New Graphite Kindle DX on July 7th!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by flowoeB

could you tell me how to? when i click on 'living outside USA' I get the message that I only can buy the white one - even when selecting UK for delivery...

I just ignored that and clicked "Add to basket" and then "Proceed to checkout". I don't know whether or not they would have shipped me one, but it certainly showed up OK in the checkout with all the appropriate charges for international delivery.

[millydog]

I think that the new K3 will also be released around the same time since I helped my Aunty order a K2 today and it is estimated to ship after August 9th. I think that she will get a K3 instead of the K2, but I am only suspecting this based on the delivery date and memory of something similar happening when the K2 was originally released.

Jodi

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by millydog

I think that the new K3 will also be released around the same time since I helped my Aunty order a K2 today and it is estimated to ship after August 9th. I think that she will get a K3 instead of the K2, but I am only suspecting this based on the delivery date and memory of something similar happening when the K2 was originally released.

Jodi

Interesting info. If this is true I would certainly look into upgrading my K1 classic. Perchance the threw a microSD slot in it? Not that I need that.

BOb

[Sheikspeare]

Yes, no TOC on the DX -- a major downside for me too.

[harryE123]

unbelievably ugly and laughably lacking in specs. 3.5 gbs and no sd card slot in 2010, what the heck is that?

Amazon should have come up with a decent reader in light of the ipad phenomenon, this can't even be considered an interim product, it's just a plain crap update.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by harryE123

unbelievably ugly and laughably lacking in specs. 3.5 gbs and no sd card slot in 2010, what the heck is that?

"That" is entirely adequate for many people. A typical eBook is about 300k, so 3GB storage gives you space for 10,000 books. I'd imagine that many users will manage to scrape by on that .

[Geppetto]

Originally Posted by harryE123

unbelievably ugly and laughably lacking in specs. 3.5 gbs and no sd card slot in 2010, what the heck is that?

Amazon should have come up with a decent reader in light of the ipad phenomenon, this can't even be considered an interim product, it's just a plain crap update.

Your meaningless arguments will not resurrect Irex: just accept it.

[harryE123]

What? Nice an agenda accusation without actually replying to my argument. I liked your counter arguments man, which where non existent.

Harry, you know enough to be more honest. Tell what the size of typical textbook with graphs, and pictures is, factor in how many textbooks a student reads, and tell me if the kindle can handle any of that well. That's right it can't. And what should a student say do with their pdf lecture notes that amount on average during a year to say 1gb at least (with assorted supplementary journal material etc.) Get another reader because amazon are too greedy to include and sd card or bring storage capacities up to 2010 instead of 2005 standards?

Also tell me how much including say ten pages of full sized pictures raises the size? If your definition of ebooks is literature or text solely, which it is is not of much use now is it?

And tell me something else Harry, a lot of people have journal articles, pdf documents, lecture notes, user created pdf documents, all sorts of reading material, who well does the kindle handle these? That's right not well at all. Now what do you suggest these people do ( I would say buy an ipad (and most have) if they can handle the lcd reading - I can't that well, but a lot do)? Buy kindle solely for amazon to pimp their content and then buy a separate ebook reader for everything else? I thought the kindle was supposed to be a reader, not some orwellian amazon sanctioned content reader, that can't even handle any larger file sizes from amazon itself well. So say a college proffesor or a student are forced to have another reader (an ipad say) on the side for all their other needs and a kindle for amazon content. Great scenario...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by harryE123

Harry, you know enough to be more honest. Tell what the size of typical textbook with graphs, and pictures is, factor in how many textbooks a student reads, and tell me if the kindle can handle any of that.

The Kindle is primarily aimed at the fiction reading market, not textbooks.

But let's see: a large PDF textbook, with pictures, graphs, etc, is probably going to be in the 20-30MB range. Let's err on the side of caution and say 30MB. That still gets you 100 such books in your 3GB. Again, more than enough for the average student.

[harryE123]

30mb is underestimating the size, if you put in 50 images, that might be so, but the average textbook would have in excess of 100. And you didn't tell me what said students will do for their other reading needs, journals, lecture notes etc. etc. Buy another device because amazon won't pay $10 per device for say 16gb of memory, and because they won't put in any semblance of pdf reader? Tell me what you think would be a rational scenario for this? That the no. 1 worldwide bookseller actually releases a half capable device, or that they keep on selling a crippled one so that apple can sell ipads?

As for fiction reading, I was under the impression that a 9.7" inch screen for the dx was there for a reason, but how many fiction books actually require that much real estate? More than 5%?

