What You Should Know About The New Amazon Kindle Wireless Ebook Reader
Stuart Hawley asked:
IS THE KINDLE READER AS GOOD AS AMAZON SAYS IT IS? – AND WHAT ABOUT THE COMPETITION?
With the recent release of the Amazon Kindle ebook reader the Sony ebook reader range face some competition in this new and getting hotter market. Interestingly enough, most reviewers either love it or hate it – there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground, despite it having some really neat features. Admittedly, a lot of the complaints seem to be where buyers have a specific requirement and the Kindle doesn’t offer that function.
In all fairness, if you need it for something specific then make sure that it can do it!. Users, whilst generally hating the design, really love the functionality of the Kindle reader in that the navigation buttons are on either side so left or right handed people can use it with ease. The display, a 6″ diagonal E-Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 4-level gray scale which uses e ink {although converted electronically} tries to emulate newsprint and as such can be read easily in sunlight without the normal glare associated with PC screens. The Qwerty keyboard is used to control and take advantage of the Whispernet technology for downloading and surfing – it’s a direct connection and doesn’t need Wifi hotspots or ISP’s. The battery, which takes about two hours to charge will give you one week of reading but much less if you’re downloading but should last about 2 days.
You have access to Wikipedia, about 250 top blogs and a whole host of Newspapers. The fact that it is only the size of a paperback and weighs just 10.3 ounces with a capacity of 200 books means you’ll never be short of reading material and the easily adjustable font size allows you to find a comfortable reading level according to the ambience around you. It doesn’t incorporate a backlit screen though so, if like me, you like reading in bed you’ll still be juggling about with the torch!
If you’re expecting an all singin’ dancin’ piece of technology in this ebook reader you’ll probably be disappointed since it doesn’t fully support PDF {The Kindle can read unsecured Mobipocket books, and Amazon has provided a still experimental converter for unsecured PDFs}. There is, however, no way to read encrypted versions of either format- annotating articles isn’t possible – you’re limited to the Kindle ebooks available and their pricing structure, also remember that the screen is black and white so magazine articles and pics will take some adjusting to.
The MP3 player seems to be causing some problems as it will only random play and the user has little control over this aspect and users think that Amazon, with its own encrypted books, are trying to ensure that all content comes from them and are just trying to exercise too much control. You can transfer over unencrypted ebooks via SD card or even email them to yourself but the latter choice incurs a 10c fee. There are a few options for storage if you exceed the Kindles memory – you can store them onto a SD card and then transfer them to your PC via USB or Amazon can store them online for you and it does seem possible that you can access Streamload’s site via the Whispernet facility to up and download as you wish.
The main controversy that the Kindle reader opens up is that of pricing, not only of the reader itself but of ebooks in general. Many users of the reader are complaining about the price of some of the ebooks where there is only a small reduction in price compared to the hard back copy. Ebooks are growing in popularity all the time and it is going to be a while though before all publishers and retailers will get their heads together and sort out some commonalities. In comparison the Sony ebook readers don’t have the advantage of the e-ink screen and may be more difficult to read in certain lighting conditions but it does give you easier access to a wider and cheaper range of ebooks.
So should you buy one? – if the higher price tag doesn’t concern you and you’re one of the “gotta have’s” then you’ve probably already decided it should be on your list – personally I’d look at some of the alternatives and wait for not only a later version, which will probably be significantly cheaper anyway, but some of the niggling problem areas may well have been sorted.
For those of you that want more info go to http://www.ebookerstore.com/kindle/kindle_ebook_reader.html
IS THE KINDLE READER AS GOOD AS AMAZON SAYS IT IS? – AND WHAT ABOUT THE COMPETITION?
With the recent release of the Amazon Kindle ebook reader the Sony ebook reader range face some competition in this new and getting hotter market. Interestingly enough, most reviewers either love it or hate it – there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground, despite it having some really neat features. Admittedly, a lot of the complaints seem to be where buyers have a specific requirement and the Kindle doesn’t offer that function.
In all fairness, if you need it for something specific then make sure that it can do it!. Users, whilst generally hating the design, really love the functionality of the Kindle reader in that the navigation buttons are on either side so left or right handed people can use it with ease. The display, a 6″ diagonal E-Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 4-level gray scale which uses e ink {although converted electronically} tries to emulate newsprint and as such can be read easily in sunlight without the normal glare associated with PC screens. The Qwerty keyboard is used to control and take advantage of the Whispernet technology for downloading and surfing – it’s a direct connection and doesn’t need Wifi hotspots or ISP’s. The battery, which takes about two hours to charge will give you one week of reading but much less if you’re downloading but should last about 2 days.
You have access to Wikipedia, about 250 top blogs and a whole host of Newspapers. The fact that it is only the size of a paperback and weighs just 10.3 ounces with a capacity of 200 books means you’ll never be short of reading material and the easily adjustable font size allows you to find a comfortable reading level according to the ambience around you. It doesn’t incorporate a backlit screen though so, if like me, you like reading in bed you’ll still be juggling about with the torch!
