The Kindle Killer
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No, that’s not like the Craigslist Killer for bluestockings. It’s the iPhone, as Ann Kirschner argues:
Kindle, shmindle. It does almost nothing that an iPhone can’t do better — and most important, the iPhone is always with me. Woody Allen had it right: Seventy percent of success in life is showing up. Yes, the Kindle’s reasonable imitation of a book is an advantage, but not enough to outweigh the necessity to carry an extra object and its power plugs. The Kindle screen is a permanent dishwater gray, not exactly “just like paper,” as promised by the ubiquitous Amazon ads. With free software like eReader or Stanza, iPhone readers have the same capability for customization (font size, footnotes, highlighting, bookmarking) and a more-elegant interface. … Worst of all is Kindle’s clumsy way of turning pages, only slightly improved on Kindle2. The momentary blackout is a constant annoyance, especially compared with the delicate swipe or tap that changes pages instantaneously on the iPhone (and which even has an option for cruise control, where the pages scroll automatically, though too slowly for speed readers).
Just so. Why lug around two devices when one will do — especially when the more versatile one is also the more portable? I’ve been very pleasantly surprised, thrilled actually, with Stanza, the e-book reader I use with my iPhone. Screen size is not a problem, since the text is zoomable and only a few lines are displayed at a time. It’s strange to think of, say, a thousand-page book like Human Action divided into perhaps 10,000 screen slices, but the reading is no more difficult. Indeed, I like the fact that I can turn “pages” on my iPhone with one hand — one finger, even. Just the swipe of a thumb.
Kirschner suggests why the Kindle’s screen size is its selling point:
In fact, readers 50 or older are the largest group of Kindle buyers. Therein lies the clue to Kindle’s short life. Middle-aged readers think that the dimension of the screen is critical. It’s not: The members of the generation that grew up playing Game Boys and telling time on their cellphones will have absolutely no problem reading from a small screen.
Even for older or impaired eyes, it’s the text size that matters, not the screen’s dimensions. Reading an iPhone should be no harder than reading a Kindle.
I’m not usually one to embrace techno-utopian fads, but digital books make a lot of sense to me. Every time I go on vacation, two-thirds of the weight of my luggage is taken up by books. When I visit my parents for Christmas I always have to give careful thought to how many books I take and how many I bring back (most of my volumes from college and grad school are at my parents’ house). I would much rather have the texts I need in digital form than load my luggage full of them. Similarly, the biggest burden I face whenever I move is transporting my library, and at home the most daunting storage issue I face is where to stash all my books. I would certainly still want to keep most physical volumes even if I had digital copies, but the digital copies would help to pare things down a little and allow me to travel lighter.
Of course, I may be unusual in all this. I was startled a few months ago when a friend of mine remarked on how unusual he thought it was that I was equally content to read websites on my iPhone or a laptop. In fact, I prefer reading newspaper websites on the iPhone — its portability brings back the casual-reading advantages that cheap and highly portable newspapers themselves have.
None of this means that print is dead; I’d rather read a serious work in print than on any screen. But the iPhone is a useful supplement — and it obviates the need for a Kindle.
Filed under: Books, Technology
As a proud owner of an Amazon Kindle 2 I gladly add my name to the growing fans of the Kindle e-books. Yes I admit I am in the over 50 group that are the biggest fans. Those who like to read things on an iPhone are missing or never aquired the pure pleasure of reading a novel I would guess. What next? Text speak to read a novel? Here are just a few of the reasons I live my Kindle. With the optional Cover that locks in to the Kindle 2 it is about th esame size open as a paperback but much lighter without having to spread the page to keep it open. The ‘next page’ buttons are tremendously accesssible. The gray scale is exceptionally easy on the eyes. The Dictionary while little used is extremely handy when needed. I can review for clarity with ease. I could go on and on but I enjoy reading more from my kindle more then any paperback and certainly more then continued scrolling to read on a small screen iphone would ever provide. Everyone speaks about $10 a book but noone mentions the books I bought that were reduced to $4 , 5$ or even beleive it or not I bought 2 for $0 Apparently when a book is not selling well the price is reduced in order to acquire reviews. I love my Kindle and it has traveled with me, gone to th ebeach with me ad is a constant companion. I cannot understand the DX as why would I want anything bigger?
It never ceases to amaze me the people who jump on the whatever-killer wagon without trying the technology first. I’ve been an e-book reader for years, never owning a dedicated e-reader, always reading on any number of cell phones (not the apparently ubiquitous iPhone, however.) I’ve always enjoyed the convenience, the search-ability and the lack of clutter. All the reading on the shiny screens, however, was wearing on my vision — and no, I’m not yet in the senior crowd. I was one of the early adopters of the Kindle (Kindle 1) and haven’t looked back. They are wonderful devices and all I can say is do yourself a favor and take advantage of Amazon’s 30 money-back guarantee. You won’t be returning it, seriously.
As someone who reads on both the Kindle 2 (previously the Kindle 1, but I gave that to a family member when I upgraded) and the iPhone Kindle App, I can say there’s absolutely no comparing reading on an iPhone to reading on a Kindle. The experience is completely different. iPhone reading is good in short bursts – waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for your movie to start at the theater, etc. For anything more than fifteen minutes or so, it tires the eyes thanks to the backlit screen. Reading on the Kindle, however, (or I would assume any e-ink-based e-reader) is more akin to reading a “real” book or a piece of paper. The screen doesn’t shine at you, so your eyes don’t suffer from glare while they’re trying to read. I’ll echo the previous commenters in urging you to try the Kindle before you dismiss it as useless. I carry both my iPhone and my Kindle with me daily. It’s worth it.
“The members of the generation that grew up playing Game Boys and telling time on their cellphones will have absolutely no problem reading from a small screen.”
So, the youth of today will be immune to “40 year old eyes syndrome.” Good to know!
Snicker.
Back-lit screens are probably as bad for eyes as ear-bud music is for ears. That hasn’t made iPods and iPhones any less popular. Look at it this way: is it more likely that Apple will be able to improve on their screen or that the Kindle will add the functions the iPhone has?
I don’t doubt that the Kindle has merits — a friend of mine points out that it can be read in sunlight, which isn’t the case with an iPhone. I’m just not convinced those merits are worth $359 and the inconvenience of carrying around another electronic device. If the price came down significantly, I’d be willing to give Kindle a try. One can hardly protest, though, about consumers making up their minds about a product without trying it. The whole point of creating and promoting a product is to meet a need. If consumers feel no need for a Kindle because the iPhone does the same thing, the Kindle will fail.
I also have both. The Kindle is a better read. I haven’t tried the other e-reader on iPhone. I supsect the Kindle store is easier as well.
Of course, I have the “classics” apps for iPhone (who can beat 40 books, regardless of age, for $0.99.) But they really aren’t different.
Admittedly, I’m 41, but I can’t see reading for hours on iPhone. Plus, Kindle has a far superior battery life and a better aesthetic (mobility isn’t the only consideration in books or music; MP3 will never match CD on quality, for example.)
I just gotta say I love my kindle and the cheap books.
My taste is a bit rough but I enjoyed “The Misogynist” by Emily Downs.
It can be a bit vulgar at times. Be warned. But it’s cheap.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Misogynist/dp/B001V5J4VO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246301307&sr=1-2
She is the bestselling author of “Lisa Loves Girls”
http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Loves-Girls-ebook/dp/B002EZZJ4Q/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246298800&sr=1-7
2 books for under 2 bucks. THe kindle will own publishing.