it is going back.
Despite my knowing better, I went ahead and bought a Kindle since they lowered the price a bit and the idea of reading outside again appeals to me.
Sadly the only area where the Kindle shines, so to speak, is outside in the sunlight. I am not saying it is a bad device. However it truly is the iPhone of reading devices. As in it's a lot of fluff, smoke and mirrors. It tries to be many things and just does not deliver in a satisfying way for my expectations and needs.
First the physical design is just too awkward for me to use. The page forward button on the left is in the ideal location and is the ideal size allowing for a fairly wide array of hand sizes. The page back buttons might as well not even be present. The are impossible to reach w/o moving my hand position. And any repositioning of my hand makes it feel like I am going to drop the Kindle instantly.
Holding the device...there is NOWHERE to easily hold the device w/o feeling as if it is going to fall. The rubberized back cover over the battery compartment is a nice touch but better still would be an elastic strap to slip you hand between the Kindle and the strap. It could be designed for lefties and righties easily enough.
Next, for me, and this is specifically something I just have to deal with, but the Kindle it too thin. I have a difficult time gripping anything with either hand. I use super fat pens & pencils just to write. A regular pen or pencil is sheer agony. Now, if the above strap was attached I believe the whole problem goes away. And yeah, I could fabricate a strap with little problem. In fact I would if I was going to keep the thing.
I actually like the keyboard. I found it to be almost invisible to me as I was reading on the device. I also liked the feel of the key click.
Next is the Whispernet...great idea...LOUSY execution from a hardware standpoint. I happen to use the exact same Sprint Mobile Broadband service over which Whispernet functions. I am extremely intimate with it how well it works and signal strengths here in my town and home. I am under 300 yards from a tower. I get FAST (1.2-1.8Mbps) download speeds and never get other than an EVDO Rev.A connection on any of my devices which I use on the service. Well, the Kindle was lucky to achieve 1xRTT connections. Which for those who don't know, well that is not much faster than dial-up...say in the 0.050Mpbs-0.125Mbps (or 50k-125k) speeds. Additionally it dropped the connection frequently. Now this is not a really bad thing since is not surrently intended for serious web use and as a rule books will download fine and in under a couple minutes 90% of the time. But it is still a failure to deliver on the promised specs...a big time failure. Poor range would make me wonder how it will function in fringe areas which are already just 1xRTT service. Likely in those areas the Kindle Whispernet will not function at all. I consider this a negative and failure to deliver on the portability aspect of the device. Of course mine could simply be buggy.
Next the menu system. It's not awful, but for a $350 device the lack of a touch display is a big negative. Still, I could live w/o it easily enough, I mean all I want to use this device for was to read books and maybe even a newspaper or magazine. I found navigating the menu system sort of, quaint, and soooooo very 1982. But it serves it's function well enough.
Last I have my biggest love/hate issue with the Kindle...the uninspiring Vizplex Eink display. In normal room light the display is marginal due to the lack of contrast from the grey background. It simply must be whiter. If I held it 'just ever so' I could read fine and easily enough. But then again one cannot count on perfect lighting everywhere you go. Then is the part I LOVE about the display....outside...hands down the best thing around...outside in the bright sunlight. This is where I am not sure if a whiter background would have the opposite effect on reading under bright lights, making the display harder to read outside. So, I don't know...all I know is I am not thrilled nor is the e-ink display the panacea the more zealous would have you believe.
I tried the web browsing...bleech...reminded me of NetFront on my Sony Clie nx73v. Worked a bit better yet still it is far from worth the effort for casual reading.
I liked the Wiki access a lot and the dictionary function is very nice...all is easy to use.
Overall the device would be about a 5 or 6 out of 10 from me. Mostly because it is not very flexible to use under many of the conditions where I would want to read. The obvious example is in bed. I use my Nokia N800 in bed w/o a light and my better half, she can just snore away completely unaware I am reading. Also detracting are the ergonomics. This thing is not designed to be held securely yet it is not designed to be put on a flat surface either...I think it's not sure what it wants to be...I personally find it as tedious and difficult to hold as a paperback. Of course the Whispernet's poor EVDO behavior is a big disappointment too, what good is it if the range is so limited I can't get or stay connected when I am just about 750ft from the tower?
For me it was exactly the same experience I had a few months back when I got to fiddle with one for about 20-mins....only more so...
Still it is a step towards a solid device...but for me it just does not deliver well enough on any of the issues important to my use and on the top of that list is the ability to hold the device w/o squeezing it and also the ability to read anywhere anytime.
I really tried to like it. The tech feels old and has a feel about it that makes one sense someone will replace it with a sub $200 device that does more in less than a year. I feel as if I overpaid for what it brings to the table. So, this one is indeed going to be returned. Bummer. (I am keeping the new Canon 40D I bought the same day though...hehehehe...it takes gooder pics
A walk in the park...)
BTW, one test I did not do with the Kindle was to bounce it off the floor as shown in the video on the Kindle site...and I failed to mention, the build quality, it's excellent with a solid feel. In fact it has a superior feel in terms of fit and finish.
Maybe the 2nd gen Kindle with work better for me...I think for most folks it's an excellent device but it is as underwhelming a reading device as the iPhone is a phone/internet/pda style device...