Amazon has just expanded the potential audience for its ebook format by a few orders of magnitude with the Beta release of its free
Kindle for PC application. Doing exactly what it says on the (imaginary) tin, this will allow you to read the locked-down Kindle format on your Windows weapon of choice, though Mac users are left with merely the "coming soon" message you see above. Given that you'll now be able to consume Amazon's ebooks on your PC
and iPhone, there's a risk that people might entirely sidestep the
Kindle and Kindle DX for more familiar hardware, but clearly the company is willing to undertake it in order to get its wares out to a wider client base. We still think Amazon should
do away with the proprietary madness and utilize a common standard like
ePUB, but until then we can at least appreciate being given the ability to sync our
Robinson Crusoe read across a few more devices than before.
posted Nov 10th 2009 5:12AM
Why buy an e-reader when you can just buy a netbook that serves the same purpose albeit with more features? The choice seems pretty easy to me.
*sigh*
Go to a shop, take a look at an eInk screen in real life.
@L
Seen one. Yea it looks like paper but you like need light and crap to be able to see it. Pretty sure netbooks are backlit which defeats the purpose of needing an external light source. GG
Do you realize how awkward your typical netbook would be for reading while standing up or lying in bed? And even if it's a "netvertible", you're still talking about a substantially heavier device.
@Plothole
Seems to me like it would be just as awkward as reading an e-reader standing up or lying in bed. 2-3 lbs may seem a lot compared to an e-reader, but even some heavy books can weigh that much. And to be honest, I'd take the added weight for the added functionality that comes with a netbook.
The ultimate solution for me, however, would be a capacitive touch tablet :)
Unless you consider a standard paperback awkward in those situations, an ebook reader most certainly isn't. And any book of similar weight to a netbook is probably going to be just as table-bound.
As for displays.... the fact that eInk is reflective technology also means it's daylight readable. Something your typical netbook LCD really isn't. Plus for many of us a reflective screen is much easier to read off for prolonged periods of then a backlit one.
Now with any luck we will soon see new netbooks incorporating the Pixel Qi screen technology. These screens will have a high contrast reflective mode, much like eInk. So perhaps these will be somewhat more logical substitutes for ebook readers. Then again eInk still has a much better viewing angle (near 180 degrees) and far lower power consumption.
Because, when it comes to reading books a netbook falls FAR short of an e-reader.
Because maybe I don't want to go blind looking at a computer screen for work and then reading?
Well, now you can use either a Kindle or a netbook, or both.
I personally haven't felt like e-ink is ready for prime time. Others obviously disagree. But here are the main reasons, which are distinct for e-book readers compared to netbooks.
1) Several days' worth of battery life.
2) 3G e-book store access without subscription fees.
3) Doesn't produce large amounts of heat during operation.
4) Viewable in sunlight.
But the point is that now you don't have to get a Kindle, you can just use a Windows PC. So you should be happy!! Happy!!
A netbook isn't even remotely interchangeable with a dedicated reader. I have a Sony Reader and it's about 1/10th the weight of a netbook, has somewhere around 100x the battery life, has a less than one second boot time, and is exponentially easier to carry around with one hand.
I also own a netbook. While it is technically capable of doing more stuff, it is particularly crappy at everything it does. An E-Ink reader can only do one thing, but at least it does that one thing extremely well.
>>Unless you consider a standard paperback awkward in those situations, an [netbook] ebook reader most certainly isn't...
Says the man who hasn't tried it. When my Everun UMPC broke (whic worked great for ebook reading, ith its 5" slate design), I switched over to using a Dell Mini 9, which is about the smallest, lightest netbook you can find.
Horrible experience; awkward to hold, too heavy, and the screen puts out too much light if you try to read in the dark (even with red text on black screen). Insomnia experts will tell you that looking at a very light screen in the dark doesn't help put you to sleep, btw.
A tablet is a must for ebook reading. Something significantly less then 1 lb. Enter the dedicated ebook reader. Except that nobody has figured out how to make side lighted e-ink screens, dang the bad luck. So you can't read them in the dark without awkward clip on lamps. Stupid design.
So I am still looking for a slate to read ebooks, and using mobipocket reader with my HTC TP2 (which isn't too bad, but the screen is too small).
