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checkmate

Nov 19, 07 - 02:46 pm Comment from: Crabapple

They will get it long after they have lost it!

Apple inc. already know what we want long before we know what it is we want, hence the think different?

Nov 19, 07 - 02:54 pm Comment from: Grigori

Until I can crack its spine and feel safe using it in the bathtub, it ain't no substitute for a book... and neither is the iPhone, for that matter.

My question is why hasn't apple developed some kind of book distribution system with iTunes? It might have been a little bit hard to read with an iPod classic screen but with an iPhone and the itouch why not. I would have thought that selling me iBooks that I could read on my mac via iTunes would have been done already. Same model as audio books being sold on iTunes, just with PDF and a built in viewer in iTunes like video has. What do yo think?

Any book reader needs to be touch screen. Seriously.

Kindle won't sell many copies b/c: it's ugly, if i remember correctly Sony Reader's screen is not covered under warranty and i'd expect the same with Kindle, the cost for hardware is very high, the overall benefit to buying Kindle vs. buying new or used books doesn't justify the cost. Nice effort, Amazon, but come back in a few years with version 3 of hardware and online store.

Nov 19, 07 - 03:06 pm Comment from: NeonRed

The real question is: Will the technology really save forests of trees? And one has to think about the fancy bookmark makers going the way of the buggy whip makers, huh?
Seriously though, it is just the pixel density of the screens that is the controlling tech for the transition... it would seem that it is around 250 to 300 ppi like the old laser output, for minimum acceptable legibility

Nov 19, 07 - 03:13 pm Comment from: silverhawk

I wouldn't want to fall asleep in bed while reading a book on my MPB or the Kindle e-book. My break it when I roll over. Books are the most wonderful thing ever invented; I'd hate to give them up.

If you want to see a photo of the Kindle go to: http://www.macworld.co.uk/

It looks like a product from 10+ years ago.

Crabapple, I hope Apple thinks I need a multi-touch tablet.

no real info on their wacky new drm system. Lose your Kindle? Repurchase your ebooks? Can you read these ebooks on your computer? A year from now when this fails, what will you be able to do with these purchased ebooks? Hell, you can't even print them out. And fair use is out the window.

Nov 19, 07 - 03:30 pm Comment from: silverhawk

Dave writes "Hell, you can't even print them out. And fair use is out the window"

Does that mean Kindle is a Micro$oft or Universal Music Group product?

Nov 19, 07 - 03:31 pm Comment from: Crabapple

@ I love glossy,

What is the itouch?

The next offering will be an itouch Leopard! when the latest Flash dual core memory becomes available!

Check the link below out and enjoy!!!

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/15539/

Also please note that Apple inc. have already bought most of the Flash memory chips even before the have been produced hence the shortage!

By the time Apple inc. have had enough Flash chips, the other makers will only then just start to make what Apple inc. have left behind.

Nov 19, 07 - 03:36 pm Comment from: Crabapple

One more thing "I love glossy"

You are right to love glossy, the majority of glossy whingers conveniently forget their experience with Cathode Ray TV's, monitors & most of all Cashpoint Machines or ATM's all of which incorporate a nice tough glossy screen!!!!

Hear of anyone complain about reflection from an ATM's glossy?

Nov 19, 07 - 03:52 pm Comment from: BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots

My gosh. Kindle looks positively ARCHAIC. It reminds me of the old calculators that would generate receipts on paper.

Nov 19, 07 - 03:56 pm Comment from: Cubert

I gots me a star next to my name, beeotch!

Nov 19, 07 - 03:59 pm Comment from: mm

Sort of a dumb headline IMO

This ebook reader is not a iPhone or iPod touch competitor. It is for reading ebooks. It has cellular/wifi capability so that you can download on the go. I do not believe it has a browser. And no, the "rich array of content" available on the web does not compare to the kind of content that Bezos is talking about here. The emphasis is on books, not web pages. Sometimes we may forget, but those are not the same. You cannot go on the web and download (for free) the vast majority of books that are at your local Barnes and Noble.

