Kindle 2 Review
My Kindle 2, a present from my lovely wife, finally got here on 25th, just one day after the official release. From the time I opened the black packaging, I fell in love with it. Amazon has put a very clever "Once upon a time..." label on the packaging. Kindle 2 is very slim and Apple-esque.
What I like:
Harry Potter-ish reading gadget: Reading the New York Times on Kindle 2 feels like something straight out of a Harry Potter movie. The only thing missing: video! Instant delivery of books to Kindle is awesome!
The E-ink screen: It feels very nice to read books on Kindle. The screen continues to amaze me. No wonder it took 12 years and more than $150 million to create. The random photos of authors and scholars displayed when the Kindle 2 is turned off is very impressive.
No bill for EVDO Access: Amazon provides wireless functionality on Kindle 2 using Amazon Whispernet. I think having free EVDO access on Kindle is one of the main reasons it became popular. For non-Kindle owners, Kindle comes with WiFi access built in. I believe Amazon uses Sprint's EVDO network to power Kindle's Whispernet access. The cool part is you can browse web (see below), shop Amazon store, browse Wikipedia etc all directly from Kindle without monthly bills or service commitments. Here I appreciate Amazon's forward thinking.
Browsing the web: If you go in the experimental section of the menu, you can launch the basic web browser which is mostly suitable for text-only / mobile friendly sites. I was able to check my Yahoo email, Twitter and Facebook easily. You can also use mobile proxies to browse sites that aren't mobile browser friendly. For instance, one such mobile proxy site is mowser.
Text to Speech (TTS): Although, it's experimental, Kindle 2 features a TTS feature that can read anything on screen to you. I gave it a quick try, expecting that I will laugh at the reading capability of the software, but was pleasantly surprised. Apparently Amazon is having some issues with the Authors Guild that claims Kindle 2's TTS feature is a violation of copyright.
Listen to podcasts/MP3s: This is cool as well. You can connect your Kindle 2 to your computer using USB and then transfer podcasts and mp3 files to the music folder. Then, when using Kindle 2, simply press Alt-spacebar to start/stop playing the files. To go to the next track, simply press Alt-F.
What I don't like:
Missing Touch Screen: Kindle 2 is pretty cool but one thing that screams at you is the missing touch screen feature which would have added a lot of usability.
Five way navigation: I find it to be difficult to use and not very user friendly. Amazon could have used a better control unit. The next and previous page buttons are good but overall, the navigation is the most annoying part of Kindle 2.
Missing cover: Kindle 2 is a $359 gadget and it sucks that it doesn't come with a cover. Trust me, you are going to need a cover. I researched extensively for Kindle 2 covers but didn't like anyone that I was pleased it. Since I intend to carry my Kindle 2 around in my laptop bag, my requirements included, being able to zip-close the cover, some padding and less than $60.
Missing GPS Shortcut in Kindle 2. Even though Kindle 2 has a GPS enabled, EVDO functionality, it seems the old Kindle shortcut [Alt-1] no longer works. I wonder if Amazon turned it off completely or just assigned it a different shortcut. Can't wait till someone figures it out. My question to Amazon is, why take this useful feature out?
Kindle 2 Keyboard: I think the Kindle 2 keyboard is a massive improvement over the original Kindle (not that I owned the original Kindle), but I find that its not very user friendly, at least not for me. I can type much faster on my cell phone than on Kindle 2, however, that's not really a big deal. May be the keyboard is cleverly designed so that users won't use the Internet heavily on it?
Amazon charging for access to popular blogs: This is really stupid of Amazon. Even though you can browse the web directly and sign in to text-only feed aggregators, Amazon wants to charge users for convenient access to Slashdot, Boing Boing and other popular blogs. Recently I came across a new site Kindle Feeder that pushes/delivers the latest entries in your RSS/Atom feed collection to your Kindle. There has been some speculation that Kindle Feeder violates Amazon TOS. The creator of Kindle Feeder has apparently written a letter to Amazon's legal department asking for clarification. I, for one, intend to become a user of Kindle Feeder.
Removal of memory card slot in Kindle 2: The original Kindle came with a memory card slot. For some bizarre reason, Bezos' team has decided to remove that in Kindle 2, which really sucks! Hello, instead of moving forward, are we moving backwards?
