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Hype Check: Amazon Kindle

Last week, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled the Kindle, a new electronic book reader that has quickly become one of the hottest gifts of the holiday season (in fact, the device's first run sold out in a mere 5 and a half hours!). We got our hands on one and have been busy browsing, buying, downloading and reading e-books, -magazines, -newspapers, and blogs for the past week so we could report our findings back to you. But is the Amazon Kindle really the iPod of books? Will this new instantly-iconic gadget make a book-lover or info-hound in your life happy this year? Read on to see what found.


What it is: The first electronic book-reading device from Amazon.com, which lets you read your choice of more than 90,000 books, as well as dozens of magazines, newspapers, and blogs, on a 6-inch sized screen. Like the recently upgraded Sony Reader, the Amazon Kindle uses E-Ink, a new type of display that has eschews the typical LCD screen's harsh backlight for a glare-free, book-like experience.

How it works: The Kindle has built-in high-speed 3G network access, so it lets you browse for and download books directly into the device, either by scrolling through genre categories and lists or by searching by author or title (using the included QWERTY keyboard). Book downloads take less than a minute, while newspaper, magazine, and blog subscriptions are downloaded automatically as soon as something new is published. As for reading, you click on the title of a book or article you want to read, then scroll through pages by pressing "next" and "back" buttons on the right and left sides, respectively, of the screen. Maneuvering around content is easy enough since books, magazines, and newspapers are divided into easy to scan chapters, sections, and headlines. Text size can be adjusted to one of six different settings.

Why it's different: E-readers have a bad name because the versions that came out in the late '90s irritated the eyes and never really took off, but the Kindle is part of the new generation of e-readers that uses easy-on-the-eyes E-Ink. The real differentiator, though, for the Kindle, is its ability to let you browse for and download content directly into the device (using a cell phone network, no less). And you just use the same Amazon account you use to buy books and other items on your desktop, so it's oddly reminiscent of that other all-encompassing e-tailer eco-system, iTunes. (The Kindle's wireless service, by the way, is free.) Also, unlike other e-readers, the Kindle is the first to get real newspapers (New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Le Monde), magazines (Time, Atlantic Monthly, Reader's Digest), and even blogs into the e-edition mix.

What we like: Downloads of books are fast (usually around a minute per title). You can try a sample out before you buy for free. Prices for new hardcovers are often more than half what you'd pay for a physical book (about $9.99 a pop). Adjustable text sizes means young and old alike will be able to embrace the future with this thing. The "next" [page] button runs two-thirds of the length of the Kindle's right side, meaning don't have to fumble for the right button to turn a page. E-Ink is truly readable. And, if you don't know what a word means, you can just look it up using the included dictionary! (You can also look up topics with the built-in Wikipedia entries).

What we don't: If you're a big browser and shopper, you'll probably spend more time looking for new books and wearing the battery down than reading. (We got only about a day and a half of battery life with heavy browsing and shopping, but about six days with occasionally 10-15 minute reads and the thing otherwise just lying in our backpack.) Even though it offers 90,000 books, the Kindle Bookstore was surprisingly lacking in many titles we wanted, including anything but the latest book by Jonathan Franzen, travel guides, graphic novels, and even certain new translations of Russian novels we were in hot pursuit for!. Yes, you can basically get the New York Times bestseller list and lots of intriguing and obscure fare, but the Kindle bookstore is far from comprehensive - for now. And we fully expect more than the handful of magazines and newspapers to be offered in the near future. And what's with charging 99 cents to read otherwise free blogs?


