My Kindle Stuff

Well, it was a few days late, but I finally got my Kindle today.  As I knew I would be, I love the updated screen, the new button placement and smaller form factor.  Looking at the Kindle 2 and Kindle 3 side-by-side shows off my new Kindle to advantage.

There are a plethora of positive reviews, comparison videos and comparison reviews out there so I won’t go into any of those details.  You can google for those, or if you want a really thorough video comparison, Len Edgerly of The Kindle Chronicles has a great one.  Unfortunately, I am going to talk about the features that I don’t feel are an improvement, and a couple of items that I think should be changed right away.

Number Keys

(Edit:  I’ve been advised to hold down the ALT key to do the below, but I’m still not happy with the removal of the numbered row)

At first, I was resigned to accessing numbers via the SYM key.  It would be a little inconvenient, but I was willing to overlook it to have the smaller size. Not any longer.  The lack of a row for the numbers means that if you plan on storing more than a couple of pages of content, you are almost forced to use collections and it is an example of bad design.

Example:

On the Kindle 2, if you have a lot of pages, you can use the number keys to enter the number, and click to go to that page.

On the Kindle 3, you have to enter a letter, click the DEL key to remove it and then use the SYM key to enter the page number.  If Amazon has a UI expert, that one definitely slipped thru the cracks, but I’m pretty sure this can be solved with a software update adding the Go To item to the Home menu.

Wi-Fi/3G

There is no way to turn either off separate from the other.  Turning off wireless means both get turned off.  This is a pretty minor issue, but without an explanation of how/when 3G and/or Wi-Fi are accessed by the device, I’m left wondering how either setting on is affecting battery life.

Headphone/Speaker jack

Why, oh why is this on the bottom of the device?  If my device is on a stand or in my lap, that means that I’m going to have to bend the cord at an angle that will eventually break the wire.  It belongs back on the top or even on the side of the Kindle.

Volume bar

See above reaction.  This too should be moved back to the side of the device or up on top.  My vote is the side, but I’ll be happy with either.

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Okay–done with the griping.  On to the things that I love.

Font Settings

Yay for the sans serif font!  I won’t need to use the font hack any longer. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for those awful topaz formatted books, but we can’t have everything.

Weight

I know that some of the reviews stated that you can’t tell the difference in weight between the Kindle 2 and Kindle 3, but I can.  And I know that anyone with weight sensitive hands and/or wrists will appreciate the marked (to me, anyway) difference in weight.

Top Bar

When you 0pen a book, you can see the Title, Time and wireless status on the top bar, but as soon as you turn the page, they disappear to make more room for the text of the book.  At first, I didn’t like it , but as I’ve been reading, I appreciate the extra text. I wish it worked the same on waking the device up.  If you read more than one book at a time, you won’t know (without skimming the page) which book you are in.

Contrast

This has been said over and over, but it is so improved that it can’t be overstated.  The Kindle 3 screen is very crisp; I can’t get over how good it looks.

All in all, I am very happy and satisfied with the Kindle 3.  Amazon did a lot of small improvements that really add up to a big improvement overall.  Well that’s it for me, its back to reading on Mr. Slate.  He’s naked now, but I’m expecting the Amazon cover tomorrow.

It’s here, boys and girls.  I’m happy to be among those announcing the latest Kindle release.  Per Amazon and yours truly (I got to play with one about a month ago), the latest Kindle is thinner, lighter and comes with enough new features to justify an upgrade.

Since I got some time to use the Kindle 3, before I highlight new stuff, I’ll give my initial impressions.

Despite it not being greatly reduced in size, the Kindle 3 (K3) seems a LOT smaller.  I’m not sure if its because of the color change or not, but it really fits better in your hand.  Also, those couple of ounces make it noticably lighter.

The graphite color makes the text really pop.  It actually looks like a sheet of paper under the glass.  I haven’t seen the new DX-and it hadn’t been released when I saw the K3, but I loved the new eInk screen.

Even lighter and smaller didn’t make it feel flimsy.  The K3 is solid in-hand and has a slightly tackier surface on the back so you don’t feel like you might drop it.

All in all, there are just enough new tweaks on the K3 to make me click that Order button and get ready to pass off my K2 to the hubby when it arrives.  I highly recommend that you get one if you’ve been on the fence.  If you do, I’d be happy if you’d use this Affiliate link when you order.
3G & Wifi version
Wifi only version

Okay. On to specifics.  If you want more details on everything, you can download the new K3 User guide here.  The official press release is also linked to below.

Screen
As expected, it comes with the latest eInk screen that has a much improved contrast.  If you haven’t seen it on the newer DX, I can assure you that it beats the current Kindle’s contrast hands down.  And since the current 6″ Kindle 2 has a pretty good contrast, that’s saying a lot.

The screen also refreshes much faster.  I had to readjust my page turning to accommodate the faster page turns. And no more loud clicks when you turn the page.

Internals
The battery is twice as robust, lasting up to a month with the wireless turned off.  It will be nice to go on longer trips without taking the charger.

The storage has also been doubled to 4GB so you can carry a ridiculous number of books with you where ever you go.

Externals
The 3G+Wifi model comes in Graphite or White, but the Wifi model is white only.

All the ’stuff’ has been moved to the bottom of the device. Power, charge, Adapter plug, USB, Volume controls, etc. They’ve also added a microphone that for now is not enabled.  I see some updates coming….

