny metallic back (the lower 3/4ths).

Kindle DX Review – Top 5 Features

The 5 best features of the DX, in my opinion, are -

1. Large, Readable eInk Screen – The 9.7″ Kindle DX Screen is great for reading textbooks and newspapers. The eInk screen is easy on the eyes. Kindle DX’s Screen has 2.5 times the surface area of 6″ eReaders (Kindle 2, Sony Reader).
2. PDF Support – The first Kindle with official Adobe PDF support. Transfer your PDF documents via WhisperNet, synchronize between your Kindle DX and your iPhone/iTouch. Amazon has licensed Adobe technology and reflows PDFs – However, panning, zooming and scrolling are not supported.
3. Free Wireless Internet - Theres’ a browser and free Internet Access so you can use it for reference.
4. Cheap Textbooks Delivered Wirelessly in 60 seconds – There’ll be good prices (Amazon Kindle Editions of books usually are $9.99 instead of $24.99). Amazon is claiming 60% of textbooks will be covered initially.
5. Convenience – Carry as many texbooks as you like. Buy books and textbooks instantly, anytime. Changeable font sizes, changeable words per line, and more.

Kindle DX Review – What DX Looks Like

Amazon Kindle DX product page has a good video. My DX should arrive in a couple months (they ship in summer) and I’ll add a Kindle DX video review. Here’s an image showing Kindle DX reading PDF -

Kindle DX with PDF support

Kindle DX Review – Pros

Top 11 Pros

1. PDF Support - Official Adobe PDF support so your PDF documents look great. You can get PDFs onto your DX wirelessly (15 cents per MB for wireless, or free from your computer).
2. Cheaper Textbooks. 60% of textbooks will be available as 3 of the large publishers are signed up.
3. Kindle for iPhone and WhisperSync – You can read a document or textbook across your Kindle DX, iPhone and iTouch. Your annotations, bookmarks and the page you’re on are synchronized wirelessly.
4. Large Screen – The 9.7″ screen is a great size for textbooks, newspapers, and even books. It roughly translates to a little smaller than A4 size.
5. eInk Screen - This is a very readable screen that causes next to zero eye strain. Much, much closer to reading a book than a computer screen.
6. Auto-rotate – looks to be a good, solid feature.
7. Read To Me - Provided publishers don’t turn it off for their books, books can be read out to you by the Kindle DX while you drive, cook, etc.
8. Change Font Sizes and change the number of words per line.
9. Long Battery Life – Kindle DX lasts 4 days with wireless on, and 2 weeks with wireless off.
10. Large Storage – The 3.3GB of available storage (out of 4 GB overall) gives you a lot of space. Amazon says 3,500 books.
11. Free Wireless Internet – WhisperNet is available wherever Sprint wireless coverage exists.

More Pros

1. In-Built Dictionary and Wikipedia access.
2. Light and Thin – The Kindle DX is just 0.38″ thick. Its also light at 18.9 ounces.
3. Cloud Storage – Any books you buy are stored in the Amazon cloud and you can download them anytime.
4. Good Screen Resolution – 1200 by 824 with 16 shades of grey.
5. Normal books are much cheaper in their Kindle Edition. Books usually retail for $9.99.
6. More than 275,000 books.
7. 60% coverage of textbooks as 3 of the big textbook publishers are on-board. Addison Wiley, Pearson, Prentice Hall, Longman and many more.

Kindle DX Review – Cons

1. Price – The price is definitely high and mostly a function of the fact that eInk technology is still evolving. If $489 is too high for you consider the Kindle 2which is $359. Do look at my post on Kindle 2 VS Kindle DX.
2. No Color – eInk will not have color technology till 2011. There might be other technologies that come out with a reading-friendly screen in color before that. DX definitely does not have color.
3. No TouchScreen.
4. Note-taking is going to be painful.
5. Lack of a full keyboard.
6. Screen Refresh Speed – Screen takes a fraction of a second to refresh. Do look at the Kindle 2 videos – screen technology is going to be the same i.e. how it looks, how it refreshes. Screen is 2.5 tims bigger though.
7. The user interface is not very refined. This is because eInk takes some time to refresh. This rules out video and quicker, faster user interfaces.
8. Only available in white.
9. Lack of Folders and a way to organize books and documents elegantly. Unless Amazon updates on this will assume it’s still missing.

Kindle DX Recommendation

The Kindle DX is a very good choice if you spend a lot of time reading textbooks, reading books or carrying around documents. The price of $489 is very reasonable for a 9.7″ screen (for comparison the iRex Illiad with a comparable screen retails for $859). With lower textbook and book prices you’ll make it back (figuratively, not literally) in 1.5 to 2 years.

