@Brian Lam:
-Can't share a kindle with your travel partner; Unlike a regular book, you can't just hand it over

Well, you can, you'd just be handing over your entire book collection.

-If you're flying abroad, downloading books = impossible after take off.

That's only true if you don't have access to a computer with a USB port or SD card reader. It's easy to buy from Amazon.com, download the file, and transfer it to the Kindle.

-Font sizes are relatively big and so the rating of page life is drastically less effective; a page in a book could be 2 pages on the kindle. Bring your charger.

Font sizes can be changed. If you like reading a tiny font, you're welcome to do so. If you have poor vision, you can use a huge font too.

My experience with the battery life has been varied... On the new original battery, I could read several chapters per day and have the Kindle last for more than two weeks (without any cellular use). After about 6 months, however, that was down to about 3 days. I replaced the battery ($20) and it's back to its old battery life.

phoenix96

I love the ditching-the-weight aspect of physical books. I've learned over the years to really pare down to essentials: do you really need that electric nose hair trimmer, or could you do without for a week (unless you do have noise-hair growth issues)?

There are extremes; I found ultralight gear from REI, and while interesting in concept, the microsized shaver's extra few ounces of lightness negated any shaving comfort or benefits. The company's tie-in with prisons should've clued me in, but alas.

All good points, Brian, but sometimes you can just do without, right?

iomatic

@robpruitt:

I am not aware that Amazon has any plans for a new Kindle in the immediate future. According to Bezos there will be a Kindle 2.0 but it is a ways off.

If I were Amazon I'd wait to dump money into Kindle 2 development in order to see if the unit proves popular enough to actually make money for them.

Personally I LOVE the idea of my Kindle but there are some annoyances I'd like to see them work out. One is the location of the on-off switch. When using the included leather cover the switch is in an awkward position. I'd also like to see a 'waterproof' skin to make it better for beach and pool use. I live in Washington state and we get a lot of water here so protection against any wetness is important.

All in all, the Kindle proves (to me) that electronic media is viable and I for one hope this is just the beginning.

PS - Anyone have any suggestions on screen cleaners or perhaps screen protectors?

cowboyshootist

"-Kindle reading in the pool on a float is freaking scary."

Just put your Kindle in a big zip-loc. You can easily still read it and turn the pages with the BIG buttons.

Noobs-R-Us

Isn't this review a bit late? I was under the impression Amazon was clearing these out for a new version in the next 3 months? Why couldn't this jerk put off his vacation until then? Gosh!

robpruitt

I can usually get at least 2 books out of a charge. One downer is that it cannot charge via the USB port, so one more charger to lug along. You can always buy more books at any computer, including an internet cafe - just purchase from Amazon, download to the computer and copy across to the Kindle. Not as sweet as the wireless store, but OK. I wish that Amazon would make a deal for wireless roaming in Canada, since Telus and Bell CDMA service should be compatible.

Canoehead

I prefer having that physical weight of a book though... And the tactile sense of finishing.

qella46021

I want the new one!!!

Strider-No.9

Lam makes some good points; I took my Kindle on vacation recently and it was well worth it. I read a lot more than I normally would, and faster. I didn't bring my charger because I thought I wouldn't need it, and I was sort of right, it lasted just over a week (no wireless). I'd love to say how much I used it on average but I can't remember, at least 1 hour a day though.

Nickolai_the_Russian_guy

@William C Bonner:

It's not necessarily 20 minutes, it's only until you reach 10,000 ft altitude which is usually just a few minutes after liftoff. Normally on the tarmac, if you're just sitting around, you can use electronic devices until the pilot gets ready to lift off. The big problem is when you're stuck on the tarmac due to traffic delays or weather. In that case you've always got the airline magazine...LOL

cowboyshootist

Can you get away with reading on this device during the first 20 minutes of flying, when "electronic devices" must be turned off? That's one of my biggest issues with any ebook situation vs a paper book, since you may be stuck on the tarmac for an extended amount of time.

William C Bonner

I've had my Kindle since mid May, and have never read more. (Oh, BTW, it feels like you're reading a regular book.) It's true that there a few minutes on take off and landing that you can't use it, but I've not found that to much of a problem, and not having pages to turn is a plus on a plane.

ender_of_sf

- If you're flying abroad, downloading books = impossible after take off.

Just like once you're on a plane it's impossible to buy a conventional book from a store at the terminal!

This is hardly a fault with the Kindle.

