My Amazon Kindle DX came last week and I'm so impressed with it I thought I'd share my thoughts of it with my blog readers. For anyone who doesn't know what the Kindle DX is, it's basically an eBook reader, but it has a few special extras that make it stand out from it's competitors. Namely....
No fuss setup
As you can see from the picture below, the Kindle DX comes preset with your Amazon account details. It knows that it is linked to your Amazon account and you can order eBooks with just 1-click. There is absolutely NO configuration needed, you simply take it out of the box, charge it and you're ready to go. This is how all electronic devices should be.
Amazon Whispernet
This is possibly the coolest thing about the Kindle DX. It comes pre-installed with Amazon wireless Whispernet which is basically a wireless connection so you can browse the Kindle Store on your device. Best thing about this is that there is no cost. No monthly subscriptions, no download limits, no contract, no hunting for wi-fi, nothing. It's remarkably quick too, I downloaded by first eBook the other day and it took less than 60 seconds.
Not just eBooks
One of the reasons I bought the Kindle DX is so that I can download newspapers from wherever I am in the world. The Kindle DX supports 91 "eNewspapers" at the time of writing, including the Times, Daily Mail, Telegraph and Financial Times in the UK. Costs are $1.49 (about 92p) for 1 issue or $22.99 (about £14) for a monthly subscription. All newspapers come with a free 14-day trial too. There are also 39 magazines available to download too, such as Forbes, Fortune and Business Week etc.
Big but portable
One of the reasons I really like the Kindle DX is that it has a really big screen (9.7 inch) to make reading that much easier, with smaller devices you have to keep hitting "next page" every few seconds as the pages are so small. Despite the large screen though the device is only 535g in weight and sits very comfortably in your hand.
Text to speech
The Kindle DX comes with a really next feature that, at the touch of a button starts reading the text to you. It's a bit spooky at first but works really well. Brilliant for people with poor eyesight or those who just want to relax and be read to.
Battery life and storage
You can read on a single charge for up to 1 week with wireless on. With wireless off this lasts for up to 2 weeks, very impressive. You can also store up to 3,500 books, more than enough for anyone I would imagine.
Experimental
As well as all of the above you can also use the Kindle DX to browse the web, it's not perfect but it's great for mainly text sites. You can also play MP3's on it :)
Electronic Ink
Reading the Kindle DX is *nothing* like reading from a computer screen. It's really hard to describe but the screen uses real ink that is held in place electronically. This means that there is no glare and your eyes don't sting like they sometimes do after looking at a monitor for a while.
eBook Library and ease of use
I used to have the Sony eBook reader but the problem was that it was pretty much impossible to find anywhere online that sold a decent range of eBooks to support it. And if you were lucky enough to find a book you wanted you had to sign up and pay through 3rd party websites, download, transfer via some dodgy software and basically jump through loads of hoops just to get to the product. This infuriated me no end, so much so that I binned my Sony reader, it was rendered useless. Not so with the Kindle. Basically, 1 click gets you to the Amazon eBook store where there are currently 329,728 titles available to me in the UK. Then one more click to purchase and the eBook is installed on my Kindle in 60 seconds. Pure. Genius.
Price
Well it's not cheap. The US price is $489 which works out at around £303. However, don't forget that there are no monthly contracts and the Amazon Whispernet is totally free, anywhere in the world. I'm already using mine a lot and imagine I will for a long time so it's great value in my opinion.
But what about the Apple iPad?
However, is it better than the Apple iPad? Of course i't's impossible to say as although the iPad was released to the world at the Apple press conference today, it's not for sale yet for another 60-90 days.
One of the big selling points for the iPad is the iBooks feature that basically turns the iPad into an eBook reader on steroids, leading to the inevitable will iBooks kill the Kindle type stories. Instead of the grayscale screen of the Kindle DX the iPad has a full colour screen and admittedly it looks gorgeous. Whether or not it hurts the eyes like conventional monitors after long periods remains to be seen. However at 680g for the wi-fi model or 730g for the wi-fi plus 3G model it's certainly not as light as the Kindle DX. So maybe that's a factor.
The entry level iPad is priced just a little bit more than the Kindle DX at $499. However, it will have to be in a wi-fi hotspot in order for it to work. The 3G models start at $629 rising to $829 with a monthly tariff of between $14.99 and $29.99. UK prices have yet to be announced. For me, the Kindle DX is better value with it's one-time payment of $489 and no monthly charges for wireless access.
So which is better?