If you’re expecting an all singin’ dancin’ piece of technology in this ebook reader you’ll probably be disappointed since it doesn’t fully support PDF {The Kindle can read unsecured Mobipocket books, and Amazon has provided a still experimental converter for unsecured PDFs}. There is, however, no way to read encrypted versions of either format- annotating articles isn’t possible – you’re limited to the Kindle ebooks available and their pricing structure, also remember that the screen is black and white so magazine articles and pics will take some adjusting to.
The MP3 player seems to be causing some problems as it will only random play and the user has little control over this aspect and users think that Amazon, with its own encrypted books, are trying to ensure that all content comes from them and are just trying to exercise too much control. You can transfer over unencrypted ebooks via SD card or even email them to yourself but the latter choice incurs a 10c fee. There are a few options for storage if you exceed the Kindles memory – you can store them onto a SD card and then transfer them to your PC via USB or Amazon can store them online for you and it does seem possible that you can access Streamload’s site via the Whispernet facility to up and download as you wish.
The main controversy that the Kindle reader opens up is that of pricing, not only of the reader itself but of ebooks in general. Many users of the reader are complaining about the price of some of the ebooks where there is only a small reduction in price compared to the hard back copy. Ebooks are growing in popularity all the time and it is going to be a while though before all publishers and retailers will get their heads together and sort out some commonalities. In comparison the Sony ebook readers don’t have the advantage of the e-ink screen and may be more difficult to read in certain lighting conditions but it does give you easier access to a wider and cheaper range of ebooks.
So should you buy one? – if the higher price tag doesn’t concern you and you’re one of the “gotta have’s” then you’ve probably already decided it should be on your list – personally I’d look at some of the alternatives and wait for not only a later version, which will probably be significantly cheaper anyway, but some of the niggling problem areas may well have been sorted.
For those of you that want more info go to http://www.ebookerstore.com/kindle/kindle_ebook_reader.html
Is Amazon’s Kindle Ebook Reader a Money-making Opportunity for Authors and Publishers?
Miles Galliford asked:
Jeff Bezos changed the way people choose and buy books when he started Amazon. For many authors, Amazon has been a lifeline, breathing new life into books that had long since stopped being stocked by most bookshops. Amazon’s clever reader reviews, recommendations and “people who bought this also bought” feature have pulled dusty, forgotten books from the back of the store and stuck them in the front window again.
Now Bezos and the Amazon team are taking their revolution one step further. On November 16, 2007, they finally launched their much-anticipated electronic-book reader, the Kindle.
This new device is intended to make reading a book as easy and pleasurable on a portable screen as it is on paper. The big advantages the device has are that it can store more than 200 books, it can easily be updated with new books and it is light and portable. Most books, including new best sellers, cost $9.99. Some classics can be downloaded for as little as $1.99. Subscriptions to newspapers, magazines and blogs can cost 99 cents each or up to $14 a month.
Will the Kindle Succeed?
Content is going digital, of that we can be sure. Books, newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, courses and videos are all migrating to the Web. Many content producers are fighting the move, because making money online is seen as being far more problematic than in the “real” world, but user behavior is forcing the shift. Every bit of research undertaken on user habits clearly shows a reduction in the use of traditional media and an increase in the use of the Internet. In one survey of the “born digital” generation (that’s 12- to 18-year-olds), 87% said they consider the Web to be their primary source of information. These are the customers of tomorrow.
Does it follow that if content is going digital, then a product such as the Kindle, which makes this content portable, will likely be a great success?
My feeling is that portable reading devices will eventually become the norm, but it certainly won’t happen overnight, for several reasons. First and foremost, there is fundamentally nothing wrong with the paper book. People like books. They are used to them. Books don’t crash. They can be shared. I think the baby boomer generation will take a lot of convincing to move to electronic books. The advantages are negligible for the average casual reader.
Second is the cost. The Kindle is being launched at $399, plus $9.99 for each book. That is a lot of paperbacks for little advantage. In addition, Amazon has decided to charge for a lot of information that is free on the Web, such as newspapers and blogs. Had they provided this information for free and just charged for books, they might have attracted the Web generation. As it is, early adopters will download the blogs and newspapers onto their smartphones and stick with paper books.
“So as a Content Creator, Should I Ignore the Kindle?”
No! While I don’t think there is anything that you need to do immediately, you should proactively monitor how Kindle and similar products do. Portable reading devices will come of age and be an important means of distributing content. In the meantime, I can see several trends that could encourage their uptake and that could become near-term opportunities for the specialist information publisher:
- Business books – I think that ebook readers could be adopted by companies to distribute business books, reports, industry magazines and blogs.
- Schools and colleges – I believe there is a huge opportunity for schools and colleges to utilize these devices to provide a much greater variety of books and information for their students. It is common for teachers and professors to have their students read just a single chapter of a textbook, but this can be impractical in the physical world. Ebook readers could be the answer.
- Books without publishers – More and more books are being written and published without publishers. Many of them are available only in digital format to minimize costs for authors. If this trend continues, which I think it will, then ebook readers could become important devices.