My Predictions/Wishes:
Kindle as a standard for newspaper/magazine delivery: I think Amazon will either buy a newspaper or a big Newspaper publisher will invest heavily in Kindle or their own ebook readers. Hearst is apparently planning to launch their own. A recent analysis revealed that the New York Times can save more than $300 million every year if it shuts down its presses and buys every subscriber a Kindle. Those are some serious numbers and can provide a lifeline to the troubled publisher.
Kindle App Store: I hope Amazon realizes the potential Kindle has as a platform for applications. It would be great to see third party applications that take Kindle to the next level. Plus this could offer Amazon a new promising stream of revenue.
- O'Reilly's Safari Integration with Kindle: For quite some time now, I have enjoyed Safari's unlimited access to its library. I even had a tweet exchange with Tim O'Reilly regarding the possibility of Kindle supporting Safari. It seems that both O'Reilly and Amazon tried to do this but its not going to happen in near future. Too bad since I really enjoyed my Safari subscription and if I could access my $39.95 /month library on Kindle, I would have been ecstatic. But having Kindle in my hand with all my books on it really gives it a competitive advantage over Safari. Also, O'Reilly has this stupid policy of expiring token after a few months so the only time you can benefit from using Safari is if you are sitting in front of a computer with Internet access. I tried to accumulate tokens several times but almost every time they expired before I could use them to download chapters etc. So, when my current subscription period ends, I will be cancelling with Safari. Don't get me wrong, Safari may still be beneficial for those who are glued to their screens most of the time, as for me, I just don't get the benefit from it anymore. Now, there are PDF converters that will convert PDF files to Kindle friendly format. O'Reilly could have come up with a solution in the interim that allowed Kindle owners a different plan with an increased number of PDF tokens and to send it to Kindle. Sure, I'll be spending a lot more on books with Kindle but Safari isn't cheap either and at the end of the day/month, you don't even get to keep your tokens. So until Safari comes on Kindle, it's kind of dead to me.
Summary
Most of the things I mentioned here are the things I don't like in Kindle 2, but overall, I am hooked to it and very thankful to my wife for buying it for me. I can see myself using Kindle 2 intensively over the coming months and look forward to an even better and improved Kindle 3.
What I like:
Harry Potter-ish reading gadget: Reading the New York Times on Kindle 2 feels like something straight out of a Harry Potter movie. The only thing missing: video! Instant delivery of books to Kindle is awesome!
The E-ink screen: It feels very nice to read books on Kindle. The screen continues to amaze me. No wonder it took 12 years and more than $150 million to create. The random photos of authors and scholars displayed when the Kindle 2 is turned off is very impressive.
No bill for EVDO Access: Amazon provides wireless functionality on Kindle 2 using Amazon Whispernet. I think having free EVDO access on Kindle is one of the main reasons it became popular. For non-Kindle owners, Kindle comes with WiFi access built in. I believe Amazon uses Sprint's EVDO network to power Kindle's Whispernet access. The cool part is you can browse web (see below), shop Amazon store, browse Wikipedia etc all directly from Kindle without monthly bills or service commitments. Here I appreciate Amazon's forward thinking.
Browsing the web: If you go in the experimental section of the menu, you can launch the basic web browser which is mostly suitable for text-only / mobile friendly sites. I was able to check my Yahoo email, Twitter and Facebook easily. You can also use mobile proxies to browse sites that aren't mobile browser friendly. For instance, one such mobile proxy site is mowser.
Text to Speech (TTS): Although, it's experimental, Kindle 2 features a TTS feature that can read anything on screen to you. I gave it a quick try, expecting that I will laugh at the reading capability of the software, but was pleasantly surprised. Apparently Amazon is having some issues with the Authors Guild that claims Kindle 2's TTS feature is a violation of copyright.
Listen to podcasts/MP3s: This is cool as well. You can connect your Kindle 2 to your computer using USB and then transfer podcasts and mp3 files to the music folder. Then, when using Kindle 2, simply press Alt-spacebar to start/stop playing the files. To go to the next track, simply press Alt-F.
What I don't like:
Missing Touch Screen: Kindle 2 is pretty cool but one thing that screams at you is the missing touch screen feature which would have added a lot of usability.
Five way navigation: I find it to be difficult to use and not very user friendly. Amazon could have used a better control unit. The next and previous page buttons are good but overall, the navigation is the most annoying part of Kindle 2.
Missing cover: Kindle 2 is a $359 gadget and it sucks that it doesn't come with a cover. Trust me, you are going to need a cover. I researched extensively for Kindle 2 covers but didn't like anyone that I was pleased it. Since I intend to carry my Kindle 2 around in my laptop bag, my requirements included, being able to zip-close the cover, some padding and less than $60.
