<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d12988030\x26blogName\x3dDon\x27t+Trust+Snakes\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dBLUE\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://donttrustsnakes.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den_US\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttp://donttrustsnakes.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d-4673447362931781663', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe", messageHandlersFilter: gapi.iframes.CROSS_ORIGIN_IFRAMES_FILTER, messageHandlers: { 'blogger-ping': function() {} } }); } }); </script>


DON’T

TRUST

SNAKES

“I know where I'm headed.”
ROGER THORNHILL


« Home »


Saturday, February 09, 2008

"nor to bring into the Library or kindle therein any fire or flame . . ." *

Thanks to my very generous father and stepmother, I now hold in my hands . . . O.K., now, but I can type faster without it—a sweet little Amazon Kindle book reader. I'll probably post a review of some kind after I've had it for more than 18 hours, but the main impressions so far are:
  • The display is extremely readable.

  • The Verizon EVDO works beautifully for delivering content.

  • The user interface is very good with a few quirks.

  • The ergonomics when mounted in the book-like sleeve are very good with some unaccountable quirks (Why no tactile feedback on the important "BACK" button? Why no "PREV PAGE" button on the right side for easy one-handed navigation?).

  • The ergonomics when not mounted in the book-like sleeve are poor. I would go so far as to say it isn't designed to be used apart from the book-like sleeve, so I hope that in time there will be some great third-party sleeve options (not holding breath).

  • This device would be a wonderful RSS feed reader, and it's painful that it can't be due to Amazon's revenue model (I assume). Enabling use as a feed reader would cannibalize Amazon's sales of periodical and blog subscriptions and would tax the capacity of the wireless service that comes free with the Kindle (but which is really built into the cost of all content you buy for the Kindle ("includes wireless deliver via Amazon Whispernet"). I would consider paying a monthly fee to have my Kindle enabled as a feed reader.

  • Many people have never heard of a Kindle. Reasonably sophisticated, "wired" Seattle people. Chalk it up to Amazon's seeming philosophy of "If you build it, they will intuitively know about it."


posted at 8:54 AM

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The two people I know who've gotten them say that the Kindle seems heavy to carry about a lot. But neither of them do the tote-the-laptop-around thing, either...

February 09, 2008 11:20 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home