Wired Reviews the Kindle DX - Good, but Expensive

[DaleDe]

Hi Tuna, set your datebook and in 18 months we will compare notes as to the cost of eBook Reader with E-INK and see if 6" devices are below $150 and 9.7" devices are just a few bucks more.

Dale

[katysax]

For lawyers, many of whom bill $200-$500 an hour, who read massive quantities of documents, the ability to get a readable pdf onto a device like this has huge potential. I frequently download contracts and other documents that I need to read carefully onto my kindle via Mobi conversion. Sometimes loss of formatting is a problem. I am extremely excited about the possibility to load documents onto a DX.

I don't think it's going to catch on that quickly because lawyers are generally technologically backwards. But over time, it will. The device really needs the ability to also write on the screen - but that will come.

I can also see uses like loading all your research for a case on one of these - because it is easier to read than a laptop. Or, even an entire document production - where the inability to mark would actually be a plus. Also, a document like this is much less intrusive than a laptop, has longer battery life, and quieter. I can see trial attorneys finding this incredibly useful. For that matter, prosecutors who handle twenty or thirty cases in a day would download all those jackets into a device like this and instead of coming into court with thirty folders could bring a lot less.

The price will come down - a lot - we are in an early stage of development. People haven't even thought of all the uses. There is a reason that the proliferation of computers has led to a proliferation of printers. An electronic device that gives output that substitutes for printed output, has serious uses.

[Tuna]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Hi Tuna, set your datebook and in 18 months we will compare notes as to the cost of eBook Reader with E-INK and see if 6" devices are below $150 and 9.7" devices are just a few bucks more.

Dale

*laughing* sure. My hit rate is pretty good when it comes to technology - just don't ask me to predict shares.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by katysax

For lawyers, many of whom bill $200-$500 an hour, who read massive quantities of documents, the ability to get a readable pdf onto a device like this has huge potential. I frequently download contracts and other documents that I need to read carefully onto my kindle via Mobi conversion. Sometimes loss of formatting is a problem. I am extremely excited about the possibility to load documents onto a DX.

Wouldn't the iRex DR1000, which has the ability to have lots of open documents, and quickly flip between them, be a much better choice for a lawyer?

[tklaus]

Originally Posted by Tuna

Anything from the other competitors will get you the ability to read ebooks, a better web browser, MP3 player, movie playback, slicker user interface, better input (either keyboard or apple's stunning touch interface), download alternative apps, easy memory expansion, wifi, phone (either 3G or Skype), colour display, fast screen refresh, backlit screen, full document editing... all that the Kindle offers is an easy download service and a daylight readable screen. Sure they're good features, but right now you're sat inside, in front of a compter connected to the internet, so it's not as if you cannot survive without them.

I think you are underestimating the appeal of e-ink. It's not just about being able to read it in daylight, it's also the ability to read for hours at a time without eye strain and with a light-weight device that has long battery life. I simply can't do that on any device with a backlit display, and many people feel the same way. The only reason I bought an e-reader was because of the e-ink technology. While I look forward to improvements in the e-ink screens, I'm willing to put up with the slow refresh rate because of the advantages. I'm not interested in an e-reader with an LCD screen (although the Pixel Qi screen is intriguing).

I upgraded from the Kindle 1 to the DX only for the native pdf support (even if navigation is a pain). My only other palatable option was to print out my pdfs for reading.

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by Tuna

Anything from the other competitors will get you the ability to read ebooks, a better web browser, MP3 player, movie playback, slicker user interface, better input (either keyboard or apple's stunning touch interface), download alternative apps, easy memory expansion, wifi, phone (either 3G or Skype), colour display, fast screen refresh, backlit screen, full document editing...

Please tell me the device that has all of these things. Remember, it must have EInk, similar size display, and a similar battery life to Kindle in order to qualify. Oh, and the same good book selection.

Oh, wait, you mean you were talking about an entirely different class of products that do not have those equivalent Kindle features?

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by Tuna

So the main selling point for the Kindle is the Amazon store?

That's a huge selling point, yes. Wireless access is another. EInk screen and long battery life a third, etc.

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by Tuna

And being tied to Amazon is preferrable to choosing from Borders, Waterstones, OReilly, Google Books et. al.?

You're not tied to Amazon; you can read non-DRM books from those other places as well. There are very few DRM books that other stores offer that Amazon does not.

[Tuna]

Don't get me wrong, I 'get' the selling points for the DX. I just don't think they're strong enough to justify the price.

With the best will in the world a 9.7" screen is not a comfortable size for standard pdf documents (assuming your company uses PDF and not word etc) - it's half letter size and by all accounts has trouble displaying documents properly. So if your business deals in sufficient quantities of documents to justify an e-reader, you're going to have to trawl through them in a squished, awkward format. The Iliad never quite took off for much the same reason. Don't underestimate the 'functionality' of a sheaf of printed paper that can be annotated, navigated, highlighted, bookmarked, filed and shared with consummate ease.

I appreciate that the other devices I've compared it to don't offer the exact features of the DX, but they cost the same and for that price offer a wide range of features and functions against the DX's much more limited repertoire. I think that, for the price people will expect a wider feature set - web browsing, video, messaging, applications and so on.

If you accept that the DX is a single function gadget that's not quite good enough to display business documents (I'm sure some will disagree - this is after all just an opinion), then consider that you can read most current e-books just as well on 6" e-readers, why would you want to pay $500 when you could get the Kindle 2 for $150 less, or the Sony for $300 less?