Missing GPS Shortcut in Kindle 2. Even though Kindle 2 has a GPS enabled, EVDO functionality, it seems the old Kindle shortcut [Alt-1] no longer works. I wonder if Amazon turned it off completely or just assigned it a different shortcut. Can't wait till someone figures it out. My question to Amazon is, why take this useful feature out?
Kindle 2 Keyboard: I think the Kindle 2 keyboard is a massive improvement over the original Kindle (not that I owned the original Kindle), but I find that its not very user friendly, at least not for me. I can type much faster on my cell phone than on Kindle 2, however, that's not really a big deal. May be the keyboard is cleverly designed so that users won't use the Internet heavily on it?
Amazon charging for access to popular blogs: This is really stupid of Amazon. Even though you can browse the web directly and sign in to text-only feed aggregators, Amazon wants to charge users for convenient access to Slashdot, Boing Boing and other popular blogs. Recently I came across a new site Kindle Feeder that pushes/delivers the latest entries in your RSS/Atom feed collection to your Kindle. There has been some speculation that Kindle Feeder violates Amazon TOS. The creator of Kindle Feeder has apparently written a letter to Amazon's legal department asking for clarification. I, for one, intend to become a user of Kindle Feeder.
Removal of memory card slot in Kindle 2: The original Kindle came with a memory card slot. For some bizarre reason, Bezos' team has decided to remove that in Kindle 2, which really sucks! Hello, instead of moving forward, are we moving backwards?
My Predictions/Wishes:
Kindle as a standard for newspaper/magazine delivery: I think Amazon will either buy a newspaper or a big Newspaper publisher will invest heavily in Kindle or their own ebook readers. Hearst is apparently planning to launch their own. A recent analysis revealed that the New York Times can save more than $300 million every year if it shuts down its presses and buys every subscriber a Kindle. Those are some serious numbers and can provide a lifeline to the troubled publisher.
Kindle App Store: I hope Amazon realizes the potential Kindle has as a platform for applications. It would be great to see third party applications that take Kindle to the next level. Plus this could offer Amazon a new promising stream of revenue.
- O'Reilly's Safari Integration with Kindle: For quite some time now, I have enjoyed Safari's unlimited access to its library. I even had a tweet exchange with Tim O'Reilly regarding the possibility of Kindle supporting Safari. It seems that both O'Reilly and Amazon tried to do this but its not going to happen in near future. Too bad since I really enjoyed my Safari subscription and if I could access my $39.95 /month library on Kindle, I would have been ecstatic. But having Kindle in my hand with all my books on it really gives it a competitive advantage over Safari. Also, O'Reilly has this stupid policy of expiring token after a few months so the only time you can benefit from using Safari is if you are sitting in front of a computer with Internet access. I tried to accumulate tokens several times but almost every time they expired before I could use them to download chapters etc. So, when my current subscription period ends, I will be cancelling with Safari. Don't get me wrong, Safari may still be beneficial for those who are glued to their screens most of the time, as for me, I just don't get the benefit from it anymore. Now, there are PDF converters that will convert PDF files to Kindle friendly format. O'Reilly could have come up with a solution in the interim that allowed Kindle owners a different plan with an increased number of PDF tokens and to send it to Kindle. Sure, I'll be spending a lot more on books with Kindle but Safari isn't cheap either and at the end of the day/month, you don't even get to keep your tokens. So until Safari comes on Kindle, it's kind of dead to me.
Summary
Most of the things I mentioned here are the things I don't like in Kindle 2, but overall, I am hooked to it and very thankful to my wife for buying it for me. I can see myself using Kindle 2 intensively over the coming months and look forward to an even better and improved Kindle 3.
Labels: amazon, gps, kindle hacks, kindle-2, kindle-feeder, oreilly, safari
posted by Frank at 1:51 PM
1 Comments:
As far as blogs, if you pay for them to be in Kindle format, you get easier navigation than if you just browse directly to them. I mostly read friends' blogs so they're not available through amazon anyhow, but I wouldn't mind paying .99/month for the conversion in some cases.
As far as kindlefeeder, what advantage does that offer over using google reader's mobile site (m.google.com/reader)?
I'm fairly annoyed about the GPS thing. I suspect Amazon is trying to minimize the use of the Kindle's free internet access, and I'm concerned that they're going to start charging for it, which they've reserved the right to do :-/
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