Thoughts On The New Kindle

I got my first I got my first Kindle last week, and have been toying around with it a little ever since. It is a very provocative little device, one of those technologies that--for all its imperfections--makes you realize that a whole new set of possibilities are just around the corner. I jotted down a few loosely connected thoughts and observations:

1. The iPhone interface has become so second-nature that a handheld device without a touch UI seems simply broken. It just seems inane to use the little joystick to drive the cursor up and down the screen to select a word or a paragraph.

2. I'm not crazy about the e-ink screen. I love the zero-power idea, but it's just a little too gray-on-gray for my tastes. The blacks aren't black enough and the whites aren't white enough. (Something about it reminds me of the output from my old ImageWriter, back in the days before laser printers.) But I may be an outlier here, because my eyes don't really get strained looking at LCD screens, and I gather one of the key selling points of the Kindle is the reduced eyestrain.

3. Because of my research methods, I am obsessed with an easy mechanism for grabbing a paragraph or two from a book and getting onto my computer so that I can archive it in Devonthink. The Kindle has a very simple mechanism for this that works great, though selecting the text would be much easier with a touchscreen.

4. Buying a book through the store is absolutely magical. One-click, wait thirty seconds, and you're reading. I bought and downloaded a book on the F train, during the three minutes it goes above ground over the Gowanus Canal. Wicked cool. (Incidentally, the device comes pre-loaded with all your Amazon account information -- there is zero setup in terms of entering user names, etc. At first I was startled by this, but then it all made sense: by definition, I'm buying the Kindle with my Amazon account -- why shouldn't that info be loaded onto the device automatically?)

5. I bought a Times subscription -- even though I already pay for the print edition -- because the convenience of having the Times permanently loaded on my Kindle seemed well worth an extra fifteen bucks. Haven't started paying for blogs yet, but I can imagine with one-click simplicity that I'll do that as well. If micropayments for content ever takes off -- the whole iTunes for News model -- I suspect it'll come in through the back door of the Kindle.

6. No pages numbers! They have "location" numbers instead, because pages don't really exist in the Kindle, given that you can resize the type with two quick taps on the keyboard. There's a small question here about how you cite a passage from a Kindle e-book, but I think it begs a larger, and more interesting question about standardizing page references in all e-books -- including Google Books for instance. (I'm going to write a longer piece on this...)

7. When he was on John Stewart, Jeff Bezos mentioned that the Kindle was great for one-handed reading, which got a salacious chuckle from the audience (and Stewart), but I think it's best for no-handed reading: i.e., when you're reading while eating a meal, one of life's great pleasures. It's almost impossible to read a paperback while eating, and you really have to snap the spine of a hardcover to get it to lie flat, but the Kindle just sits there on the table helpfully while you cut up your teriyaki.

8. There's an Kindle for iPhone app as of yesterday. I've spent about five minutes playing with it, but it's pretty sweet, and the integration between the devices is very clever. More to say on that when I've had a bit more time to explore.

Comments

[Robert]

I learned something very valuable about myself when I got my original Kindle in terms of page numbers. It turns out that that information, as well as the constant visual feedback about how long in pages the book actually is and how many of those I am into it are more important to me than I had originally thought. They improved the ui component that gives you that status for Kindle 2, but I still do find myself doing a quick search on Amazon to see how many regular "pages" the printed book contains. How old fashioned and quaint of me huh?

[StephanieInCA]

My biggest concern about the Kindle--and about digital publishing platforms in general--has to do with privacy and the permanence/impermanence of the written word: http://urbzen.com/2009/02/09/amazon-kindle-privacy-fail/

[akatsuki]

The touchscreen would also obscure the display... The grey on grey issue is a bit irritating as well.

The lack of ability to share subscriptions in the same household is the worst part of it, that and not being able to link amazon accounts, forcing my wife and I to create a third amazon account just for our kindles.

[Miguel de Luis]

Given that you can do a search in a ebook, it is perfectly possible to use the quote and the ebook identification as a cite.

[Tom Landini]

You can subscribe to RSS feeds on a Kindle, a big plus I found out about this week. ">http://www.feedbooks.com> and http://kindlefeeder.com/ format feeds for Kindle compatibility. You get them on your Kindle via email or USB transfer. Just be sure to choose a full text feed.

[Adam Khan]

Isn't reading while eating a meal one of life's great wrongs? I do it. It's wrong. I think it's one of those Anglo-Saxon traits. Nothing is ever enough. Not food. Not reading.

[Marc Beaudin]

Hmm. Am I the only one skeptical of Kindle? For the opposing viewpoint, see my recent blog "Kindle or Kindling?"

http://crowvoicejournal.blogspot.com/2009/02/kindle-or-kindling.html

By the way, can't wait to pick up a copy of The Invention of Air. Sounds great.

[Julia]

I'm reading "The Invention of Air" on my Kindle... loving it, but have a question. Are the proof readers for the hard copy book as bad as those for the Kindle format??? Early on (location 248-54 on font #2) the paragraph mentions that Priestly, "by the late 1850s... had cobbled together enough savings..." Well for a man of 125 or so, let's hope he had some savings! Should I keep looking for these typos?

[John Branch]

I guess I don't really want Steven to become a mere product reviewer, but I do wonder whether he found a way to compare the Kindle with the Sony Reader, or how he decided on the former. Sony's product has been thoroughly demonstrated for me in airports, and I'm pretty fond of what I saw, but I wouldn't buy one without getting my hands on a Kindle--or reading a comparison.

[Joseph Primm]

I have a hard time still not holding onto a book with the feel of paper. Not against a kindle device or such, just need to get over my 'irrationality' and get on with it.

