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Considering getting the Kindle 3G. The questions I had were related to PDF support. I recently bought a Lonely Planet guidebook in PDF version and tried to use it on my iPhone 3G on the road, it was a hassel because it was so slow, would take 7-8 seconds just to render a page and if there was a map forget it - 20 seconds to render the map. Due to the small screen it was also a hassel to read without constantly having to zoom in/out.
I would think the 6" Kindle would fare a lot better but any ideas on how fast this thing performs rendering PDFs? How about the other graphics? I know it is grayscale but how do photographs look and how fast do they render?
Lastly, the claimed battery life is 30 hours (1 month @ 1 hr/day) with WiFi off, this seems quite phenomenal...how accurate is this? What about with WiFi on and browsing the web?
How is the web browser to use? I know it doesn't support multimedia...but I am assuming it is good enough for quick reference? Wikipedia and such?
Is there any way to store/view user documents? For instance if someone emailed me a PDF can I view it on this thing or do I need to lug out my netbook?
I can't speak to the PDF question as I haven't done much with them. There are lots of free converters but I have no clue how they work or which one is good.
I can say that the battery does last a long time. I can't say if it is 30 hours or not because I have never used it continously for more than an hour or two. I do know that it seems like a very long time in between when I have to charge it though. I am positive that with WiFi on and browsing the web it doesn't last nearly as long because I use it at the lake sometimes and the time in between charging is much less.
I've used the web browser for Facebook, the newspaper, imdb and Wikipedia and never have a problem other than slowness.
You might want to consider a tablet device instead. There are apps for iPad and the Android OS that will allow you to read Kindle books on most of the tablets out there. A few of the tablets have 3G and 4G support, and they virtually all have support for WiFi. I have never used a PDF reader on a Kindle, so I can't really comment on performance issues. However, I am guessing that the tablets would handle PDF files and other tasks (such as web browsing, e-email, etc.) better that the Kindle and other readers.
That said, the Kindle has several clear advantages. For the most part, it's cheaper, smaller, and lighter than the tablets. Its screen is also easier to read in sunlight. I am guessing the Kindle's battery life would be better as well, especially for the monochrome model.
You might want to consider a tablet device instead. There are apps for iPad and the Android OS that will allow you to read Kindle books on most of the tablets out there. A few of the tablets have 3G and 4G support, and they virtually all have support for WiFi. I have never used a PDF reader on a Kindle, so I can't really comment on performance issues. However, I am guessing that the tablets would handle PDF files and other tasks (such as web browsing, e-email, etc.) better that the Kindle and other readers.
That said, the Kindle has several clear advantages. For the most part, it's cheaper, smaller, and lighter than the tablets. Its screen is also easier to read in sunlight. I am guessing the Kindle's battery life would be better as well, especially for the monochrome model.
I used the Kindle app last night on my TouchPad, and it's not bad.
As you said, in direct sunlight the Kindle will win hands down, and the battery life of a Kindle is unbelievable (no back light, and the e-ink display needs very little power).
The e-ink display on the Kindle is very easy on the eyes, and feels more like reading a book than the tablet does. The tablet also started feeling heavy after a while, unlike the Kindle.
If you aren't married to the idea of Kindle / Amazon (and 3g), you might want to check out the newest Nook. We were at Barnes and Noble the other night and it is a really nice machine. Very small compared to a Kindle (since it has a touch screen it doesn't need the keyboard).
You can also walk in and play with it to see how it looks and performs.
I haven't compared specs on this compared to the Kindle, and haven't compared the prices or selection of books, so I'm not recommending it over the Kindle, just pointing out that it may be a nice alternative.
The big advantage of the Nook over the Kindle is the ability to download books from your local library. Although this feature has finally been added to Kindle, it still works better on Nook.
