The Kindle

I got an email from a writer I met at a conference in Philadelphia, Kathleen G (the G is for "genuine talent" -- in a couple years you're all going to know about her). She wrote to ask, "So what do you think of the Kindle?"

In case you're out of the technoloop, Amazon has begun selling a new e-book device called the Kindle. It's the size of a hardcover book, and has a lot of cool features. Many people are talking about it as "the iPod of books." Here are some things I really like about the Kindle...

First, it's the right size. It feels similar to a book. Small, light, and it opens up with a plastic cover. Like a book, you never turn it on or off.

Second, the screen is great. It's not like your laptop screen -- it's a black-and-white (not gray-and-white) electronic ink screen, so it's easy to read, even outside in the sun. I happen to be a person who enjoys reading outdoors, and none of the other electronic readers (the Sony Reader, the iLiad, the Rocket, the GemStar, SoftBook, etc.) gave me enough contrast or brightness to use effectively. It's even got a magnifier, so you can make a quick adjustment to make the text larger very easily (which I'm discovering is a nice feature, now that I'm sneaking up on 50). 

Third, it's easy to use. It uses cel-phone technology, so it's not like waiting to log on to your PC. You order books right on the screen, and they are downloaded in about a minute using the same technology as texting. And best of all there's NO COST to that feature. No kidding -- Amazon is paying for it. (So you know, you can have your PC run on cel phone service with some companies, but it'll cost you about $75 bucks a month.) So "free" is a good deal, since the Kindle will do some basic web browsing, some email, and can get your New York Times delivered to it every morning.

Fourth, the cost of books is cheap. Amazon currently has 90,000 books available. All new books are just ten bucks -- a steal. Most older books (including classic texts) are between three and five dollars. Magazines are two bucks per month. The Kindle will hold about 200 books, which is a pretty good library to have at your fingertips. The rest you'll have to back up on a memory card.

Fifth, there's a significant "cool" factor to the Kindle. Small, easy to use, saves you from lugging a bunch of books in your travel bag, and sure to get you noticed on a plane.

On the other hand, there are some drawbacks to the Kindle...

First, I don't know how else to say this: it feels cheap. I'm sure the first time I drop it, that plastic cover is going to break off. There's just sort of a plasticky feel to it -- one of the reviewers likened it to a Commodore 64 computer, and I find that an apt comparison.

Second, the design has some bugs to work out. The margin tabs on either side of the screen are huge, and since I have a tendency to hold a book in one hand, I kept accidentally clicking them and changing pages when I didn't want to be. And one common criticism among reviewers is the fact that there's a "Back" button, but no "Forward" button -- which makes no sense when you're on the Web.

Third, this isn't nearly as good a screen when you get away from books. When you're browsing the web, it's tough to read the small print, and you can't change the font size of anything on the web. I found it much harder to get around the newspaper than on my laptop. There are no streaming videos, no web layouts, no audio books (unless you load them through your laptop). The usefulness of the email account is limited.

Fourth (and here I'm being picky), you have to turn it off when on a plane, since it works on cel-phone technology. Bummer for those of us who travel and fill our time reading rather than thinking about crashing and burning while traveling 400 miles an hour, five miles in the air, in a steel tube. (In case you've never thought about it.)

Fifth, while books are much cheaper than buying the $24.95 hardcover, the cost of the actual Kindle is $400! Yikes...at that price, it's going to take a lot of books to cover the cost. Which makes me assume that Amazon is hoping to sell this on the "cool" factor.

It IS cool, by the way. And as soon as the price drops to something much more reasonable, I'll buy one. By then they'll have a color screen, and the button design will be fixed, and they cover will be changed to feel more permanent. So I like it, but I'm not racing out to buy one for Christmas.

Hey, I'd LOVE to know what you think of the Kindle.

Comments

[Richard Mabry]

I vote with Alexander Pope: "Be not the first by whom the new is tried, nor yet the last to cast the old aside." Like you, I'm not rushing out to get one. After a couple of versions, I'll reconsider.

[Timothy Fish]

I have not held the device in my hands, but I have uploaded content for the device. From that standpoint, it appears to be ideal for novels, but technical books are a real pain. The upload process uses a modified version of HTML, but tables are not supported and CSS is only partially supported. The PDF conversion process is only a good starting point. I think these limitations will have a major impact on which books make it into Kindle format.

[Michael Puhala]

Regarding your fourth point -- You can turn the wireless feature off so that you can use the Kindle while on a plane without worrying about any wireless interference (and conserve battery life too).

For the traveller, the Kindle adds immediate value. I subscribe to both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and it's great not to deal with paper and also not be exposed to any advertising -- just pure content.

[erin]

I'm not a hipster when it comes to gadgets. Kindle looks a little cheapo to me. I like actually owning a book and holding it in my hands. I also like to give books away after I read them, or swap with friends, so the Kindle takes away my sentimental value (I'm such a girl :) I won't be getting one. Unlike an iPod, I don't think this device is necessarily a more efficient (or stylish) alternative than what already exists.

