Comments on: Larger Kindle Panacea for Publishers?

By: mannbrady

mannbrady — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:10:00 +0000

I for one am visually challenged and prefer a hard copy book where i canj focus very carefully on the words. Although I do read rapidly I just need my hard copy.

By: Tony Pittman

Tony Pittman — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:00:01 +0000

Alright, they got me. I have the Kindle 1, and was holding off on getting Kindle 2. Now, I’m glad I waited, because I think the DX is going to be great. Hope they start shipping in June as promised.

By: Steve Brady

Steve Brady — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:51:31 +0000

Agreed–the little keyboard has something to be desired. Might I suggest you consider a “used” Kindle 1?

Also, some friends of mine are taking my little “macro” for editing the clippings file, and significantly improving and extending it–and making it work across OS platforms. If they are successful, you will be able to do some AMAZING things with that highlight/clipping file.

By: Steve Swartz

Steve Swartz — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:57:21 +0000

OBTW I don’t really consider the maxi-chiclet keyboard of the Kindle to be that great. Again, I only got to fondle a K1 briefly just last week so my opinion should be discounted.

Consider me an “enthusiastic potential adopter” who sees “a weak value proposition”

By: Steve Swartz

Steve Swartz — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:55:26 +0000

O.K. in WSJ today . . . the unit will cost $489 and is bigger (a bit) and heavier (a lot).

But it also has “greatly improved capabilities.”

You can buy a netbook for a lot less, and get a real computer.

I think Kindle has just messed up their price point big time . . .

(I would snap up a Kindle 2 today at $99; even if my fears of being in an “entangling alliance” with the content providers. My expectation actually is that the Kindle should be free as long as I sing a contract with the content providers a la the cellphone model.)

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:33:59 +0000

Hell yes I want bigger. I’m a former stu of Steve’s and I can’t stand the tiny keys on my Blackberry and other small screens. I’m working on my second masters degree, and to this day I still print out much of what I have to read because I can’t “get into” reading a 600 page text off a pdf doc from a device or even my laptop. Only way I’d buy one of these things is if it had the traditional layout of a piece of paper but be thinner than the notebook computer.

By: Steve Brady

Steve Brady — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:29:36 +0000

I don’t know. The students I talk to say they would like bigger. Not sure how much bigger, but they would like to see the “full page.” Of course, I try to tell them that the notion of a “full page” goes away with the Kindle, but there is still that “sense” of layout that they like.

And, I must say, I am intrigued by the idea of something the size of a piece of paper, but not much thicker than a pencil. Make the device so that it provides a sufficiently large viewing area, with not much increase in the total device size, and I think they might have a run-away win here.

If the image provided is anything close to real, note that the keyboard is missing, and the device “seems to be” a touch screen. This could allow for a reduction in overall size with a larger viewing area. On the other hand, unless the model holding the “rumor-Kindle” is extremely petite, the device does look more like an 11×14 than 8 1/2 x 11.

By: steve

steve — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:27:32 +0000

I don’t get this larger Kindle. Students don’t want bigger. I don’t want bigger. The Kindle 2 is sized ‘just right’. Color would be an improvement. I won’t carry this around. Is this the publishing industry maintaining a ‘heads up their ass’ posture?
Just don’t ‘get it’.