Does a great job.September 8, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had looked at the Sony product a year ago and held off. Stared at the Kindle wondering if this was a good purchase. For travel efficiency I was looking for a solution. Kindle is that solution. It arrived as promised, started right up, had an installed user manual and several books were downloaded between purchase and arrival. Use is logical, the screen is easy to read and the font sizes are a great feature. I am a bit disappointed with the cover, but this is not a show stopper. Put in a 2gig SD card and will move books after reading. This should allow about a 2000 book library in the palm of my hand. The Kindle was not purchased for music or magazines or web use although it is nice to have those functions. As an efficient ereader it is a great tool. The price of the books is another bonus. Compared to pricing with the Sony why would anyone not purchase the Kindle? There will be a lot of people looking for amazing functionality, but I wanted a device that made my travel life a little easier. Good prices on books, no driving to the bookstore works for me. Enjoy your Kindle.
First thoughts; mine arrived 9/6/08September 8, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
What I Think of the Kindle In short, I enjoy reading on it. It was not hard to read in the thin confines of a crowded subway; 6 line about noon in Midtown Manhattan. The screen is clear, and looks like the gray paper black ink of found in most, if not all, the paperbacks out there. I found it just as easy to read in the Central Park this afternoon; beautifully clear day; as I did with a the small 20-watt reading light I normally use to read a book with before going to sleep. The screen flicker is no worse in my view than turning a page. Some of the comments I've read complaining about it seem quite silly to me. Pictures, while admittedly grey scale, looked about as good as the Wall Street Journal ones do; probably a bit better.
It was not hard to use either my left hand or my right, or both. Good one there Amazon; as lefty, I usually can't say that. I can see how some folks have had trouble keeping in in the nice leather case, but it hasn't been an issue for me so far. Button placement is fine. I think a lot of folks are just not used to 1 handing paperbacks. Maybe this is a skill for those of us who read on a subway or train?
I don't have any problems hitting the buttons closing or moving the thing around. I love the Alt - AAA button that turns on the screen protector. I think the fact that I hit that before I put it down is what I'm doing right there, so take that as a suggestion any one who may buy this thing.
For me, I have no issues with font size, but I will probably get one for my dad, and he does. The font size changing thing will be a great help to him, I'm sure. It would be nice if i could change the font, but it's no biggie.
It's easy to navigate around the menus, and buying and sampling new books is really easy. My laptop runs XP, and had no problems instantly recognising the device. It was a breeze to copy over my other mobi formatted ebooks, and they looked great on the device. Note I got those books from another publisher, and read them on my laptop. The nice difference being that I had no eye strain reading the same books on the Kindle as on my laptop. The e-paper stuff is as good as they say it is.
Basically, this is a great reading device on itself. The price, well, at $259, with the deal, I thought it was worth it obviously, but then I tend to buy many paperback books, and then after a few reads, those things are worn out; particularly if I let my dad borrow one, so a Kindle is probably in his future. Would I recommend it? Sure, but only to folks who read a lot, travel a lot, or like toys. It's a good device, but really probably more of a niche product. For that niche though, it's a great product. Like I said, I'll get one for my 65 year old father when his birthday comes around.
Where and How I've Read it so Far In the last two days that I've had this toy, I have read for a total of about 3-4 hours on the Kindle. I've read in a hot subway station, during a short subway ride; 10 minutes, Central Park this afternoon, and in bed both just before going to sleep and just after waking up.
Basic Facts So I've had my Kindle for about 2 days now; USPS delivery was early Yesterday morning, so I had it by noon. I've bought 1 book, downloaded several samples, and USB'd a few mobi formatted ebooks I got from Baen Books; that's a sci fi publisher I like. Those ebooks I read on my laptop screen usually during my lunch breaks.
Who am I? I'm the guy that my friends turn to for tech advice; graduated from college with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering in 98, and work now as a software engineer. I was using Google's Chrome browser the day it was released; yeah, that guy. What does that mean, I'm a geek of course, and someone who loves gadgets. I read a lot, and hate traveling on subways, shopping with my girlfriend, or pretty much waiting for any reason without something to read. That means I am often found with a paperback book on hand, and I tend to wear them out as I re-read my favorite books from time to time. This is all relevant as it will explain many of my comments in this review.
Get it, plain and simple. Its like a Tivo, hard to explain why you need it!September 8, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
You've read all the reviews, some nit pick, some complain, but everyone I've actually TALKED to who had one of these loved it. They said its like a Tivo or Blackberry, once you have it, you don't know how you did without it.
My complaints are minimal: Too easy to click "next page" and unit does not stay in the little book cover that well. Other than that, you must get one.