The reviews seem to back me up a bit on this - after the Kindle 2, the DX comes across as a bit of a disappointment.

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by Tuna

With the best will in the world a 9.7" screen is not a comfortable size for standard pdf documents (assuming your company uses PDF and not word etc) - it's half letter size and by all accounts has trouble displaying documents properly.

Please cite these "all accounts" as over in the Kindle forum we're all praising how nicely the Kindle DX display PDFs properly. I agree it would be nicer if it were even larger still, but it's very readable.

Originally Posted by Tuna

I appreciate that the other devices I've compared it to don't offer the exact features of the DX, but they cost the same and for that price offer a wide range of features and functions against the DX's much more limited repertoire. I think that, for the price people will expect a wider feature set - web browsing, video, messaging, applications and so on.

But they offer even MORE "squished" PDF reading. Stop switching horses in midstream to suit your argument. EInk readers are better the small cell phones and netbooks for reading ebooks, and the Kindle DX specifically is better for reading PDFs than the others. When I said Amazon was winning, that's what I was talking about.

[tklaus]

Originally Posted by Tuna

With the best will in the world a 9.7" screen is not a comfortable size for standard pdf documents (assuming your company uses PDF and not word etc) - it's half letter size and by all accounts has trouble displaying documents properly.

Well, I actually have a DX, and my experience over the last 24 hours or so has been much different. Like I said, I bought it primarily for the pdf support, so I've put put a bunch of pdfs on it of various types to see how they work. I've tried scanned pdfs, pdfs with lots of images, including ones that are just detailed maps, an anatomy text, math texts with lots of equations, computer texts with lots of diagrams, tables, code blocks, screen shots, and custom layout, a sky atlas (scanned), work pdfs converted from .doc files and latex source, pdfs of API documentation (MATLAB), and pdfs containing schematics.

In all cases, the DX displayed them exactly the way they look on paper or on my computer screen (albeit not in color). They are very readable in portrait mode (which actually surprised me, based on the reviews and pictures on the web), and those with smaller text are fine in landscape mode. The fact that the DX automatically trims off the blank margins helps.

My main complaint is navigation. Since the links in the documents are not clickable, the tables of contents are mostly useless. You can go to a specific page number in the DX, but the DX page numbers rarely correspond to the page numbers in the TOC, so that's not very useful. I've had to resort to creating bookmarks for all the chapters, which is a pain and doesn't work that well for things like API documentation.

Overall though, it was well worth the $.

[fugazied]

Sure it's expensive, but if you are a frequent reader, you use it a LOT and the extra screen space is great. If you read 2 hrs+ a day, the device and the various advantages are worth the outlay in no time.
Apple didn't release their tablet, so I think the DX is probably the best ebook reader around at the moment.

[katysax]

"Wouldn't the iRex DR1000, which has the ability to have lots of open documents, and quickly flip between them, be a much better choice for a lawyer?"

The irex is better in many ways, including the ability to annotate on the screen. My experience with working with law firms is that $1000 is too expensive for an ancillary device, but $500 is more within the threshold. Also lawyers and law firms tend to use things that are in the mainstream.

Many lawyers travel a lot, and the DX could also be used as a book reader. (yeah I know the irex could too). For me, its an alternative to printing out reams of paper just so that I can read a document away from a computer screen. It also gives me a more lightweight alternative with a longer lasting battery than a netbook.

We are in the early adapter phase. I don't think the DX is too expensive for what it is at this point. I'm sure Amazon would like to be able to sell all of its Kindle's much cheaper. Their business model is all about selling the books, not being an OEM for electronic devices.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by katysax

The irex is better in many ways, including the ability to annotate on the screen. My experience with working with law firms is that $1000 is too expensive for an ancillary device, but $500 is more within the threshold. Also lawyers and law firms tend to use things that are in the mainstream.

Interesting perspective - thanks! I see the iRex as a lot more than a bookreader - one can use it to "mark up" documents. It's thus ideal for browsing through PDFs, making your own annotation on them, and so on. Currently this cannot be done on the Kindle DX. The iRex may be perceived as expensive, but if you compare it with a Tablet PC, the price is extremely reasonable.

[emellaich]

Originally Posted by Tuna

Don't get me wrong, I 'get' the selling points for the DX. I just don't think they're strong enough to justify the price.

I don't need the DX, the K2 is just fine for me. In fact, I would find the larger size a negative feature (portability).

The only selling point that counts for the DX is size. If size was important then the DX is a good value. Consider that the screen is 2.5 times the area of the K2. Just look at proportional costs and a $60 screen on the K2 (isupply estimate) would cost $180 on the KDX. Plus consider the probable lower yield rates.

So anyway, I agree that you and I don't have a need for the size of the DX. If we did however, then I would argue that the price is in line. I understand your value argument (nuclear car), but I would argue that pricing is based on a combination of value and costs.

The question is whether there is a big enough market of others (not you and I) who see value in a price that lets Amazon recoup that cost difference. Since Amazon is already sold out of the first production run, then the answer in the short term is that the price is appropriate.

In the long term, the price may come down as manufacturing improves. However, there is no need to price it any lower today since they are selling out of current production. Furthermore, I would argue that the state of the technology for large readers is a bit early. They really need improvements in both software and hardware to prepare themselves for a mass market in large screen readers. As such, a more exclusive price/market may be appropriate today.