First thoughts on my Kindle
By Paul Biba
I received my Kindle yesterday and here are some of my first thoughts. This isn’t a review, just some impressions of the machine. I may very well change my mind about them later.
Six font sizes, not just three as on the Sony Reader. Here are approximate point sizes:
* 1 = 7pt
* 2 = 9pt
* 3 = 11 pt
* 4 = 14 pt
* 5 = 17 pt
* 6 = 20 pt
It will display the time. Something I’ve wanted on the Reader for a long time. It uses a different way of displaying location in a book—not page numbers—and the location doesn’t change when you change font sizes, unlike the Sony. This means I can find my place easily even if I change the font.
Changing font sizes is fast. As a matter of fact the whole machine is very fast compared to the Sony. Makes the Sony look like a real slowpoke. Screen seems exactly the same to me.
The unit is much easier to hold and use than I thought it would be. As a matter of fact I think it is more ergonomic than the Sony. The buttons take much less pressure and are located in a more ergonomic position. Despite the reviews, I think it is easier to use and hold than the Sony. The Sony is heavier and the button placement was never right for me. Also the Sony buttons take much more pressure and would hurt my thumb after a while.
Far more menus and options in the software. Can delete books, move them from main memory to the SD, and vice versa, all from the machine. Converted a book in Word format to the Kindle format using the Amazon free email service. Worked like a charm.
Whispernet also works like a charm and it is really neat to be able to buy books on the fly. Feedbooks has a method to download books directly from them over Whispernet. Works perfectly and I’ve added about 5 books this way. The ability to use your own pictures as screensavers is fun.
Overall, I am far more impressed than I thought I would be. From the software side it is clear that Amazon has given the reader a great deal of thought compared to Sony. It seems to me that Sony designed the hardware and then just added some software to it, while Amazon tried to develop a fully integrated package.
More later as I continue to use the machine.
August 9th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
@Paul: “It uses a different way of displaying location in a book—not page numbers—and the location doesn’t change when you change font sizes, unlike the Sony” isn’t exactly true. While in LRF or RTF this may be a problem, in ePub the page numbers do not change, and I prefere pages rather than something as abstract as locations.
Aside from books, you can easily get RSS feeds on your Kindle through Feedbooks, try http://www.feedbooks.com/help/kindle#rss and http://www.feedbooks.com/help/newsstand
TeleRead looks very good as an e-book.
August 9th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
@Paul: Bah! and even Feh! Let’s see a photo of your hands. Got to be some anatomical anomaly going on there for you to praise Satan’s eBook thusly!
August 9th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Hadrien says:
“I prefere pages rather than something as abstract as locations”
The beauty of the Kindle locations numbering is that it will get you to the exact passage you reference whereas page numbers could mean going back and forth thru a few screens searching for the phrase or sentence as a “page” will likely split across a number of screens depending on font size.
August 9th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
In general, does a paperback edition use the same pagination as the hardback edition (assuming there are both)? If so, I’d want the ebook location numbering to match up to the pagination of the paper edition, assuming they’re using the same source to generate each edition.