OOO Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Here's the link This is what amazon thinks the future of reading is. While I think $400 is kind of steep, it does have some pretty nifty features: 1. Electronic Paper. High contrast, no glare. Great for reading and much different than a computer screen.2. Always on internet. You don't need to hook it up to a computer to get books onto it, you just grab them from Amazon and they're on your book in a minute. This doesn't mean Wi-Fi, it uses cell phone networks, so if you can connect with your phone, you can buy a new book. (and no subscription fee for wireless)3. Not just books, but magazines, newspapers, and blogs are available for it and will be downloaded automatically before you wake up.4. 88,000 books available I think its pretty cool. I won't be burning my books anytime soon though, Montag. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elixir Sue Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Real paper books are still working well for me...I think I'll pass. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorik Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Real paper books are still working well for me...I think I'll pass. X2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quarter23cd Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Sounds like a neat gadget, but I don't see myself running out to get one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I do like the idea of fewer physical paper goods being produced from an ecological standpoint, but I don't see myself curling up by the fire with one of these things. I'd like to see one for real, though, as the viewing surface intrigues me. It's not a backlit screen and it's supposed to look like the surface of a book page. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ction Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Neat idea, but I like reading real books. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 clearly designed by the same people who engineered the destruction and cover up of the trade towers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I was just watching Jeff Bezos talking about this on Charlie Rose last night. When he was saying Kindle, I kept hearing "Kendall" because I know a Kendall. When he spelled it out and explained it to Rose as being a fire-starter, I yelled at the tv, "Book burner! Book burner!" The more he explained it, the better I liked the idea of the gadget. I've always got several books that I'm reading at once and it is kind of messy in my truck to have them all stuffed behind the seat (not to mention unkind to the lovely books) so I could see it being useful as space saving in a situation like that. It would also be nice to carry in my purse so that I'd have several books to choose from whenever I have a few minutes to squeeze in a couple of pages of reading. I'm always in a waiting room or somewhere thinking I wish I'd have carried some books in to pass the time. The price tag is still way too high for me, but if anyone wants to buy me a Kindle for Christmas (secret santa? wink!), I won't object. If the thing really catches on, I could see it coming in as very handy for students who are currently lugged down by pounds and pounds of textbooks. I'm anxious to see how this thing takes off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 whats the point of buying $400 worth of hardware, when you can just get the book for $5? and what year are we in, 1989? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 If the thing really catches on, I could see it coming in as very handy for students who are currently lugged down by pounds and pounds of textbooks. I'm anxious to see how this thing takes off. Now THAT'S a smart idea. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drazil Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 There's something special about turning pages... I would definitely stick with books even if I could afford one of those things. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 My bookshelves would look pretty silly without books. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 You people! The idea is not to replace books, but just to serve as an alternative mode of receiving books...were you this resistant to the concept of audio books? Did the libraries stop carrying their little bundles of papery love? No way, dude! They just added some racks to make room for the audio books!I love books (real, physical, smelly, gluey, lick my finger and turn the page books) just as much as the rest of you but I'm not going to let my book-love get in the way of my embracing what I think is a pretty nifty thing Amazon is trying to get off the ground. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 You people! The idea is not to replace books, but just to serve as an alternative mode of receiving books...were you this resistant to the concept of audio books? Did the libraries stop carrying their little bundles of papery love? No way, dude! They just added some racks to make room for the audio books!I love books (real, physical, smelly, gluey, lick my finger and turn the page books) just as much as the rest of you but I'm not going to let my book-love get in the way of my embracing what I think is a pretty nifty thing Amazon is trying to get off the ground. audio books: now there's some seriously stupid stuff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
viatroy Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I don't see giving up books, but it has potential for travel and school. There's not enough text on the screen for my tastes though. audio books: now there's some seriously stupid stuff I've listened to a couple on long trips -- they burn up the miles pretty handily. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I have a DVD player for those. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
