Kindle fustrations

[jbcohen]

Does not represent my opinion, rather that of the IT industry.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscente...ritations.html

What's your opinion.

[Kevin2960]

Great, when will these people get it into their heads ... The Kindle is a READING device not a Tablet, not a netbook, a laptop or an iPad ... It's for READING BOOKS and it's great for that !

Thank's for the post, sorry about the Rant !

[Tiersten]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Does not represent my opinion, rather that of the IT industry.

The article just represents the opinion of somebody called Keir Thomas at PC World and not the IT industry :P

There are some valid points and some not so valid points on that list. Some of them are very fillerish type points just to make a list of 10. One of them shows that the author didn't do any research or even try that feature.

1. Fair enough about this one. Amazon and every other manufacturer would prefer that you each have individual Kindles or at least use standalone Kindle for <blah> applications. I don't personally need this feature but I can see people liking it.
2. You manage them via the usual method of managing books. The author has obviously never actually tried any of the Kindle apps or even researched it.
3. I hardly ever use the dictionary but again, I can see people wanting this feature since it does make sense.
4. Blame the publishers and not the Kindle. The Kindle itself doesn't force you to jump past the cover. It is all down to how the publisher setup the book itself.
5. Its an eReader. You're not going to suddenly forget that it is one because you no longer see a progress indicator. The option to disable/enable the two status bars could be useful for some people but I wouldn't say either one was a "Top 10 Amazon Kindle Irritation".
6. Altering or replacing the fonts is one of the major reasons why people jailbreak the Kindle so Amazon should add more.
[edit]
7. They don't want you automatically downloading massive files since that would cost them a lot. You either load via WiFi, USB or download via the browser. The browser route is a workaround but you still need to manually do this. It tells you exactly what is charged and what is free anyway. Complaining about not reading the details?
8. Could be useful feature and something Amazon should consider adding since they keep metadata for each book anyway.
[/edit]
9. Um okay. This is down to personal preference. Filler item so they can get 10 points on the list.
10. Works fine for me. I know some people don't like it. Again, personal preference.

[kindlekitten]

oh hello, already been hashed out here. we get it. you don't like the kindle. go troll elsewhere

[jlmwrite]

The author of the PCWorld article has his own pet peeves like many of us here. But a few of 'em are a bit off base... (The numbered items are quoted from the article.) He should try holding an iPad for a few hours, and also play with the competititon before he rants.

1. Only one user
Please... He says iPods and cell phones are personal but the Kindle should be shareable because they are dirt cheap -- yet not cheap enough for every family member to have one. What the h*** kinda logic is that? All eight of us in our immediate family have our own cell phones, three of the kids own iPods but no one but me wants a Kindle. Besides, I'm not sharing my Kindle with anyone else. Christmas is coming up; ask Santa for one.

2. Where are the apps
If I wanted apps, I'd buy a tablet. This is an ereader, and it certainly does that well.

3. Dictionary for single words only
Ok, fine. Partial point scored.

4. Kindle hates covers
Yup, he's right. And although you can see covers by opening a book and hitting the back key (if the cover was embedded by the publisher or by yourself using Calibre) it's still not the same. Not only that, but I still wanna see cover thumbnails beside the title and author list.

5. This is progress
If the progress bar was turned off by default, half of the world would want it on. Since it's on, half the folks want it off. Whatever.

6. Only two fonts
So what? Is he a 13 y/o girl who wants to read in Lucinda?

7. 3G isn't free
Yes it is -- exactly as advertised, and exactly as described in the article. You want it to be free for everything, everywhere, for every situation. Get over it.

8. Global font choices
You want one book to display in 12point, and another to display in 16point. Fine -- make the change when you open the book. But it would be rather easy for the Kindle software to remember a choice. OK, partial point scored here although I don't see it's that useful.

9. Take me home
He doesn't like the position of the home key. Sorry, I can't agree with this one either. Keep all the keys together like they are. Maybe it could be a bit larger, but I don't want the bezel cluttered up.

10. I've lost my page
Oh please. If he can't pick up your Kindle without pushing a forward/back button he must have Fred Flintstone fingers. And if he can't hold the Kindle comfortably for a few hours, he has apparently never read a nice fat trade paperback thriller. The Kindle weighs much less than most paperbacks.

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

oh hello, already been hashed out here. we get it. you don't like the kindle. go troll elsewhere

I remember a long thread, where he made everybody a bit mad at him?

