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Originally Posted by RSaunders
1) Do you like daily charging better than computer docking? The Kindle has a radio that allows it to be updated by Amazon, but it gives you daily charging instead of the monthly charging of the Sony Reader. I charge my Sony by plugging it into my computer's USB port. So, if it has to be plugged in every day, why spend $$ on a radio?
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My Sony reader never lasted a month. I charged it daily, but when I didn't it lasted about 5-6 days. So far my Kindle seems to be lasting 2-3 days. So the difference is not as big as you imply. I'm sure I can push my Kindle further if I don't use the radio/wireless feature.
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Originally Posted by RSaunders
2) How often do you buy books? I buy 3-4 books at a time, a behavior I have had in pbook stores, on Amazon, and now with my Reader. It takes me hours to read a book, that's why they are a good entertainment value. I'm about 100 books behind, so I don't mind 2 day pbook delay from Amazon.com. Do you buy books every day?
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Nope, but I do let my Kindle download two newspapers a day, which it does automatically before I wake up.
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Originally Posted by RSaunders
3) Is the EVDO Internet the killer app? My kid has an iPhone, so he has Internet at the same speed. He has full web features, and color, and it was really cool for a couple of weeks. Now, he never uses it. Sure, wikipedia is a cool thing to have. But I have a laptop with WiFi right on my desk, when I'm reading I can go for ages without using it.
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I don't think EVDO matters. But I do think that eventually high-speed wireless web access anywhere is a killer app, but the exact perfect device has not appeared yet.
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Originally Posted by RSaunders
4) Are you going to buy a lot of Amazon books, now that you know that there are lots of places to get DRM-free books? I buy books from Sony, well, almost never, because I can get books in other formats with much more diversity. I'll spend 5 minutes on my computer to convert a book to Sony format, sometimes to save $5, other times to get a book Sony isn't listing. I read hundreds of pages every week (mostly SF) and I never seem to need Sony titles.
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I found a lot of that to be too much personal hassle and most books I read are only available with DRM anyways. For me, it's about the available easy-to-get content.
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Originally Posted by RSaunders
I really want Kindle to succeed. I'd like to see Amazon take over and sell books to all the eBook readers. Surely, beating Sony's store could be done with one hand behind their back. I just can't seem to breakout of the notion that Amazon sees this as a hardware play, being in the gadget business. If they were trying to be in the book business, priceless.
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I don't see this at all as a "hardware play". I think the key elements that make the Kindle unique: Amazon Catalog & Wireless Delivery are hardware less features. I expect Amazon to release more models. But does it seem that alien that eventually Amazon could merge or buy the Sony store? Amazon makes their money through content. Considering the amount of wireless data they are subsidizing for each hardware sale, I am not sure they are making any serious money with hardware sales alone.