Comments on: The Kindle2: what’s unremarked but remarkable

By: Ed S

Ed S — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:01:40 +0000

The Morgan Library of the future will not hold important e-Books. It will hold the physical DRM servers necessary to unlock millions of books elsewhere.

By: Roger Sperberg

Roger Sperberg — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:19:43 +0000

BW:

There are lots of devices that inhabit the walkaround web, most notably the three Nokia Internet Tablets. But the reason I call the Kindle2 “native” is the ubiquitous web access it has doesn’t require an add-on, doesn’t cost extra and is so obviously useful and necessary that hardly any fuss at all has been made of this.

Someone told me yesterday the K1 had (has) a beta 3G web-browsing capability. Thus some might regard it as the first native-born walkaround-web device.

By: Gary Frost

Gary Frost — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:41:36 +0000

Don’t too much lament the passing of the paper book; its attributes are very futuristic. The self-authenticating nature of the physical book (it carries with it layers of information on the intent, authenticity and scope of its content) is still important. You need only consider deceptions of screen content exemplified by touch-screen voting, 3rd party financial derivatives or Face Book ID theft to understand how unuseful such a such delivery mode for books will be. Now more than ever, the Morgan Library has a future role to play.

By: Logan Kennelly

Logan Kennelly — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:30:26 +0000

@LuYu: You misunderstand (which is easy considering the manner in which the statement is phrased). The Kindle doesn’t have a monthly fee; the monthly fee is the cost of adding Internet/data access to two cell phones. Roger is pointing out that, for free, you get access to that same network with the Kindle.

As for a USB cell phone connector, well the States are mostly backward in that department. It’s possible, but mostly not easy or cheap, in the United States.

By: LuYu

LuYu — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:12:48 +0000

. . . my wife and I are obligated to pay some $60 to $70 each month through 2010

Wow. That is really incredible. I do not think I would accept a Kindle if they gave them away at prices like that. And this service does not appear to include domestic or international phone calls. No offence, but are all “consumers” in the US such suckers?

You know, a new netbook does not cost much more than a Kindle, is not limited to the cellphone network, has a colour screen and a faster processor and a backlight, and does not come with monthly charges. In addition, the cellphone provider will probably give you a USB cellphone connector for free if you want to use that to surf the net when free wifi is not available.

At these prices, if a Kindle does not walk the dog for me, I cannot see the use in having one.

By: BW

BW — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:09:25 +0000

Uh, wouldn’t the Kindle *1* be “the first non-cellphone native of the walkaround web”?

By: Laura Conrad

Laura Conrad — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:23:39 +0000

Roger Sperberg wrote:

> I’ve always abhorred reading books online because it’s
> predicated first on doing your reading on a computer and
> second on your being connected to the internet through the
> entire time reading.

I’ve been reading offline since my Palm 3 in 1998.