Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates • Hacker News Board

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#21

Post by MichaelSalib » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 5:08 PM UTC

pmjordan wrote: post #19

MichaelSalib wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was just speaking to a friend of mine who is a EE/physicist who had just returned a Kindle DX two days ago. He got it specifically to read IEEE journal papers and found that it was unacceptable. His specific beef wasn't with the e-ink or the e-ink page turn speed but rather with the huge delay spent processing PDFs when you turned pages. In other words, page turn delays were no problem when reading a text only docu…

Interesting, thanks. As far as I can tell, it's possible to convert PDFs to the Kindle's native format, any idea if this improves the situation? I've noticed the PDF delay on the iPad as well, although it's not sufficient to bother me. I'm reluctant to use the illuminated screen for extended periods of reading though, especially in the evening.

Sorry, I have no idea.

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#22

Post by mquander » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 5:12 PM UTC

MichaelSalib wrote: post #16

pmjordan wrote: post #13

I'm curious how well the Kindle renders tech/scientific books, with graphs, diagrams and formulae. I'd imagine the larger form factor of most printed technical books compared to fiction paperbacks to be an issue. I'd assume the 10" version does better than the smaller one.

I was just speaking to a friend of mine who is a EE/physicist who had just returned a Kindle DX two days ago. He got it specifically to read IEEE journal papers and found that it was unacceptable. His specific beef wasn't with the e-ink or the e-ink page turn speed but rather with the huge delay spent processing PDFs when you turned pages. In other words, page turn delays were no problem when reading a text only docu…

Wow, thanks a lot. I was strongly considering purchasing a DX for exactly this, after trying a Nook and finding the screen to be too small for most PDFs.

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#23

Post by MichaelSalib » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 5:14 PM UTC

jemfinch wrote: post #18

I just wish flight attendants would stop making me turn it off for takeoff and landing.

Yeah, but remember, your Kindle is a much bigger threat to the navigation system than the 30 or 40 cell phones in people's pockets that they forgot to turn off. Plus, reading a Kindle might distract you in an emergency, which is why they don't let anyone read books or magazines during takeoff and landing either.

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#24

Post by MichaelSalib » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 5:16 PM UTC

mquander wrote: post #22

MichaelSalib wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was just speaking to a friend of mine who is a EE/physicist who had just returned a Kindle DX two days ago. He got it specifically to read IEEE journal papers and found that it was unacceptable. His specific beef wasn't with the e-ink or the e-ink page turn speed but rather with the huge delay spent processing PDFs when you turned pages. In other words, page turn delays were no problem when reading a text only docu…

Wow, thanks a lot. I was strongly considering purchasing a DX for exactly this, after trying a Nook and finding the screen to be too small for most PDFs.

I'd actually suggest that you try out a DX and see for yourself. I think they're free to return within the first N days. Or at least see if you can find other opinions by people who read sci/tech papers.

For all I know, my friend's particular field has really heavy journal PDFs that other fields might not have. If I was reading a lot of papers, the appeal of a DX would be so great that I'd want a second opinion before ditching it.

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#25

Post by mdh » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 5:18 PM UTC

gaius wrote: post #14

mdh wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(genuine question) don't the wifi/3G draw power? or is your 'weeks' assessment including normal wireless use? Oddly, i feel must less strongly about Amazon's hold over the the platform the Kindle represents than i do about Apple and its hold over the music platform iTunes represents. Irrational? Probably. Uneconomnical? maybe (i buy far fewer books than i do albums/audiobooks). I can't fathom why but i just somehow f…

Only when you're getting new books over Whispernet. And if you'd loaded up on reading material and were off on holiday, you would just leave it off. I don't see the iPad and Kindle being direct competitors esp. since Kindle is really just software; an iPad is a "Kindle" with a couple of clicks on the App Store (there are Kindle clients for BlackBerry, etc too) and Amazon makes the same money regardless of what physic…

Oh. Yes, that would seem blindingly obvious wouldn't it? OK, I'm an idiot (in my defense, i've been awake since before 4am this morning. Be gentle with me).

