Kindle '4' improvements?

markstani · 10-26-2010, 03:25 PM

I just wondered what improvements other Kindle users would like to see in future versions of the device?

I think it's the right size and I don't think it needs touch-screen technology - I think it would mark up the screen unnecessarily.

I'd quite like a bit of colour and a better ability to show covers and other graphics - but it's hardly something I would consider a strong 'negative' at the moment.

A better-formatted web browser would be good. Also, easier formatting of Word documents, web pages etc without having to do all the pdf converting, which often leaves the font size far too small.

A lending facility? Yeah, I'd like that a lot.

Otherwise, I'm not sure it needs revolutionising. I think its strength against the iPad (if Apple insist on turning it into a rivalry) is precisely that the Kindle is great at what it is - being an e-reader.

Who knows, perhaps iPad's apparent intention to be everything to everyone may yet prove to be its downfall.

Mark Staniforth

author 'Fryupdale' - free at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/22744

tubemonkey · 10-26-2010, 03:34 PM

I want the one with the bigger geebees.

daffy4u · 10-26-2010, 03:39 PM

There are a few threads on this very subject in the Kindle Forum.

ski_power · 10-26-2010, 05:33 PM

yeah, we already have "Kindle4Pseudofantasy" and "What would you like to improve in your Kindle 3?" threads. It's getting boring now.

Dylrob · 10-26-2010, 09:12 PM

Support for SecureMobi and/or ADEPT ePub. (*I wish*)

JSWolf · 10-26-2010, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylrob

Support for SecureMobi and/or ADEPT ePub. (*I wish*)

Never happen. Go with a different reader.

Dylrob · 10-26-2010, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Never happen. Go with a different reader.

I know. Hence the "I wish"... I wish there was a bloody standard that all the big players would agree on.

Seanette · 10-26-2010, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylrob

I know. Hence the "I wish"... I wish there was a bloody standard that all the big players would agree on.

Like that's ever going to happen, since locking you into a specific standard/device is their notion of competing.

fairy_dreams · 10-29-2010, 02:31 AM

It'd be interesting to see a Kindle DX with touchscreen (since the keyboard is kind of awkward). This would also cut down on its size.

As for a regular K4, I'd like to see even faster page turns if that were possible

mldavis2 · 10-29-2010, 07:38 AM

The entire purpose of selling eBook readers (Nook, Kindle, etc.) is to sell eBooks, not readers. Like computer printers which are sold as conduits to printer ink sales, readers are intended to force most users to buy books from Amazon or B&N. There is no financial reason for vendors to enable Amazon eBooks on a Nook or vice versa because it would create direct competition and bring prices down.

On the other hand, it works to force both vendors to maintain larger inventories and offer more choices, lest the competitor wins on quality/quantity comparisons. I suspect most authors will not choose an exclusive for either vendor unless one runs away with the market.

Solicitous · 10-29-2010, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fairy_dreams

It'd be interesting to see a Kindle DX with touchscreen (since the keyboard is kind of awkward). This would also cut down on its size.

As for a regular K4, I'd like to see even faster page turns if that were possible

I'd be very happy to see a DX with the K3 functionality ie: wifi and d-pad (no joystick). I reckon it would be the best thing for academic stuff. Oh and the option to have PDF-reflow or the current zoom option the k3 has.

jbcohen · 10-29-2010, 08:35 AM

In the real world I am a network administrator so these are the sorts of things that I need to know on a daily basis. If one got in a time machine and went twenty years into the future and went out and bought what ever the latest generation of ereaders from what I am told the differences that you would see would be, this is based on the infromation that I am reading from IT (a fancy name for computers), industry: You sould see a kindle that would on the surface resemble the K3s that we see today except with a few major modifications, there will be no on board memory instead all of the memory that you use in the kindle of 2030 will be injected into the unit in a syringe. There will still be a limit to the amount of memory that the 2030 kindle can hold, but it will be much higher then the kindle of 2010. When you find you 64gb 2030 kindle needs more memory you will go buy a bottle of black liquid that you will inject into the kindle with a syringe much like an nurse would inject medication into your arm. You will not touch the 2030 kindle like you do the 2010 kindle, you will cary it about and place it on a desk when you want to read it, but beyond that you will either speak to your 2030 kindle or you will make motions in the air above it and the 2030 kindle will obey. Your 2030 kindle will also project images of the book that you are reading in the air above it, if you are reading of a sword fight you will see the sword fight above the kindle. Oh, your 2030 Kindle will cost $5.

This is what the computer industry is telling me now.

Drik · 10-29-2010, 10:33 AM

I think Kindle 3 is already a good gadget, but in the future it would be nice support for fb2, epub, doc... and pdf reflow.

Gwen Morse · 10-29-2010, 10:21 PM

I know Amazon will never do it, but, I'd like an ebook reader with the highest quality of eInk screen (eventually a Pixel Qi screen)...with modular support for ebook formats and fonts.

This is actually the sort of thing Sony could do (given that they're supposed to be hardware-based).

Basically, you would get a couple formats on the device and then you could download add-on packages that support the assorted versions of DRM out there. I'd like something similar with fonts as well. So, you could get a standard base set of fonts and then download others.

Download packs would either be free or could involve a nominal charge (depending on the licensing of what's being offered). They could even be available as part of bundles...

"Buy 5 ebooks of $10 or more value each, and get your choice of basic font packs (blah blah)."

Blog Kindle · 10-29-2010, 10:59 PM

Hardware-wise the only improvement I can think of is larger screen while maintaining the same overall device size.
Color could be nice (but not in a way B&N did it) but it's now realistic in the near future.