[John]

Sorry to go a bit OT here, but re: your tweet about Kindling Zadie Smith: In case you haven't seen her piece in the last NYRB, it's lovely:

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22334

Also, saw your terrific NYPL talk about remix culture, as part of the Sunny B. contingent. Maybe Kindle-like hardware, remixes, and open APIs can save journalism.

[James Poniewozik]

I'm coming to this post late, but am curious what you think of Kindle for iPhone. I like it a lot so far; it has touch screen; and there is the considerable advantage of not having to buy and carry Another. Damn. Thing.

[Megan]

Just got linked here by... someone... Andrew Sullivan maybe? Too many tabs. Anyhow, love the review. I just got a Kindle as a birthday present and am enjoying it quite a bit. A few thoughts.

2. As someone who gets pretty bad eyestrain, I will say that the display is amazing. Seriously amazing.

6. This bugs me too, but I suppose I'll get over it. And it makes sense. The implications for research citations are fascinating.

7. So true. I find it slight heavy for one handed reading (wrist problems) but just setting it on my lap or on the bed or whatever is great.

My own point of frustration is the operating temperature. The manual says not to operate it in less than 32 degree weather and not to store it in less than 14 degree weather. This is really, really limiting for someone who lives in Minnesota. It's 32 degrees or under for a good 5-6 months of the year, and 14 degrees of under for 2-3. The idea of a gadget I can't even take outside in my bag during January is a serious bummer.

[Kathryn]

Yes, the typo in _The Invention of Air_ is present in the print copy as well, on page 20.

I, too, am bothered by the lack of page numbers in my Kindle. I'd like it to display the current chapter and page number somewhere, or at least to have a way to get it from the menu.

I'm not prone to eye strain from looking at LCDs but the Kindle is a *lot* easier on the eyes.

And the problem I've found with the iPhone Kindle app is that it only reads your books purchased from Amazon. Any third-party books you've loaded on your Kindle aren't accessible, and periodicals like a Times subscription aren't available.

[Ron]

I suspect the market at large will see the Kindle for what it is, and reject it. You paid a lot of money to sit on your side of the walled garden and now Amazon is going to nickle and dime you to death selling you the ability to read hideously converted copies of your own PDF files and the like.

Kindle is the mistake. Someone else will provide an answer.

[js]

stylistic quibbles: don't use "by definition" if you're not actually referencing a definition. it's not a synonym for "necessarily".

and "begging the question" doesn't mean what you think it means.

[UNDERFLOOR HEATING]

thought is everything and i hope a person who uses his thought in the work can get success in the field of work.

[make money online]

Because of my research methods, I am obsessed with an easy mechanism for grabbing a paragraph or two from a book and getting onto my computer so that I can archive it in Devonthink.

[Anthony Baker]

Hey Steven,

I'm planning to get a Kindle and am particularly interested in your note here:

3. Because of my research methods, I am obsessed with an easy mechanism for grabbing a paragraph or two from a book and getting onto my computer so that I can archive it in Devonthink. The Kindle has a very simple mechanism for this that works great, though selecting the text would be much easier with a touchscreen.

As I do the same thing. Can you elaborate? Didn't know you could get text snippets OFF of the KIndle.

[Nick Gould]

I'm a couple months into the new Kindle as well and I share some of your reactions -- particularly the odd anachronistic impression of the screen. Still, I'm loving the device. The one-handed reading on the subway is a joy (no need to let go of the pole and risk the interpersonal faux pas of crashing into your neighbor if the train lurches).

Regarding your touch screen comments, I guess I agree... the joystick is a little quaint for my tastes. I wonder if a touch screen is even possible with the no-power screen? Even if it is, I would think that keeping the screen clean (especially if you read while eating!) might be more difficult if you are also using it as an input device.

[MSM]

I've been using the Kindle for over a year. I can't imagine going back to printed books. My favorite things about the Kindle:
1. Having so many books with me, with out the hassle of lugging physical books.
2. Simple to buy a book wherever I am. Even on international trips, I can use the PC and transfer the purchase using USB connection.
3. Cost! I didn't expect this one and didn't factor it in the purchase decision, but I'm amazed at how much I've saved even when considering the cost of the Kindle.

The iPhone app is relatively new; though I've found it a excellent option to taking advantage of quick bits of time here and there to read when I don't have my Kindle with me.

The selection of Kindle books is impressive, but I have found a few books I wanted to read that are unavailable.

[Bala]

Hello,

I have published a book, Web On-The-Go in Amazon Kindle version.
Here is the link for the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Web-On-The-Go-ebook/dp/B002C7476W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1244905521&sr=1-1

This book is all about innovative ideas for developing applications for wireless web.
I'll be very glad if you could review the book, Web On-The-Go.
Your review comments will be very valuable.

Thanks
Bala

[coach suitcase]

People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said... but they will always remember how you made them feel.Did you agree with me ?

[Kjetil Kringlebotten]

The Kindle locations always refer to the same place. What is changed when one changes the font size is just how many locations are visible on the screen.

I usually use a ‘slightly altered’ version of the APA style. Here is an example of what I would do, with the example of a book by Scott Hahn.

In the bibliography:
Hahn, S. (2009). Covenant and Communion: The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI. Kindle Edition. Grand Rapids, Mi.: Baker Brazos Press [Retrieved from Amazon.com, March 26th 2010]

In the reference or footnote:
Hahn: 2009: chap. 6:6
or
Hahn: 2009: chap. 6:6; loc. 1918-1924

If this is the first time I cite or quote a Kindle or Mobipocket book, I also write this:

(This is a book published in Kindle/Mobipocket format. All quotations from, or citations of, such books refer to chapters, sections or precise locations (loc.) in the text, and not page numbers.)

[Nike Air Max TN]

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