Kindle DX dissapointments (lacking touch, WiFi, unlocked-3G, BT, stand...)

[sirbruce]

This might be useful for reference:

[Charbax]

Originally Posted by andrys

Touchscreen is available for the same i-ink screen, with the Sony PRS-700

Wacom stylus input is much preferable than the resistive touchscreen technology that Sony has used in the PRS-700. I believe the Wacom stylus input also is much clearer and does not introduce stuff in-front of the screen but only some magnetic field behind it.

[JohnClif]

I pre-ordered the DX to augment my original Kindle, because I want an ereader that supports letter-sized PDFs. I looked at the iLiad readers, but they frankly are late-alpha stage products that really aren't ready to ship to the average consumer. The feature list on them is great... but how much actually works? How good is the battery life? How much of a hassle is it to get content on them?

I'm assured that my DX will work as well as my original Kindle, that I can transfer my AZW books seamlessly between the two, and that I can access the web via the DX. I can also transfer any PDF I have to the device via USB cable.

I don't understand why people who don't live in the US are bent out of shape on the Kindles. You can buy books for it as long as you have Internet access and a computer with a USB cable. Not a big deal.

Yeah, if the iLiad was actually finished, I would have bought it. But it isn't. The DX is.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JohnClif

Yeah, if the iLiad was actually finished, I would have bought it. But it isn't. The DX is.

With the greatest respect, John, how can a device which is pure "vapourware", as the DX will probably be for at least the next six months, be "finished"?

The PDF support on the iLiad is superb. The reason I sold mine was the extremely poor implementation of the MobiPocket Reader on it - for PDFs, it's unbeatable. May I ask what specifically about the PDF implementation on the iLiad it is that you found to be objectionable?

[andrys]

Originally Posted by Charbax

Wacom stylus input is much preferable than the resistive touchscreen technology that Sony has used in the PRS-700. I believe the Wacom stylus input also is much clearer and does not introduce stuff in-front of the screen but only some magnetic field behind it.

Thanks. I did read that the Irex Illiad's 2nd edition had a response-time for the stylus, of .5 to 1 second, which was really frustrating for the reviewer when just drawing a line, but I suppose some can get used to that.

There's also no pressure-support on the Iliad unit. I haven't read much from people actually using it though. I also read that the wireless support is extremely limited when it comes to any kind of web browsing. But this is just a superficial look in the last week or so. Would like to hear from people actually using the Iliad.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by andrys

Thanks. I did read that the Irex Illiad's 2nd edition had a response-time for the stylus, of .5 to 1 second, which was really frustrating for the reviewer when just drawing a line, but I suppose some can get used to that.

That's the response time of the eInk screen, not of the stylus as such. You do get used to it. Basically, you just draw and don't wait for the "visual feedback". One quickly gets used to it.

There's also no pressure-support on the Iliad unit. I haven't read much from people actually using it though.

That's not entirely correct. The iLiad hardware has pressure support, but the stylus that iRex supply doesn't. If one replaces the stylus with one that does have pressure output, applications which support pressure will work fine with it.

I also read that the wireless support is extremely limited when it comes to any kind of web browsing. But this is just a superficial look in the last week or so. Would like to hear from people actually using the Iliad.

There is no web browser installed by default, but one can install one (one huge benefit of the iLiad over the Kindle is that one can install applications on it). I had a brief "play" with web browsing on my iLiad, but it's really not a very rewarding experience, due to the eInk screen more than anything else.

[GatorDeb]

So do you all think that the price will go down within a year of its release? I want something with a big screen to read PDFs, so this seems perfect.

I do have a Sony 505 now...

[kamm]

Originally Posted by radiationman

With that feature list why are you even looking at an e-reader? With the exception of the cell modem you're describing a TabletPC...

Yes I find the DX to be disappointing, but not because it's missing the features you list.

Why are you people keep repeating this silly non-sequitur about tablets all the time, I don't know - tablets are not comparable to eReaders any way (battery life, eye strain, weight, thickness, purpose etc), let's forget this once and forever.

[kamm]

Originally Posted by JohnClif

I don't understand why people who don't live in the US are bent out of shape on the Kindles. You can buy books for it as long as you have Internet access and a computer with a USB cable. Not a big deal.

Let me guess: you're here, in the US, right?

The fact that most people pretend to not to use Kindles' built-in free internet access does not mean they don't use it all the time - it's one of the main ingredients that made it so successful (compared to other devices.)

