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New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

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Re: New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

#51

Post by mattmaroon »

pg wrote: post #20
minouye wrote: post #18

I love my Kindle and this is awesome news. For all of you on the fence, here's why I recommend everyone buy a Kindle (haven't used a Nook, but I think most of these points apply): 1. You will read more. 2. The reading experience will be better than you think--there was a 1-2 day adjustment period for me. After that, I didn't even notice I wasn't reading paper and ink. 3. You can highlight and make notes in books that…

Why is a Kindle better than an iPad?

I have both. I've had iPads for about a month, and a Kindle for about 2 weeks. I assume you are asking why it is better specifically for reading since comparing the two generally is like comparing a notebook and an MP3 player. They're just not analogous in general, but for reading purposes the Kindle is vastly superior to the iPad.

I actually read the same book on both this past weekend flipping back and forth. The iPad has a slick UI for books, though the page flipping can be a bit finicky,but it's still a back-lit LCD (albeit a nice one) which is just uncomfortable for long reading. It's the same uncomfortable feeling you get from staring at a monitor for a long time.

The Kindle is also much lighter, which is nicer than you'd think when you're holding it for a couple hours at a clip. The iPad is surprisingly heavy, which is such a common complaint that I imagine Apple will address it in the next generation.

The Kindle's battery is good enough that I suspect you could read a few books on one charge if you kept the wireless antenna off. You could go on a weekend trip without taking a charger, which is nice. The iPad's battery is actually pretty good for what it is, and is probably why the thing is so damn heavy, but you'll still be charging it every night.

The iPad's screen is AMAZINGLY smudgy. I can't describe how bad it is in that regard. The smudges add a slight blurring effect to text which gets annoying. We have 5 of them in the office and everyone has complained about it. I got an Invisible Shield screen protector for them, which helps a lot (and I could also take a key to it without scratching) but adds its own annoyances.

E-ink is really unbeatable for reading. You would love a Kindle I think. How many books do you read a year?

Re: New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

#52

Post by mattmaroon »

minouye wrote: post #18

I love my Kindle and this is awesome news. For all of you on the fence, here's why I recommend everyone buy a Kindle (haven't used a Nook, but I think most of these points apply): 1. You will read more. 2. The reading experience will be better than you think--there was a 1-2 day adjustment period for me. After that, I didn't even notice I wasn't reading paper and ink. 3. You can highlight and make notes in books that…

Totally. I read 2.5 books in my first week of owning it. I'm only even on the net tonight because I accidentally left it at work :(.

My wife wants to use it, but every time she comes near I snarl and pet it and call it my precioussssessss.

Re: New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

#54

Post by aaronblohowiak »

minouye wrote: post #31
pg wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is a Kindle better than an iPad?

The longest I've read in one session on the Kindle was about 2-3 hours (typical for me if I'm reading fiction). After reading for that long, my eyes are a little sore, but the strain isn't signifcantly different from reading a paper and ink novel. I haven't read a complete book on the iPad, but from what I've seen of the screen, I think there would be significantly more eyestrain. Maybe someone who has read a couple…

I turn the backlight down as low as it can go and read in 30min-2hr chunks. I haven't tried a Kindle for any real length of time because of the page change slowness (has that improved in recent models?) Anyway, i didnt find the eye strain to be bad, but I spend all day staring at a monitor so what is normal for me might not be normal for others.

Re: New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

#55

Post by ugh »

mattmaroon wrote: post #51
pg wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is a Kindle better than an iPad?

I have both. I've had iPads for about a month, and a Kindle for about 2 weeks. I assume you are asking why it is better specifically for reading since comparing the two generally is like comparing a notebook and an MP3 player. They're just not analogous in general, but for reading purposes the Kindle is vastly superior to the iPad. I actually read the same book on both this past weekend flipping back and forth. The i…

“It's the same uncomfortable feeling you get from staring at a monitor for a long time.”

— I don’t get that, your mileage may vary. (The Kindle is probably still what you should get if you read a lot.)