I DO think all college and grad school students should be issued a free Kindle for textbooks. How fabulous would that be? My college textbooks were ginormous. I carried some in my backpack and some in my arms. Being able to put every book on one machine (that I could put in a cute bag not an Everest-esc backpack) would have been a dream. Then I could have deleted all the books at the end of the semester. If Amazon made a cheapo version of Kindle for college students (maybe call it Swindle? :), I think they would score big.

[Chip: You're right -- there's no swapping of books with the Kindle. Hadn't thought of that...]

[Pam Halter]

I was totally against it when I first heard about it. But now that you've given us some details, it intrigues me. It would be a handy thing to have when you don't have room to pack a few books for a trip, which I do when we go on vacation ~ at least four.

But I agree it's pricey and these things always go down in cost, so I'll wait and see what happens.

I also think Erin's idea for college text books is brillant!

[Tiffany Colter]

I haven't actually used one. I've only heard what you and Michael Hyatt have said about it.

I'm curious, how do you think technology like the Kindle will affect marketing? No need for book signings when it's an e-book. Do you forsee the kind of "bonus features" of books being expected from consumers like we now see on DVDs? What about the potential for linking to an author site via the Kindle downloaded book?

I've also heard recently that amazon gives their affiliates money when they sell a kindle. Wonder if writers will begin to offer a package deal "buy the kindle through my site, get my 1st book free". :-)

I think audio books and the Kindle both sound great. I'm not a gadget type of person but I'd love to toss one of these in my purse to read when I'm sitting for 3 1/2 hours a week in a dance studio waiting for my girls.

Do you see ways that authors could creatively market these books as part of their marketing plan? And will the e version translate to higher royalties do you think?

[Chip responds: Higher royalties? Not at ten bucks per copy, Tiff. But yes, I foresee changes in marketing for e-books. More features, special e-only things, and link-ups to authors. And yes, Amazon is partnering with people who sell the Kindle for them -- nothing surprising there. They need book people to be on their side with this one. So yes, I'm assuming we'll soon see authors selling Kindles on their web sites. But I'm not convinced the Kindle is the project that's going to establish the market. Maybe it will...but there are a lot of issues to resolve first. -Chip]

[Camille]

I wonder what inspired the name. It sounds like the promise of something bigger and hot.

[Jeffrey Morgan]

The main thing I don't like about the Kindle is the DRM (Digital Rights Management) included with every book. That means that any book purchased for the Kindle will only work on the Kindle.

When Amazon decides to discontinue the Kindle in a few years (when not if), everything you purchased, all the hard earned money you spent will have been wasted as you cannot transfer the books you bought to a new device.

If you think I am kidding, read the EULA (End User Licensing Agreement).

It also means that you cannot take books that you have purchased from other platforms and upload them onto the Kindle for reading.

[Chip]

That's good to know about the wireless feature and the newspapers, Michael...but I was less-than-impressed with the newspaper. No ads, but hard to read. This is why I appreciated Timothy's comments -- I found it useless for tables and some graphics.

Erin, I loved your comment. Great thought about textbooks -- a natural. Textbooks have become SO expensive, and they weigh a ton.

Jeffrey, that's a concern I've not seen anywhere. Thanks for posting it. Amazon has promised to re-send any book you've bought for your Kindle for life, should the unit be damaged...

And that makes me wonder about damagers. I'm building a house at the beach. What will sand and water to do my Kindle? Probably a lot more damage than they do to my books.
-Chip

[David Dugan]

I think the Kindle has a lot of potential as an eBook reader, which has not been a very lucrative market to date. I'm very concerned, however, about how long they're going to continue to offer the free 3G cell service with it (or rather, the "Experimental" browser that currently has unfettered access to the Internet on Amazon's dime). There seem to be a lot of people who are buying the Kindle just to use the browser with the free, unlimited 3G cell account and using it to surf the web and read all of their blogs and online newspapers and such. Andy Ihnatko is even advocating this usage in his Chicago Sun Times review.

Once Amazon discovers that people are using a lot more bandwidth than they envisioned--and not using it to download Amazon's proprietary $10-15 eBooks--I think they're going to either remove the web browsing capabilities (which are currently labeled "Experimental", which should have Kindle owners worried), or they're going to severely limit it's functionality.

[lisa]

I can imagine a sound track playing in the background for novel too, can you? Suspense, romance, action, whatever. Maybe sound effects determined by what page you are reading. You heard it hear first : ) Once the price would be under $100 I'd like one, but I love the feel of paper too, I just can't help it. I'd have to cheat on my Kindle once in a while for "old time's sake.

[Linda Harris]

No Kindle for me. I love books. I love the feel of a book in my hands. I love that there's nothing (such as a screen) between me and the words. I even love to touch the cover. Call me a fuddy-duddy if you will, but I'm sticking to real books.

[Timothy Fish]

As Lisa mentioned, I would love to have sound effects for electronic books, but my dream doesn't stop there. I want the ability to track the reader's eyes, so that I can play sound effects accordingly. I also want a scent generator and rather than the reader needing to hold the device, I want it projected onto lightweight eyewear. Although, someone would probably have wreck while trying to drive and read at the same time.