1. My recommendation for you if you’re in school or college is to definitely get a Kindle DX if you can afford it.
2. If you’re a frequent traveller or commuter, again the DX is great – contrast withthe Kindle 2 and get the one that better suits your needs (its basically Kindle 2’s lower price, compactness Vs Kindle DX’s larger screen, PDF support, and auto-rotate).
3. If you’re looking for a Kindle DX for work, it’s really useful for carrying around documents. Getting it expensed would be cool too.
4. If you’re looking for a newspaper reader, I’d say Kindle DX is a good choice. The Kindle’s UI and general functionality is better suited to long form reading.

Two things to keep in mind -

1. NYTimes, Boston Globe and Wahington Post will offer a lower price Kindle DX to people outside their delivery areas.
2. 6 universities, including Princeton, are going to run trials with Kindle DX in the Fall semster.

Finally, hope the Kindle DX review helped you – next up is a kindle dx review series looking at it from the perspectives of textbook reader, travel/commute gadget, book reader, business document reader, and newspaper reader. My gut tells me the DX will review well for the first three and so-so for the last 2.

Gadget Hot..! KindleDX By Amazon.

Gadget Hot..! Kindle DX By Amazon.
The Kindle DX from Amazon is the most recent addition to Amazon’s popular line of eBook Reader devices. Introduced in May 2009, the Kindle DX is the largest Kindle available with a screen size of 9.7″. Most of the technology in the Kindle DXis found in the previous Kindle 2 with the main differences coming in the size of the display, and the size of the internal memory clocking in at 4GB (3.3GB usable). Other differences include native PDF support (other Kindles require conversion) and auto-rotation from portrait to landscape. The Kindle DX retains the same WhisperNet wireless technology as the Kindle 2 offering free wireless access for book download.

The Kindle DX launch might have sparked a wave of hype about the next generation of newspapers, but not everyone’s so quick to agree: Dallas Morning News CEO James Moroney told a Senate subcommittee yesterday that the Amazon Kindle DX isn’t a “platform that’s going to save newspapers in the near term.” According to Moroney, Amazon demands 70 percent of subscription revenue from newspapers, and further requires content owners to grant Amazon the right to republish content to other devices — like, say, the iPhone. That’s a pretty inequitable split, and while we understand that Amazon has to pay for Whispernet somehow, it’s hard to imagine newspaper publishers lining up to wager 70 percent of their digital subscription revenues and a perpetual license to their content on devices that are far from proven. On the other hand, it’s innovate or die time for these guys, so we’ll see what happens — with all the competitors out there poisedto make a move, things are about to get interesting.
KindleDX college plans revealed: only 300 students total

We knew the Kindle DX pilot programs at Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, Princeton, Pace, Reed, and Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia would be limited in number, but it sounds like students at those schools will have be extremely lucky or well-connected to get their hands on Amazon’s latest — according to Pace reps at today’s launch event, each school will only receive around 50 KindleDX for the trial. That’s just about 300 total Kindles, and it makes Amazon’s crowing about revolutionizing education seem a little hasty. Not only that, but it’s not like the program is particularly ready to go, either: the schools still haven’t figured out which classes they’ll try and switch over to the Kindle DX , instructors have yet to be brought on board, and it’s still not clear whether Amazon or the schools themselves will pay for the Kindles, although students will definitely have to shell out for the books. That’s a lot of dealmaking to get done — looks like Amazon just gave itself some summer homework

New Amazon Kindle DX to Be Given to College Students for Textbooks Amazon is hosting a press event in New York City on Wednesday, which means there’s a newKindleDX on the way . Our colleagues over at Engadget dug up some spy photos and basic specs of the new device, which is being called the Kindle DX . Improvements over the current Kindle 2 include a larger, 9.7-inch display, a built-in PDF reader, and the ability to add annotations (as well as notes, as before). Word has it that the New York Times subscriptions will be $9.95 a month, compared to the current $13.99, and the Wall St. Journal is reporting that the new device will be distributed to students at Case Western Reserve in Ohio next fall — for textbooks (let’s hope that e-textbooks are a lot cheaper on the Amazon Kindle store than they are in real life at most college bookstores).
Kindle versus KindleDX
As Kindle was becoming more popular, now Amazon introduced KindleDX. So you may wonder what are the differences between Kindle and Kindle DX?
First of all, Kindle DX is much bigger in size: 10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″ versus Kindle 8″ x 5.3″ x 0.36″. Bigger in storage too! KindleDX can store 2,500 books (4GB internal), but Kindle 1,500. Bigger Screen! Kindle DX has 9.7″ display size, but Kindle 6″. Also Kindle DX has extra Auto Rotating Display feature and Built-In PDF Reader, long battery life (Read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on). However, Kindle DX and Kindle share the features like 3G Wireless downloading ( which allows only 60 second a book download), text-to-speech feature, Whispersync feature.
The Kindle Store has more than 275,000 books available, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs, that you can reach to with Kindle or Kindle DX !
With the purchase of a Kindle DX you get in the box: KindleDX electronic reader, Kindle DX power adapter, and USB 2.0 cable (for connection to the Kindle DX power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer).
Amazon Kindle DX Review
PDF compatibleEarlier Kindles required Adobe PDFs to go through a conversion process first, but the