Home and Menu are now button instead of on the side and the Previous/Next buttons are smaller and on both sides of the K3.  Those are welcome, but the new location of the Home button took some getting used to. The 5-way controller has been flattened, now its a button with raised edges for up/down, left/right.

There are new Kindle covers.  They come in Black, Burnt Orange, Chocolate Brown, Hot Pink, Steel Blue, Apple Green and Burgundy Red.  They come in two models, one with and one without a reading light.  The one with a reading light uses the power from the Kindle.  Both covers have an elastic strap to keep closed when not in use.
Cover with Light - $59.99
Cover without Light – $34.99

Connections
There are two models now – 3G/Wifi and Wifi only.  The Wifi only model is $139–insanely cheap; especially when compared to the prices of eReaders last year.  I’m sure there are quite a few people happy to see the price get lowered.  The new price points put this device well within reach.

Now, when downloading an item, you can monitor the progress via the menu.

Once configured, your Kindle will automatically connect to your home or other wifi connection. Also, connection to AT&T is free and does not require a sign-in.

Reading
The PDF Reader has been updated so that you can do dictionary lookups as well as add notes & highlights.

The Kindle 3 has been enhanced with read-to-me menus.  This is a great new accessibility feature which was promised after the lawsuit following the university trials.

There are new fonts – condensed, regular and sans serif.

Line spacing has also been brought back (hello!) and Audible has been added to the Kindle Storefront menu.

Official Press Release

A lot of folks are clamoring for a Kindle 3.  Some want to bring the current crop of Kindles (US, Int’l) up to par with the nook, others to add multi-usage functionality and the rest seemingly because they believe that hardware should refresh every year.

I’m not in any of the above camps.  As far as I’m concerned, the fact that the Kindle is an electronic book doesn’t mean that it automatically has to be updated annualy like most electronics.  Its not a netbook nor a tablet.  When using it for general reading purposes, the current Kindle gives most eReaders exactly what they need–a device that lets you read comfortably for hours with adjustable fonts and the ability to purchase new books.  The current form factor is still relevant and the menus are easy to use even for technophobes with no computer necesarry for full use of any feature.

We don’t need another Kindle, we need some software updates.

Account Sharing

Update how accounts can be shared.  Right now, up to 6 Kindles can be shared on one account.  The problem with that is everyone on the account can see and download all previous purchases and buy new items on the credit card associated with that account.  We need the ability to set account limits on both books and purchases.

Limited Book Access – Let a Kindle be added to an account, but allow us to limit which books can be accessed.  I may share my account with my daughter, but don’t want to give her access to my entire library.  We should be able to set which books are available to various Kindles on a single account.

Limit Purchases – In addition, I may want to limit or deny purchase access on the account.  I may give my daughter a set amount to spend weekly or monthly since my account is linked to my credit card.  Better yet, allow the Kindle to be linked to a gift certificate only–without the credit card backup requirement.

Security

We need a simple password option.  And make the option–optional.  That would help when a Kindle is lost; the finder would be more likely to turn it in since they couldn’t use it.

Organization

This has already been promised for 2010.  Frankly, with over 300 Amazon ebooks and about 150 personal ones, I’ve already got an organziation scheme worked out in Calibre, but man would it be nice to be able to get all the sampled books out of my way an into some sort of TBR pile on the device. Or sort series. Or sort personal docs. Or filter genres.  You get the picture.

Epub Format

This would allow use of the public library features that are availlable on other devices and purchases from other ebook stores.  I understand that Amazon is in the business of making money on purchases from it’s own store so I wouldn’t be to surprised if this never happens, but for some users, this is a must have.

Better PDF support

Bleh.  PDF is a crappy format for the 6″ screen, but since they’ve got it, it needs to be improved.  Some of the type is so small I have to grab the reading glasses that I gave up since I got my Kindle.  Its also just okay on the DX.  They’ll have to use their own imagination to come up with making this look better.

More Fonts

While the font sizes on the Kindle are great, there really needs to be more selection of the font choices, not everyone likes the default (and only) font.  I have used the font hack and from the number of them out there, users want other choices.

Custom Screensavers

This one is as puzzling to me as the iPhone not allowing custom themes–what were they thinking?!  Of course people want to use their own images..nothing more to say on that.

All of the above features added onto the current crop of Kindle 2s would make the Kindle almost perfect in my book.  Whats interesting to me is how none of the new eReaders on the market seem to have gotten it completely right (the QUE comes pretty close, though).  Everybody is missing something.  Guys, this is NOT rocket science–there are plenty of forums out there that are asking for the same things.

Kindle 3 Possibilities - On the other hand, if Amazon wants to come out with additional hardware designs, here’s a couple more hints.

Kindle-lite

Offer my husband a much cheaper Kindle to upload all his personal books, documents and articles on.  No wireless, no keyboard.  Just a device to upload all his stuff onto, or better yet, a device that only has wireless to the Kindle store for a lot less money.  Some of us only use the wireless for purchasing and never access the internet.

Kid-Kindles

A coworker recently told me that his son loves to read on the Kindle, but the current form factor is too fragile for him to loan it without supervision.  Offer a sturdier device for the kiddies.

All in all, Amazon really doesn’t have a huge mountain to climb in the eReader world.  They’re already doing a pretty good job–they just need to take some notes of the Kindle wish lists.