If I was looking for a pure-play eBook reader then I would choose the Amazon Kindle DX every day of the week. The fact that it's lighter and more portable than the iPad plus has much longer batter life are the key selling points. Coupled with the free Amazon Whispernet for downloads anywhere in the world then it's a clear winner. Sure, the iPad has a colour screen but if you're mainly using it to read books then it becomes redundant. The Kindle DX is very easy to read outdoors whereas I doubt the iPad will be.
After saying all that however, if you want a nice shiny new gadget that sits somewhere between a laptop and an iPhone then gof or an iPad. For apps, games, web browsing, email, music and all other aspects of portable computing I think it will be hard to beat. I'll be buying one for sure. To compliment my Kindle, not replace it :)
Further reading:
Mashable - 4 Reasons the Kindle is Dead, 4 Reasons It’s Not
Crunchgear - The iPad vs the Kindle spec for spec
Stephen Fry - iPad about (brilliant review from Stephen)
What I'm listening to right now: Musiq - "Fish in the Sea"
Welcome to my blog. My name is Kieron Donoghue and I am the founder of ShareMyPlaylists.com, ContentNow.co.uk and some other stuff. I have no idea why I'm blue on this photo though but I like it!
That Kindle looks huge… either that or you’ve got tiny hands
Got to say the eInk is a big plus for me – I spend so much time in front of a pc that my eyes suffer badly from eystrain. The idea of reading a book or newspaper… and then what if you are on the beach etc
Not that I have a kindle..
I don’t understand – the Kindle must connect via your Wifi hotspot, right? Or does it use a mobile network but without a contract?
My Kindle DX arrived today, the day Apple launched their ipad and I have to say I am gutted. The text to speech feature us like being read to by a dalek and the web browser doesnt work in the UK. I have an iphone and would use it as an ereader but the screen is too small. The ipad looks ideal as an ereader and will do a whole lot more. I honestly cant see how Amazon can respond to this. I just wish I had put my £300 plus towards an ipad! Oh well.
The eInk is very clever tbh, it’s just so natural when reading it and works great outside in the sunshine too.
No wi-fi, it works via 3G and Edge on a mobile network. But yes you are correct, no contract needed
Cliff, if you bought it purely for text-to-speech or for a web browser then yes you are likely to be disappointed.That’s why they are listed as “experimental”. However if you bought it for a eBook reader then I don’t think there is a better one on the market, iPad included.
I have a Kindle standard, and I think it’s perfect as an ebook reader. The iPad looks great, but I couldn’t read it outside in bright sunlight, nor will the battery last forever like eInk display devices do. (Two weeks with 3G off)
Thing with the Kindle is that it doesn’t feel like having another laptop or phone type device in your hand, it feels like having a book in your hand and I like that. There’s no twitter and email popping up every two seconds to distract you.
I’m sure Amazon will release an iPad version of the iPhone Kindle reader, so I don’t think it’s much of a threat to their dominance in the ebook publishing sector.
Time will tell if the iPad makes it’s mark or if it’s a device that everyone thinks looks great, but few can find a reason to buy.
Good review of the Kindle.
As you know, I was very tempted and have had the Kindle DX in my shopping basket with Amazon since I heard it was available, I nearly checked out three times but resisted.
Well, after seeing the Apple announcement I am glad that I did resist.
I agree that if you just want an eBook reader than the Kindle is adequate. However, if I am going to carry a device around, I would much rather have the ability to browse the media rich web and check email, as well as the plethora of other uses we will see via the forthcoming applications.
Also, put the Kindle and iPad side by side and that sort of answers anybodies question.
I can see the iPad replacing the need for some people to have a computer. My kids, who both have iMac’s, could do everything they need with an iPad and the keyboard dock combined with Keynote and Pages. This makes the iPad a really interesting proposition as they can take it with them and use it for media and games.
As with any Apple release, there is always the naysayers, but I feel it will be very interesting to see what transpires in the coming months.
I will not be able to resist the WiFi model if this is available first and then will definitely upgrade to the 3G model when it comes out.
The eInk think sounds interesting, had told my girlfirend about the Kindle but she wasn’t too keen because of the whole using a monitor all day in work and she wouldn’t want to feel like gettign eye strain by reading on this.
It looks a great device for anyone traveling allot, but sometimes you can’t beat a nice bookself with real copies to look at.
I have to admit, since my very first one, I’m hooked on pBooks. Yeah thats right… my Paperback book!
Unique selling points include:
- It’s water proof (to an extent)
- I can leave it by the pool and it won’t get pinched
- When I am done, I can pass it to a friend, free of charge
- If dropped from a great height, the worse that happens is a page gets creased
- When required, my books come in full colour
- Power? Battery? WTF?
- If the cover gets scratched, it doesn’t affect my reading future books and can be replaced for £4.99
I think a LOT of it depends on what you use it for.
