I broke my Kindle and it was my own fault. Sat my computer bag on it when I pulled it out of the overhead to pack things away from my flight home. I knew instantly that I had jacked the screen and that really was not the way I wanted to end my latest trip. I went online to check pricing for a new unit and because I have such a huge assortment of books, I really have no alternative. This time I am going to get a protective jacket for it.
Totally sucks because I love my Kindle. When I travel I read a great deal, and you know I travel a lot. This is the first time in many years I have broken a piece of electronics. I have had stuff fail on me before but this was a case of smashing the screen with my over weight computer bag, it did not stand a chance. The worst part I was hot and heavy into a book I was reading, and now will have to wait till my new unit shows. up.
So what have you broken lately?
I’ve had my first generation Kindle for a year and a half and I drooled when the second generation Kindle came out. I drooled again when the Kindle DX was announced earlier this year.
I tried using my Kindle to replace my daily newspaper but found the experience wasn’t up to the task. I got use to reading my news online but the serial viewing on the Kindle left me feeling that I was missing something. I do use my Kindle for reading books and have purchased a few reference books that allow me to use the Kindle’s search feature. Typically Kindle books are cheaper than their print cousins and most cost $9.99, but I didn’t think I used it enough to justify another $350 gadget when what I had, served my purpose.
When Apple announced the new iPhone 3GS and 3.0 firmware, I heard about the Kindle application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I downloaded this free app and was impressed. It now feels like I have a new Kindle — on a device I already own.
When I installed the application on my iPod Touch and entered my Amazon account information, it showed me that I had a number of Archived Items. These were books that I had purchased and downloaded on my Kindle. I could then download a copy for reading on my iPod Touch. The cool thing was it opened up to the last page that I was reading on the Kindle. It turns out that this goes both ways. If I’m reading a book on the Touch and switch to my Kindle, it opens up to last page read on the Touch.
So how was the reading experience on the iPod Touch? Even though the screen is much smaller, I thought it was a great experience. The pages show up in portrait or landscape (depending on how you’re holding the device) and the menu and controls disappear after a few seconds. You navigate the pages by touching (or swiping) the screen. Touching the right side of the screen moves you forward and touching the left side moves you back. Page turns are very fast (faster than on the Kindle) and you access the menu by touching the center of the screen. Bringing up the menu gives you access to changing the text size and color, setting/accessing bookmarks, and going back to the Home screen. The Home screen allows you to select a new book, download one of your archived books, or search the Kindle store for another book.
One nice surprise came when I downloaded a photography book I had been reading on the Kindle. To save power the Kindle screen only shows shades of gray and the photography book was mainly text with a few photos thrown in. These photos showed up in color on my iPod Touch.
One of the best things (and a smart move by Amazon) is you don’t need to own a Kindle to read Kindle books on your iPhone/Touch. You can download the program for free from the iTunes Store and set up an Amazon account (if you ever ordered anything on Amazon.com, you already have an account). You can then download and review the first chapter of books from the Kindle store and purchase books right from the device.
I can’t say that having access to my Kindle books on my iPod Touch is going to keep me from getting a new Kindle someday because I’m find myself using my Kindle more these days. It’s a nice feeling knowing I can have my books with me even when I leave my Kindle at home. Like I said before, a very smart move Amazon!
73’s, Tom
Google has released 500,000 books for use in Sony’s eBook reader. The non-copyrighted works (all with expired copyrights) will vault Sony to the head of the pack when it comes to what is available on an eBook reader, giving Sony users access to about 600,000 books. All 500,000 books are free. By comparison, Amazon only has 245,000 books available, the majority of which cost at least something to buy.
Google has simply offered its current stock of scanned books in a format that electronic text readers can use. The same library has already been available for free through Google as PDF’s, which don’t work with most electronic book readers, but work well on computer screens.
“Really our vision is: any book, anywhere, any time and on any device,” Google spokesman Jennie Johnson said. “We want to partner with anybody who shares our vision of making them more accessible.”
Amazon continues to lock down their format so that it can only be used on the Kindle, while Sony has subscribed to policy of more openness when it comes to what can be put on its reader. The electronic book publishing industry, for the most part,uses EPUB for the format of electronic books. Unlocked EPUB files can be used on the Kindle, but only with a bit of a workaround. In Sony’s case, locked and unlocked EPUB files are both easily used on their reader.
The cost for the Sony eBook reader is priced between $300 and $350 depending on the model chosen.
I heard Todd mention in a podcast last week that books may never be fully replaced by a device. On another podcast I also heard the same thoughts from a guy who is not a geek. I have the same feeling but I know better than to say it will never happen. Throughout time people have seen things invented or events take place that their minds could not comprehend. When I first heard of the “information super highway” (the internet) I thought it was the dumbest idea ever. I did not see the point in having endless information available to everyone. I was young then & understood people wanted to get knowledge but I did not see the full scope of the possibilities. Cavemen were probably scared to death of even getting close to a dangerous ocean but later men were able to sail across them. The ability to comprehend how man could build a machine to fly inside was out of reach for most people until the Wright Brothers came along. It is hard for us to envision what a device that will replace books will look like because that is not our focus. We work on our own businesses or jobs. But there are those people out there who are in search of a profit who are focused on this very creation. So I believe the market will provide a book alternative just as MP3 players have replaced CD’s for the most part.
From most accounts the Kindle is a good alternative but still lacks that “something” to make it a paper book replacement. I have a feeling that the electronic device may not have a back light. I see the device being “dark” so you will need an alternative light source to read it. Also instead of scrolling down I imagine a program that gives the illusion of page turning. That is just my ideas & I have only spent a couple hours thinking about it in my life. People who are doing it daily will come up with a great device in the future.
ISS gets Tranquility
