New Kindles = no physical keyboard??
 

Hello all! Like many of you, I'm excited to see the new Kindle models in October (or whenever they are revealed). I've been using my K2 for two years and it's served me well. Though I debated upgrading to a K3, I can't justify it when the K2 still works perfectly.

Here's my concern. What are the odds that neither of the new Kindles will include a physical keyboard? I know there has been chatter of a touchscreen Kindle as well as a Kindle/Amazon Tablet. I have played with the new Nook Touch and confirmed my suspicions that I do not want a touchscreen ereader! Even with a smaller form factor and ease of use...I far prefer the K2's (and K3's) physical keyboard.

Now I'm debating whether the new Kindles will do away with the physical keyboard, in which case I wonder whether I ought to go ahead and buy a new K3 right now (or one of the refurbished models). Will the K3 form factor / hardware still be available, if only for a short time, once the K4 is announced? Just wanted to hear some thoughts. :)

My only thought is "nobody will know if or until Amazon announce it". If you want a K3, get a K3; you can do an awful lot of reading between now and whenever it is that hypothetical new Kindle models eventually ship.

I would be very surprised if K4 isn't a touch screen with no physical keyboard.
I would NOT be surprised if the K3 would still be around for while sold as the "special offers" versions.
Just totally unfounded guesswork though!

I wouldn't lose any sleep over speculating what the K4s will have or won't have. If and when Amazon officially announces them, it will probably be a few weeks afterwards before they can be ordered. I would think K3s would still be around for purchase for a while after the K4s come out. Certainly there will be a lot of people selling their used K3s to upgrade. So you shouldn't have to worry about being able to get a K3 for quite a while.

Thanks for the insights, y'all -- definitely reassuring. :) I am definitely NOT interested in the KSO models, so if they announce a K4 without a physical keyboard, I will probably spring for a K3 while I can.

I predict touchscreen all the way. The market seems to have decided that's what it wants to buy - and use to impress friends. Maybe 10% or less (I am one) like the physical keypad and realize its advantages. Everyone else is gaa-gaa over touchscreens right now.

I'm not sure that is a correct statement. There are most likely way more ereaders out there with keyboards than with touchscreens. Although few companies have released numbers of devices they have sold, we can infer some things from sales of ebooks. Many of the major publishing houses claim as much as 2/3 of their ebook sales are through Amazon and/or are in mobi format. That tends to suggest a LOT more Kindles than non-Kindle ereaders.

I think the touchscreens catch the attention of non-ereader types who keep technology blogs and thus report on new stuff, and not very accurately at that. Ever Tom, Dick, and Harry has a technology blog these days, and unfortunately few of these bloggers are professional or reliable. Even the so-called professional sites publish questionable reviews and material. I suspect reality is much different than what is painted for us in most of these blogs. I personally look at most technology blogs and sites in the same dim light that I do news tabloids--that is, they are not reliable and are usually biased.

Cat
 

Jack,

That cat looks peeved to me. If he weighed 50 lbs more, you'd have to watch your back.

I agree with you on the bloggers. Some of them sound like they haven't even handled or tried out the item.

I read on a phone and the screen gets dirty from the oil on my face whether it's my old phone with a keyboard or a touch screen. My newer phone is slightly worse due to my turning pages when I read. Either one is easier than the multiple press of the really old phones.

Ed KD4QBM

I imagine that Amazon will do a touchscreen Kindle. I just hope that they at least keep a newer model with keyboard and such.

I think the new Kindle(s) are going to feature a very nice 7-inch screen with HD resolution. That will be so awesome! Especially since the additions would be made at the expense of a bulky, disproportioned-next-to-human-fingertips physical keyboard. I'm so excited proper, compact e-readers are replacing oversized calculators. Yay for touch screens.
As for the skeptics, I'm sure they'll ultimately come to good reason, same as when going from print to electronic.

EDIT: Before I forget, go for K3!

yes!! :thumbsup:

like the ipod classic. :dtw:

if i had to replace my ipod, i'd certainly choose the classic :2thumbsup, not the touch. :thumbsdow

Jack, I just finished 30 years in the computer/software business, and you're spot on with those observations. Even before the internet, we had research firms like "Gartner Group" selling their wsidom on what was going to be big next year. And in my experience they had very little success in predicting the future even a year out.

The 'reviews' that I see on today's technology blogs are usually shallow, superficial repackagings of marketing bullet points and feature lists. So I hold their predictions in similarly low regard.

If I am not mistaken, almost everyone (myself included) predicted the kindle would be a flop. Who would want a pricey gizmo just for books?

Well I want a touch screen and believe it or not, I want it for its functional advantages. I mean the trimmed down size is the major major advantage of the touch screen, it makes it THAT much more portable. It'll definitely help out with navigation a bit, though it robs us of a good 4 or 5 directional pad. So long as Amazon keeps a few buttons here and there, I have no reason to go against what the market is going for.

