Although I was an early adopter of the original Kindle
Why would you want native PDF support? The small Kindles support PDF files via translation; you send a PDF document to Amazon and they convert it to the Kindle's AZW format and send it back to you, either to your desktop email account (free) or directly to your Kindle ($0.10 per document). However, if your document is anything more than simple text, formatting and imagery are mangled. What you get is readable but not nearly as readable as a Kindle document that was specifically prepared for the device. This is an inherent restriction caused by the difference between a document file structure that is meant to preserve formatting (PDF) and one that is meant to allow for text flow despite screen or font size concerns (AZW). The result was that you couldn't practically use either the original or 2nd gen Kindles for reading even reasonably complex PDF documents. Having an integral native PDF reader on the new Kindle DX (as seen to the left) solves this problem and opens up a HUGE world of documents to the Kindle owner.
I've had the Kindle DX for about a day now, and it's everything I was looking for. PDFs render beautifully, not like they did on the original (the same PDF on the original Kindle, at right) and Kindle AZW documents render even better than they did on the original Kindle due to the larger screen size and 16-tone grey scale capability. The large screen really elevates the new DX into something more than a convenient device for light reading. The Kindle DX shows the true utility of an electronic reader for the first time. It's what the Kindle should have been from the start.
What has improved? Performance is better, particularly the screen refresh rate. The new button design means not turning pages accidentally anymore (although I wish they'd kept buttons on both sides of the device for us left-handers). I don't like not having an SD card slot on the device, nor do I like not being able to change the battery without sending the device back to Amazon. Being able to turn the Whispernet modem on and off via software (menu item) is scads better than having to move a switch. The web browser's 'desktop' mode makes the browser very usable, especially when combined with the rotation feature. Speaking of rotation, the ability to rotate the device and view documents in either landscape or portrait mode is KILLER. Text-to-speech works well, but I have yet to try it for actually 'reading' (listening to) a document while doing something else, e.g., driving, to see if it is really useful or just a checklist feature. The Amazon cover (extra charge) is WAY above the original Kindle's flimsy cover; it actually holds the device securely, protects the screen, yet is easy to open (beware of the magnetic latch around external hard drives or near the bottom of your laptop).
Okay, so now I have two Kindles. My wife asked me why I need two, a good question. My answer is, the small Kindles are great for light reading... the latest fiction novel, public-domain classics, etc., but they're useless for PDFs or more serious reading such as technical books because the screen size is too small and images, formulas, etc., don't display well. The Kindle DX is great for any type of reading and shines with PDFs and more serious books, yet it is considerably heavier than the original Kindle (I'd say twice as heavy, if not more so) and not as convenient to stuff in a carry-on bag. I've already moved all of the technical books I own over to the DX, as well as many PDF documents. I had decided to not buy any serious books for my Kindle, using it only for light reading... but the new Kindle DX has changed my mind. The experience of reading a technical book is as good or better than the physical book, and that is something that could not be said about the smaller Kindles.
If I had to own just one electronic reading device, the choice is obvious: the Kindle DX. Amazon has gotten it right; the Kindle DX finally fulfills the 'book' paradigm in an electronic device.
7 comments:
Regarding the need for buttons on both sides for left handers - if you turn the Kindle DX upside down the screen will reorient itself and you now have buttons on the other side. As long as you are not using the keyboard it works great. The "joystick" even reorients itself so it works properly.
Yes, I realize you can rotate the device... but then what if I want to use my right hand? :-)
Seriously, duplicating the 'Prev Page' and 'Next Page' buttons on the left side would have been a good idea.
How does it do with photos?
It's decent. With 16 shades of grey, you're not going to get silver gelatin quality... but it's pretty decent.
After a couple of days, my major peeve (and this holds for all Kindles, not just the DX) is the lack of support for folders in the Home Screen. Although you can organize the file system itself by directories, e.g., 'documents\PDFs' for all PDF files, 'documents\Public Domain' for all public-domain ebooks, etc., there is no hierarchy on the Home Screen. There's just one flat list, with every document/ebook on the device.
Come on, Kindle. Owners have been complaining about this since the original Kindle was introduced. How hard can this be to fix? How hard can it be to have a 'View By Folder' menu item that is either checked or unchecked?
I plan to try out the DX but I would probably only use it for technical books. For a novel, I'd rather have a real book. Isaac Asimov had what he called a working library, which had disappointed a journalist who had come to view it. It was rather small. He would buy the new editions, and discard those out of date. An edition of Crime and Punishment is never going out of date, but if you're getting the latest issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, it's better to have an electronic version.
I'm not sure how much use it actually will be for technical books until they can offer color. Mostly it would work, but there are bound to be graphs, etc., that require color unless they redid those solely for the Kindle edition.
I also don't know if it would mean having to always pay full price for textbooks. I buy a lot of that kind of thing from thriftbooks for a fraction of the price. Unless you're actually taking the course it's for, you can sometimes get away with an earlier edition. For example the Campbell/Reece Biology is in its seventh edition but the sixth is widely available for next to nothing.
Joe, IMO the smaller Kindles are great for light reading, e.g., fiction or the classics, especially if you value portability.
I like reading novels on my original Kindle, but the reading experience is much better on the Kindle DX. I find that I seldom use my original Kindle, and may very well sell it in the near future. The DX has spoiled me because IMO the reading experience is BETTER than a book.
Now if only Amazon would update the 'Home Screen' to allow for a directory structure/tree view of books, so a Kindle owner could organize documents by folders and that structure would be recognized.
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