Re: New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

#56

Post by there »

keltex wrote: post #7

$130 is a really compelling price point. The NY Times charges $20/month to access their Kindle edition ($240/year). What they should do is offer a 2-year contract and throw a Kindle in for free. I personally hate this model, but it's been proven effective (at least in the U.S.) for cell phones sales.

nyt also has a kindle subscription which is basically their rss feed in a nicer format. it's like $2/month. i liked that one better because i found it difficult to navigate their full subscription version and never read all of the articles anyway.

Re: New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

#57

Post by mrkurt »

pg wrote: post #20
minouye wrote: post #18

I love my Kindle and this is awesome news. For all of you on the fence, here's why I recommend everyone buy a Kindle (haven't used a Nook, but I think most of these points apply): 1. You will read more. 2. The reading experience will be better than you think--there was a 1-2 day adjustment period for me. After that, I didn't even notice I wasn't reading paper and ink. 3. You can highlight and make notes in books that…

Why is a Kindle better than an iPad?

I gave my 1st gen Kindle to my sister about 2 months ago and have been reading on an iPad ever since. I still preordered this Kindle because:

1) The active area on the iPad screen is a giant pain. Any touch ends up triggering... something, and when I'm reading I tend to shift around quite a bit. It's amazing how often I unintentionally bring up menus, change pages, etc.

2) Lighter is better. The weight of the iPad makes it a little ungainly for reading. The Kindle is easily held in one hand.

3) Better page changes: I can read the Kindle with my one hand and click the next page button without having to move around. On the iPad, I have to hold with one hand and change pages with the other.

4) e-ink. I prefer reading on it. Even in the dark I'd rather use a booklight and e-ink thank the iPad screen.

5) Portability: my kindle is always in my laptop bag. The Amazon case for it makes it almost a no brainer to toss in and go. I'm much less likely to drag my iPad somewhere. I'm afraid to break it. :)

6) "Free" 3g is ridiculously useful to when I want to get new books.

When it comes down to it, I really just want the best reading experience I can possibly get. The Kindle is designed specifically for that and they've done a pretty good job with it. I've read a ridiculous amount of books since I first got one and slowed down when I switched to reading on the iPad full time. It's just ungainly.

Re: New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

#58

Post by mrkurt »

mattmaroon wrote: post #51
pg wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is a Kindle better than an iPad?

I have both. I've had iPads for about a month, and a Kindle for about 2 weeks. I assume you are asking why it is better specifically for reading since comparing the two generally is like comparing a notebook and an MP3 player. They're just not analogous in general, but for reading purposes the Kindle is vastly superior to the iPad. I actually read the same book on both this past weekend flipping back and forth. The i…

Ugh, yes, the smudges drive me nuts.

Re: New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

#59

Post by mrkurt »

duck wrote: post #41
mlinsey wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

E-ink is still a much better screen for reading text than the iPad's LCD. Not only does it perform much better in sunlight, but the lack of a backlight reduces eyestrain substantially (the Kindle iPad app has an option to use white text on a black background, which helps a little but nto completely). Back when I wasn't working on a startup I would often spend several hours at a time reading books on my Kindle, but th…

So if you read more technical/reference type books than fiction, would everyone recommend the iPad?

The iPad is better for technical books, with giant flaw. The screen shuts itself off pretty quickly. It's annoying to have it turn itself off while you have a page up you want to reference. It does this even in its dock. It's not enough to drive me back to a real book + book stand yet, but it's definitely annoying.

Re: New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only, $189 3G, available August 27th

#60

Post by jakarta »

sliverstorm wrote: post #46
someperson wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Formatting is fine. PDF was designed for that very purpose anyway. Zooming and generally navigating a PDF is a huge pain. Screen refreshes are slow. Much like navigating through a plot on a graphics calculator. PDF reading is a good extra, don't expect too much. I convert all text heavy, non-technical books using "calibre" to the PRC format. Works well enough for reading for pleasure. (PS. I have a Kindle 2. Received…

In short, it is 100% functional but if you plan on reading a lot of PDF's, look to the DX.

thanks. That is what I thought.

I think at the DX price point I might instead opt for an iPad.

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