The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
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The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
1–10 of 170 posts
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#2If it did anything else then I would end up distracted and not reading books. When I read a paper book I have no other distractions,that's what I want from my Kindle. I already have a phone, a laptop, a desktop, that can do all these other things. I'm on holiday right now, if my Kindle did all those things then I wouldn't feel like I was lying by the pool reading,rather I was lying by the pool on the internet.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#3If it did anything else then I would end up distracted and not reading books. When I read a paper book I have no other distractions,that's what I want from my Kindle. I already have a phone, a laptop, a desktop, that can do all these other things. I'm on holiday right now, if my Kindle did all those things then I wouldn't feel like I was lying by the pool reading,rather I was lying by the pool on the internet.
Exactly, it was this quote
> For all I love about it, it seems unlikely to ever progress beyond its current role as a pleasant book reader largely disconnected from all other sources of content.
that summed it up for me. That's all I want. I want it to be disconnected from all other sources of content. I don't want to be interrupted with a notification saying that x website uploaded a new article or whatever.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#4I wish electronic ink hardware were not so expensive. I have a lot of ideas that would like to use it.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#5I'm more of a fan of the Nook and Kobo series (ability to sideload DRM-less ePubs is non-negotiable). But I like the less-is-more approach for e-readers; if anything, I'd prefer they had even more spartan/minimalist UIs, mimicking the "zero UI" affordances of a physical book as much as possible.
I'm just being finicky, but I still find the e-ink screen flash a little distracting from the flow of reading (even in newer screens that only need it every 6 pages or whatever). Just had a stray idea: what if an e-ink reader had an accelerometer and a screen on either side; the next page is already ready to read, and flipping it over silently preps page n+2 on the screen you were just reading? :)
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#6I wish electronic ink hardware were not so expensive. I have a lot of ideas that would like to use it.
Big displays are spendy, but small ones aren't so bad[1]. They would be good for a sensor readout or something, at least?
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#7Everything the author complains about is a feature of the Kindle.
Just use your iPad if you want more than an “electronic book”.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#8I absolutely love my Kindle Paperwhite, I don't want to read books on any other electronic device, and I totally agree that it's in a weird spot, and I am afraid for its future. But I don't agree with the author that the lack of an "app story" or good web browsers is an issue. I like the Kindle specifically because it doesn't have apps and isn't designed for web browsing. Adding that stuff would not make it better at its purpose.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#9The Kindle is fine...but for one thing. The author says using the software is like walking through soft sand. Eh, more like mud to me. C'mon, you've been making these things for over ten years, and I still hesitate to do any action more involved than turning a page.
Fix that, and I don't need anything else. It's the paperback book I always carry with me, only the book can be swapped out at a whim.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#10I absolutely love my Kindle Paperwhite, I don't want to read books on any other electronic device, and I totally agree that it's in a weird spot, and I am afraid for its future. But I don't agree with the author that the lack of an "app story" or good web browsers is an issue. I like the Kindle specifically because it doesn't have apps and isn't designed for web browsing. Adding that stuff would not make it better at…
This. I bought it for one reason- to read eBooks. Nothing else. The fact that I can buy eBooks on there is great. Spelling and a dictionary? Even better.
The one thing I did not buy it for was to use as a tablet. The fact that there is a web browser on there is a neat feature at best.