So, I have had my Kindle 2 now for about 6 months and I have mixed feelings on it. I am currently on my 4th Kindle 2 because all of mine have had battery issues. I would charge the night before and by the next morning the battery would be nearly dead. While Amazon was good about replacing it each time, it has been quite a hassle especially since I live in a small town and have to drive an hour to mail off the package at a UPS each time (the only carrier they will pay for). However, Amazon has paid for overnight shipping each time and 2 of the 3 returns has given me a $20 credit on my account.
My latest one seems to be working fine so far so I will give my opinion on the Kindle excluding my battery issues. But, before I do that, I have to say that it cheeses me somewhat that only 2 months after buying my Kindle 2, Amazon lowered the price and wouldn't reimburse those of us who bought it at the inflated cost.
Anyways, I have also used both of Sony's ebook readers so I know what I'm comparing the Kindle to. So, IMHO:
Pros:
- Screen is awesome! Much better in my opinion than the Sony (especially the touch-screen version which tends to have slightly muted greys). Touch screens are overrated. Its a book reader, not an iPhone.
- It looks and feels very high quality. To me this is important and I personally feel that the Sony readers look cheap (this has nothing to do with ACTUAL quality).
- Even though I never use it, it is nice to know that if I want a book wirelessly delivered then I can do that over "Whispernet". There are other much cheaper ways to get ebooks though so this isn't a huge deal to me).
- Built-in dictionary, annotations, and notes is a huge plus for me. I use the keyboard all the time to make notes in my books.
- Amazon's ebook store is the best there is. They aren't the cheapest but the selection is great.
- The read-it-to-me feature is actually better than I expected. I rarely use it but if I were really lazy then I might.
Cons:
- There is a ton of wasted real estate on the Kindle. Why not make it smaller and cut off some of that white space!?
- No native pdf support. Most types of files can be converted for a small fee or for free if you send it to your Kindle email address but PDFs are not handled well, especially if they have pictures or tables.
- Price is ridiculous. Books are way too expensive too. I would pay $5 for an ebook but not $9.99+. I can still get books cheaper at a used book store.
- Kindle freezes if wireless is kept on all the time. They know about it but just claim that its not supposed to be left on. Sounds like poor development to me.
- No cover included. For the amount I paid, I should have had a nice leather cover included as well as a free spa treatment.
- Charger is not a USB standard. It is a micro-USB which means you can't use other chargers with it. Sounds like a small thing but that means that when you travel you have to take an extra cord with you. Also, if you lose it, they aren't cheap to replace.
- Search function is slower than molasses. Don't even think about using it in a study group of some sort. You'll be waiting more than studying.
- AZW format is dumb. Why not use a standard format so that customers can use their books how they want to. Essentially "buying" books from Amazon is nothing more than renting them.
Anyways, overall I'm happy I got it. Would I buy it again? Probably not until the prices drop to under $100. But then again I wouldn't buy a Sony until then either. Wait a year or so and see what happens. Until then, buy used books for $1 and think of all the money you saved.
Mixed reviews
By catchburnsFri, 09/04/2009 - 14:23
So, I have had my Kindle 2 now for about 6 months and I have mixed feelings on it. I am currently on my 4th Kindle 2 because all of mine have had battery issues. I would charge the night before and by the next morning the battery would be nearly dead. While Amazon was good about replacing it each time, it has been quite a hassle especially since I live in a small town and have to drive an hour to mail off the package at a UPS each time (the only carrier they will pay for). However, Amazon has paid for overnight shipping each time and 2 of the 3 returns has given me a $20 credit on my account.
My latest one seems to be working fine so far so I will give my opinion on the Kindle excluding my battery issues. But, before I do that, I have to say that it cheeses me somewhat that only 2 months after buying my Kindle 2, Amazon lowered the price and wouldn't reimburse those of us who bought it at the inflated cost.
Anyways, I have also used both of Sony's ebook readers so I know what I'm comparing the Kindle to. So, IMHO:
Pros:
- Screen is awesome! Much better in my opinion than the Sony (especially the touch-screen version which tends to have slightly muted greys). Touch screens are overrated. Its a book reader, not an iPhone.
- It looks and feels very high quality. To me this is important and I personally feel that the Sony readers look cheap (this has nothing to do with ACTUAL quality).
- Even though I never use it, it is nice to know that if I want a book wirelessly delivered then I can do that over "Whispernet". There are other much cheaper ways to get ebooks though so this isn't a huge deal to me).
- Built-in dictionary, annotations, and notes is a huge plus for me. I use the keyboard all the time to make notes in my books.
- Amazon's ebook store is the best there is. They aren't the cheapest but the selection is great.
- The read-it-to-me feature is actually better than I expected. I rarely use it but if I were really lazy then I might.
Cons:
- There is a ton of wasted real estate on the Kindle. Why not make it smaller and cut off some of that white space!?
- No native pdf support. Most types of files can be converted for a small fee or for free if you send it to your Kindle email address but PDFs are not handled well, especially if they have pictures or tables.
- Price is ridiculous. Books are way too expensive too. I would pay $5 for an ebook but not $9.99+. I can still get books cheaper at a used book store.
- Kindle freezes if wireless is kept on all the time. They know about it but just claim that its not supposed to be left on. Sounds like poor development to me.
- No cover included. For the amount I paid, I should have had a nice leather cover included as well as a free spa treatment.
- Charger is not a USB standard. It is a micro-USB which means you can't use other chargers with it. Sounds like a small thing but that means that when you travel you have to take an extra cord with you. Also, if you lose it, they aren't cheap to replace.
- Search function is slower than molasses. Don't even think about using it in a study group of some sort. You'll be waiting more than studying.
- AZW format is dumb. Why not use a standard format so that customers can use their books how they want to. Essentially "buying" books from Amazon is nothing more than renting them.
Anyways, overall I'm happy I got it. Would I buy it again? Probably not until the prices drop to under $100. But then again I wouldn't buy a Sony until then either. Wait a year or so and see what happens. Until then, buy used books for $1 and think of all the money you saved.