LittleJon

If they were cheaper and had more textbooks for students I would get one in a second. Caring textbooks around campus is a pain in the back and would also be easier on my wallet.

ultimpsycho

I *do* want a kindle. I *do not* want a $350 kindle

ercdvs

Am I the only one?.... I kept hitting keys like their were mines in a mine-field and I kept jumping pages or ending up where I didn't want to go. It pretty much drove me nuts. Anybody else had that impression? (If that was fixed as well as some UI issues, it would be pretty cool....)

altus

Interesting that you mention lack of eye strain as a plus for the Kindle and compare it to a computer screen. I've read some studies that say you sleep better if you stop using a computer or watching tv for half an hour to an hour before going to sleep (something I certainly have a hard time following) and recommend reading as a way to relax the eyes. Plus, just from personal experience I get way more eye strain from reading things on a computer screen than on paper. I wonder if it's just personal opinion that separates some from the others or if the Kindle is constructed in such a way as to minimize eye strain.

mhlaxp

I don't have newspaper subscriptions on my Kindle, but when I travel on business I download a few papers ala carte (like $0.75 an issue). Lots easier reading those on the plane than the physical paper.

Hyloka

I fly over 80,000 miles per year. Have had the Kindle since the day after it started shipping (thank you Amazon Prime!) and have flown around the world with it once and to Europe twice since then, as well as countless trips within the US. Had the Sony reader before that, but it wasn't nearly as useful.

The thing is freakin' magic for the frequent flier. Subscribe to the NYT and WSJ, forget to download the current issue? No biggie, flip the thing on during boarding or even at pushback and you'll have the current issue downloaded before you rotate off the tarmac. Violation of the rules? Sure. But it's CDMA... doesn't interfere at all in comparison with GSM.

Need a new book or three? Buy 'em during boarding, they're on the device before you're wheels up. I carry around something like 50 books and four newspapers on my Kindle at any one time. I don't daily download the paper every day while abroad but do so at least every other day to the SD card. It's fast, easy, and so much more convenient than carrying around folding newsprint. The Kindle is the ultimate travel/coffeehouse companion.

Buford T. Justice

I really want a kindle. But yeah $350 is too much. Maybe if it's $150-200

reddevil

@altus:

Nope you're not the only one. The button placement seems designed to make it near impossible to pick up casually without turning pages accidentally.

I took one to Asia for three weeks and the usability issues were so bad I ended up getting a Sony Reader instead. In the end the wireless and keyboard were not useful enough to offset the extra bulk and I just couldn't get over the amazingly bad industrial design.

gilamon

How is the screen quality of the Kindle? I usually have to read fairly long .pdf's and it bothers my eyes after too long.

At $350 it would have to be pretty awesome, especially since I buy most of my books used for $1-5 and ~$5 shipping.

anonymousryan

@gilamon:

Yes, that is exactly my experience. The concept is great. Technology reference books etc... in the lightest package, music, novels etc... But... Couldn't use it....

altus

@William C Bonner: Bro if you're that close to taking off the stewardess' will be seated with their seatbelts fastened as well so they can't walk around and tell you not to use gadgets. I mean no laptops but I've think I turned my iPod off one time for them. Now I always listen on takeoff.

transzoo

Apologies up front for the long post. Thanks for the write-up Brian.

I have several friends and relatives interested in eBook readers and right now I'm telling them to either wait for new products to come out this fall, or buy the current Sony Reader.

I've read more in the month since I got my Reader than I have in the last two years combined. Will that continue? Hard to say, but right now I'm using it daily and happily boxing up my books.

Things I like about the Reader:
-screen turns on quickly
-supports multiple formats, including most text-heavy PDF's
-free .lit to .lrf converter is available (it's called calibre)
-drag and drop said formats right onto the Reader's memory in Windows (very easy)
-screen is beautiful and easy to read, especially in direct sunlight
-mp3 playback (perfect for Pimsleur language lessons)
-sexy leather jacket comes free
-latest firmware update allows for use of large (and cheap) SD cards
-formfactor is nearly perfect. It's discreet, with a weighty, rounded feel. Jacket removes easily.
-price @ $299 includes 100 free, well formatted classics
-love how it remembers where I left off on all the books I am reading. Also has a well placed bookmark button and multiple bookmark system in the book menu.
-no complaints about battery life (yet) 2-3 weeks of continuous use without a charge seems not be out of the question.
-mini USB charge (ie) no adaptor necessary (or included)
-Sony's warranty is decent and optionally extended at any point in the coming year (for a price).

Don't like:
-relatively slow menu speed
-no dictionary currently available on the Sony eBook store, or embedded in the Reader software itself.
-Sony eBook store is not as deep as what's on Amazon.com, though .lrf are popping up at 3rd party e-stores.
-screen is a touch too reflective when using artificial light. Only a touch.

I considered the Kindle, but it seems not to be available at amazon.ca (in Canada) - and the wireless network won't work here anyway. So choosing the Reader was a no-brainer, as it's cheaper and has free shipping. I have numerous connecting flights and hotels on my upcoming vacation and I've loaded my iteraries, as well as maps onto the Reader for quick reference. Not sure how I feel about pool/ocean-side use...seems a touch risky, but I will probably give it a try. Sunscreen smudges be damned.

hastyp

@Buford T. Justice:

Violation of the rules? Sure. But it's CDMA... doesn't interfere at all in comparison with GSM.

