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

[Charbax]

I find it dissapointing that the Kindle DX doesn't have:

- Wacom touchscreen stylus input
- WiFi
- Unlocked 3G modem (for any worldwide carrier)
- Bluetooth (for foldable full sized keyboard text input)
- A kickstand on the back (to position it on the table while you type in text)

If they had those features, this device would become absolutely priceless for education, work and anyone who is an enthusiast about commenting any text in real-time. Chatting, debating about all texts be there from books, textbooks, blogs, newspapers, anything. With those better input mechanisms you could really collaborate on the devices.

I guess we'll have to look forward to the Pixel Qi 3Qi screen to be tablet mode compliant and come on much cheaper, full LCD color compatible tablet devices which will really come with all these features.

[catsittingstill]

In my opinion, the KDX won't be priceless for education/work/etc until you can search, highlight and annotate pdfs as well as just displaying them.

The other things are nice, I guess, but seem less important to me.

[Charbax]

This should be good free publicity for Irex for their Digital Reader 1000S, since Irex is still superior to the Kindle DX.

Hopefully this can push Irex to release new versions with unlocked 3G HSDPA modem and usb-host or bluetooth for the external full sized foldable keyboard to input text. It'd be nice if Irex would do 5" and 6.7" with wacom, wifi and 3G as well.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by Charbax

I find it dissapointing that the Kindle DX doesn't have:

- Wacom touchscreen stylus input
- WiFi
- Unlocked 3G modem (for any worldwide carrier)
- Bluetooth (for foldable full sized keyboard text input)
- A kickstand on the back (to position it on the table while you type in text)

If they had those features, this device would become absolutely priceless for education, work and anyone who is an enthusiast about commenting any text in real-time. Chatting, debating about all texts be there from books, textbooks, blogs, newspapers, anything. With those better input mechanisms you could really collaborate on the devices.

I guess we'll have to look forward to the Pixel Qi 3Qi screen to be tablet mode compliant and come on much cheaper, full LCD color compatible tablet devices which will really come with all these features.

Quit pulling your punches! Tell us what REALLY pisses you off about the Kindle DX!

All those features would be nice, but I just don't see them happening soon. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to get enough people to buy (or pre-order for the DX) through my associate's pages to get my own DX.

Derek

[radiationman]

Originally Posted by Charbax

I find it dissapointing that the Kindle DX doesn't have:

- Wacom touchscreen stylus input
- WiFi
- Unlocked 3G modem (for any worldwide carrier)
- Bluetooth (for foldable full sized keyboard text input)
- A kickstand on the back (to position it on the table while you type in text)

If they had those features, this device would become absolutely priceless for education, work and anyone who is an enthusiast about commenting any text in real-time. Chatting, debating about all texts be there from books, textbooks, blogs, newspapers, anything. With those better input mechanisms you could really collaborate on the devices.

I guess we'll have to look forward to the Pixel Qi 3Qi screen to be tablet mode compliant and come on much cheaper, full LCD color compatible tablet devices which will really come with all these features.

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.

[kyliedork]

9inch screen negates all those issues

[radiationman]

Originally Posted by kyliedork

9inch screen negates all those issues

$489 negates the benefit of a 9in screen...

[Gideon]

Meh....

Also.... what's the deal with people complaining about the price so much. I mean, yeah, I don't like it - but it's in keeping with the tech prices right now. It's not excessive or anything. How much is the big Iliad, again...?

But yeah... you're expecting too much, bud. I might as well go "I want my iPhone to know who I'm gonna call in advance." You can't expect tech that was high tech when it had wireless access at all to jump to all of that in the next iteration.

[dmaul1114]

Stylus is the only one that bothers me. If I'm ever going to transition to electronic PDFs of journal articles I read, it has to be on something I can write on to highlight stuff and write notes in the margins just like I do the PDFs I just print out now.

Get something where I can do that just as quickly and easily as I can with print outs, and has no problems displaying PDFs of any kind, and I'll give it a serious though. To date the only thing that comes close is a tablet PC, and they're too balky and the couple I've tried I've struggled to write legibly on (I write small--especially when making notes in the margins--and have terrible penmanship).