These devices are primarily for two different audiences (some features may overlap a little). The experience of reading a book is replicated much better on the white amazon device than on an iPod touch. Don't you think? I, for one, am kind of sick of everything under the sun being compared to an iPhone. This thingy is not a phone, not a mp3 player, and is not pretending to be. Fanboys relax, this won't challenge the mighty iPod hegemony.

Nov 19, 07 - 04:13 pm Comment from: silverhawk

I can't imagine trying to read a printed words on a iTouch or iPhone. I would think the eye strain would be quite problematic.

Nov 19, 07 - 04:15 pm Comment from: iamdj

That is a LOT of money for a book reader. I would get an iPhone before I bought that thing. Same for SONY's reader.

Nov 19, 07 - 04:15 pm Comment from: Ampar

It looks good on you, Cubert! A nice fusion style.

Hhaha no its a $399 "book". So paying $499-$599 when the iPhone shipped for a phone/cell+wifi internet device/iPod music+wide screen movies, and PDA functions was TOO expensive and Apple was bashed for it, but $399 for a "book" replacement that you still need to buy books to read on it is not worth bashing in the news/media? Man, dumb crowd...

I agree with "mm" - Not related, at least not very closely.

It's, uh, Apples and oranges.

On the issue of eBooks, Two months ago I bought myself a Palm Vx for $3.99+$7.00 for shipping. I now get free titles from wowio..com, and not-free titles from ereader.com. For titles from wowio.com I use Adobe's software for Palm OS, and ereader.com has their own reader for Palm OS [and Mac by the way]. So far I've managed to get a 700 page book on my Palm with space still left over. Now why would I spend $400 on yet another proprietary ebook reader? Sony had/has a great one, probably the best all around for actual readability, but it only works with ebook sellers that Sony partners with - stupid. Why won't someone release an ebook reader that reads all ebooks.

Anyway, for $12.00 bucks I can't go wrong and I'm getting a lot more reading done than if I had to carry real books with me. (I do miss real books though.)

Nov 19, 07 - 04:52 pm Comment from: Ampar

Does the product name mean that your electronic reader will burst into flames at some point?

To be on the safe side, you should probably avoid downloading "Fahrenheit 451" onto this device.

The Kindle's display is much more readable than any backlit display, especially in sunlight. The iPhone isn't very good for extended reading and the Kindle doesn't play MP3s. The kindle is entirely too expensive but comparing it to an iPhone is a clear case of apples vs. oranges. Next they'll be saying that the iPhone has rendered a pen and notepad obsolete.

Nov 19, 07 - 05:30 pm Comment from: cuz i'm the taxman

Stick to selling actual books Amazon, that's all you really know how to do. By the way, where is my shipment of books that I ordered last week? Damn.

How many masochists are out there that would really like to read a full length novel on the iPhone's 3.5 inch (diagonal) screen? A speed reader would get a blister on his finger trying to keep up. Get real!

Nov 19, 07 - 06:48 pm Comment from: silverhawk

Ampar,

Where did you go for all those months? I was afraid you became zune tang or something worse: one of chrissy1's false feedback writers!

Nov 19, 07 - 07:45 pm Comment from: zmarc

I used to read books on my Palm, but after getting my iPhone, the Palm's interface seems so awkward! I keep wanting to using my finger to scroll through pages and I can't (I have to tap). Most will assume that's a minor thing (I did), but the reality is the interface is KEY for making the ebook experience natural and enjoyable. I find I do a lot more pleasure reading on my iPhone (via websites) simply because the interface makes it feel good. I love being able to zoom in, adjust the layout to the content (horizontal or vertical), and scroll smoothly.

Unfortunately the iPhone does not yet have a good ebook reader, but once the SDK is out, I expect one and it will blow away all ebook pretenders like this Kindle thing.