Just curious, what exactly do you type on the keyboard? How often do you use it? Because for me, I do a few searches here and there and a few notes here and there. Sure an onscreen keyboard will be really frustrating, but I don't use it enough to settle for a lower model just to keep the keyboard.

I don't think it's because they aren't professional, I think it's just the nature of technology. It includes so much and it keeps changing. For a "good" review of the Kindle, the reviewer probably needs to test a good half dozen eReaders, but which site has the resources to do that? They can't afford to have an eReader specialist on their staff because the next day they will be a thing of the past and who knows, maybe a device that zaps books into your brains will be the next big thing.

I'm regretting every day that I didn't get the KSO model. 20% off any laptop on Amazon? $5 for a $10 Amazon card? All for the low price of seeing an occasional advertisement before I turn it on and start reading?

I've tried out touchscreens on the Sony and the nook, and was pretty lukewarm about them. I guess as long at the next Kindle keeps the page turn buttons on the side I could live with a touchscreen.

Having a Kindle for almost a year and now having a nook simple touch, I find the keyboard on the nook a lot easier to use. The kindle keyboard was frustrating enough to me that I did not use it, I turned pages on the kindle, nothing more. The nook keyboard (onscreen) I find so much easier to use that I am typing more, making highlights is easier, dictionary lookup is easier etc...

My totally uninformed guess is that amazon is going to drop the DX in favor of a tablet, and the k4 will be a touch screen.

I would be very surprised if the Kindle tablet didn't have a touchscreen and no keyboard, and I'm fine with that. But I really hope the next generation Kindle reader retains the keyboard. On a 6" device, it's so much more precise than a touchscreen. I love the Kindle's keyboard.

I can't speak for jimh, but as I've mentioned before, I like to create books for the Kindle. And the easiest way to proof for errors is to actually read the book in question on the Kindle and to take notes about any typos, formatting errors, or any other corrections/adjustments that need to be made to the ebook once I'm done reading. So I use the keyboard extensively when I'm doing that. You just start typing and a very small window opens (that obscures very little of the onscreen text) and you hit press the center button when done and keep on reading. Bringing up an onscreen touch keyboard would likely obscure a much bigger portion of the page (not to mention the keystrokes/gestures just to call it up). I just frankly have no use for a Kindle without a keyboard—in fact, the missing dedicated numbers row is one of the biggest reasons that I haven't upgraded from the Kindle 2 to the Kindle 3. Well, that and how light-duty the K3 feels compared to the K2, also. ;)

My love of ebooks and ereaders has absolutely nothing to do with portability. My Kindle rarely leaves my house because I rarely read away from my house. I want a paperback-sized device (screen + keyboard). No bigger and certainly no smaller.

My guess is that K4 is touchscreen, faster processor, maybe better resolution, etc.

I also think maybe they will lower the price of the Kindles with special offers. So you can get the touchscreen Kindle or stick with a K3 with keyboard which is still a fantastic device.

As others have said, there haven't exactly been major advances in eink lately so the K3 will still be relevant when the new Kindle comes.

The Amazon tablet, to me anyway, is a totally separate category since it isn't eink. It's more designed to take advantage of Amazon's android app store, video/music streaming services, etc.

I think the bias is basic human nature myself. We tend to see what we want to see as the next advance. And of course some developments are more cultural than others. If something new aids people in doing something they want to do it will make a bigger impact than something just as useful that people don't want. The horse and buggy gave way to the automobile in part for example (I think) because people wanted to get from place to place quicker than by horse. Likewise the cell phone took off because business people wanted to be able to be reachable for important messages and yet not tied down to a land line. And ereaders took off because people wanted a simple way to have multiple books on hand without having to carry pounds of paper around. Our fast paced culture helped in the development of all 3. And I'm sure a lot of people saw each thing as a passing fad at the time. Even television was seen as a novelty when it first came out.

For the coming holiday season, here's one possible lineup. I'm thinking they'll keep one of the current K3s (KSO WiFi) and drop the price below that magical $100 mark to $89. Then they'll add two new touch K4s - a WiFi with ads for $114 and a 3G without ads for $139. Rounding out this selection will be one or two tablets. First will be a 7" WiFi Android for $239 to compete against B&N's Nook Color ($249). No idea on the 10" tablet, but something well below the price point of competing products; and possibly not released until 2012.

• Kindle 3 SO WiFi = $89
• Kindle 4 Touch SO WiFi = $114
• Kindle 4 Touch 3G = $139
• Kindle 7" Tablet WiFi = $239
• Kindle 10" Tablet 3G = $349 ~ $399

Lots of possibilities exist considering the variation they have in their product line: WiFi vs 3G and special offers vs standard.

Personally, I not overly concerned about the hardware aspects of the rumored Kindle 4. IMO, it's the software/user interface that needs updating. I wouldn't mind a new touch screen especially if it came with an updated user interface that takes advantage of a feature like touch screen. As far as the keyboard, to me it would not be a huge lost since I only used mine to create collections.