I'm not interested in tablets as i'm interested in just a book reader device with very long battery life, so that I don't have to sacrifice the battery on the netbook. I already have Kindle for PC on my Asus 1000HA netbook
The current crop of tablets are just not for me. Right now the tablets are in my view very CRIPPLED computers - I need a fully functional computer with a fully functional OS, USB ports etc. when traveling so incase I need to print a document I can just put it on my flash drive and go to an internet cafe. I also need full and direct access to a filesystem to easily store documents etc. which the iPad doesn't offer without hacking (just like the iPhone) and I need access to the FULL web (incuding Flash and all proper plugins)..in essence I want to run my favorite browser which happens to be Firefox and not some crippled creation like Apple's Safari.
The tablets available today (including the iPad) are pretty much useless for what I need a computer to do - even if it's just the basics...if they made a tablet that was functionally equivalent to my netbook I would be very interested.
Obviously my requirements in a portable is not the same as most since the iPad is such a hit, for what reason I do not really know because I think it's basically a useless product. My guess is marketing and people buying what their friends have and soon there is some kind of mania. I've met a ton of people using netbooks and they all love them, especially because they offer the best feature to weight to battery life equation. OK, i'll stop my anti-iPad rant now
I've looked at the Nook and it doesn't interest me as much.. it feels more like a tablet wannabe, so it neither has the battery life benefits of the Kindle nor does it have the extra features of a true tablet.
So it looks like I am going to get a Kindle as it definitely seems like an innovative and winning product to me and a perfect complement to take along with my netbook, and it's just 8oz and change so thats terrific.
Is it the same thing as a Nook? I carry a laptop for work but thought these devices were 'electronic books'. Im not tech savvy to have an ipad. My employer gave me a blackberry and Im slowly figuring it out.
I'm not interested in tablets as i'm interested in just a book reader device with very long battery life, so that I don't have to sacrifice the battery on the netbook. I already have Kindle for PC on my Asus 1000HA netbook
The current crop of tablets are just not for me. Right now the tablets are in my view very CRIPPLED computers - I need a fully functional computer with a fully functional OS, USB ports etc. when traveling so incase I need to print a document I can just put it on my flash drive and go to an internet cafe. I also need full and direct access to a filesystem to easily store documents etc. which the iPad doesn't offer without hacking (just like the iPhone) and I need access to the FULL web (incuding Flash and all proper plugins)..in essence I want to run my favorite browser which happens to be Firefox and not some crippled creation like Apple's Safari.
The tablets available today (including the iPad) are pretty much useless for what I need a computer to do - even if it's just the basics...if they made a tablet that was functionally equivalent to my netbook I would be very interested.
Obviously my requirements in a portable is not the same as most since the iPad is such a hit, for what reason I do not really know because I think it's basically a useless product. My guess is marketing and people buying what their friends have and soon there is some kind of mania. I've met a ton of people using netbooks and they all love them, especially because they offer the best feature to weight to battery life equation. OK, i'll stop my anti-iPad rant now
I've looked at the Nook and it doesn't interest me as much.. it feels more like a tablet wannabe, so it neither has the battery life benefits of the Kindle nor does it have the extra features of a true tablet.
So it looks like I am going to get a Kindle as it definitely seems like an innovative and winning product to me and a perfect complement to take along with my netbook, and it's just 8oz and change so thats terrific.
Keep in mind that you not longer need USB ports to print any document you want. Most printers nowadays are network ready with WIFI (wired+wireless), and connected to the network you can print via WIFI.
What has made the iPad so popular is marketing in part, but mostly the huge number of very useful apps for it. For example, you can use it as a GPS in your car. On an aircraft it can be used by pilots who may not have certain flying instruments in their aircraft. In fact, several airlines companies issue iPad to their pilots, and these are loaded with the apps needed. A lot of the hotels have iPads in the rooms for the customers to control the room HVAC, to make reservations, or anything else they may want. You can use an iPad as a teleconferencing unit with video and audio, or you can even use it to access your computer from a remote location. Also, the thing about the apps for it is that most of these aren't created by Apple. Apps can be created by anybody, and then sold at the Apple Apps Store, or just given free at the same store. There are kids creating a bunch of these apps, too.
But an iPad is not a computer replacement, just a very handy portable device. Just look around you at the airport. These things are everywhere
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