Kindle in London Guardian

Patricia · 01-12-2008, 12:36 AM

A Guardian journalist gets his hands on a kindle.
He thinks that the content producers could make money.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/10/3

Sparrow · 01-12-2008, 04:50 AM

Some interesting thoughts, but all from the perspective of using the Kindle to read newspapers.
I gave up buying newspapers years ago - I'd never use my ereader to read them. Ereaders give people the option to read much more interesting stuff

.

HarryT · 01-12-2008, 05:00 AM

I notice a few factual errors. He is under the mistaken impression that the Kindle's wireless capability is WiFi, which of course it isn't!

sianon · 01-12-2008, 05:22 AM

The author is clearly a wombat (definition required here I fear for overseas folk, a wombat is a creature of very limited brain power) who has no idea of the pleasure of reading a novel on an e-ink device.

cfw123 · 01-12-2008, 01:01 PM

Boy do I agree with this comment. I tried our local San Jose Mercury News on my new Kindle, but cancelled before the end of the free period. Not a pleasure to read at all. Anyway, I also subscribe to the local print version so this was really just a trial for me. But it also cured me of wanting to read a newspaper on my Kindle.

What worries me about newspapers is the very real possibility that they will just go away -- at least the print versions, except for a few large national ones like the USA Today. My local print version newspaper (SJMN) is getting smaller and smaller, with less and less real news as they have laid off a large percentage of their reporters. Even the adverts are fewer and fewer, but I discard these immediately anyway, so no loss for me there. But the financial loss for the newspapers must really be severe. And I'm sure this is happening everywhere as advertisers are fleeing the newspaper for other outlets.

I guess in the newspaper-less future we face that news will come only by radio (intermixed with mostly advertisements), TV -- ditto for advertisements, and email via the news services. Maybe that 's okay. I do need more time to read really worthwile works on my Kindle anyway.

Charles Wilkes, San Jose, Calif.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Some interesting thoughts, but all from the perspective of using the Kindle to read newspapers.
I gave up buying newspapers years ago - I'd never use my ereader to read them. Ereaders give people the option to read much more interesting stuff

.

DaleDe · 01-12-2008, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfw123

Boy do I agree with this comment. I tried our local San Jose Mercury News on my new Kindle, but cancelled before the end of the free period. Not a pleasure to read at all. Anyway, I also subscribe to the local print version so this was really just a trial for me. But it also cured me of wanting to read a newspaper on my Kindle.

What worries me about newspapers is the very real possibility that they will just go away -- at least the print versions, except for a few large national ones like the USA Today. My local print version newspaper (SJMN) is getting smaller and smaller, with less and less real news as they have laid off a large percentage of their reporters. Even the adverts are fewer and fewer, but I discard these immediately anyway, so no loss for me there. But the financial loss for the newspapers must really be severe. And I'm sure this is happening everywhere as advertisers are fleeing the newspaper for other outlets.

I guess in the newspaper-less future we face that news will come only by radio (intermixed with mostly advertisements), TV -- ditto for advertisements, and email via the news services. Maybe that 's okay. I do need more time to read really worthwile works on my Kindle anyway.

Charles Wilkes, San Jose, Calif.

That is too bad to hear. I always like the SJ Mercury when I lived in San Jose. I thought it one of the best in the country, way ahead of the SF Chronicle.

Dale

HarryT · 01-13-2008, 04:03 AM

Must admit that these days I no longer buy newspapers; I get all my news from the BBC News web site.

astra · 01-13-2008, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Must admit that these days I no longer buy newspapers; I get all my news from the BBC News web site.

Ditto.

KlondikeGeoff · 01-13-2008, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sianon

The author is clearly a wombat (definition required here I fear for overseas folk, a wombat is a creature of very limited brain power) who has no idea of the pleasure of reading a novel on an e-ink device.

I take extreme umbrage at your salacious comments about our intellectual capacity!

-Signed: KlondikeGeoff's wombat.

dugbug · 01-13-2008, 11:55 AM

I have not tried any newspapers or magazines on the kindle yet. Is it as bad as the web where you spend way too much time with the scroll-wheel-punch interface?

tsgreer · 01-14-2008, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfw123

......What worries me about newspapers is the very real possibility that they will just go away -- at least the print versions, except for a few large national ones like the USA Today. My local print version newspaper (SJMN) is getting smaller and smaller, with less and less real news as they have laid off a large percentage of their reporters. Even the adverts are fewer and fewer, but I discard these immediately anyway, so no loss for me there. But the financial loss for the newspapers must really be severe. And I'm sure this is happening everywhere as advertisers are fleeing the newspaper for other outlets.

I guess in the newspaper-less future we face that news will come only by radio (intermixed with mostly advertisements), TV -- ditto for advertisements, and email via the news services. Maybe that 's okay. I do need more time to read really worthwile works on my Kindle anyway.

Charles Wilkes, San Jose, Calif.

You are right to be afraid. They are going to go away. Paper books are safe for a while longer, but newspapers are facing their paper demise. Most people I know (myself included) just get the news from online. It's faster, more up-to-date, etc. Most local papers will just have their own website if they want to stay alive.

My local paper laid off a bunch of people as well. Hard times to be in the newspaper business--printing and distribution are very expensive and they are not getting new readers. The paper newspaper generation is coming to an end.