[DiapDealer]

All of the points in the article have doodley-squat to do with me.
Multi-user, multi-highlights and bookmarks??..... please.

[abookreader]

Well first of all, I have an extremely difficult time with any article that begins with a lament along the lines of "Oh if only Steve Jobs could have put his magical touch on this ...."

sigh

1. Only one user. Okay. His girlfriend has to buy her own Kindle or wait to read the book. What.Ever.

2. Where are the Apps? Duh! They're on your iPAD!

3. Dictionary. Yes, dictionaries have one word at a time.

4. Actually, I got bored and quit reading so I have nothing left to say.

jbcohen my opinion is you seem to spend a whole lot of time here on the Kindle section lamenting the Kindle.

[jlmwrite]

Originally Posted by abookreader

Well first of all, I have an extremely difficult time with any article that begins with a lament along the lines of "Oh if only Steve Jobs could have put his magical touch on this ...."

Oops, I missed poking fun at that comment in my earlier reply/rant! I'm with you; the Apple Kool-Aid cult is killing me.

Slightly off-topic, but the kiddos and I were in the AT&T store last night so that teenager #2 could pick out a new phone for his upgrade. All the kids played with the iPad briefly, and their heartfelt conclusion was "It's just an oversized and overpriced iTouch. Big whoop."

Although their comments were sotto voce, the hipster at the counter purchasing an iPad at that very moment squared his shoulders as if to say something but then kept his tongue. It looked as if some of the curl had gone out of his chin pubes...

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by desertblues

I remember a long thread, where he made everybody a bit mad at him?

oh he's like whack-a-mole! pop holes in an anti kindle tirade in one thread, he pops up in another!

[SteveEisenberg]

The only one I really agree with is #10, regarding the button placement, and the only place it is a problem is when straphanging on a crowded bus or subway car. I am in this situation a lot, although I know most users never experience it.

My number one annoyance is the browser bouncing back to the smallest font for each new article I read at mobile.nytimes.com. Yes I know this would not be a problem if I paid $19.99 a month. And that I will look back on the current arrangement as the good old days when the Times puts up a pay wall next year. And that Amazon has a first-two-months-free New York Times promotion going.

[SensualPoet]

It's a silly list designed to fill space and be "controversial" at PCWorld. None of the points -- yes 0% -- had me nodding my head. Well, maybe 5% ... the covers thing. However, Kindle's focus is enabling reading and from that point of view, delivering the reader right to the beginning of the text makes sense.

I am astounded how so many people think a Kindle ought to be able share content in a way fundamentally different than physical books. Whether that is loaning content without loaning the Kindle, or setting up multiple profiles so everyone signs in before using it to restore bookmarks ... ugh! please! don't even think about that!

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

I am astounded how so many people think a Kindle ought to be able share content in a way fundamentally different than physical books. Whether that is loaning content without loaning the Kindle, or setting up multiple profiles so everyone signs in before using it to restore bookmarks ... ugh! please! don't even think about that!

I see the 'loaning content without loaning the Kindle' gripe come up here from time to time, and it puzzles me. When I loan someone a physical book, I don't give them every book in my library at the same time and then have nothing to read until they give me all my books back. I get to read all my other books while not having access to the 'one' I lent. Why is it so hard to understand that loaning your reader is not the same thing as loaning one book?

[OakIris]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

oh he's like whack-a-mole! pop holes in an anti kindle tirade in one thread, he pops up in another!

I use my Kindle as an eReader, never expected or wanted it to be a substitute DayTimer or laptop/computer. I read books on it, which is what it is designed to do.

Holly

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by OakIris

I use my Kindle as an eReader, never expected or wanted it to be a substitute DayTimer or laptop/computer.

Actually, I did expect that. Before I bought my K3, I was well aware of this web page:

https://kdk.amazon.com/gp/vendor/kin...t?id=200436000

Kindle Development Kit Frequently Asked Questions . . .

2. I’ve already built a Java Micro Edition (J2ME) application. Can I port it to Kindle?

Yes. You should be able to modify existing Java applets and J2ME software to run on Kindle.

The device is a small portable computer. Yes, the same can be said about a GPS, but there is more of an expectation, because of the above-mentioned Development Kit, that the Kindle is multi-purpose. Of course, it will be up to each of us whether we buy additional software. Personally, I am not interested in games, but would consider a well-reviewed genealogy program.