KindleDX is said to support the format natively.
Kindle DX : The flip-sideWhile the backside of the KindleDX is as nondescript as that of an iPod, it masks the unit’s 4GB capacity (3.3GB usable). That’s twice as much as the Kindle 2, and enough to hold 3,500 books (according to Amazon).

KindleDX won’t let us wait too long.

Kindle DX won’t let us wait too long.
Ready to take order today, Kindle DX will ships this summer. Its price is $489. There, you know the reast already. KindleDX sport a 9.7 inch rotatable screen, 3.3GB internal memory and a PDF reader. Waiting for Kindle DX with a lower price ? Then you need a subsidized on-contract price from New York Times, Washington Post, and Boston Globe.

KindleDX
Display -9.7″ diagonal e-ink
Storage -3,500 books
PDF Support -native PDF reader
Rotating Display -Yes
3G Wireless -Yes
Books in Under 60 Seconds -Yes
Text-to-Speech -Yes
Whispersync -Yes
Size -10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″


Kindle DX - Wireless Reading Device

Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines. Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents.
Beautiful Large 9.7″ diagonal e-ink screen reads like real paper; boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images
Built-In PDF Reader allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go
Blazing fast 3G wireless lets you download books right from your KindleDX, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, no annual contracts, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots You get free wireless delivery of books in less than 60 seconds; no PC required.

Amazon KindleDX, the famous e-book reader from Amazon is expected to be available with a bigger screen. Its Kindle DX which will sport a 9.7 inch e-Ink display to make reading e-book more comfortable. More over, Kindle DX support .PDF files, a major upgrade I think. Still no words on release date yet.
Are the KindleDX and the iPad leading us to Legal Pad 2.0? On this edition of the Kennedy-Mighell Report, legal bloggers, Dennis Kennedy, Tom Mighell and Adriana Linares, will discuss how the new Kindle DX and the current Kindle might be used by lawyers and law students, explore related products like the iPad and question whether we are headed to an all electronic legal pad. Dennis, Tom and Adriana will also take questions from their growing audience and wrap up with Parting Shots, leaving you with lasting tips and observations. After you listen, be sure to check out Tom & Dennis’ co-blog and book by the same name, The Lawyers Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies.
In an earlier post I referred to a NYT article about the development of new gadgets, with screens roughly the size of a standard sheet of paper, that could present much of the editorial and advertising content of traditional periodicals in generally the same format as they appear in print.Today I read about Amazon’s announcement that they’re launching theirKindle DX (for deluxe), which has a screen two and a half times the size of those on the two older versions of the Kindle, which were aimed primarily at displaying book pages. (Seems the idea is now a reality, although not without a few teething problems - seems today’s launch had a glitch with the Kindle DX website not being ready for viewing. Ooops!)Also in my email inbox was a notification from Bill St Arnaud’s blog of a post in which he outlines the potential for devices such as the Kindle can help reduce CO2 at universities(and elsewhere). He concludes, “One Kindle can hold hundreds, if not thousands of textbooks and other documents – so the offset value of a single Kindle can be worth thousands of dollars!”Certainly seems to be more than just novelty value driving the development of these devices! I’d see this area of development as something that education could benefit significantly from - so keep watching this spaceWill consumers pay for both the KindleDX and monthly subscriptions to their favorite newspapers, magazines or blogs? The same content is available on laptops and cell phones, but it’s free