@ TMARKS11, Sony made a side lighted eReader, the problem was that with the extra layer of clear plastic for the side lighting to work, as well as the extra layer of clear plastic for the resistive touchscreen and it made for some wicked glare and much lower contrast than competing devices.
As a compromise, the nook will have a clip on, form fitting book light that can be attached.
@tmarks11
I think you misread. I was talking about the dedicated ebook readers. As *opposed* to netbooks, which are much heavier.
The PRS-700 is side-lit. Unfortunately to light a screen this size effectively you also need a diffuser, which significantly reduced screen sharpness.
whoops... now I see that you were essentially saying what I was saying...
Guess I should have addressed my comments to Teerim, who is the one that thinks a netbook is a great ebook reader.
im sick of hearing PC / Mac. ITS Windows / Mac if anything people!
its like comparing fruit to a banana.
On the kindle topic however, i think this is great, being from Australia where we dont have the kindle,
and loving technology for technology's sake (hence being on engadget! :) ):
I'm definitely going to try one or two out!
Try telling Apple that.
It's actually Windows vs. OSX, because this app can clearly run on a Mac, as long as that Mac is running Windows like most other PCs.
It's bad enough that Apple's marketing pushes this PC vs Mac terminology. We really don't need misinformation being spread from a "tech site", don't you think?
If the app is for Windows just say it's for Windows. (Because frankly, I doubt that it works in Linux.)
great minds think alike... then again so do average ones...
Well even the headline Amazon is using is "Kindle for PC", so Engadget aren't the only ones. And for everything else, "I'm a PC" rather than "I'm a Windows user"…
I hear you and Andy loud and clear, but that's the name of the app. Would you wish us to creatively censor app titles to avoid confusion? I fully agree with your sentiment, the term PC encompasses macs, linux installs and everything else, but that's how these bigwigs have decided to use it.
@Anthony La: "And for everything else, "I'm a PC" rather than "I'm a Windows user"…" Is this supposed to be an excuse or argument to use the term PC when we're talking about Windows (or any non-Apple PCs)?
Because these Apple ads themselves are probably the _main_ reason for the common misuse, not a symptom of it.
See: http://www.pcmech.com/article/reality-check-a-mac-is-a-pc/
@Vladislav Savov: Yeah, in this case there's really not much you could do, except for maybe some precisation in the summary ("on your Windows PC" instead of "on your PC" - could've sounded a bit redundant, tho, TBH). I guess I was also talking out of the frustration in general...
@ibelike
Perhaps Apple is bringing it onto itself in the first place with the ads, and for political correctness (or overall correctness) everything is a "personal computer", but seemingly marketers, courtesy of Apple, seem to have adopted "PC = Windows".
Vlad, thanks for taking the time to post back! I do understand where ur coming from.
I was especially disappointed when Microsoft latched onto the "I'm a PC" message, as it just solidified the misconception that Macs are somehow magically not PCs. In this case, I don't blame Engadget at all, it is clearly the yokels at Amazon that named the product so poorly. I do expect tech bloggers to take companies to task on it (of course, in their usual snarky manner). Half of the purpose of reading tech blogs is to cut through the marketing nonsense to see what is coming out and what it truly is capable of. I would hope for bloggers to not buy into the marketing drivel and say it like it is.
Kindle's started shipping international a little while ago. I've got one here.
should have replied to andy..
i should have said i was waiting for one with the whole 3g thing going on before i made the outlay
I want to know when the iPhone Kindle app is going to break out of the US (I'm assuming it's just the US that has it) and make it to the UK, if for no other reason just so I can check it out
Maybe I've missed something..but what '3g' thing? Do you mean having the books delivered wirelessly? Because that all works here.
Well thats a grt news ... this would be real help for ppl like me .. who are more into reading ...
Cheers,
Daina
your comments remind me of those craigslist scammers.
People like you who are more into reading than writing (and spelling, and grammar), apparently.
Its out for Windows? Cool, so if I work at the bank, maybe I can install it. Let me know when actual PEOPLE can get this thing with a Mac version.
*ahem* 95%+ of the PC market. I gotta think that SOME of that is NOT a bank. Grow up.
Yeah, it's so weird that they would release for Windows first, since Mac has over 90% marketshare.