Isn't technology wonderful that our biggest issue is which app we have to launch to read the best that the literary world has to offer (and Dan Brown novels :-).

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#26

Post by MichaelSalib » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 5:20 PM UTC

mdh wrote: post #12

gaius wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The battery life on e-Ink devices is phenomenal. They only draw power when redrawing the page. You can literally go weeks between charges.

(genuine question) don't the wifi/3G draw power? or is your 'weeks' assessment including normal wireless use? Oddly, i feel must less strongly about Amazon's hold over the the platform the Kindle represents than i do about Apple and its hold over the music platform iTunes represents. Irrational? Probably. Uneconomnical? maybe (i buy far fewer books than i do albums/audiobooks). I can't fathom why but i just somehow f…

With a Kindle 2, I found that I only get the 3 weeks of battery life if I leave the radio disabled. So I only enable the radio for a few minutes when I need something. With the radio enabled continuously, battery life reduces to a few days. But the newer Kindle might be better in that regard.

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#27

Post by glhaynes » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 5:22 PM UTC

mdh wrote: post #12

gaius wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The battery life on e-Ink devices is phenomenal. They only draw power when redrawing the page. You can literally go weeks between charges.

(genuine question) don't the wifi/3G draw power? or is your 'weeks' assessment including normal wireless use? Oddly, i feel must less strongly about Amazon's hold over the the platform the Kindle represents than i do about Apple and its hold over the music platform iTunes represents. Irrational? Probably. Uneconomnical? maybe (i buy far fewer books than i do albums/audiobooks). I can't fathom why but i just somehow f…

... but Kindle books are DRMed and iTunes music isn't.

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#28

Post by unfletch » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 5:40 PM UTC

glhaynes wrote: post #27

mdh wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(genuine question) don't the wifi/3G draw power? or is your 'weeks' assessment including normal wireless use? Oddly, i feel must less strongly about Amazon's hold over the the platform the Kindle represents than i do about Apple and its hold over the music platform iTunes represents. Irrational? Probably. Uneconomnical? maybe (i buy far fewer books than i do albums/audiobooks). I can't fathom why but i just somehow f…

... but Kindle books are DRMed and iTunes music isn't.

  but Kindle books are DRMed and iTunes music isn't.

...anymore. iTunes books have DRM. iTunes music had DRM for years. DRM is the way you get big media to shift business models. Without DRM they'll happily forgo the new revenue stream and die slowly. So you first concede on the DRM point and restrict content just to begin the transition to the new model. 10 years after Napster major labels finally allow (most of) their music to be sold DRM-free. Print publishers will get there too.

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#29

Post by pmjordan » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 5:57 PM UTC

MichaelSalib wrote: post #24

mquander wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow, thanks a lot. I was strongly considering purchasing a DX for exactly this, after trying a Nook and finding the screen to be too small for most PDFs.

I'd actually suggest that you try out a DX and see for yourself. I think they're free to return within the first N days. Or at least see if you can find other opinions by people who read sci/tech papers. For all I know, my friend's particular field has really heavy journal PDFs that other fields might not have. If I was reading a lot of papers, the appeal of a DX would be so great that I'd want a second opinion befor…

Returning the Kindle is probably fine if you're in the US, but for us in Europe it would be an expensive experiment. I doubt I'd get a customs & VAT refund, plus the postage is probably steep, too. I still don't get why they only sell it from amazon.com, not amazon.*. I might be able to eBay it off, assuming it's possible to sever the tie to my amazon account.

Re: Amazon: New Kindles Selling at Record Rates

#30

Post by jgerman » Wed, Aug 25, 2010, 6:02 PM UTC

robryan wrote: post #10

Would be interesting to know whether Amazon is outselling Apple for eBooks on the iPad.

I'd probably bet that they are. I use the iPad exclusively for my eBooks and 80-90% of my non-free books are on through the Kindle app.

Exact same situation with my wife as well as a few others we know.