It makes no sense to buy a Kindle from Europe, especially K2 - you're better off getting a WiFi-enabled device (unlike in US free WiFi hotspots are everywhere in Europe.)

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by kamm

Let me guess: you're here, in the US, right?

The fact that most people pretend to not to use Kindles' built-in free internet access does not mean they don't use it all the time - it's one of the main ingredients that made it so successful (compared to other devices.)

Really, the Kindle's Internet is too slow to be useful for casual browsing. I don't know anyone who is using it regularly instead of their PC or cell phone for regular Internet access.

What made it successful is the wireless download of newly released books at a cheaper price. If you eliminated the browser and made it so you could only use Amazon's store wirelessly, it would have outsold the competition just as well.

[kamm]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

Really, the Kindle's Internet is too slow to be useful for casual browsing. I don't know anyone who is using it regularly instead of their PC or cell phone for regular Internet access.

Where did I say browsing the internet?

What made it successful is the wireless download of newly released books at a cheaper price. If you eliminated the browser and made it so you could only use Amazon's store wirelessly, it would have outsold the competition just as well.

Which means the free internet access I was talking about, thank you.

[dmaul1114]

Then just say the whispernet for downloading books.

Saying free internet access makes it sound like the regular internet access is worthwhile.

Yes, it's great for downloading books, but it's slow and the browser sucks so it's pretty much useless for anything else.

And that will be a downside for them (if they don't fix it) once someone like Apple has a tablet out with a color screen, and full internet browsing and other features.

Again, a device like that is what will sell in the mainstream. For textbooks too--average college students don't read much outside of class (if they even read for class!) so they'd be much more likely to buy something they can surf the net on, watch videos, etc. etc. and also buy their books for cheaper--vs. something that only does the latter.

Originally Posted by kamm

Why are you people keep repeating this silly non-sequitur about tablets all the time, I don't know - tablets are not comparable to eReaders any way (battery life, eye strain, weight, thickness, purpose etc), let's forget this once and forever.

True, but that only applies to avid reader. Most people, especially younger generations, aren't avid readers. Things like music, movies, internet etc. have long ago surpassed reading in filling peoples free time.

I'll always want an ereader, for the reasons you want. But people who read maybe a handful of novels a year are never going to shell out for one. But they'll buy the latest tech gadget that lets them surf the net, watch movies, listen to music, play games etc. and maybe buy an ebook or two since they're multi function tablet does that too.

And of course, eventually there will probably be new screen technology that can do all that stuff and be as easy on the eyes. But until then, even LCD screens are fine for those who seldom read for more than an hour or two.

I'd consider such a device for PDFs if it had good highlighting and note-taking with a stylus since I seldom read and annotate that type of stuff for more than an hour at a time. But I'll always have my Kindle or some other small, portable reader with an eink screen (or whatever future tech that's easy on the eyes) for my leisure reading.

[Talldog]

Originally Posted by HarryT

With the greatest respect, John, how can a device which is pure "vapourware", as the DX will probably be for at least the next six months, be "finished"?

You can't accurately call the DX vaporware. Reviewers had it in their hands and were using it the day of Amazon's announcement. It's way past the vaporware stage.

[pboss]

Maybe you guys mean something different by the term, wapourware. I'm still not sure what it means but here's what wikipedia has to say:

Vaporware is a term used to describe a product, usually software, that has been announced by a developer during or before its development and, therefore, may never actually be released.[1] The term is usually applied to products which fail to emerge after having well-exceeded the period of development time that was initially claimed or would normally be expected for the development cycle of a similar product. The term implies unwarranted optimism, an as yet unannounced abandonment of a project, or sometimes even deception; that is, it may imply that the announcer knows that product development is in too early a stage to support responsible statements about its completion date, feature set, or even feasibility.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by andrys

The Irex Illiad, the only existing e-Ink device near in size to that DX, is $860 without wireless (which is not an option).

You're confusing the iRex devices. The DR1000 is $860 and is a 10.2" device. The iLiad is their previous generation of device.

Also, it has very slow response time for the stylus input

You're talking about eInk refresh times (which all current eInk devices suffer from), not the stylus itself.

Here's a review on it:
http://www.alexonlinux.com/irex-tech...re-than-a-year

That's obviously for the iLiad. You should probably be comparing the Kindle DX with the current/larger iRex device, the DR1000.