2 things;
1) You imply that there is availability of a Mac version for non "actual PEOPLE". Who are these non "Actual PEOPLE"? Some sort of fake PEOPLE perhaps? Maybe lizard people in human skin, cause if so, you have been watching too much V. That and Lizard People are PEOPLE too, they are just less interested in your well being than they are in eating you.
2) If you really want us to let you know when the Mac version comes out you are gonna need to send me a Self Addressed Stamped envelope with your request and I'll be happy to notify you, or I suppose you could setup an RSS feed of Engadget, or check the site every once and a while.
Obvious douche is obvious.
and like most things kindle related we have canadian delays
with google books, why pay to read books on your pc?
Well, Captain Obvious says: Because people want to read something else than old out-of-copyright books at times.
finally Amazon will have access to your PC...
I would have liked to see a bit more information in this article. What about printing and copy'n'paste, any of that allowed?
Yet another piece of software that the visually impaired users such as me can't use. why you ask? With my eyesight i can only see on a black background. i have to use high contrast black windows color scheme. most software gui's work fine, but some don't. kindle for pc forces a bright white background that wipes out all text for me rendering it useless for me.
Apple's itunes for windows has a fixed bright white background.
Logitech.. all their software use a fixed bright white backgrounds.
Stardock's Impluse. same fixed bright white background.
I have written, emailed, called these companies and i haven't found any improvements or changes in any of these products...
interesting enough kindle for the iphone has the ability to change the background nad cont color along with font sizing... now why can't they do that with the kindle for pc????
do you guys have any experiences with friends, family, or coworkers that have to deal with these issues?
Unfortunately, I'm a professional UI developer for a software company and I usually end up forcing colors in my interfaces, too. It's easy to underestimate the huge amount of work that goes into supporting different color schemes if you're doing anything more than a stock Windows GUI. It's difficult to justify doubling or tripling the amount of time spent on the UI to add features for the tiny percentage of people who will require those high-contrast themes. Sad but true.
@chefgon_ign, I completely understand, a good friend of mine is an architect and those lame accessibility ramps totally harsh on his designs and occupy a good portion of his time trying to make them look decent. Add in needing to throw in elevators as well as staircases all over the place and it just makes for much less flexibility in design just a few folks that can't walk. I mean they probably won't go into the building anyway so why all the extra work just for them.
This is a product made for people to be able to read books, made by one of the largest companies in the world! They have top notch developers and hordes of them (I personally know several) and it is flat out unacceptable for a major corporation to release software that does not have visual accessibility in mind. At the shareware, or iPhone app store level I can see it as being OK, and perhaps that is where you develop, but this is consumer level ebook reading software.
Of course this comes from someone who is somewhat colorblind and loves beta testing and participating in usability research just to point out when UIs rely too much on subtle color variations instead of shapes, etc. Nothing worse than not being able to tell if a tiny little circle on the screen is amber or green when I need to know the status of something.
Try the free Barnes and Noble E-reader. It's available for both PC and Mac, and had tons of themes (including white text on a black background), or you can make your own.
Here's the link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks/
*also includes 6 free e-books
Enjoy!
Is this to distract people from the Barnes & Noble reader that is coming soon. When Kindle for PC was first mentioned, it was for use by Kindle owners. It seems as if this requirement now been dropped, so we can all get those $9.99 ebooks, without spending $259 on the reader.
There has been a Kindle app for iPhone out for months and you don't need to own a Kindle to use it. You just have to buy your ebooks from Amazon (unike the actual Kindle with can read books from a variety of sources). Amazon is not really in the business of selling Kindle devices, they are in the business of selling ebooks. The Kindle and these reader apps are distribution channels for the ebooks and it doesn't matter to Amazon which one you use.
Correction:
With free PC/MAC e-reader at BN, you get 4 free e-books, not 6: Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, and Merriam Webster's Pocket Dictionary.
Just downloaded.
First impression is that it is really fast. We have two kindles and about 80 books between them. I opened one of my books in about 10 seconds.
No print, copy or clip features at all, which is unlike the Amazon Upgrade -online books, which you can highlight and print one page at a time from.
Agree with the comments here regarding akward reading on a PC, but for books I have for classes or when I already have my laptop along and want to checkout something in one of the books, this application will be very handy.