[Dtb-talk] Opinion: Why Amazon's Kindle is revolutionary

[David B Andrews]

Ray:

I guess you didn't read what I said in my intro.  Or *  maybe you just don't agree, but ...

If this device is successful and it looks like it could be, then it will promote the creation and availability of e-books.  It is still some ways off, but it could give us access to large amounts of books, magazines, and newspapers very quickly.  I think it is worth watching, cynicism aside.

Dave



David Andrews
Chief Technology Officer
Minnesota State Services for the Blind
2200 University Ave. W., #240
St. Paul, MN  55114-1840
(651) 642-0513  Office
(612) 730-7931  Cell
(651) 649-5927  Fax


>>> rforetjr at bellsouth.net 11/26/2007 1:28 PM >>>
Pardon me; but, if the Kindle itself is not accessible, why should we even 
bother with it?  Let me see if perhaps I can answer my own question.  Here, 
at long lats, we may begin to see some of the fruits of the new agreement 
between the NFB and Amazon.  Here's a real chance to see just where the 
rubber meets the road, so to speak.  IF the Kindle is part of Amazon, and if 
Amazon is indeed serious about working with us, is this not a chance to see 
just how serious they are by making the Kindle accessible?

Sincerely yours,
The Constantly Barefooted,
Ray
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God bless President George W. Bush!
God bless our troops!
and God bless America
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David B Andrews" <David.B.Andrews at state.mn.us>
To: <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>; <promotion-technology at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 1:21 PM
Subject: [Dtb-talk] Opinion: Why Amazon's Kindle is revolutionary


I found this article from PC World to be interesting.  While the
Kindle itself is not accessible, it does use text-based e-books, not
PDF's, and ultimately we can only be helped by the proliferation of
e-books.

Dave

Opinion: Why Amazon's Kindle is revolutionary

Surprising facts about Amazon's new Kindle e-book reader
Mike Elgan

November 21, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Last April, I wrote a column
titled, "Why e-books are bound to fail." My reasons: cost, the
availability of better alternatives and, most importantly, book
lovers love paper books.

I was wrong.

This week, I set out to deflate the hype about Amazon's new Kindle
e-book reader and to tell you why it will fail. But while
researching this column, I became convinced of the opposite: Kindle
is revolutionary and will succeed in the market. Some percentage of
book lovers, including me, will buy one to replace their beloved
paper books, magazines and newspapers.

I'm not going to reproduce basic facts about Kindle widely covered
elsewhere. If you want the basics, read the Newsweek cover story by
Steven Levy, Linda Rosencrance's excellent Computerworld report or
check out Amazon's own Kindle marketing page.

Instead, I'll reveal some surprising facts about Amazon's Kindle.
But first let me tell you why the Kindle is such a revolutionary
device.

Why Kindle rules

I've dissed and dismissed e-books for years. But three factors I
didn't anticipate reversed my long-standing attitude.

Fast, free broadly distributed wireless. Amazon has actually
out-Appled Apple in ease-of-use. Like the iPhone, Kindle lets you
buy media -- books and periodicals, in this case -- without your PC.
Unlike the iPhone, you can do that without ever being billed for
wireless access. The free, unlimited wireless is just there. And
it's not Wi-Fi, but mobile broadband; it connects anywhere a Sprint
cell phone can connect (taxi cabs, the beach -- you name it).

Special extras for hardcore book and magazine lovers. My biggest
complaint about e-books has been that book lovers love the look and
feel of real paper books. But book lovers love other things, too,
and Kindle gives them a long list of compensatory goodies. Amazon's
$9.99-and-under book pricing means book fans can buy more books.

They can look up words in a dictionary, Wikipedia or on the Web
right from the device. They get instant gratification by buying
books from anywhere; books take a minute to download.

The seller and service provider -- Amazon. The company is uniquely
positioned to provide this product and this service. Obviously,
Amazon already sells books. The company long ago figured out the
complexities of online book distribution and most book buyers
already trust Amazon. And I don't mean we are "willing to trust." We
already have Amazon accounts, and Amazon already has our credit card
numbers.

Surprising facts about Kindle

Beyond all this, it's important to realize that Amazon's Kindle
isn't just an e-book reader. It's a surprising new kind of device.
Here are some of those surprises.

What you knew: Kindle can access Amazon.com and the Web to search
Wikipedia via it's free wireless connection.

What you didn't know: You can just surf the Web in general. Kindle
comes with a Web browser called Basic Web, which supports cookies,
JavaScript and SSL, but doesn't support plug-ins like Flash or
Shockwave or Java applets. Basic Web lets you type in a URL, click
on links and generally surf the Web like you would on a PC.

What you knew: You can download and read any of the 88,000 books
from Amazon.com -- and the list is growing.

What you didn't know: You can download a much larger selection of
free e-books using the Kindle's Web browser -- many in
Kindle-friendly .MOBI and .PRC formats. Text-based books are
available, too. And if you don't like how these look in text-format
(which you won't), you can convert to .MOBI and .PRC formats on your
PC using free or cheap tools available online.