First Impressions of the New Kindle DX

First Impressions of the New Kindle DX
The first thing I notice about the new Kindle DX — shown Wednesday morning at a news conference in New York — is that it still seems small. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If it is going to replicate a newspaper or textbook, you don’t want some clunky thing to lug around.
The Kindle DX has a 9.7-inch display, which the company says is 2 1/2 times the size of the Kindle 2. But the device doesn’t feel or look as large as a sheet of copier paper. It won’t give you the feeling of reading an entire page of a newspaper. You read the paper by flipping through it, article by article.
But you never see the big picture — a full page — that can reward you with the article you didn’t think you wanted to read, but are lured in either by the placement it on the page or the art that goes with it. The larger screen should have been able to offer a different experience than the one on the first two versions of the Kindle.
That said, the text, photos and drawings replicate the experience of reading a newspaper or a textbook.
The photographs are clearer and more defined than those you’d see on a printed page. Better than what you see on a high-resolution computer monitor? No. But if the goal was to replicate the newspaper reading experience, then Amazon seems to have succeeded.
On a biology textbook, it is very easy to see the detail to distinguish the different phalanges.
It is easy to blow the picture up, and the resolution holds as you do.
The display automatically rotates when you change the orientation of the Kindle.
The price: $489. It ships, the company said, this summer. The Amazon.com site has it ready for pre-order. This is where many consumers may stumble. The device offers a good experience, but is it a $500 experience?
Three newspapers — The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe — will offer a reduced price on the Kindle in exchange for a long-term subscription. The Times and Globe will be offered starting this summer in areas where home delivery is not available. No prices of that promotion were released.
Amazon emphasized that the Kindle would exchange personal documents, all without the user having to look for a wireless hot spot.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, pointed out it is easier to turn the page on sheet music by pushing a button. He is right. The Kindle could find a sub-market among musicians.

Plastic Logic Vs Kindle DX – Features
Credit for a lot of the information in here goes to the MediaShift Blog at pbs.org.
Feature

Every book ever in under a minute
Bezos reminded the assembled journalists at this week’s launch event that the Amazon Kindle will soon be able to offer “every book ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds.”
“Eighteen months ago, we launched Kindle, and at the time we had 90,000 books available for Kindle. (We had) 230,000 books just three months ago when we launched Kindle 2,” Bezos said. “We’ve added another 45,000 books in just the last three months. We’re actually accelerating.”
“The display is 2 and a half times the size of the Kindle 2,” added Bezos, adding that with the “Built in PDF reader, you never have to pan, you never have to zoom, you never have to scroll. You just read.”
Also, rather niftily (just as with Apple’s iPhone), “You just rotate the device and you go to widescreen mode.”
“Any highly structured documents look great on this device. Here’s a cookbook, lots of structure. Here’s another one, a photo of sushi… it’s making me hungry. Computer books, they’re highly structured, complex layouts. They shine with the Kindle DX.”EInk screen Kindle DX uses) say 2010 or later.

Kindle DX ebook reader started by Amazon
People who are fond of reading books find anything and everything which comes on a piece of paper to read interesting. But in today’s busy world we don’t find enough time and place to bring those huge books along. But Amazon has a solution for all those booklovers. It is the new Kindle DX e-book reader.
With the new Kindle DX e-book you can now read your favorite books on a 9.7 inch e-ink display. It is very clear and lucid for reading newspapers, books and other large articles. It is a user-friendly device with a built in accelerometer. With the use of the accelerometer you can easily rotate your e-book reader in any direction for more suitable reading. Kindle DX also has a PDF reader pre-installed. It can help you in opening the documents without converting them using the Amazon’s online services
The portable device is beautifully designed using the latest technology so that you will enjoy reading without paining your eyes. The Amazon Kindle DX also supports contents from Cookbooks, computer books, and textbooks and other formats.
Featuring an in-built PDF reader, the portable device ensures resounding e-reading experiences. You don’t need to pan, zoom or scroll or re-flow the document. The all you need is emailing of your favored documents to the Kindle mail account or download the content to the portal device via an USB.
The Kindle DX features an Auto-rotate option which enables the readers to see enhanced landscape views of pictures, graphs, maps, tables and web pages. You are ensured to flip the e-book reader to use the device in any of your hand.
As its reviews, Kindle DX also supports 3G wireless connections. Hence, you don’t require to sit before a PC or look for WiFi hotspots to exploit Amazon’s Whispernet to access to digital contents.
With Kindle DX, you can read some of the popular newspapers like The New York Times, The Boston Globe and the Washington Post. You need to open an account to access these newspapers.
Kindle DX possesses all the important features, which we have found in its earlier version Kindle. The upgraded e-book reader offers a 250,000-word Oxford American dictionary. It also provides bookmarking option, notes and six different text sizes to make your reading experience more interesting