10-26-2010, 03:25 PM	#1
markstani Member Posts: 15 Karma: 495358 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	Kindle '4' improvements? I just wondered what improvements other Kindle users would like to see in future versions of the device? I think it's the right size and I don't think it needs touch-screen technology - I think it would mark up the screen unnecessarily. I'd quite like a bit of colour and a better ability to show covers and other graphics - but it's hardly something I would consider a strong 'negative' at the moment. A better-formatted web browser would be good. Also, easier formatting of Word documents, web pages etc without having to do all the pdf converting, which often leaves the font size far too small. A lending facility? Yeah, I'd like that a lot. Otherwise, I'm not sure it needs revolutionising. I think its strength against the iPad (if Apple insist on turning it into a rivalry) is precisely that the Kindle is great at what it is - being an e-reader. Who knows, perhaps iPad's apparent intention to be everything to everyone may yet prove to be its downfall. Mark Staniforth author 'Fryupdale' - free at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/22744

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10-26-2010, 03:34 PM	#2
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,477 Karma: 158151390 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	I want the one with the bigger geebees.

10-26-2010, 03:39 PM	#3
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	There are a few threads on this very subject in the Kindle Forum.

10-26-2010, 05:33 PM	#4
ski_power Book eater Posts: 181 Karma: 2068 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle 3 G 3G (<-lol)	yeah, we already have "Kindle4Pseudofantasy" and "What would you like to improve in your Kindle 3?" threads. It's getting boring now.

10-26-2010, 09:12 PM	#5
Dylrob Murderous Mustela Posts: 10,141 Karma: 47366760 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The other land of schnitzel and beer Device: iPad M1 Pro, Kindle Paperwhite	Support for SecureMobi and/or ADEPT ePub. (I wish)

10-29-2010, 02:31 AM	#9
fairy_dreams Member Posts: 22 Karma: 22772 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3 3G	It'd be interesting to see a Kindle DX with touchscreen (since the keyboard is kind of awkward). This would also cut down on its size. As for a regular K4, I'd like to see even faster page turns if that were possible

10-29-2010, 07:38 AM	#10
mldavis2 Coffee Nut Posts: 410 Karma: 298350 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Missouri Device: Kindle 3; K4PC; Calibre	The entire purpose of selling eBook readers (Nook, Kindle, etc.) is to sell eBooks, not readers. Like computer printers which are sold as conduits to printer ink sales, readers are intended to force most users to buy books from Amazon or B&N. There is no financial reason for vendors to enable Amazon eBooks on a Nook or vice versa because it would create direct competition and bring prices down. On the other hand, it works to force both vendors to maintain larger inventories and offer more choices, lest the competitor wins on quality/quantity comparisons. I suspect most authors will not choose an exclusive for either vendor unless one runs away with the market.

10-29-2010, 08:35 AM	#12
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	In the real world I am a network administrator so these are the sorts of things that I need to know on a daily basis. If one got in a time machine and went twenty years into the future and went out and bought what ever the latest generation of ereaders from what I am told the differences that you would see would be, this is based on the infromation that I am reading from IT (a fancy name for computers), industry: You sould see a kindle that would on the surface resemble the K3s that we see today except with a few major modifications, there will be no on board memory instead all of the memory that you use in the kindle of 2030 will be injected into the unit in a syringe. There will still be a limit to the amount of memory that the 2030 kindle can hold, but it will be much higher then the kindle of 2010. When you find you 64gb 2030 kindle needs more memory you will go buy a bottle of black liquid that you will inject into the kindle with a syringe much like an nurse would inject medication into your arm. You will not touch the 2030 kindle like you do the 2010 kindle, you will cary it about and place it on a desk when you want to read it, but beyond that you will either speak to your 2030 kindle or you will make motions in the air above it and the 2030 kindle will obey. Your 2030 kindle will also project images of the book that you are reading in the air above it, if you are reading of a sword fight you will see the sword fight above the kindle. Oh, your 2030 Kindle will cost $5. This is what the computer industry is telling me now.

10-29-2010, 10:33 AM	#13
Drik Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: hanlin V3	I think Kindle 3 is already a good gadget, but in the future it would be nice support for fb2, epub, doc... and pdf reflow.

10-29-2010, 10:21 PM	#14
Gwen Morse Addict Posts: 254 Karma: 59872 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: New York, USA Device: Kindle 3 (wifi) + nokia n900 tablet phone	I know Amazon will never do it, but, I'd like an ebook reader with the highest quality of eInk screen (eventually a Pixel Qi screen)...with modular support for ebook formats and fonts. This is actually the sort of thing Sony could do (given that they're supposed to be hardware-based). Basically, you would get a couple formats on the device and then you could download add-on packages that support the assorted versions of DRM out there. I'd like something similar with fonts as well. So, you could get a standard base set of fonts and then download others. Download packs would either be free or could involve a nominal charge (depending on the licensing of what's being offered). They could even be available as part of bundles... "Buy 5 ebooks of $10 or more value each, and get your choice of basic font packs (blah blah)."

10-29-2010, 10:59 PM	#15
Blog Kindle Addict Posts: 224 Karma: 25122 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 1/2/3/4/Touch/DX/Fire\|PRS-600/350\|Nook(color)\|iPad\|iPad2\|EVO 4G	Hardware-wise the only improvement I can think of is larger screen while maintaining the same overall device size. Color could be nice (but not in a way B&N did it) but it's now realistic in the near future.

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