May 5, 2009 The Kindle observed
OBOW reader Lise has posted an excellent field study of the Amazon Kindle e-reader in its natural environment - the first-class cabin, a place I only see while passing through:
I sat next to someone in first class with a Kindle on my last four flights. It was strange how quickly this tech has pervaded the frequent fliers. It’s the next Bose headphones by which you identify the other road warriors. On my last leg I finally asked to take a peak and the gentlemen was a real Kindle evangelist. He used to go through 4-5 paperbacks on a business trip and felt bad discarding them as he went. He also hated having to wait till his favorite authors came out in paperback vs hardback and loves paying roughly 1/2 price for books. I was disappointed at the number of shades of gray. Without color I wouldn’t use it for magazines even with the new larger size coming out tomorrow. 5 shades of gray barely does justice to graphics so I wouldn’t replace my laptop for RSS feeds, web browsing or magazines and newspapers. This leaves the bibliophiles of the world to enjoy Kindle until the color version comes out. I can’t wait, that thing was tiny and had awesome battery life.
Reader Comments (6)
I have the first generation Kindle and will happily say it was well worth every penny. I am an avid reader as well as someone who is trying to travel lighter and lighter. The Kindle helps me do that.
One of my favorite features is being able to download a free sample of any book being offered on the Kindle to see if I might like it. There are also literally thousands of free books available for download.
Sure, the gray scale isn't great, and the pictures are grainy, but I buy books for the Kindle. If I want a magazine, I'll buy a magazine.
not great for international travel, as it only connects via sprint. and to see one, you have impose upon another owner to meet them. research the sony line before you buy.
I had the Kindle 1 and now the Kindle 2. I absolutely love the Kindle - it is great for books and newspapers. Kindle 2 has more shades of gray and pictures are less grainy. It also is a little bit faster in going from one page to the next. It is so much easier to carry around than paperbacks or hardcover books. I typically will have 8-10 books along and a newspaper or two to look at. For wireless delivery you do need to be in the states with Sprint available; however, if you leave the states and travel with your laptop, you can download books/newspapers to your laptop and transfer them via USB cable to the Kindle. Only hangup is you do need to have a US bank credit card to purchase things when traveling out of the US (unless Amazon has changed this).
Iave used a Kindle since it was first introduced and would not give it up.
About International travel--it's great for that.In addition to what Richard said above, I just load the Kindle up with books BEFORE I leave. I did research the Sony E-reader and found more books were being offered for the Kindle.
I researched ebooks before getting the Kindle 2. I borrowed a friend's Sony and although the Sony has a sexier package, the Sony's largest font size isn't as large as the largest Kindle font size which was important to me because I have problems with my eyes. Sony's selection and ease of downloading books (I have a Mac - Sony doesn't like Macs) is inferior to Amazon's slick interface. Free books are also easy to download. I've also converted other documents for reading on the Kindle. It is not only my constant travel companion, but I find myself reading it at home as well. Depending on your needs, this is a GREAT product.
Although it sounds like a nifty thing to have around, sadly, this little gadget might be the death of newsprint... but did the video kill the radio star after all? Nope. I still sing karaoke in my car. :)