Renault on 18/2/2009 at 20:24
So I bought one of (
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00154JDAI) these things today, should arrive in a couple of weeks. Pretty excited to check it out. Anyone own one of the first generation devices? Interested in opinions on screen resolution, usability, functionality, etc.
Ostriig on 20/2/2009 at 00:40
Can't help you with your question, but please do share some impressions on yours once you get it. I've got a flatmate who's seriously considering buying one.
I've got to say, though, the 350$ price strikes me as rather prohibitive and unjustified, from a consumer perspective. The most advantageous feature seems to consist of prices for downloads. Maybe storage of purchased books, too, if you're very hard pressed for space in your home. Otherwise, it's large enough to not fit in a pocket, and if you bring a briefcase or a backpack you could already pack an actual book in there. Not trying to bash your new gadget or anything, it's a cool device, just putting up the obligatory Unemployed Student™ point of view.
Matthew on 20/2/2009 at 10:53
I might have bought it. However, as I'm mostly using my iPhone for ebook reading and have therefore switched to the eReader format, I would say that I won't be buying one after all. Which is a shame, because it looks very swish.
Renault on 20/2/2009 at 18:57
Quote Posted by Ostriig
I've got to say, though, the 350$ price strikes me as rather prohibitive and unjustified, from a consumer perspective.
I've heard this argument before, and I don't really understand it. To me, e-book readers like the Kindle are basically doing the same thing for books that the Ipod did for music. More, actually, if you consider the free web access for downloading new content and basic web surfing. But you don't hear too many complaints about the price of an Ipod (or any other mp3 player).
Also, @ Matthew: I have a Blackberry Storm, and I sure wouldn't want to read a novel on that thing. The screen is clear, but just too small for me.
Matthew on 20/2/2009 at 19:01
Well, my previous e-book reader was a SonyEricsson P990, so after that screen anything is an improvement! :p
Ostriig on 20/2/2009 at 21:58
Quote Posted by Brethren
I've heard this argument before, and I don't really understand it. To me, e-book readers like the Kindle are basically doing the same thing for books that the Ipod did for music. More, actually, if you consider the free web access for downloading new content and basic web surfing. But you don't hear too many complaints about the price of an Ipod (or any other mp3 player).
I don't think it's an accurate parallel. Portable MP3 players had the form factor going for them, they were a significant step up from portable CD players in this regard. This eBook reader, however, doesn't and can't really improve the portability aspect a great deal in this manner, since it's required to feature a reasonably comfortable page size, more or less on par with that of regular books. If you down-size it to fit inside a jacket pocket, then many of the current generation of smart phones become very tempting alternatives, since it's just the reading-friendly ink display that still separates it from them. I confess that I didn't know about the "basic surfing capabilities" you mentioned, but one has to wonder just how basic. For starters, you're still talking about a black & white screen here, and, further on, I don't think this supposedly free service could have too great a bandwidth.
As I said, it a cool gadget, and probably a very enjoyable purchase if you're financially comfortable with it. It's just that the advantages it brings in its field over more traditional relevant means seem to me as rather slim in comparison to the price tag.
Zerker on 20/2/2009 at 22:43
Quote Posted by Brethren
More, actually, if you consider the free web access for downloading new content and basic web surfing.
Which only works in the US because the damn thing uses a specific cell provider (forget which one). Maybe if they had done something smart, like WiFi, they could have actually produced something useful for the rest of the world.
So yeah, looks like the Sony Reader is still the only useful option for anyone else.
Renault on 20/2/2009 at 22:56
Quote Posted by Ostriig
I don't think it's an accurate parallel.
Not exactly, but similarly, imo. Sure, the device isn't as portable as an Ipod (by necessity), but you can bring hundreds or thousands of books/magazines/newspapers with you much like an Ipod that contains your entire music collection. I think when the Ipod first came out, that was the primary selling point, even over size.
Quote Posted by Ostriig
I confess that I didn't know about the "basic surfing capabilities" you mentioned, but one has to wonder just how basic.
Well, there's no color, which is an obvious weakness. But I don't think it's designed to really surf for fun, more for reference. It has a direct link to wikipedia, and dictionary access for looking up those really BIG words. ;)
Hopefully it doesn't sound like I'm an agent of Amazon here (which I'm not), I do realize this thing isn't for everyone. Just seems like a cool product, and I'm curious to see overall how it is received after 6 months or so.
Ostriig on 20/2/2009 at 23:34
Quote Posted by Brethren
Not exactly, but similarly, imo. Sure, the device isn't as portable as an Ipod (by necessity), but you can bring hundreds or thousands of books/magazines/newspapers with you much like an Ipod that contains your entire music collection. I think when the Ipod first came out, that was the primary selling point, even over size.
Storage capacity is in much higher demand for MP3 players, given the size of audio files. I've got Atlas Shrugged in a .pdf that's just under 3MB, and that's plenty of reading material right there. With audio, even a run-of-the-mill 128kbps MP3 will use up 3 megs for just a ~3 minute song. And, if I'm in the situation where I need to stay away from home for so long that I'll need more than one book, I'll probably be dragging the laptop along anyway. So while the storage space is very nice, as I said before, I think it's of use if you don't have a lot of space for bookshelves in your home, rather than lend itself towards portability.
By the way, just to clarify, I'm not trying to rage on the Kindle or anything - I like the convenience aspect of it - I'm merely approaching this as an academic discussion. And I'm still curious to hear your hands-on impressions on it when you get it.
Nameless Voice on 21/2/2009 at 01:34
Quote Posted by Brethren
I think when the Ipod first came out, that was the primary selling point, even over size.
The iPod was hardly the first large capacity MP3 player, though.
