Ali Kuru's personal weblog - Latest Comments in Amazon’s Kindle: Do we really need a book reader?

Re: Amazon’s Kindle: Do we really need a book reader?

Ali Kuru — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:52:28 -0000

... even if it can read books back to you.

There has been some changes on that actually. Because Authors Guild of America pressed so hard, text-to-speech is now optional and won't be available for every book you buy.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle: Do we really need a book reader?

Eric — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:48:32 -0000

As much as I would like to like the Kindle. I have to agree with everything you wrote. I'm sure text looks great on it and you have an always on 3G connection to the Interweb (free for now), but I just can't see what this device really offers for $359. I guess it always comes down to money. If this thing were say $120, I would've bought it yesterday, but $359 is too much for a grayscale screen that isn't even backlit even if it can read books back to you.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle: Do we really need a book reader?

Ali Kuru — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:49:41 -0000

I would like to quote a portion of the NYT article I cited;

"The point everyone is missing is that in Technoland, nothing ever replaces anything. E-book readers won’t replace books. The iPhone won’t replace e-book readers. Everything just splinters. They will all thrive, serving their respective audiences."

I think I'm conservative about books. As a researcher, although I use sources like Google Book Search and ebrary time to time and Adobe Reader almost every day, I like reading my books from hard copies. I have never read a whole book neither on Google nor on ebrary, and I use Adobe Reader almost for scientific papers only. They all are great for reading on the screen; easy to eye, useful with navigational bookmarks, TOCs, CTRL+F functionality etc. But they are not going to replace my hard copies anytime soon :)

Also, I don't think e-book readers like Kindle is for suitable for every reader. It should be really hard to read a technical book on Kindle and I don't think "16 shades of gray" would be sufficient for an illustration showing an anatomical dissecting.

Yes, Amazon paying the bill for the connectivity is a great feature, I totally agree. Actually it could be the only reason for me to buy one of these, if a hacker can find a way to use it as a 3G modem for my netbook someday :)

Re: Amazon’s Kindle: Do we really need a book reader?

Half — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:40:58 -0000

I think that you are overlooking one important aspect of this device; you have an always on, free, internet. Netbooks generally are not connected via cell networks and the Kindle screen is superior to phone sized screens for reading webpages. The cost of a cell internet plan would pay for this entire device in about four months.

I agree that other devices are probably better at browsing than this one, but when looking at any of these devices you must consider the whole package. For a book reader, this device is superior. For reading on the internet, including checking email, it is fine--and cheap--compared to the alternatives.

Of course, if you are already paying for a cell internet plan and have purchased a netbook, then you may not need this device. If, however, you have a regular cell phone on a cheap plan and have not yet discovered what you need a netbook for, this device is an excellent option.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle: Do we really need a book reader?

Ali Kuru — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:29:10 -0000

Well, considering the price tag, they should be :) There is a Kindle drop test video on Amazon.com if you are interested in.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle: Do we really need a book reader?

coffee — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:24:50 -0000

I've dropped my Kindle a few times already (not on purpose of course) and it seems to be working without a hitch; so they're durable at least