Nov 19, 07 - 07:49 pm Comment from: Spark

It needs a sensor that watches your eyeballs and pages automatically as you reach the bottom. Turn manual pages of swiping with the finger tip is so exhausting. Email me when this has been incorporated.

Nov 19, 07 - 08:04 pm Comment from: blucaso

Did anyone else notice the CNET "first glance" which mentions the Kindle's apparent Achilles heel - "nearly all" the content seems overpriced, they say. For example, you can subscribe to blogs on the Kindle - special Kindle versions of the blogs that cost $1 each to read! I don't know about you, but I'm not thinking I want to pay $1 to read a blog on the little thing that I can read elsewhere for free.

If this first look is any indication, this thing may "Zune" faster than a .. well, a Zune.

Nov 19, 07 - 09:16 pm Comment from: Ampar

silverhawk: I've been undercover under several names. But I would never spoof anyone since that's why I left as Ampar. And faking a Windows troll isn't my style.

Personally the Sony and the Kindle look impressive, but in practical use, they're expensive, and due to size, something I'm not likely to want to carry with me. There is a eBook app for the iPhone and it works really well...It's really just a matter of Apple making it an official app (or when the SDK comes out), and pumping the content through the existing infrastructure.

Nov 20, 07 - 12:55 am Comment from: Benton

Charlie Rose is interviewing Jeff Bezos tonight.

http://www.charlierose.com/home

I wondered who was cracking book spines - stop it!

Anyway, unless this device can do instant access to any page, different fonts and smell like a 1930s Penguin, it's hardly the same as a book.

I agree that the iPhone comparison is a stretch. The two devices have very different purposes. That said, the iPhone multitouch UI has raised overall expectations for mobile-device interaction capabilities.

From what they show in the video, Kindle navigation/UI looks awkward at best. A blackberry-style thumb wheel that moves a little selection block in a vertical track next to the screen? Barf.

My first question when I saw this was: "Where can I go get my hands on one of these and play with it?" There are no Amazon retail stores. I have a hard time imagining very many people ordering one of these based on a picture and some online videos.

Comparing apples (pardon the pun) and oranges... IMO, this device has two main attractions; easy way to download books (like the iTunes/iPod combination for music), and just as importantly, the E-Ink display technology. Although you might be able to use the iPhone for reading Email, web pages, etc., it isn't optimized specifically for books like Kindle seems to be.

I'm as much of an Apple fanboy as anyone, but comparing Kindle to the iPhone is like comparing a desktop computer to a TV; they can both do some of the same things, but they are optimized for specific tasks.

BTW, I agree with Ryan; they need some kind of brick and mortar presence for this because there's no way I'd buy one unless I could try using it...

Nov 20, 07 - 11:05 am Comment from: MacSheikh

Two words.

Butt. Ugly.

I have found reading eBooks is great, on my Treo.

I wish the screen were larger but it's the content that's killer app.

However, the Kindle is just stupid. It will be covered 10 years from now like the Atari Jaguar, the 3DO, the IBM PC Jr, etc... as DOA.

I can even hear the narrator "...and to top it off, Amazon priced it at a whopping $400 which was a lot of money in 2007. That was really the nail in the coffin. The iPod of ebooks it really wasn't."

The deal breaker for me (ignoring the ugly looks and price) is that I can't convert my own TONS of text and PDF content, not without sending to Amazon and dealing with its complicated conversion routine.

At least for the Palm I can just drag and drop onto the eBook conversion program (for both Win and Mac) for a PDB file.

I would love to carry around my TONS of PDF files I have to read but.... no high res graphics?!

Why not just get a TABLET PC then?!

And heck when is Apple coming out with the OS X tablet anyway? SSHD, Inkwell, Safari... I would buy it at double the price of the Kindle.

Bezos is just out in space.... (you do know he is building a space port right?)