What you knew: Kindle connects free to Sprint's EV-DO 3G network.

What you didn't know: Where EV-DO isn't available, Kindle connects
via a second protocol called 1xRTT, which is an older 144Kbit/sec.
standard. The addition of 1xRTT increases the number of locations
where you have wireless access.

What you knew: Kindle's Search feature lets you find words or
phrases on Wikipedia, the Kindle Store and the Web.

What you didn't know: Kindle gives you access to an experimental
and free service called Kindle NowNow, which is a search engine
powered by actual humans. You send any question, and a human being
will research it for you, then send the best three answers, usually,
Amazon says, within five minutes.

What you knew: Kindle's wireless service works only in or near the
U.S.

What you didn't know: You can buy books from anywhere in the world
from your PC, and sync to the Kindle.

What you knew: The Kindle can read only four text-document file
formats: .AZW (Kindle-specific), .TXT, .MOBI and .PRC. In addition,
every Kindle gets its own e-mail address for receiving
Amazon-converted Word, HTML, TXT, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP files for
10 cents per document. You send the original to your Kindle's
address and your device receives the converted document (only e-mail
addresses you authorize can send to your Kindle).

What you didn't know: If you have Amazon send converted documents
to your regular e-mail account instead of your Kindle account, the
conversion is free. You then have to download the attachment and
sync via USB.

What you knew: Amazon keeps a copy of all your subscriptions online
so, if you upgrade or replace a Kindle, you won't lose purchased
books, newspapers or magazines.

What you didn't know: The Kindle also automatically and wirelessly
backs up online all your notes, bookmarks, clippings and even "last
location read."

What you knew: Kindle is an e-book reader.

What you didn't know: Kindle is also an audiobook reader and MP3
player, and has both speakers and a headphone jack. Amazon lets you
buy audiobooks directly from Audible.com by going to a dedicated Web
site where you can download and install Kindle-specific software for
connecting to and buying from Audible.com. You can listen to music
while reading, although only in "shuffle" mode.

What you knew: The Kindle comes with a built in dictionary -- The
New Oxford American Dictionary.

What you didn't know: If you prefer another dictionary, you can buy
it from Amazon.com, then tell your Kindle via an option setting that
the new dictionary is now your "preferred" dictionary for instant
lookups.

What you knew: You can subscribe to newspapers and magazines.

What you didn't know: Your subscriptions arrive hours or, in the
case of some magazines, days before print subscribers get theirs.

What you knew: Newspaper and magazines are not retained permanently
by default on Amazon's Your Media Library. Amazon's contract with
these content providers typically allows just seven issues, although
the number varies.

What you didn't know: You can download periodicals to your PC or
Kindle and retain them forever. Amazon can't retain them beyond
seven issues, but you can.

What you knew: You can read for about two days on a single charge
(which takes two hours).

What you didn't know: If you turn off the wireless feature, you can
read every day for more than a week on a charge.

What you knew: The Kindle is sold out already.

What you didn't know: You can order now, and they'll ship it to you
after Nov. 29.

What you knew: You have to pay for books and magazines downloaded
from the Kindle Store.

What you didn't know: You can try before you buy. Magazines and
newspapers come with a 14-day free trial and can also be purchased
one magazine at a time without a subscription. You can read the
first chapters of books free.

What you knew: Amazon charges $2 per month to subscribe to each RSS
feed.

What you didn't know: You can read any RSS feed, including those
they charge for, free of charge via the Kindle's Web browser by
going directly to the sites.

What you knew: Amazon does not support PDF files for conversion.

What you didn't know: Free PDF-to-Word converters exist, and Amazon
will convert those to its Kindle format, so PDF files on the Kindle
are merely inconvenient, not impossible.

What you knew: You can "dog ear" pages to bookmark them, save
"clippings" (copies of entire pages) and notes on Kindle, all of
which are backed up as part of your books.

What you didn't know: You can also "highlight" text -- like using a
highlighter pen, but without the bright color. Highlights are also
backed up.

What you knew: The Kindle Store is functionally similar to the
Amazon bookstore.

What you didn't know: You can use Kindle's keyboard and wireless
connection to write book reviews on the Kindle Store.

The Amazon Kindle isn't perfect. It's ugly as sin and needs a light
for reading in the dark, and the Kindle Store could use a far
greater selection of newspapers and magazines.

But, broadly speaking, the Kindle is a game-changing revolution in
buying, reading, managing and using electronic books and other
content. It's also the hottest holiday gift you can buy this year
for anyone who loves to read.

I've always been skeptical about e-books, but Amazon has made a
believer -- and a customer -- out of me.

End


David Andrews
Chief Technology Officer
Minnesota State Services for the Blind
2200 University Ave. W., #240
St. Paul, MN  55114-1840
(651) 642-0513  Office
(612) 730-7931  Cell
(651) 649-5927  Fax

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