*Update: 10:55p.m. - I deleted all the “Updated” yaddah yaddah from the top of this entry and instead made the links bold that I have added since the the last update.
Today, Amazon.com released their new electronic book reader named Kindle. Reading several articles about it, I was intrigued. I like books. I like to read. I have lots of books in PDF format as well as my own PDFs that I’ve created. I’d love to be able to slap them on an SD card or transfer them using the built in EVDO wireless connection, or hook it up to my PC with a USB 2.0 cable. I was really excited as I started reading various articles and even the product page at Amazon.com.
Then I learned that they are charging $399 for it.
Then I learned that it won’t natively support PDF files.
Then I learned that it has a gray scale screen - no colors.
Quoting from the Kindle user guide PDF:
In addition to purchased content, you can read your personal documents on Kindle as well. If you have files formatted as Kindle, text, Microsoft Word, HTML, or image files like GIF or JPEG, you can e-mail the files as attachments to your Kindle e-mail address. Amazon will convert the files if necessary and send them back to your computer for free or wirelessly to your Kindle for a small fee, whichever you prefer. For more information on transferring, converting, and e-mailing your personal documents, see Chapter 8.
So they’re going to charge me to have the file converted and sent to my Kindle? I can buy a lot of paper back books before I reach the $399 price tag associated with this little gadget. Or what about that little institution that places like Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble want you to forget about, your public library?
I agree that the book is probably going this way in the near future. However, I would like to see the platform more open. I want to be able to read my own content, including PDF files; the fact that it currently doesn’t is a deal breaker for me. Would any of you guys consider purchasing the Kindle?
Here are some of the articles I’ve read on the device and its launch:
- More Details on the Amazon Kindle - From Where I Sit
- Amazon Kindle User Guide (PDF Format) - Amazon.com
- Amazon Kindle’s Product Page - Amazon.com
- The Future of Reading - Newsweek
- Amazon Debuts Kindle e-book Reader - CNet News.com
- Amazon Kindle Hands On and Questions Answered - Gizmodo
- Many Details About the Kindle - Engadget
- Amazon Kindle - Productivity 501
- Amazon Announced Kindle - How to Change the World
Tags: 1 Comment
1 response so far ↓
The Kindle sounds like it would be a good idea, but looking at it makes me it is unmarketable. Haven’t people learned anything from Apple? The pay-for-convert service also seems silly. I should be able to upload pdfs, docs, etc on my own, directly to the Kindle.
Also, it seems to me that most people who would buy this probably own a laptop or pda/iphone and this would just be another large electronic item to carry around. It does split the difference with screensize between the pda and laptop, but I still don’t think it’s customer-friendly enough to gain momentum.