http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/ Engadget Comments for Philippe Starck calls the Kindle "a little sad" http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 2:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
thats a little sad.]]>Dec 12th 2007 2:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
and yet somehow the very thought of someone making more money than me doesn't drive me to suicide

you're a little sad]]>Dec 12th 2007 3:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
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Junk.]]>Dec 12th 2007 2:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
It looks like a robot's vagina.]]>Dec 12th 2007 3:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
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http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1293/534460919_945af435a7_o.jpg

Yeah...That was a superb and beautiful design! Thats why they sold about 2 and he hasn't been allowed near a motorbike design studio since.

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I agree on the buttons, but once its inside the leather case - it becomes a non-issue.

And the only people complaining about price are those who simply cannot afford it. Clearly (since the price isn't dropping radically) people are willing to pay $400 for it. Unlike the iPhone, which Apple had to come back and fix prices because their device wasn't selling (after the initial rush).]]>Dec 12th 2007 3:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
No, I don't have one (don't read enough to bother). But I understand what you're saying. Thing is that I don't feel like it should have to be in a leather case to be less awkwardly designed or less ugly. The device is just odd.]]>Dec 12th 2007 4:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
Wow...]]>Dec 12th 2007 4:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 5:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
The kindle is ugly. The sone ebook reader looks better -- even though that too has a huge margin on the sides. I guess Apple is one of the few good designers of hardware since the iphone has no side margin to the display.
]]>Dec 12th 2007 2:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
Try holding your iPhone in the same position while lying in bed for four hours, and then get back to us on what a wonderful design it would make for an ebook reader. Phones and PDAs make fine ebook readers of sitting on a train, or a quick read while waiting in line, but their design makes them pale in comparison to a book when you just want to spend a whole Sunday curled up reading. What ever device actually cracks the ebook market is going to be really comfortable to hold for long periods. I know I am just wasting my breath, because here on Engadget nothing matter but how cool you look in line at Starbucks with your new toy, but seriously, looking "slick" and being usable are not the same thing for every application.
]]>Dec 12th 2007 3:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
How does having a massive side margin make it easier to handle than if the display was wider? By goodness look at the size of the Kindle's margins.. it's huge. Why not make the display wider? they could have made the "Page left/right" buttons much thinner and it would have been just as easy to page through. Also, there is plastic between those buttons and the display edge .. they could easily have got rid of that. The device is simply not convenient.

Normally I order gadgets just to play with but honestly ordered a Kindle already knowing it's going to be junk.
]]>Dec 12th 2007 4:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
Once again, I am not saying that I think the Kindle is a particularly good example of an ebook reader, but I don't think its problems stem from not being enough like the iPhone. One of the comments made in the video that cracks me up is their criticism that the buttons are placed exactly where you naturally put your hand. One could make the same criticism of every game controller ever made. Perhaps a touchscreen is more pleasing to Starck's sense of style, and perhaps it would have garnered the device a few more points with reviewers who were more concerned with first impressions than long-term usability, but in reality, having page turning buttons right where it is most comfortable to hold the device is exactly what I want from an ebook reader. It means I am not going to have to change my grip or reach for buttons every few minutes as I read through pages.

Perhaps we use ebooks differently, but when I'm reading a book, I don't want to hunt for a button, or make a gesture on the screen, or see cool page turning animations, or have fancy kinetic scrolling that tracks the velocity of my finger. I just want the next page to show up the instant I finish the page I am reading, with as little delay as possible. Having a button right under my thumb, where I am holding the book, seems like a fabulous way to accomplish that goal. Sure, it might confuse a particularly dim-witted person who doesn't understand that they can just flip back a page if they didn't mean to turn the page yet. Sure, it might garner criticism from designers who think that how the device looks is more important than what it does, but really is there a single more important feature of an ebook reader than turning pages? Shouldn't that function be pretty much what the entire device is built around? I mean, all the searching, and online connectivity, are great, but if you are reading a book, you aren't going to get very far before you need to turn a page.]]>Dec 12th 2007 4:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 2:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 2:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 10:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/]]>Dec 13th 2007 12:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
If publishers were to agree to an iPhone standard - something thats possible when you know you are designing for a single device, with a standard screen size, and a large population - I could see the Kindle's demize.

Good effort though. Hope Amazon didn't spend a bundle on development.....]]>Dec 12th 2007 2:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/While a PDA is a great multi-function device and you CAN read your ebook on there, it doesn't mean it's built FOR that purpose. PDAs and Cellphones are meant to be slipped into the pocket away from sight. They're meant to do several things with mobility being priority 1. Consider a TV - great for watching programs, not so great for listening to radio stations/music/anything really, right? For that you use your home entertainment system with 7 speakers and dolby processing. Same idea here.

An ebook reader is meant to feel like and give all the flexibility and more, of flipping through a book. Short version, it's got a way bigger screen and great resolution and tools at your fingertip meant for reading/writing - thus a larger form factor.

I don't think it's ugly per se, it's def. retro though. It just doesn't look or feel like it is/should be worth $400. Of course once you sort of understand the tech built into it, it all comes into clear view (it's like free cell phone service...to amazon 24/7 so boom! Me want book, me look it up on amazon, me buy book, me happy).
I'm no developer though, so who knows what the thing costs to make. If I had a shot at designing an ebook reader, I'd make it the same size, give it a sexy metal backing and have the margins be glossy and curvy, aka a longer, wider ipod touch/iphone looking thing.]]>Dec 12th 2007 3:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 2:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
We are in the age of the unitard now:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2195/2086295710_ae295d28ff_o.jpg


SO hot right now, unitards.]]>Dec 12th 2007 8:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 2:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 8:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
BTW - Chuckle out loud at "a little sad" :)]]>Dec 12th 2007 3:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 4:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
lame.]]>Dec 12th 2007 8:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/
If Kindle had an Apple logo on it, we would have seen something like at end of Jedi with fireworks celebrations and Ewoks dancing around.]]>Dec 13th 2007 10:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/]]>Dec 12th 2007 3:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/phillipe-starck-calls-the-kindle-a-little-sad/Dec 12th 2007 3:50PM