[InlawBiker]

One problem I see is the e-reader devices have a firmware with "one size fits all" features. Computers can run an infinite combination of software, tailored to a specific problem. Amazon has a pretty tough row to hoe.

Greg

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by InlawBiker

One problem I see is the e-reader devices have a firmware with "one size fits all" features. Computers can run an infinite combination of software, tailored to a specific problem. Amazon has a pretty tough row to hoe.

Greg

Agreed 100%. And not just for textbooks, PDFs etc., but it just limits there ability to go mainstream period since reading is relatively smaller niche compared to people who buy netbooks, iPhones etc.

So I think the ultimate device down the road will be some kind of table device. It will use some type of epaper or other display that's very easy on the eyes, has long battery life and can do movies etc. and not just text.

It will be something you can surf the web on, watch movies and TV shows and read things ranging from novels to newspapers, magazines, PDFs etc. with full ability to easy highlight and write notes.

Something like that will really take off since it will appeal to a wide array of people, while dedicated readers are limited to avid readers who read enough to shell out money for a device that does nothing but display books and other reading material.

There will always probably be dedicated readers out there that are smaller and appeal to us avid readers. But some multifunction tablet device is something that could really go mainstream and expand the ebook market since a lot of people will have a device they bought for reasons other than reading novels etc. that happens to also be able to read books.

[radiationman]

Originally Posted by Gideon

Meh....

Also.... what's the deal with people complaining about the price so much. I mean, yeah, I don't like it - but it's in keeping with the tech prices right now. It's not excessive or anything. How much is the big Iliad, again...?

But yeah... you're expecting too much, bud. I might as well go "I want my iPhone to know who I'm gonna call in advance." You can't expect tech that was high tech when it had wireless access at all to jump to all of that in the next iteration.

Simple - Amazon played up how this is aimed at students and textbooks... How many students do you know have $500 for an e-book reader... The value proposition for the Kindle is already pretty weak, but the free wireless internet helps that equation a bit. The steeper cost of the DX makes it harder to show the value of the device.

Sure Amazon could work out a deal with textbook publishers for college textbooks but the entire college textbook deal is such a racket that I wouldn't expect students to benefit from it... If anything I think the textbook publishers would embrace this to kill the used textbook market off with colleges endorsing it because they'll get more kickbacks from the publishers PLUS Amazon will work out deals with the schools where they get even more kickbacks for pushing their students on to Kindles...

How about newspapers... I can buy a newspaper for $0.25 or $0.40 and subscriber to it for even less, and while I'm reading it other members of my household can enjoy sections of that very same paper - all without disturbing me. The DX may make it easier to read a newspaper on a Kindle but to share it with the family means that everybody else has to wait until I finish reading. Either that or I have to purchase multiple devices AND multiple subscriptions since we can't share subscriptions between multiple devices on the same account - something I can do when I subscribe to the paper version.

That being said offering a DX for around $100 with say a 12 or 18 month subscription to a newspaper - well that might be tempting. If a college offered a $489 DX and included the student's first year of texts on it - I might look a little more favorably on the device, even moreso if additional textbooks were sold to the student at a real discount as opposed to the make believe discounts offered by publishers/schools for "customized" texts...

However, with the size of the DX it really should be targeted at a different kind of Kindle user than I am. I travel a lot - and I love having several books loaded on to my K2 with the ability to order more while I'm on the road. The K2 fits in my carry-on that includes a laptop and frequently a DSLR camera and assorted bits. However I couldn't get a device the size of the DX into my carry on.

[valkyriesound]

I'm just disappointed in lack of SD card slot. 3Gs is not enough for education! I'm a grad student and I need more!

[pboss]

Our voice is being heard. I expect the price point to be radically adjusted in less than half a year.

[coosmac]

Originally Posted by valkyriesound

I'm just disappointed in lack of SD card slot. 3Gs is not enough for education! I'm a grad student and I need more!

agree...I was all excited untill no SD card slot. I'm little more than disappointed, I was going to preorder but I don't think I want it anymore.