- simple text – then Kindle could be the answer
- anything that demands colour such as factual books (photography, scuba diving, travel, maps etc) then the Kindle is completely useless and the iPad could be a better solution
- text to speech, then a Personal Assistant
I don’t think anyone can make a true comparison until they have tried every alternative and pushed all products to their limits. Something Channel5 gadget show will no doubt do later this year!
I wanted to get a DX since 6 months ago, but I waited and I am glad I did.
DX – I admit eink is easier on the eyes, battery life is better and internet access is free.
The points below assumes the iPad is similar to an iPhone or iPod Touch, which I have used at great length as a reader since they came out.
eink – On the iPad, you can turn down the brightness, switch to a dark background or both. Plus, you can read in the dark. Glare in the sun is a problem, yes. I’d rather deal with that than the reading in the dark problem. I have hundreds of pdf documents I need to read, many of them use color. DX in B&W doesn’t cut it.
internet access – Not free, but iPad has a full web browser, the DX, a crippled one. I can browse web sites and see them as they are. iPad’s browser doesn’t do flash, a big fail, but Adobe is working on that.
battery life – Given all the extra features, I have no problems charging every other day or every day.
You get all the iPhone apps, video, productivity apps.
For those whose purpose is solely e-reading, I agree that the DX will work.
But I think there are many more who want a full fledged computer and an e-reader. If I buy a DX and a netbook, $850. iPad, $629 + data plan. I’d rather pay for the data plan to see websites as they are and have the full experience rather than the crippled Kindle version.
If Amazon prices the DX at, $150, maybe I’ll consider it. $75, mos def.
Another reason I’m glad I held off. Let’s say I bought the DX and many ebooks from the Amazon store.
Then I get an iPad. Those books are not transferable to the iPad. I’m sure books bought by the iPad aren’t transferable to the DX, but at least I know that ahead of time.
does it use a mobile network but without a contract?
I couldn’t resist sorry – http://wooshii.com/v/1871
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They reviewed the Amazon Kindle on The Gadget Show last night. My girlfriends first reaction was what a horrible looking gadget and colour and she would never use one to repalce her books!
The Kindle is definitely more of a specific use device, whilst the iPad is much more versatile. I do expect to see the versatility being an asset in swaying people’s decision making, along with it being an aspirational brand.
As an IT professional who is called upon by family members to solve home computer problems on an almost weekly basis, I have long argued that PCs (and I include Apple Macs in there) are hugely more complex than 905 of their owners need. I firmly believe that we need a home computer that works like a television, where no technical knowledge is needed to operate it,when you turn it on it just works and it doesn??t keep crashing. On a side note it is interesting to note that the reverse is in fact happening, televisions and the like are becoming more like badly behaved PCs, I regularly have to reboot my freeview box when it crashes. But that is another story. As I was saying we need a simple PC for the masses, one that surfs the web, sends emails, handles media, and does some of the othere things we use PCs for. When I got hold of an iPod touch, my immediate reaction was, this is it. This is all the computer most people need. It works. It is intuitive to operate and it doesn??t (seem to) crash. If only they made it a bit bigger, maybe had a optional keyboard and mouse. I should really mention these thoughts to Apple, I am sure it would take off???? I am going to spend my remaining days telling anyone who wants to buy a PC and doesn??t work in IT to get an iPad instead. Maybe Steve Jobs will give me one in lieu of commission.
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One big giant Iphone is what many people think about the new gadget from Apple, why is it we suddenly need to pack our bags with more electronic devices than we already have?
Electronic newspaper and a uprising market for e-books are the most important answers to do that question. Amazon already knew there was a market so they released the Kindle there weapon for dominating the e-book market, it has been going pretty well. Amazon expect a revenue around $750 million just on the Kindle alone in 2010.
The newspaper in paper form is going to be dead in a few years from now. Instead we are going to have what we can call the plastic newspaper, a thin piece of plastic paper that can transform every time there is a new issue out.
I have a KindleDX and enjoy reading and when my eyes are tired I turn on a female voice to read me to sleep, can’t top that. Also purchased a 64 gig IPad due to received April 3 which I expect the following Monday April 6 but what the hay. My kindle will be my companion but I just like having a new toy but it won’t take my Kindles place.. I have 4 Laptops/ 2 Desktops and I’m on the john now using one of my Laptops. I have them placed in stratgic locations for convience. Don’t imagine I will be too thrilled with my upcoming IPad but who knows what it might bring. My cheeks are getting sore so I will close. Best of
I agree with you that the Kindle wins, if you just want to read ebooks. What I like in the iPod, is its functionality. I just have to buy one device to read ebooks, surf the web, play games and so on. This is brilliant