I had my eyes on it since it was released, but I'd like to have some opinions on it before I waste 300 currency units.
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java the thoughts aquire speed, the teeth acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.
Pros:
-Extremely long battery life
-Several classic books like Sherlock Holmes and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea you can download for free
-Works on the 3G network, which is the same network Verizon works off of, so it's easier to get a signal
-Very simple to use
-Can hold a shitton of books, so it's quite useful for people who are on the go
Cons:
-No backlit screen (though this is why the battery life is so long)
-No color
The Kindle 2 is supposed to be vastly superior to the Kindle DX, but I can't comment on comparison.
Additional Pros
- Instant dictionary lookup (though I wish I could load up the OED, Le Petit Robert, and Langenscheit)
- Easy to highlight passages to upload to computer for later use in research papers *
Additional Cons
- Books in languages other than English not yet available -- hoping that changes with new announcement.
- Textbooks not on Kindle
- * Citation of passages for electronic books not yet supported by the APA 
- Pictures/graphics are hard to see/read on Kindle first generation (don't know if it's any better on later generations)
Re the backlight -- Not a big deal if you are used to reading books since paper based books don't come with backlighting. Would be helpful to have backlighting available for times when you want to read when ambient lighting is not available or practical.
As for book availability...that's the strongest point. If you just want public domain books, you can download and read those on any device. Kindle, though, has Amazon behind it, and by far the largest book availability of any electronic reader.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
People downloaded 1984 awhile ago on their Kindles, only to find whoever controls Orwell's estate didn't want that, so everyone who did download it got it taken off their Kindle.
quote:
Vernaltemptress's momma would never want to hear them say:
Ditto, Parcelan.Additional Pros
- Instant dictionary lookup (though I wish I could load up the OED, Le Petit Robert, and Langenscheit)
- Easy to highlight passages to upload to computer for later use in research papers *Additional Cons
- Books in languages other than English not yet available -- hoping that changes with new announcement.
- Textbooks not on Kindle
- * Citation of passages for electronic books not yet supported by the APA
- Pictures/graphics are hard to see/read on Kindle first generation (don't know if it's any better on later generations)Re the backlight -- Not a big deal if you are used to reading books since paper based books don't come with backlighting. Would be helpful to have backlighting available for times when you want to read when ambient lighting is not available or practical.
I still don't know why actual page citation is necessary in a world where you can do a full text search of a book in three seconds. You need maybe 5 words in the order they appear in the text in your quote and it will be discoverable.
I'll wait for some German reviews telling me how and if it works properly with the German cellphone network, but I think I know what I will get myself for christmas. 
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
quote:
Blindy. had this to say about Captain Planet:
I still don't know why actual page citation is necessary in a world where you can do a full text search of a book in three seconds. You need maybe 5 words in the order they appear in the text in your quote and it will be discoverable.
The APA is still in the dark ages...
quote:
Tarquinn wrote this then went back to looking for porn:
This Virtual Paper thing; is it really so much different/better from/than text on a normal compputer screen?
As I understand it, lack of backlighting helps with the eyestrain issue one encounters with normal computer monitors. I suppose the similarity to a normal book would make the transition to ebooks a bit less jarring. Damnati fucked around with this message on 10-11-2009 at 03:04 PM.
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java the thoughts aquire speed, the teeth acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.
quote:
Did someone say Vernaltemptress:
The APA is still in the dark ages...
The entire publishing industry is still in the dark ages.
quote:
Blindy painfully thought these words up:
The entire publishing industry is still in the dark ages.
90% of media producing companies are still in the dark ages.
"Don't want to sound like a fanboy, but I am with you. I'll buy it for sure, it's just a matter of for how long I will be playing it..."
- Silvast, Battle.net forums
1. If one is content to read "the classics" and nothing but, and portability isn't an issue, then stick with the PC
2. If one wants cool hardware and is content to read a limited selection of contemporary works, then go with Sony
3. If one is content to read only the classics and thinks a 3" screen is the bee's knees, then go with a PDA
4. If one wants the largest selection of the most current books in a portable/electronic format, then Kindle is currently the clear choice
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
"Don't want to sound like a fanboy, but I am with you. I'll buy it for sure, it's just a matter of for how long I will be playing it..."
- Silvast, Battle.net forums
quote:
Channeling the spirit of Sherlock Holmes, Steven Steve absently fondled Watson and proclaimed:
You can read anything in the world on the Kindle in full color and you get reception in the desert and it takes up no space, is easy to read, and functions as a multitool, and it never runs out of batteries. The UI is controlled telepathically. The choice is clear.
Wut?
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
"Don't want to sound like a fanboy, but I am with you. I'll buy it for sure, it's just a matter of for how long I will be playing it..."
- Silvast, Battle.net forums
The Kindle itself is like an iPod where you can only get your music off of iTunes (in Apple's shitty proprietary format of course), and the songs are missing several instruments. Currently my Kindle is sitting on the bookshelf behind me. It would be a paperweight but it is currently not fulfilling that function, since it has long since functioned the way it was intended. Despite resetting/charging batteries, etc., it simply refuses to turn on now. I would call support but I did not pay any money for it and it was basically useless to me anyway, so in conclusion fuck you Amazon.
"Don't want to sound like a fanboy, but I am with you. I'll buy it for sure, it's just a matter of for how long I will be playing it..."
- Silvast, Battle.net forums
That was my entire point: you need to know what you want to do with it and what's available for it before you buy, rather than whining it doesn't do things it wasn't designed to do.
It's certainly not perfect, but it comes much closer than anything else right now to being an electronic book, and has a much better selection of current content than any other device, at better prices.
If that's not what you're looking for in a device, then look elsewhere. Personally, I don't want to constrain my reading to what's available for my device.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
