Amazon Kindle 2

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_83626371_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=0XZXK9RADVY8YN1Q1PEP&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=469548931&pf_rd_i=507846

Oh, happy day! Apparently the reception for the original Kindle was warm enough to create an updated version. Significantly sleeker, thinner, more ergonomic, and displaying a couple of changes, this Kindle is definitely different than the original.

Is it better though?

While I enjoy slender gadgets, I did not really think that it was in need of a redesign. I really liked the original. I still really like the original and if given the choice, I’d be inclined to side with the old one.

So let’s talk about big changes.

My best guess is that in an effort to slim the device down they got rid of the SD Card slot leaving under 1.5 gb to store your books on. Now, to be fair, that’s the storage space for over 1,500 books, but is that space enough?

The Kindle can play music and with that and your books, a mere 1.5 gb is NOT enough.

I liked the idea of storing specific books on cards too. For instance, in my profession I have a ton of professional books that would be nice to bring with me when I go places. The amount of pages is staggering, frankly and lugging these books around would cause some serious strain physically and worrying about them all the time wouldn’t be fun at all. The idea of having them all on an SD card is pretty sweet and the word-search feature would be more than handy.

That is my biggest complaint actually, is the lack of an SD Card slot. Expandable memory is where it’s at and both Amazon and Apple need to get in on this. Of course, then Apple couldn’t charge you a ton more money for double the space.

That’s MY biggest complaint, but surveying the web there are others and while I’m as sympathetic of a guy as you can find, some of the complaints are a little ridiculous.

1) It’s black and white. Some people say “We don’t watch black and white television, why should we read in black and white?”

I’m sure they were talking about illustrations, not the actual font.

Do you remember the first Game Boy Color? It had no backlight but the games had colors. The only problem is that the colors were subdued due to the screen’s natural color and the fact that there was no illumination underneath it.

You really WANT that? A great big washed-out mess? Straining your eyes to see what’s going on?

Besides that, it’s a book, not TV.

Now, there have been strides to developing a color electronic ink but the colors are washed out and the price would be towards and past the 1,000.00 mark. Do you want to pay 1,000.00 for an eReader JUST for color (color that hearkens back to the original Technicolor)?

2) No backlight.

This goes hand in hand with the first complaint, I guess, but it’s different enough to separate. Here goes:

You’re probably reading this on a computer, right? Find any website with a white background and LOTS of type, any site, or better yet, find a free book online (they’re out there) and open it in Word and read it. Read it for as long as you can.

While you’re at it, remember when you started and stopped.

I’m willing to bet that you could probably read for twice as long with much more comfort to your eyes if you were to read it on a screen without a backlight. It creates stress for your eyes and strains them. The contrast is better and sharper but the benefits are outweighed by the cons.

It isn’t an iPod, it isn’t a computer, it is supposed to be looked at as a BOOK.

The most common comment when you start talking about the backlight is that someone can’t see it at night. That is very true. Unless you turn on a light, you can’t see the words.

But they don’t want to keep their significant other up.

A small lamp probably won’t kill them and if it does they’re obviously too dang sensitive so hand them a sleeping mask and tell them to stow it.

If they INSIST on you turning off the light, use a clip on reading light like you can get for a real book. Five bucks and you’re set. No need for a backlight, no need for the strain.

I honestly think most of these complaints come from people who are expecting far too much for what the device is and what it was intended to be.

Those are the two BIG complaints, and the SD Card often falls way back in the priority.

I think this is entirely wrong.

Because of everyone’s unrealistic expectations, Amazon is going to cater to them and supply an eReader that now causes eye strain, less lengthy reading sessions, and a display that looks like the original Wizard of Oz instead of fixing the most important part (the SD Card Slot).

Now, I know I’m probably emphasizing a bit much for your tastes, but it IS important, especially is you subscribe to the still-costs-too-much newspaper subscriptions. They’ll fill up your memory quickly and reports say that there is NO backup for these on Amazon.com (like there is with your books).

Speaking of, the book count is over 250,000 books. That’s a lot of books. It is also not nearly ENOUGH books. There should be dedicated people making Kindle versions of every book they can get their hands on regardless of the size of the audience. Every book that comes out now should have an E version and Amazon should be working as hard and as quickly as they can to develop something that rivals the library of Congress with volume.

Next we come to price. The price of the device would not be nearly as hard to swallow (about 350.00) if the cost of the books was easier to deal with. 9.99 for a book might seem like a good deal for a book when compared to a brand new hardcover book that has no discount attached but I’ll let you in on a secret.

The Kindle is not a 350 page Hardcover book with premium paper. It is an electronic device that is merely displaying the appropriate software. Eventually you’ll stop comparing the price to a brand new hard cover and start comparing it to the current PAPER back version of the book that retails for three to five dollars more and say to yourself “Wait a minute. I hold in my hand a device that requires no printing presses or normal distribution costs. Shipping is borderline non-existant as we know it. Why are the costs so close?”

I hear that publishers are selling Amazon the ebooks at the same price as their regular books which, if correct is BAD on them. I know they’re looking to make more money but they’re shooting themselves in the foot in the long run. The potential, if the cost of books were low, for a person to buy books on whims whenever they want is ridiculously HIGH if they’re cheap enough. If they are NOT cheap, the whim will not be there and planning will be involved meaning you’re getting less money as a publisher.

Not only that, but you’re screwing the platform too because the costs of books and eBooks are so similar. The cost of the eBook should be 50% cheaper than the cost of the most current book which means if the hardcover edition is all that is out and costs 50.00 the eBook should cost 25.00. If the paperback that costs 14.00 is out then the ebook should cost 7.00. The prices would benefit the owners of the device and be enough of a temptation to lure in potential customers that are on the fence.

And speaking of the DEVICE, it costs way too much. Amazon should offer a stripped-down version for the people who just want a quality eReader. Here’s what I’m thinking: I do not want MP3 support. I do not want the ability to have the Kindle read to me. I do not want backlights or colors. I’m perfectly happy with gray. I DO want an SD Card slot.

If you can offer me a device for something close to 150.00 then I’d be tempted to pursue it. If the books and newspapers had costs that were more accommodating taking the technology into consideration THAT would be what pushed me over the edge to ownership.

But there’s still a ton of potential here, or at least, the same amount as there ever was.

I still think that this could be a great replacement to the thick college textbooks and their ridiculous prices, I still think this could be a replacement for newspapers so long as everything in a newspaper gets transferred to the Kindle including comics. I don’t care if the Sunday comics are in gray – I don’t care about that at all – so long as they are there.

Honestly, people, it has a ton of potential. It just needs some tweaks.