Amazon's Kindle 2 Coming Early Next Year
The Kindle is one of those strange devices where the high concept is fantastic: an eBook reader that ties directly into Amazon's huge selection of ebooks with a built-in (and free) 3G connection, courtesty of Sprint. Hell, even Oprah loves it. But the questionable design, lack of support for open and common ebook formats, charge for converting files not sent to your default Amazon email, and useless cellular connection when abroad (or in Montana or Alaska, strangely enough) have limited its appeal. Oh, and it costs $400.00.
We've personally been using Sony's eReader, both the PRS-505 and the new PRS-700. While they both lack a data connection and have a smaller selection of books available in Sony's online store, the ability to freely copy over PDFs and other document formats, as well as including support for everything from Adobe Digital Editions to the standard ePub format, makes Sony's readers a bit more palatable. Plus, the PRS-700 has a touchscreen and built-in LED lights for about the same price as the Kindle.
The ebook market is only going to grow as time goes by, so Amazon better have an ace up its sleeve if it wants to be the king of digital reading. [From: Engadget and TechCrunch]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gary said 12:05AM on 12-11-2008
Where is your fact checker, too busy fussing over his Sony Reader?
The Kindle lists for $359, as of last summer.
Kindle supports PRC(Mobi), TXT, and AZW (Kindle) files.
There are two no-pay options for file conversions.
It's the Sprint Nationwide wireless EVDO network - and it's free 24/7.
There are many great features not even mentioned... Dictionary, Wikipedia, newspapers subscriptions...
Reply
Gary said 12:11AM on 12-11-2008
bah - ignore the Sprint remark.
dave said 10:18PM on 1-09-2009
Gary, this comment isn't directed towards you but for some reason there isn't a button to respond directly to the article so I'm piggy-backing...hope you don't mind.
I own both the Sony and the Kindle and I've become exhausted by the constant net geek complaints about the Kindle so I was compelled to respond. I was an early adopter of the Kindle (when it cost $400) and I'd just like to state a a few facts and throw in an opinion or two:
1. The "useless cellular connection when abroad (or in Montana or Alaska...") as mentioned in the article above ONLY makes the Kindle equivalent to the Sony reader insofar as the ability to download books. In the vast majority of the US, the Kindle has the ability to wirelessly download books....the Sony does not. So this is a silly criticism.
I love how the article underplays the Sony e-readers lack of a wireless connection function and the small selection of books e-books available in the Sony store---but the Kindle's inability to connect overseas is seen as limiting it's appeal! Guess what? If you're overseas and you want to get a book on your e-reader, you just have to connect the Kindle to a computer.....hey, just like you have to do with the Sony in the U.S.!
2. The "smaller selection of books" in Sony's online store is a ridiculous understatement. The last time I checked, Sony had around 50,000 titles available (it may be slightly more by now) and Amazon has in excess of 200,000 titles and growing. You see, some of us buy the device because of the availability of product to download onto it...we aren't as sensitive to the "questionable design" or geek-chicness of it. Or that some of the buttons might not be in exactly the right place....you see, we are able to adapt quite easily.
3. The Kindle costs $350, the Sony costs $300.....the wireless capability and book selection could easily justify a much higher price differential. For what you get, the Kindle is a bargain compared to the Sony.
4. Despite what reviewers say, despite what the many critics of the device (most of whom have never actually used the device), and despite what even Amazon says, the Kindle most definitely works with .pdf files. I have a large number of them on my Kindle right now. It doesn't work every single time, but it definitely works 9 out of 10 times.
5. Furthermore, if you can download a book in a format not expressly supported by the Kindle, it's actually quite easy to copy that book into a MS Word document and send it to the Kindle. I've also done this many times.
6. An article linked to this one commented about the Kindle's limited capacity. Well, the Sony has a similar capacity. Here's a thought....buy an SD card and insert it up your Kindle! I have a 2G SD card in my Kindle and have nearly 800 books from the Amazon Kindle store, samples of books, .pdf books, and other books converted to MS Word from other formats. Oh, and never once have I actually connected the Kindle to a computer to download anything....that's right, for books that I didn't buy from the Kindle store I actually paid the wallet-busting 10 cents each to have Amazon convert them!
7. A touchscreen! Again with this stuff! Now why would I want fingerprints all over the screen of a device whose screen is used solely for the purpose of READING what is on the aforementioned screen? This is almost as ridiculous as the geek squad complaints regarding the Kindle's lack of a social networking feature, the ability to instant message, the ability to use the Kindle as a remote control for the TV, the ability to play World of Warcraft, the ability to start your car on a cold winter morning while you're still in the house, the ability to get you a date, etc. etc. ad nauseum. Please....at least pretend to have a life.
8. While the Kindle is not a very good web-surfing device (let's try to remember that it was designed for reading e-books), it is possible to do it. I've used it to access Wikipedia as well as the Amazon website to buy books that were not yet available on the Kindle. You can also do that if you own the Sony....but you have to be sitting next to an actual computer!
9. Wow, the new Sony's have LED lights? I only have a tiny booklight that attaches quite nicely to the cover on the Kindle. What a revolution that Sony has started! Amazon will NEVER be able to implement that revolutionary LED light technology on the Kindles! Who needs the wireless and the huge book selection when you can have built-in LED lights by which to read your anorexic Sony e-book collection!
Ugh. Spent enough time on this. If anyone who actually wants an e-book reader to READ BOOKS is feeling confused about the Kindle because of the techno-geek criticisms all over the techno-geek websites---just consider the fact that the Kindle, despite all the criticism, is having trouble keeping them in stock. Amazon alone has sold more Kindles than the COMBINED sales of e-book readers from Sony and all other e-book brands.
If you want to squint through an e-book on your iPhone or PDA, feel free. But if you actually read much, get a good optometrist.