Review: Amazon Kindle 3G
Dec. 30th, 2010 02:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalOkay, after about a week's use, I think I've figured out why it's so successful at what it does.
The Kindle doesn't do much, but it does it well.
It's a book reader, and that's all. Unlike say, an I-pad, which is attempting to be a laptop computer the size a manila folder, and only succeeds in being a laptop with a really crappy touch pad keypad (didn't those go out with the Atari 400?) and no mouse. You upload a book and you read it. The interface is reasonably clear, and the ergonomics of the 3G model I own are nice, with it having the weight and size of a trade paperback with the thinness of the latest cell phones, and it fits perfectly in the inner pocket of my coat. As I mentioned before, the "electronic paper" of the display is more clear than many paperbacks I own, the process of reading is only enhanced by the rat-in-a-psych-experiment button clicking game of bringing up a brand shiny new page of text every few moments. I also appreciate the nice touch of the several dozen open source images and author portraits that come up as screen savers when you set it down for a moment.
Oh, and like any good modern web device, it's dangerously easy to surf for something new to read on Amazon's kindle site and just uploading One Little Book or app.
Downsides: It has a web browser function, which is wisely labeled as "Experimental" since trying to look at a full sized website through a 4"x6" b&w screen is a fool's errand. The ability to load up podcasts or other mp3s is a very limited feature, since it doesn't allow you to organize them for easy listening, unlike your text files. Text-to-speech also requires some tweaking. I don't expect it to be all that good anyway, but someone needs to program it so it at least pauses for a moment to let you know it's reached the end of a sentence.
But those are minor quibbles. Overall I like the little thing, and I suspect I'm going to be blowing a bit more money on books and accessories for it in the future.
The Kindle doesn't do much, but it does it well.
It's a book reader, and that's all. Unlike say, an I-pad, which is attempting to be a laptop computer the size a manila folder, and only succeeds in being a laptop with a really crappy touch pad keypad (didn't those go out with the Atari 400?) and no mouse. You upload a book and you read it. The interface is reasonably clear, and the ergonomics of the 3G model I own are nice, with it having the weight and size of a trade paperback with the thinness of the latest cell phones, and it fits perfectly in the inner pocket of my coat. As I mentioned before, the "electronic paper" of the display is more clear than many paperbacks I own, the process of reading is only enhanced by the rat-in-a-psych-experiment button clicking game of bringing up a brand shiny new page of text every few moments. I also appreciate the nice touch of the several dozen open source images and author portraits that come up as screen savers when you set it down for a moment.
Oh, and like any good modern web device, it's dangerously easy to surf for something new to read on Amazon's kindle site and just uploading One Little Book or app.
Downsides: It has a web browser function, which is wisely labeled as "Experimental" since trying to look at a full sized website through a 4"x6" b&w screen is a fool's errand. The ability to load up podcasts or other mp3s is a very limited feature, since it doesn't allow you to organize them for easy listening, unlike your text files. Text-to-speech also requires some tweaking. I don't expect it to be all that good anyway, but someone needs to program it so it at least pauses for a moment to let you know it's reached the end of a sentence.
But those are minor quibbles. Overall I like the little thing, and I suspect I'm going to be blowing a bit more money on books and accessories for it in the future.
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no subject
Date: 2010-12-30 08:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-30 10:03 pm (UTC)Don't forget Project Gutenberg and www.munseys.com. That's where I get most of my free books.
I'm still using my 10 year old Rocket eBooks, but I suspect that next year I will get something suitable for reading my collection of rpg pdfs.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-31 01:18 pm (UTC)http://calibre-ebook.com/
Although Calibre can't handle Amazon DRM unless you strip it, it is very good for handling ebooks in non-DRM formats and converting them to .mobi and loading them onto the Kindle.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-31 06:31 pm (UTC)