This may be the breakthrough I've been waiting for. Great. Now I have at least four or five devices to trundle along because I'll still need my PDA for on the go writing, my iPod, because I can't keep enough memory on my PDA to play music, my cell phone AND now, my Kindle. I'll just be bristling with electronic gear. Call me "Neuromancer."
And the huge deal, is that using Amazon's retail strength, they've argued the price down to $9.99 or less. In most cases e-books were costing close to the full price of the book. Now, I know enough about the book business to realize that a goodly portion of the cost is wrapped up in what is called ppb (print, paper, and binding) and in inventory. When you're delivering electronically, you don't incur these costs, so the books should be commensurately cheaper. But they have not been. Now, just glancing through the titles, I found The Omnivore's Dilemma for $6.50. Amazing!
The down side is that I'm not likely to be able to find many of the great public domain things I've been able to derive from the internet. However, it is reputed that this device will also read Word files so there may be a way around that difficulty as well.
But right now, I just can't see my way to $400.00. Soon though, perhaps.
I do note that it's only getting 2.5 stars in the Amazon reviews. Much having to do with the lack of reading PDF, or some preferring wireless to cell-phone technology or "it's ugly." Etc. Well, there are some who will not be pleased with anything. But, as I've said to others, I'll need to find someone who owns one and hold it in my hands before I'll be able to decide. But it is cool, and it is only the start. I'm sure Amazone is already using the feedback they've gotten to improve the reader.
Color me unimpressed and I had really hoped that this would the reader I was waiting for.
Any service that will charge you to add your own content such as PDF, Doc, or just plain text is crazy and of course there is the price point.
Dear Jeff,
I tend to regard this as the "first draft" or workable Beta. Much like google services, the idea is to get something out there that works, that is appreciably better than what came before, and that fulfills its functions. Then, you spend time finding out what the majority of people want and how they intend to use it. Presumably Amazon built this with an architecture open enough to accommodate any number of needs and I have little doubt that they have already contacted Adobe about a Kindle version. One needs to bear in mind that PDF don't port automatically to every system and depending on the central operating system involved, Adobe would need to produce a new version of the reader--so I don't hold this against Amazon.
As to paying for your own content--I saw no mention or inference to that--though it is possible. There is a synch cable and there is mention of being able to read Word docs on it--so we'll see how that works out as well.
Overall, I'm holding judgment in reserve hoping that it is better or will become better as there is time to incorporate new features. Perhaps not, but I'd say there is much potential here, and one would have to see how Amazon intends to support it.
Supported properly, this device may become the tipping point for electronic reading.
shalom,
Steven