It's all speculation and wishful thinking now. In the past, Amazon refreshed the kindle about every 18 months. The k3 came out last August, so we may not even see another one this year.

Of course if you're happy with the k2, I'm not going to advise you to go out and buy a k3 NOW. You can still buy a k3 when the k4 comes out, I'm sure, for below $100.

as long as the touch version has input method as good as ipad or iphone, I will go for it.
the keyboard makes kindle aesthetically weaker than others like kobo touch

Why do people always forget to add; "in my opinion" to completely random statements like this? It's certainly not the fact it's often presented as. :blink:

Is it really necessary? I tend to add "IMO" to my posts, but I can clearly tell that it was that person's opinion... It's not like he said, " It's a matter of fact that the keyboard makes kindle aesthetically weaker than others like kobo touch."

Every post in this thread is opinion on what they would like or not like to see in the next Kindle. I really don't think we HAVE to put a reminder on every post that this is only our opinion.

Actually it's almost exactly like he said that. :chinscratch:

You're right, of course. But more of an effort should be made to NOT present our opinions as absolutes... as most in this thread have successfully done, including yourself. ;)

I presume you don't like smartphones w/ keyboards either?

yup
 

wow! you wouldn't believe how long i've been thinking about saying exactly that.
:ditto:

I have said that very thing on other message boards. Yeah, it should probably go without saying that it's an opinion, not fact - but it would nip a lot of unpleasant discussions in the bud if people would just say it anyway. When someone doesn't add IMO, it can come across as a blunt statement of fact rather than opinion, and sets things off. Then again, that's what lots of folks enjoy...IMO;)

As far as the subject at hand (touch screen vs keyboard) I was a diehard keyboard gal until I played with the current Sony touch screens and the Nook's new touch screen. I liked them. I haven't had my K3 long, and I love it even more than I loved my K2. But a touch screen Kindle will be hard for me to resist, especially if they make some of the other changes users have been hoping for.

As far as what's coming for the "Kindle 4", the only clues we really have are from the WSJ article that came out about a month ago - which said that "Amazon plans to introduce two updated versions of its black-and-white Kindle in this year's third quarter, people familiar with the matter said. One of the new Kindles will have a touch screen, which current models don't have." These in addition to the Android tablet that they're strongly rumored to be introducing. Keeping the keyboard as an option would be smart on their part - not only do some readers prefer an actual keyboard, judging from what I read on various message boards there's a segment of readers that actually "need" a keyboard rather than a touch screen.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...#ixzz1VLBgwvjJ

This will be the last comment I make on this subject.

I think of it like this... How often when talking about a certain subject with a spouse, friend, co-worker, customer, etc. do you insert the phrase or words, "In My Opinion"? I almost never do so when verbally communicating (only when I post in forums), and I can't recall the last time someone reminded me that it was only my opinion or I should not be stating something like it was fact.

Not everyone is a pro or regular on forums or online communities and some/many people type how they would talk normally. I try to keep this in mind when reading other people's posts and try not to assume the worst.

THIS

Can we have just one K4 thread by any chance, as we're beginning to sound hysterical and overreact like the iSheep waiting for the next iGimmick... ;)

IMHO!

Also whilst we're all dreaming and scheming away, I would like the next Kindle to make the beds, do the ironing and make a cup of tea in the morning for me...

In my opinion, I think it's rather dumb to have to qualify remarks on this board with the words "in my opinion.", when it's very obvious to begin with. :D

yup
 

:ditto:

"In my opinion"? Not so much, no. But in conversations I do say:
I think.....
Here's what I think....
Y'know what I think?
To me/for me.......
etc....
And usually when I say something about how people might want to add IMO on a message board, it's in the middle of a discussion that's gone nuclear because the parties involved insist that they're "universally" right rather than just admitting the subject at hand is a matter of opinion. Not the case here, I was just dittoing what someone else said.
And of course, this is all just my opinion. ;)

You know what's more irksome when people not putting IMO in every post? People thinking putting IMO or a smiley in their post excuses them for making unnecessarily provocative and insulting comments.

iMO, :D

Guess I may get some answers next Wednesday!!

http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2011...onference.html

I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas.

There's a very good reason for the next Kindle to have touchscreen instead of physical keyboard: the international market. It's MUCH EASIER to localize software keyboard, just a configuration file to modify (or to select among a list). QWERTZ keyboard for the German market, AZERTY for the French one etc.

I don't think there will be an e-ink device presented next week and I'm not pessimistic. Tablets are coming and everybody knows that.

There are some news about a hybrid e-ink/lcd touchscreen tablet device being in development at Amazon but no other e-ink devices planned atm for the future. I would be very surprised if they'd announce a new e-reader (and I mean e-ink reader) on Sep 28 :)

Be a little realistic.