This is where the fun is coming in.... "feature creep" is going to inevitably hit the Kindle - can Amazon succeed in keeping the Kindle an ebook reader, or will it be turned into a webbook or something with enhanced PDA functions? It is already on the Sprint system... add a phone function? Don't want to clutter the OS with all these features? Add a port to the back to which users could add their own modules - phone, GPS, enhanced MP3 or video?
Now, personally, I like devices to be specialized devices... I like my Palm T5 serving as my PDA, my cell phone as my cell phone and my Kindle as my eReader. But... data are data and chips are chips.
Near as I can tell, the thing slowing down the Kindle from being multi-function is the eInk display not being real great at tasks that require quick refreshes. And eInk appears to be fragile.
But.. five years down the road, another display system will be out, and I can see the Kindle either being dead, or morphed into something more general purpose than it is now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cush
I'm getting into this topic rather late but I thought the Kindle was supposed to be an ebook reader, not a tablet or mini-laptop. We own two Kindles, both V1, and find they do a great job as book readers, but mediocre as an Internet access device. Color is not an issue for me since I would buy art and other graphically intensive books as paper versions anyway.
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