[HarryT]

You're obviously not happy with the Kindle DX, so don't buy one. All I'm saying is that it meets many peoples' needs. There will never be a device which is perfect for everyone. I love reading on my iPad. Some people think that's too heavy and too expensive. We all have to buy the device which suits our personal needs.

[harryE123]

I am happy with my ipad too but I can't read too long on it, that's why I was expecting that amazon would have by now gotten their act together and released a decent eink reader. I was surprised and dismayed to see that they haven't. And I wasn't asking for much, just more storage and better pdf viewing.

Instead they are becoming the microsoft of the reader world, by stifling competition (see irex, see plastic logic) while keeping the standards very low and putting the handbrake on the growth of the technology to the extent that it doesn't actually meet some basic current user needs. What's even more annoying than their short sighted interests is that they could have been dominating the market and making more money for themselves had they actually released a capable device: decent storage, interfacing with the cloud, capable pdf viewing and of course drastically cheaper ebooks for every print book sold to a customer. I would then buy my content from them, have my content in their devices and I'd be one happy camper.

Instead they are crippling the capabilities of their kindles, and thus compromising my needs to an unacceptable degree, and they are also trying to stiff me off my money by having me pay twice for an e and p copy of a book. They have studied the moronic microsoft model of doing business really well it seems. And it makes me all the more appreciate how revolutionary and visionary apple were in handling the music business and helping it take off in a digital world.

Amazon could have been the apple to books with capable devices and cheap ebooks with print copies (and full price ebooks without).

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by harryE123

unbelievably ugly and laughably lacking in specs. 3.5 gbs and no sd card slot in 2010, what the heck is that?

Amazon should have come up with a decent reader in light of the ipad phenomenon, this can't even be considered an interim product, it's just a plain crap update.

3.5GB equates to quite a large number of files. I believe your bought ebooks can be saved in the Amazon Cloud and not your reader and downloaded when needed.

Originally Posted by harryE123

I am happy with my ipad too but I can't read too long on it, that's why I was expecting that amazon would have by now gotten their act together and released a decent eink reader. I was surprised and dismayed to see that they haven't. And I wasn't asking for much, just more storage and better pdf viewing.

Instead they are becoming the microsoft of the reader world, by stifling competition (see irex, see plastic logic) while keeping the standards very low and putting the handbrake on the growth of the technology to the extent that it doesn't actually meet some basic current user needs. What's even more annoying than their short sighted interests is that they could have been dominating the market and making more money for themselves had they actually released a capable device: decent storage, interfacing with the cloud, capable pdf viewing and of course drastically cheaper ebooks for every print book sold to a customer. I would then buy my content from them, have my content in their devices and I'd be one happy camper.

Instead they are crippling the capabilities of their kindles, and thus compromising my needs to an unacceptable degree, and they are also trying to stiff me off my money by having me pay twice for an e and p copy of a book. They have studied the moronic microsoft model of doing business really well it seems. And it makes me all the more appreciate how revolutionary and visionary apple were in handling the music business and helping it take off in a digital world.

Amazon could have been the apple to books with capable devices and cheap ebooks with print copies (and full price ebooks without).

Amazon are not trying to stiff you in asking you to buy both the pbook and ebook, they are two different products supplied by the publishers and sold by Amazon. You talk how revolutionary Apple was with the music industry, they don't sell you an mp3 album and hand you an official distributed CD. Now before you complain further about the price of ebooks, many threads discuss this issue and it comes down to the price set by the publishers.

[harryE123]

Do you really want me to respond rationally to this when you equate a cd with a printed book in your analogy? These two are not comparable. Besides them both being physical items they are very distinct, in that a cd offers a means to play content via an auxialliary system, whilst a book is in itself the system by which the content is presented/consumed.

I don't care what prices or policies publishers set, amazon could have negotiated better deals with them. Apple did so with the music business and if it hadn't been for them they would have drm-ed the hell out of everything as they have done everywhere else. If amazon and the publishers stick to their idiotic policy then piracy will become rampant, as it already has by the multitude of book downloading sites that have spread out on the net. Too bad they can't get this in their greedy heads. And my qualm is not ebook prices, it's ebook prices WHEN one buys a printed copy. Actually I don't think ebook prices are high at all, I think printed books should be accompanied by an electronic version as well, is that too much to ask for? That should have been the norm.

There is no excuse to me why someone buying the rights to consume content should pay twice for consuming said content on an electronic reader as well. It's unacceptable, and as soon as amazon and publishers figure this out people will stop amassing tons of gbs of stolen content. And until they do I am afraid I will have to belabor this point.

[avlad]

@harryE123
Why don't you start a new thread in which you can express all your complaints/frustrations about Amazon devices and stop commenting off various threads.