Should you get the Sony Reader or the Kindle? Which one is better and how are they different? Well, the Sony Reader is by far the better designed gadget from a looks and heft perspective - it's about half as thin, about three ounces thinner, and comes in a much more attractive leather case. It also offers a screen that we found to be clearer, a silver body that felt solid versus the Kindle's relatively cheap white plastic body, and faster page-turning. But the Sony Reader doesn't have any of the wireless capability that lets you shop on the fly - you have to buy your eBooks on your computer first and then transfer them manually via USB to the Reader. The Reader is also less expensive. We recommend the Reader to anyone who prefers long-form books over magazines, newspapers and up-to-the-minute news stories - it's simply a more pleasurable experience to read with and you can find plenty of books on the Sony Connect store. But anyone who likes their newspapers and magazines as much as they like their books will want the Kindle, without a doubt.

Does the Kindle live up to the hype? Ultimately, yes. We've been using the Kindle for a little over a week now and we have been more or less blown away. We spent almost a whole night downloading books, blogs, newspaper articles and browsing for titles - pretty much the same way we spent all night loading up our iPods with iTunes the first time we gave it a spin. The truth is, this device is a Godsend to anyone who likes daily newspapers or magazines and doesn't want to carry them all around, or anybody who simply likes to read several books at once. And truthfully, we found the newspaper reading experience on the Kindle to be far superior to both real newspapers and newspaper headlines on the Web - the Kindle is lighter than a PC, less awkward to hold than a newspaper (and yet just as portable), and offers the easiest way to scroll through to the articles you actually want to read. It also offers some hope to the increasingly beleaguered print newspaper and magazine industries, not to mention one of the first ways to actually monetize a blog via readers. (Yes, we complained about having to pay for blogs above, but honestly, it's great to be able to catch up on your favorite Internet news sources while on a plane or somewhere else where there's no Internet connection - a convenience we're happy to pay 99 cents a month for!)

Is this a good gift? Since it doesn't require a computer for downloading and the wireless service is included in the price, most definitely yes. The book lover and info-hound in your life will love you for it!

Price and where to get it: $399, from Amazon.

For more great gift ideas, check out the Switched Holiday Gift Guide.

Gallery: Amazon Kindle, Up Close

Is the world's first ultrasound toothbrush all that? Read this to find out:

What it is: Ultreo claims the Ultrasound is the first major innovation in electric-toothbrush technology since Sonicare came out roughly 15 years ago. It uses -- appropriately enough -- ultrasound technology to clean your teeth (a super high-pitched form of sound pressure, and yes, that's the same technology used to check out the sex of your unborn baby).

Why it's different: The Ultreo uses roughly four million cycles of ultrasound energy to create bubbles that expand and contract -- this movement, combined with regular bristle-action, helps remove the tiny chunks of Swedish fish and/or meatballs that get stuck in those hidden spots between your teeth.

Where you can get it: At the moment, Ultreo is available online from Ultreo's website -- it'll eventually make its way to retail stores and dentist's offices, making it kind of a rarefied gift for someone who loves their teeth.

Price: Ultreo will set you back $149.99, but snag a discount code from your dentist to save a few bucks.

What we like: Immediately after you finish brushing, a distinct feeling of (quite literal) squeaky-clean sets in; your teeth actually feel as if they've been buffed and polished, and the squeak when you rub your finger across them is actually audible (though not visible). The unit itself feels solid and well-built, and the brush-head seems seems more durable than those of other premium toothbrushes.

What we don't like: Hard to find anything, other than the high price. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, per se, the Ultreo doesn't produce quite as much friction as other high-end electric toothbrushes. This may come as something of a shock to those used to, say, the Sonicare's full-on tooth-and-gum massage. The Ultreo's lighter touch is a result of cleaning being accomplished through ultrasound waves, which you don't actually feel.

Does it live up to the hype? While it will be tough to say how well the Ultreo actually works until our next dentist appointment, initial impressions are definitely positive. It feels like a great way to clean those pearlies, and the lack of friction is likely to be easy on the gums, for those who tend to otherwise brush too hard.

