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

Mon Nov 26 14:42:48 CST 2007

Anything that gets books and other matter into a machine readable  
format is a good thing for us even if the devices that the works are  
intended for is not accessible. It is a simple programming task to  
convert one text format to another one that could be used in DAISY for  
example.

Greg Kearney
535 S. Jackson St.
Casper, Wyoming 82601
307-224-4022
gkearney at gmail.com

On Nov 26, 2007, at 1:29 PM, David B Andrews wrote:

> 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
> Home phone and fax:
> (985)853-0139
> E-mail:
> rforetjratbellsouthdotnet
> Skype Name:
> barefootedray
> Blog:
> www.raysworld.blogs.com
> Podcast .rss Feed:
> http://feeds.feedburner.com/worldofray
>
> 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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