- Value-added books – One trend that could happen is books becoming enhanced by third-party comments. For example, Tony Blair could add notes to Bill Clinton’s autobiography, giving his perspective on events. In a digital content world, annotating and distributing the enhanced version would be easy to do.
- Free books – There are thousands of books out of copyright. If these books became available for free to people with ebook readers, it could create demand.
- Green pressure – Creating books, newspapers and magazines is a very energy-wasting, resource-draining, green-unfriendly process. We chop down trees, transport them to factories, mash them into pulp, move the pulp to other factories to press into sheets, ship the sheets to plants to cover them with ink, then use large machines to cut and bind them, and finally ship them around the world. The ebook reader makes this whole process go away. This could be one of the biggest factors that will make ebook readers successful.
Conclusion
Ebook readers will take off in the future as the technology improves, prices drop and the “born digital” generation becomes the mass market. In the meantime, there will be pockets of opportunity for online content publishers. You will need to keep an eye on developments and be creative to generate revenues from this opportunity.
Jeff Bezos changed the way people choose and buy books when he started Amazon. For many authors, Amazon has been a lifeline, breathing new life into books that had long since stopped being stocked by most bookshops. Amazon’s clever reader reviews, recommendations and “people who bought this also bought” feature have pulled dusty, forgotten books from the back of the store and stuck them in the front window again.
Now Bezos and the Amazon team are taking their revolution one step further. On November 16, 2007, they finally launched their much-anticipated electronic-book reader, the Kindle.
This new device is intended to make reading a book as easy and pleasurable on a portable screen as it is on paper. The big advantages the device has are that it can store more than 200 books, it can easily be updated with new books and it is light and portable. Most books, including new best sellers, cost $9.99. Some classics can be downloaded for as little as $1.99. Subscriptions to newspapers, magazines and blogs can cost 99 cents each or up to $14 a month.
Will the Kindle Succeed?
Content is going digital, of that we can be sure. Books, newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, courses and videos are all migrating to the Web. Many content producers are fighting the move, because making money online is seen as being far more problematic than in the “real” world, but user behavior is forcing the shift. Every bit of research undertaken on user habits clearly shows a reduction in the use of traditional media and an increase in the use of the Internet. In one survey of the “born digital” generation (that’s 12- to 18-year-olds), 87% said they consider the Web to be their primary source of information. These are the customers of tomorrow.
Does it follow that if content is going digital, then a product such as the Kindle, which makes this content portable, will likely be a great success?
My feeling is that portable reading devices will eventually become the norm, but it certainly won’t happen overnight, for several reasons. First and foremost, there is fundamentally nothing wrong with the paper book. People like books. They are used to them. Books don’t crash. They can be shared. I think the baby boomer generation will take a lot of convincing to move to electronic books. The advantages are negligible for the average casual reader.
Second is the cost. The Kindle is being launched at $399, plus $9.99 for each book. That is a lot of paperbacks for little advantage. In addition, Amazon has decided to charge for a lot of information that is free on the Web, such as newspapers and blogs. Had they provided this information for free and just charged for books, they might have attracted the Web generation. As it is, early adopters will download the blogs and newspapers onto their smartphones and stick with paper books.
“So as a Content Creator, Should I Ignore the Kindle?”
No! While I don’t think there is anything that you need to do immediately, you should proactively monitor how Kindle and similar products do. Portable reading devices will come of age and be an important means of distributing content. In the meantime, I can see several trends that could encourage their uptake and that could become near-term opportunities for the specialist information publisher:
- Business books – I think that ebook readers could be adopted by companies to distribute business books, reports, industry magazines and blogs.
- Schools and colleges – I believe there is a huge opportunity for schools and colleges to utilize these devices to provide a much greater variety of books and information for their students. It is common for teachers and professors to have their students read just a single chapter of a textbook, but this can be impractical in the physical world. Ebook readers could be the answer.
- Books without publishers – More and more books are being written and published without publishers. Many of them are available only in digital format to minimize costs for authors. If this trend continues, which I think it will, then ebook readers could become important devices.
- Value-added books – One trend that could happen is books becoming enhanced by third-party comments. For example, Tony Blair could add notes to Bill Clinton’s autobiography, giving his perspective on events. In a digital content world, annotating and distributing the enhanced version would be easy to do.
- Free books – There are thousands of books out of copyright. If these books became available for free to people with ebook readers, it could create demand.
- Green pressure – Creating books, newspapers and magazines is a very energy-wasting, resource-draining, green-unfriendly process. We chop down trees, transport them to factories, mash them into pulp, move the pulp to other factories to press into sheets, ship the sheets to plants to cover them with ink, then use large machines to cut and bind them, and finally ship them around the world. The ebook reader makes this whole process go away. This could be one of the biggest factors that will make ebook readers successful.
Conclusion
Ebook readers will take off in the future as the technology improves, prices drop and the “born digital” generation becomes the mass market. In the meantime, there will be pockets of opportunity for online content publishers. You will need to keep an eye on developments and be creative to generate revenues from this opportunity.
What are people saying?