Amazon Kindle DX first hands-on (with video!)
By Paul Miller 
posted May 6th 2009 12:37PM
posted May 6th 2009 12:37PM
- It's not really drastically different from the Kindle 2. Not in any way. The ability to auto-rotate is nice, and the big screen is definitely easier on the eyes when it comes to reading newspapers, but largely this is the same beast.
- The screen looks great. It may just be the demo units here, but the blacks seem to be darker than they are on the Kindle 2. We'll have to hold this judgment for when we've got a review unit in our hands.
- Screen refresh is largely unchanged. You'll still see those black flashes when you turn the page.
- The keyboard seems better to us than the Kindle 2's. The keys are more raised, and there's more real estate for typing. It's still not an awesome experience, but it's improved.
- The size difference really is notable. The DX is a large device. It's not the kind of thing you'll be throwing into a purse, though it's not so large that you wouldn't consider it over the Kindle 2. In fact, if we had to choose right now, the Kindle DX wins hands-down.
- $489 is a lot of money for a device like this. Amazon is really going to have to show some considerable cuts on pricing for their deals with the NYT / schools to make this attractive to end-users.
I like the product because I have a ton scanned PDFs that I have to read and it will probably save a forest or two from me alone. Beyond that, I think that the product will encourage more newspaper publisher and magazine publishers to release their products to Kindle and I presume that it will be available for all sizes of Kindles.
I own a Kindle 2 and a netbook. They are not the same product. You read a Kindle like a book. You can lie in bed and read surf yourself to sleep. It is easy to read a Kindle at an airplane seat and the battery is great. The E-Paper screen reads like a book. I know there is no color, but there is also no refresh rate and constantly reading from a netbook screen (particularly at the close distances involved) increases eye strain. YOu don't spot it on a minute-by-minute basis, but it adds up. Also thinking about all the crazy positions we sit and read in.
Now highlighting on a Kindle might prove interesting.
Even though the auto-rotate feature seems pretty interesting I doubt it is actually to turn the kindle sideways since the previous/next page button won't be on the sides anymore.
comfortable*
I'm ignoring the off-topic comments. I've got a question: With these readers floating around, why is my daughter hauling 30 pounds of books to and from school each day?
Is this one with native PDF support?
I would disagree with most of the sentiment here.
1) Netbook doesn't replace Kindle. Reasons: much fewwer ebooks, can't run weeks without recharging, too large, etc
2) Kindle DX is not better or worse than Kindle 2 - it's different. Screen is larger - yes, but larger is not always better. K2 fits nicely in the pocket of my jacket, DX will not.
You can read my review of Kindle DX here: http://www.blogkindle.com/2009/05/kindle-dx-now-with-97-screen/
So should I just go ahead and buy this or the kindle 2 or should I hold out for the Plastic Logic Reader?
Archos 7 with HD Support
Anyone?
Anyone?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/29/new-firmware-adds-high-def-video-plug-in-to-archos-5-7/
Needs moar A4.
PLEASE!! can you read comics on kindle??? as in anime
Anime isn't comics. Anime is animation.
Manga are comics.
I love my Kindle but one thing I'd like to see is an ability to "write" notes in the margins like I do in the text. The facility for this in Kindle is just not satisfying to me since you just scroll to a passage and put it in a box.
Does anyone know of an e-reader that has something like this?
p.s. I hope I was clear--I meant something like you would use on an electronic writing tablet.
I love my Kindle but one thing I'd like to see is an ability to "write" notes in the margins like I do in the text. The facility for this in Kindle is just not satisfying to me since you just scroll to a passage and put it in a box.
Does anyone know of an e-reader that has something like this?
Too big for me, I'll stay with my Kindle2.
To all you iPhoners who read on it... how long does that battery last? 2 weeks like the Kindle? I have an iPhone. I love it for a lot of reasons. Reading a paragraph at a time on a backlit screen is not one of those reasons. I like my Kindle because it's like reading a paper. Dark grey text, light grey background. It's the contrast the human eye is accustomed to. Black on white is too harsh. Full color is nice, but tiring after a few minutes. When I read, I read words. Not pictures. When I need a picture, it needs to be informative, not pretty. (Example: I'm currently reading a wine book on the Kindle, and it occasionally shows a map of a winery region. This is fine in grayscale. I'd rather have a usable reader that lasts 2 weeks than a pretty, flashy one I have to charge every day.
The device looks great and did everything I needed it to. The PDF support would be great for my classes. Most of our readings are articles in PDF format and I don't want to print them nor do I want to read them on a laptop. The screen size is a great compromise and finally large enough to accommodate my (potentially digital) textbooks. I'm sure Amazon will sell plenty enough to be happy.
I personally just can't rationalize $500 on it.
I am right handed, but I often using the left buttons more often as I sometimes read and write at the same time.
If somebody should ever buy this overpriced contraption and utters the word 'recession' for any reason at all....I will slap that person so hard with my 2 stinky feet!
I have been using Sony PRS-500 for almost 2-1/2 years now. So far I'm happy with it.
I was not interested in Kindle 1 or 2 since the screen size is same as mine.
Kindle DX is exactly what I wanted. You can read pdf files without converting to a smaller format,
showing images, graphs, drawings, etc. with much more clarity is amazing.
I'm not interested in buying e-books online, but you can download millions of pirated pdfs online.
This is it.
so slim buy expensive
Have any of you guys noticed that this device has a life time 3G subscription in it? With the larger screen browsing web, checking web mail and downloading pdf document or any other ebook format from your own web page created with your library of ebooks when on the go is beautiful.
Already ordered DX, can't wait till July 6th.
For me, one of the only reasons that I maintain my newspaper subscription is for the crossword, I would never consider an electronic subscription to the NYT if I couldn't work the crossword.
FREE BOOKS ARE AT THE LIBRARY!!! Why does anyone need this inferior product??
Tell your guy to sit the fu*k up when he's talking on camera, he looks like a goddamn hunchback.
I own a netbook and a Sony Ebook reader. A netbook is not as convenient to carry around and read like a book. This is truly a case of comparing apples to oranges. I would buy the Kindle DX for it's large size. For those who were making fun of the person who said what they read has pictures, I must say you have no business making fun of them. Any magazine and most non fiction work, such as history or science books will have pictures. This is what I read most. The smaller book readers don't display text and photos too well together. The price of $500 is alot even for what you get. My ultimate book reader would have an SD card slot, color display, an MP3 player (listening to music while reading is nice), video playback capability, a backlight to read in the dark (if your married you understand), multiple formats (Especially PDF, with the capability to install any PDF reader you desire), and fast page turns (Sony very slow). Everyone has to keep in mind, that while book readers have been around for a few years, they are really just coming to light. Within the next couple of years, you will see all the features I mentioned plus some you never thought of. We are still in first/second generation, wait until the 4th or 5th generations come out. Look how far we have come since the first Sony Walkman. What is important is that the consumer keeps providing feedback to the manufacturer's so they know what we want.
It's very expensive. You can compare it with others e-book reader at http://www.coolcheapest.com/EBookReader/3079--Amazon_Kindle_DX__Amazon_s_9_7__Wireless_Reading_Device.aspx and you can get other information of e-book readers at http://www.coolcheapest.com/EBookReader.aspx