viatroy Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 audio books: now there's some seriously stupid stuffI don't do them but my truck driver brother finds them very handy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ction Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I listened to an audio book once while driving and nearly fell asleep about 30 minutes into the trip. The text book idea is a good one, and for that I totally see this as being very useful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I listened to an audio book once while driving and nearly fell asleep about 30 minutes into the trip. me too! i always cringe when i hear news of the attempt to replace the printed page. part because if everything went electronic i would be out of job. little known fact though, the paper industry is one of leading industries in creating an environmentally sound product. a year ago, this wasn't the case, but today, it is very difficult to find a paper that is not environmentally sound. in addition to recycled content, the virgin pulp used in papers comes from sustainable forests and is manufactured without bleach and other caustic chemicals. on the pollution side of things, several companies, such as Mohawk papers, are purchasing carbon credits and investing in wind farms and other alternative energies. not only are they matching their energy output with sustainable investment, they are actually working with the EPA to reduce the energy output. although, they are currently using coal based electricity, the idea is if you continue to invest in alternative energy, there will be more available and coal based electricity will be replaced by wind electricity and so forth. interesting enough, i believe the production process for a paper book is actually more environmentally sound than that of an electronic item. the electronic book is manufactured with plastic and the number one ingredient in plastic is petroleum. in addition, 40% of greenhouse gases actually come from construction sites and the off-gassing of manufactured products. although you are not cutting down trees to create one of the handy amazon things, you are contributing to the oil demand and the trees you would have cut down are actually renewable. and there is something pretty damn special about the printed page, to think Gutenburg bible was printed in the 1400s and the printing process has not really changed since then. now that's an invention. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
the_fliz1 Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I just kind of like the feel of books. Plus it's always handy to just be able to pull one off the shelf to look at something or let a friend borrow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I'm 'bout to freak out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 me too! i always cringe when i hear news of the attempt to replace the printed page. part because if everything went electronic i would be out of job. little known fact though, the paper industry is one of leading industries in creating an environmentally sound product. a year ago, this wasn't the case, but today, it is very difficult to find a paper that is not environmentally sound. in addition to recycled content, the virgin pulp used in papers comes from sustainable forests and is manufactured without bleach and other caustic chemicals. on the pollution side of things, several companies, such as Mohawk papers, are purchasing carbon credits and investing in wind farms and other alternative energies. not only are they matching their energy output with sustainable investment, they are actually working with the EPA to reduce the energy output. although, they are currently using coal based electricity, the idea is if you continue to invest in alternative energy, there will be more available and coal based electricity will be replaced by wind electricity and so forth. interesting enough, i believe the production process for a paper book is actually more environmentally sound than that of an electronic item. the electronic book is manufactured with plastic and the number one ingredient in plastic is petroleum. in addition, 40% of greenhouse gases actually come from construction sites and the off-gassing of manufactured products. although you are not cutting down trees to create one of the handy amazon things, you are contributing to the oil demand and the trees you would have cut down are actually renewable. and there is something pretty damn special about the printed page, to think Gutenburg bible was printed in the 1400s and the printing process has not really changed since then. now that's an invention. yeah, I just like books. there are hosts of sites that offer Buddhist books online for free, yet I still seek out printed copies. I like browsing my shelves and looking for marks I made in them. I find reading things on the screen to range from outright weird to just not very fun. Perhaps this gadget offers a somewhat different experence, but companies have been trying for years to get a delivery system like this to stick at market and they haven't yet seemed to pull it off. Sounds like a good idea for text books, but I suspect the acutal reading to still be a better experience with the real deal. It would probably make a great quick find reference/study aid. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Welsh Rich Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Was reading about this yesterday... in a newspaper However, I think it could become an option. Part of their subscription's does include magazines. Now I like that idea. Recycling is great, but if you could cut out the number of magazines you had lying around and have them on one device, that'd be great. Some magazines are moving to digital, I see Paste and The Wire are doing it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Welsh Rich Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Came across this interesting comment via Slashdot this morning: "Forbes takes a look at the recently announced Kindle ebook from Amazon, and considers the possibility that Apple may have beaten them to the punch. 'Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs has a not-so-secret weapon when it comes time to load up the iPhone with content: Google ... Google's Book Search project has already pumped much of the world's printed matter into Google's servers. Downloads of classic titles, such as Bleak House, can already be had for free. Mix Apple's iTunes content distribution smarts with Google's vast storehouse of content, and you'll have an instant competitor to Kindle -- one with a touch interface and the ability to play movies and music, too.' Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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