Yeah, all those rules are for other folks who don't know how to second guess engineers.

strider_mt2k

I really like the idea of the Kindle, and got to play around with my grandma's (it's lots of fun), but since I'm a bit of a materialistic consumer whore, I love having actual books laying around my house.

If the Kindle was more like a library (read: free books), I'd go for it. But buying something and not having anything "real" to show for it kind of irks me

The Sword Master

I would love to get a Kindle, but the problem is paying for every damn book. There's a reason I go to my public library at least once a week. I might think about it if there was some sort of Netflix-like subscription service (unlimited books per month but only 1 to 3 at a time, books are removed from your device when you "return" them.) I'd probably be willing to pay $10-$15/month for it. There isn't anything like that, is there?

selianth

@hastyp: They need to add service in Canada - I live in the States but go back to Canada to visit family and friends a lot, and on my last 2 trips lots of people were interested in the Kindle. Since Canada is one of the few places with US-compatible CDMA, it should be a no brainer.

Canoehead

I would love, Love, LOVE a Kindle, but a) it's too cost prohibitive right now. I think a $199 Kindle would sell like hotcakes; and b) most of my books are in Palm/iSilo format and I'd bet dollars to donuts that Kindle would not read them.

William Mize

I travel a lot and read a lot, so I really, really want a Kindle. Given that I've waited this long though, it'd be silly to get one before they release 2.0, whenever that is. If they add a decent PDF reader and address some of the design issues, I'd pay $350 for it. Although if they lowered the price to $250, I'd buy the current version today and settle for the clunky user-created PDF-reading hacks.

SF_iris

@berribrand:

Rumor in my parts is they are working on two new kindles two different sizes -text book and 1handers and both have cosmetic redos. But yeah the pricing is unrealistic to me. I frequently buy used books, and $350 in used books is like 3 years of books.

SeattleTed

-
I use the OLPC as reader myself. The flip screen works great, the contrast is perfect for out in the sunshine and the OLPC laughs at saltwater, sun screen and beach sand.

@selianth:
I don't know of any Netflix for books, but I do know there are thousands of free e-books avaliable all over the internets. From Project Guttenberg to Tor Books to cc lisenced books, you can find just about anything to fit your taste.

IchabodCrane

Can't wait for the supposed Kindle 2.0 allegedly coming out Oct 2008. I was going to trade in my old Sony PRS-500 for a Sony PRS-505 (cuz they give a trade in $100 credit), but I might wait for this rumored 2.0.

berribrand

I bought my kindle after living full time in Spain for 3 years and paying 10-12 euros ($15-18) for english language paperbacks from GB. Now I'm about to go back for the winter and I expect it to pay for itself in one winter.

I love my kindle. I read more (would have thought that impossible b4 I bought it) and there's less eye strain, easier portability, etc.

It's nothing like reading on a computer screen. No backlight, no eye strain. e-ink is the cat's ass!

I'm kind of a butter fingers anyway, and the learning curve for not accidentally turning pages or ending up back "Home" was pretty high for me, but I got there eventually. It helped a lot when I got some of that velcro tape that's sticky on both sides and stuck a big strip on the back of the thing, securing it to the holder. Way less unintended navigation now.

Haven't had any battery issues yet, but it's only been 3 months. I'm gonna buy a spare before I go back to Spain.

stubear

@selianth: @IchabodCrane:

While Ichabod is correct that books in the public domain (eg, in US any book copyrighted before 1923) can be found for free online, certain local libraries are also now developing ebook lending practices.

New York City's Public Library, for example, has developed such a platform: ebooks.nypl.org. As an example, they have Freakonomics in their e-library - this is a relatively recent publication.

digress20

The worst thing about Kindle is that Amazon do not want to sell it out of USA. I'm Italian and I buy a lot of English books, both technical manuals and mystery novels. While Kindle books cost usually a lot more than used paperbacks, I would be able to cut the delays and shipping expenses. I do not care to be able to download books wirelessly, since I'm connected to Internet all the day long anyway. I usually read one book a day when I'm on vacation (so I usually pack about 15 books to be able to discard some of them in the middle). A kindle will surely help my wife packing issues and thus my nerves.
But Amazon do not want to sell me one... Boo.

diddum

The best advantage in my opinion is that it enables you to read in direct sunlight on a bright day. If you've tried that with a book then you know that the glare is so blinding that it makes it virtually impossible to look at a page for more than a few seconds.

Dathan

When are amazon going to release the kindle in europe? The only readers available here are total rubbish and unsupported. C'mon amazon get it in gear!!

pwhitsa