But it's not like reporters will have to be out of work though. I mean, we still need new, well written content.

Alisa · 01-14-2008, 12:44 PM

I'm actually tempted to subscribe to the Merc because I read it every day online for my local news and I rarely click on an advertisement. I've tried it on the Kindle and miss the pictures, links and formatting. It's not as good. It's one of the things I'd rather read on my computer. But if I paid for the subscription even if I rarely used it at least they'd be getting some revenue from me as a customer. It's the local news I worry the most about losing as newspapers go away.

DaleDe · 01-14-2008, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alisa

I'm actually tempted to subscribe to the Merc because I read it every day online for my local news and I rarely click on an advertisement. I've tried it on the Kindle and miss the pictures, links and formatting. It's not as good. It's one of the things I'd rather read on my computer. But if I paid for the subscription even if I rarely used it at least they'd be getting some revenue from me as a customer. It's the local news I worry the most about losing as newspapers go away.

Perhaps subscribers can influence the Merc to make the subscription reading experience a bit better with more images and formatting improvements. There is no reason a 600x800 pixel device shouldn't be able to have a great reading experience.

Dale

Zoot · 01-14-2008, 03:06 PM

If it weren't bad enough that people are moving away from newspapers to things like Google News and other instant online news sources, things like CraigsList are destroying newspapers from the other end as well by eliminating the need for the newspaper as a community advertising vehicle.

So the modern newspaper publisher faces declining readership, which results in lower ad income because they reach fewer people, and at the same time nobody wants to advertise in the newspaper to begin with anymore.

On the other hand, presenting your newspaper via the web can solve pretty much all of these problems, and the traditional news publishers are all making this transition (some more successfully than others).

I don't think the current generation of e-readers make very good newspaper reading devices. I too tried a subscription when I got the Kindle but canceled it after three days. The experience could certainly be improved, but honestly I think the web is always going to be the best presentation media for "news". A primarily text weekly news magazine like The Economist would work a lot better. I'd definitely switch my Economist subscription to the Kindle if that were possible.

Z.

01-12-2008, 12:36 AM	#1
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	Kindle in London Guardian A Guardian journalist gets his hands on a kindle. He thinks that the content producers could make money. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/10/3

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
ebooks and mbooks: A London Guardian article.	Patricia	News	1	02-22-2009 10:40 AM
London Guardian and Kindle Advice	Patricia	News	4	08-21-2008 04:07 PM
Guardian: No Kindle for the UK (or anywhere else outside US)	Argel	News	28	06-10-2008 05:43 AM
London Guardian article on impact of ebooks on authors	Patricia	News	7	03-06-2008 04:14 PM
Sony Reader advice in London Guardian	Patricia	Sony Reader	1	12-01-2007 04:08 PM

01-12-2008, 04:50 AM	#2
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	Some interesting thoughts, but all from the perspective of using the Kindle to read newspapers. I gave up buying newspapers years ago - I'd never use my ereader to read them. Ereaders give people the option to read much more interesting stuff .

01-12-2008, 05:00 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I notice a few factual errors. He is under the mistaken impression that the Kindle's wireless capability is WiFi, which of course it isn't!

01-12-2008, 05:22 AM	#4
sianon Addict Posts: 352 Karma: 572 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Melbourne Device: Sony 500, Bebook, Kindle, Eco reader Drs and soon the Archos 9	The author is clearly a wombat (definition required here I fear for overseas folk, a wombat is a creature of very limited brain power) who has no idea of the pleasure of reading a novel on an e-ink device.

01-13-2008, 04:03 AM	#7
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Must admit that these days I no longer buy newspapers; I get all my news from the BBC News web site.

01-13-2008, 11:55 AM	#10
dugbug Addict Posts: 206 Karma: 1723 Join Date: May 2006 Device: Kindle	I have not tried any newspapers or magazines on the kindle yet. Is it as bad as the web where you spend way too much time with the scroll-wheel-punch interface?

01-14-2008, 12:44 PM	#12
Alisa Gadget Geek Posts: 2,324 Karma: 22221 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)	I'm actually tempted to subscribe to the Merc because I read it every day online for my local news and I rarely click on an advertisement. I've tried it on the Kindle and miss the pictures, links and formatting. It's not as good. It's one of the things I'd rather read on my computer. But if I paid for the subscription even if I rarely used it at least they'd be getting some revenue from me as a customer. It's the local news I worry the most about losing as newspapers go away.

01-14-2008, 03:06 PM	#14
Zoot Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 34 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Amazon Kindle	If it weren't bad enough that people are moving away from newspapers to things like Google News and other instant online news sources, things like CraigsList are destroying newspapers from the other end as well by eliminating the need for the newspaper as a community advertising vehicle. So the modern newspaper publisher faces declining readership, which results in lower ad income because they reach fewer people, and at the same time nobody wants to advertise in the newspaper to begin with anymore. On the other hand, presenting your newspaper via the web can solve pretty much all of these problems, and the traditional news publishers are all making this transition (some more successfully than others). I don't think the current generation of e-readers make very good newspaper reading devices. I too tried a subscription when I got the Kindle but canceled it after three days. The experience could certainly be improved, but honestly I think the web is always going to be the best presentation media for "news". A primarily text weekly news magazine like The Economist would work a lot better. I'd definitely switch my Economist subscription to the Kindle if that were possible. Z.

Advert

Advert