Battery life is DAYS if you leave the radio part off. No need to leave the radio on, unless you have bought something and are waiting for it. I suppose if you get a daily paper (which too me is kind of silly on this device) you would turn it on every day.
Encourage multiple purchases of KindleSeptember 8, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I own the device because my ninety two year old father, an early Kindle adopter/owner, purchased Kindles as gifts for me and my sister. The result of his gifts? -- We both now love and swear by Kindle for the same reasons in thousands of testimonials. I won't bother to repeat the reasons, but will suggest small improvements on a great product.
One inconvenience I have discovered is that my wife also likes to use Kindle, but two cannot read simultaneously. Therefore, but for the high price, I am tempted to buy a second device for my wife so we can read our different books at the same time. Also, I would like to buy Kindles for our 5 children for birthday or Christmas gifts. My suggestion is to encourage multiple purchases by developing a price discount system based on the purchase of a second (or more) Kindle. Provide a 20 or 25 percent discount for each additional kindle. You will make less on the devices, but will make far more money on purchase of books and magazine subscriptions (like Kodak did with film; like H-P does with printer cartridges).
Another problem I encountered when my sister came from her South Carolina home to visit us in Kansas for a few days. During her stay we were always mixing up our devices. I was truly nervous that when she packed her belongings to return to her home that she would accidentally pick up the wrong Kindle. A simple marketing solution would be to provide different colors for the leather covers. It would add a touch of color and pizzaz to an otherwise extremely homely cover. And, while you are at it, place your stylized brand name "Amazon Kindle" on the front. Ipod did this with enormous success. Most Ipod owners own more than one device. It's "Style" and "Fashion" more than utility. Your are in position to make Kindle take off like a rocket. Do it soon so I can make kids Christmas wishes come true. I might even buy one for my wife.
Thanks. Great product.
Keith from Kansas
When Technology Actually Makes Life BetterSeptember 8, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been lusting after this device since its announced introduction seeming so very long ago, but I have procrastinated to take the plunge until very recently. What on earth was I waiting for? Well, honestly, I was worried about first generation design flaws and software bugs. I was frightened by some negative reviews. And I was a bit stunned by the price. But, now that I'm in the pool there's no getting me out.
Based on my experience-to-date, I have to say that if the Kindle were to receive no further upgrade or revision it is (and will remain) a solid 5-star product. I have always enjoyed reading. I write this review surrounded by seven-foot-tall shelves filled with books. As I look upon their spines, I am spurred by happy memories of adventure and enlightenment. Reading is a joy and a privilege, but now it has gotten even better. I now have immediate access to thousands of books. I can effortlessly carry hundreds of them with me where ever I go. And, I can even access newspapers, magazines and blogs.
So often technological innovations promise to make life easier and more rewarding, but end up disappointing. This device actually helps me read more and enjoying it even more than before. The reflective display technology (with its adjustable font sizes) is very easy on the eyes. The built in dictionary never leaves me assuming a word meaning based upon its context. And, what I enjoy the most is the ease at which I can read multiple books concurrently utilizing the Kindle's auto bookmarking feature.
I said 5-stars right? Well I'm sticking to that, but this doesn't mean I can't recognize areas which might be improved upon. It is these points which slowed my purchase of the Kindle, but I ultimately decided to get over it. I list them here as constructive criticism:
Hardware (one thing)-- 1) Page Turning Buttons: This issue of their placement and access was stated repeatedly in reviews and seemed to cause owners the most trouble. This alone postponed my purchase by several months. Sadly, my fears were realized in this regard. Jeff Bezos, in his many interviews upon the introduction of this device, stated that chief among his design goals was to make the Kindle "disappear" like a conventional book does when the reader is carried away by the authors story. This is somewhat hindered by the placement of these buttons which requires me to carefully handle my Kindle so as not to accidentally turn a page.
Software (two things)-- 1) Word Spacing: The right and left justification format occasionally produces distractingly large spaces between words. In the books I have read there are sometimes spaces as large or larger than whole words between words. 2) Content Sorting: As my library grows, I find it less convenient to find and sort items using the tools currently provided on my Kindle. A system of customizable folders or categories would help in this regard.
Content (one thing)-- 1) Selection: I know that Amazon's goal is to have every title ever published available to the Kindle. Today would be fine on this. Kidding aside, about half of the titles I've sought so far are not available. I tend to enjoy literary classics which seem to be under-represented. Example: Evelyn Waugh, W. Somerset Maugham, P.G. Wodehouse, etc. Also, some of my favorite magazines are absent. Example: The Economist, The New Yorker, The Utne Reader.
To conclude, I am exceedingly happy that I purchased my Kindle. I wish I had done so on the first day it was announced and I encourage you to do the same. Come on in -- the water is fine.
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