Amazon Kindle

[Rob Graff]

Anyone on the board have one of these? And if so, Impressions?

It has captured my interest, and I'm considering purchasing. But I'd like people's impressions before I do.

Rob

[Pinball]

“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore,” he said. “Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.” - Steve Jobs in response to the Kindle

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/the-passion-of-steve-jobs/index.html

[Zeuslax]

I really like it. It's great for travel, which I do a lot of. The weight is limited and the lighting quality is great. They actually went with black and white to increase clarity. The availability of products is nice and the ability to download is great. Let me know if you have any specific questions. There are a few other products coming out in the next few weeks. They are a little behind with production, so if you anticipate buying one you'll need to account for the lag time.

[laxfan25]

I had seen reviews of the Kindle and another reader - plusses and minuses for each. I didn't pay a lot of attention, can't even remember the brand.
One complaint on one of them were the large "buttons" on the left and right of the screen, too easy to press accidentally. I believe there were differences in amount/cost and ease of uploading new info.
They have improved the clarity of type dramatically on both, this is very viable technology now but I think I'll wait until future versions come out - better and cheaper.
Not really an effective way for a ref to carry the rules manual on the field!

[LaxRef]

I had seen reviews of the Kindle and another reader - plusses and minuses for each. I didn't pay a lot of attention, can't even remember the brand.
One complaint on one of them were the large "buttons" on the left and right of the screen, too easy to press accidentally. I believe there were differences in amount/cost and ease of uploading new info.
They have improved the clarity of type dramatically on both, this is very viable technology now but I think I'll wait until future versions come out - better and cheaper.
Not really an effective way for a ref to carry the rules manual on the field!

We're not really supposed to do that anyway, we're supposed to know them!

In any case, if I did have rules on a portable device I'd want them in a searchable format.

[Rob Graff]

Thanks - I'm going to search around for the "expert" reviews as well - cnet comes to mind.

Zeus - after you have purchased a book, and you are done reading it, do you save it to another device?

Rob

[LaxTV_Admin]

We're not really supposed to do that anyway, we're supposed to know them!

Don't worry, if you forget, I am certain a coach will remind you. If you are lucky they will have the rule book in their own Amazon Kindle to point out the error of your ways

[laxfan25]

after you have purchased a book, and you are done reading it, do you save it to another device?

From Wikipedia -

Notes
Although it supports unprotected Mobipocket books (.MOBI, .PRC), plain text files, and HTML and Word documents, Kindle also uses its own proprietary, DRM-restricted format (AZW). It does not fully support the widely accepted PDF format, but Amazon provides "experimental" conversion to the native AZW format. A user may also convert PDF files to supported formats using third-party software.
The Kindle Terms of Use forbid transferring eBooks to someone else or using them on a different device. This has been criticized by the Free Software Foundation and free software advocates including Mark Pilgrim.

[Rob Graff]

Didn't even think to look at Wiki - thanks!

[TheBearcatHimself]

My initial thoughts were to recoil and laugh at this concept of the Kindle. So I went and watched the video on Amazon and was more impressed than I thought I'd be. The concept does seem viable, despite Jobs' proclamation that "people just don't read books anymore." Amazon seems to have tried to cover many print media options apart from books, so this really is not a fully founded argument.

Some things that stood out to be problematic to my simple eye were, as someone stated earlier, the very large and long and awkward flapping next page buttons. They pretty much force you to hold the device at the bottom. If you sit for a long time with a book or newspaper you often hold it in many different ways to relax the hands, this seems tricky with the Kindle.

The other very awkward feature is the scroll wheel which seems small and extremely limiting in terms of versatility. I may be tainted by the iPhone here, but anything less than touch screen just seems obsolete now.

And finally the "electronic paper" feature sounded great to me, so great that it was the concept that made me think this was most viable. But in the Amazon video the first seen is of the guy holding it in the park and you can see a glare on the screen and then he shifts it so the camera doesn't catch it. I question the validity of this "anti-glare" technology.

Interesting device, if they follow Apple's lead and some of the "in-the-works" technologies I've seen for Microsoft then hopefully they will employ more touch sensitive technology to free up abilities and increase screen space.

[Zeuslax]

Zeus - after you have purchased a book, and you are done reading it, do you save it to another device?

Rob

Sorry it took so long to reply. I haven't purchased any books as I'm attempting to polish off a few hard backs that I already have. I mostly got it to limit the weight when on the road, so I'm looking forward to dropping a few pounds of books in the coming weeks. I know some have questioned the ergonomics of the device. I actually like them as it provides reading position flexibility. The touch screen features and color options were fully explored by Amazon and they decided against it. There's a good discussion with Bezos on Charlie Rose (PBS site) if you want additional background information.

[Rob Graff]

Thanks for all the input people!

But due to the fact that some complete Jerk(s) saw fit to break into my car (doing much damage) and steal my Ipod (30 gig), Sirius satelite head unit and phone, I'm now exploring my options for replacing those goods - Purchasing a new toy is (in the words of Monty Python Holy Grail - holy hand grenade scene) "right out."

Unlike the Federal govt, I cannot just go borrow $ from China, and then expect my progeny to pay off the debt.....

[byualum]

Thanks for all the input people!

But due to the fact that some complete Jerk(s) saw fit to break into my car (doing much damage) and steal my Ipod (30 gig), Sirius satelite head unit and phone, I'm now exploring my options for replacing those goods - Purchasing a new toy is (in the words of Monty Python Holy Grail - holy hand grenade scene) "right out."

Unlike the Federal govt, I cannot just go borrow $ from China, and then expect my progeny to pay off the debt.....

Perhaps you could send the killer rabbit or the black knight after said Jerk(s)...

[Zeuslax]

Unlike the Federal govt, I cannot just go borrow $ from China, and then expect my progeny to pay off the debt.....

Ohh come on Mr. Graff, I'm sure you could find a way to work it into the Duluth dues structure.

[Pinball]

This probably just an act by Steve Jobs and his henchman trying to prove the point that people do not read anymore.........