11-21-2007, 07:26 AM | #1 |
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MAJOR FLAW in the Amazon Kindle
There is one Major Flaw in the Amazon Kindle. It EXCLUDES PC book readers.
I have been reading books for the last 10 years using PC Readers primarily Microsoft Reader and occasionally Adobe Acrobat. I much prefer my 24" Wide Screen PC Monitor with its own great lighting to any paper books or mobile readers. Why would I want to drop from my great 24" wide screen Monitor which does not need any external lighting back to a 6" screen which requires good external lighting? I would only use the Amazon Kindle if Amazon also supplied a good PC Reader to go with it. Then I could still continue most of my book reading on my PC and SUPPLEMENT it with the Kindle. For example, I'd prefer to read my Bible each day on my PC and then use the Kindle to bring that Bible to Church for Bible studies. Then the Kindle would be great. Now the Kindle is simply NOT A KEEPER. I believe Amazon has made a very big mistake by not supplying a PC Reader. Almost all of Amazon customers ARE PC USERS. They have excluded most of their own customer base by denying the use of PC Readers. Thus, I will wait for Microsoft to supplement their GREAT PC READER with a Mobile Device at some future time. Almost all books available can be read with MS Reader. One can buy them from a variety of sources other than Microsoft. The Kindle book files can ONLY be purchased from Amazon. Last edited by sirmaru; 11-21-2007 at 07:28 AM. Reason: Correct spelling |
11-21-2007, 07:30 AM | #2 |
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are you familiar with eink displays and their advantages? Have you actually USED an eink reader? The sony is usually on display at borders.
They look/read like paper. No backlit (huge plus), read in direct sunlight, very low power. Also, why would you curl up on your sofa and hold a 24" wide screen monitor? -d |
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11-21-2007, 07:33 AM | #3 | |
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Quote:
Sounds as though the Kindle isn't right for you, but I'm not sure that one can generalise and say that Amazon made a big mistake by not supporting reading on the PC. I get the impression from this forum that not very many people read on their PCs. I'll put up a poll so we can get an idea of how many people prefer reading on their PC compared to hand-held devices - I'd be interested to see the results. |
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11-21-2007, 07:37 AM | #4 | |
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ONLY PC Readers for ME
Quote:
Most Amazon customers are computer ADDICTS as am I. I have not been to a brick and mortar book store in 10 years. The exclusive kindle book reading is good for NON-computer users ONLY. For me PC use is my ONLY means of reading. The kindle would only be a supplementary book reader at its BEST in my humble opinion. |
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11-21-2007, 07:39 AM | #5 |
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I would presume that most amazon customers buy actual books
-d |
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11-21-2007, 07:42 AM | #6 | |
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Virtually everyone I work with buys books from Amazon. I wouldn't describe any of them as a "computer addict". They just use a computer as a part of their work and find it convenient to shop on-line.
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11-21-2007, 07:44 AM | #7 | |
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Quote:
Personally I cannot read on a PC since I cannot find a comfortable reading position for reading many hours in a row. Reading forums is totally different because there you can take pauses and do other things. |
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11-21-2007, 07:47 AM | #8 | |
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Problem correction EASY
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Otherwise, my 24" Wide Screen Monitor with much bigger fonts and better clarity than Kindle can ever dream of will be my method of choice for reading EVERYTHING. |
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11-21-2007, 07:47 AM | #9 |
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For what it's worth, I'm a professional programmer, so I sit in front of a screen all day, and I spent a lot of my non-work time in front of one as well.
That said, I find intensive textual reading on an LCD or CRT to be extremely taxing. When I'm working, I have to take breaks every hour or two to allow my eyes to recover. E-ink doesn't have that problem. From talking to other people, I don't think I'm in the minority in finding that extended on-screen reading causes serious eyestrain. |
11-21-2007, 07:48 AM | #10 |
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@sirmaru
Do you realized what kind of strain you are putting on your eyes by reading lots of text on a backlit LCD screen? Reading a forum or some reviews is OK, but the huge, bright white background of my 22" LCD and 42" TV screens (and I don't use maximum brightness, my PC monitor is on something like 20% backlicght brightness actually) would be enough to bring tears to my eyes after anything more than a brief reading session... |
11-21-2007, 07:51 AM | #11 | |
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PC Screens BEAT EVERYTHING
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For all my working years and now in retirement I have spent almost my entire waking life looking at my PC Monitor. I have a hunch there are quite a few folks around in this COMPUTER AGE who are exactly like me. |
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11-21-2007, 07:51 AM | #12 |
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I have no difficulty to read on lcds or CTRs. And I do all day long.
Still, I wouldn't read a book on my pc and I really really prefer a pda or, more recently, a dedicated device (sony reader). I don't think this will penalize greatly amazon... it's more - imho - a slight inconvenience for some users than a major flaw. |
11-21-2007, 07:54 AM | #13 | |
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I understand that it's not what you want, but that doesn't mean that it's a terrible thing for most people. |
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11-21-2007, 07:57 AM | #14 |
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I've put up a poll here so we can get some (extremely unscientific) idea of the numbers of people who feel each way about it. Please cast your vote!
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11-21-2007, 08:07 AM | #15 |
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I do not believe this. You realize that a line should maximum be around 70 characters for optimal reading. So the size of the monitor does not matter. The perceived size depend on reading distance so how can you claim that the fonts are bigger on a monitor?
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