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In 1985, 'Super Mario Bros.' defined what the next decade of 2D-platform games would and should be on home consoles. Mario did it again for 3D games in 1996 with 'Super Mario 64' on the Nintendo 64. And while we may have to wait a bit longer for 4D games, this week's 'Super Mario Galaxy' seems to have, according to a plethora of pro-plumber reviews, set the bar unbelievably high not just for Wii games but all "next generation" action titles.

With a current metascore (an average of all review scores) of 97 out of 100, 'Super Mario Galaxy' is garnering critical acclaim not only for its adherence to what's made Mario great in the past, but also for its innovative use of the Wii control, outstanding visual presentation, and orchestrated score (a first for Mario games). It's not ALL good news of course as no game is perfect, but here's what the critics say:

Yahoo! Games

The Good:

• 'Super Mario Galaxy' is a reminder that games don't have to be ultra-violent, make clever social statements or ride the marketing machine to succeed. They simply have to be fun, and you'd be hard pressed to find one as genuinely enjoyable as Mario's latest.

The Bad:

• ...a little disjointed from time to time.
  ...it would be nice to hear Mario say something other than 'Woo-hoo!' from time to time.

Game Informer

The Good:

• ...the best Mario game since the NES classic, 'Super Mario Bros.' It innovates in a genre that we had thought we had seen everything from, and in doing so delivers some of the most entertaining gameplay to date.

The Bad:

• While it's nice that you rarely have to fuss with the camera, there are times where walls will obstruct your view, or you won't be able to rotate the perspective to see where you are supposed to jump next. And worst of all, for a game that puts such an emphasis on going out of your way to get an extra life, all of your lives are reset when you turn the Wii off.

IGN

The Good:

• One of the greatest platformers I have ever played, Wii's best game, and an absolute must-own experience.

The Bad:

• Every so often ... you will find yourself in a situation where the camera isn't quite right ... When that happens and you can't center yourself, you have no recourse, which is unfortunate ... It's not perfect."

1UP

The Good:

• 'Galaxy' proves that Mario matters just as much today as he did 25 years ago, and that makes him one of a kind in this medium. But don't play 'Galaxy' simply because Mario is the timeless godfather of gaming. No, play 'Galaxy' because it's fantastic.

The Bad:

• With the health power meter now reduced from six sections to three, experimenting with new enemies and tactics can be a little fraught - try the wrong thing twice in a row and you're in immediately danger of dying.

It's great to see Mario still kicking ass among such big titles this year like 'Halo 3' and 'Mass Effect'. Mysteriously, our copy seems to have gone missing in the mail. But, we are more than excited to see Mario return to the throne. And we don't mean that in the plumbing sense.

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In case you hadn't heard, Sony has gotten its chips (and lawyers) in order, and has finally brought rumble back to its PlayStation 3 controllers. Engadget's Tokyo office was able to get its sweaty (and soon to be rumbling, we'd imagine) hands on an early retail release of the Dual Shock 3.

She looks hot, with her Ceramic White (or Black, as pictured above) case and familiar, comforting shape -- if only the Internet had rumble, maybe we could get an idea of how she moves? Word on the street is that this latest PS3 controller doesn't handle too differently from the Dual Shock 2.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you'll be able to pick one of these up Stateside before Spring 2008, but if you or anyone you know is going to Japan....

Unboxing porn after the jump.

From Engadget

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"In fact, every piece of software and hardware I tried on two Leopard-equipped Macs -- a loaned laptop from Apple and my own upgraded iMac -- worked fine, exhibiting none of the compatibility problems that continue to plague Vista. My old Hewlett-Packard inkjet printer, for which Vista lacks the proper software, worked instantly in Leopard, even over the network. And, unlike with Vista, it was able to print on both sides of the page. I popped my old Verizon cellphone modem card into the test Leopard laptop and it worked, too, with no software installation or tweaking."

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I waited a bit to write this review, mainly because I wanted to give 'Folkore', a new role playing game for the PS3, a chance to go bad. It hasn't happened yet. In fact, I'm in love with this game. Yes, I'm weird.

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