With Amazon finally shipping Kindle's is it too soon to say Kindle 2.0 is on the horizon? Some don't think so. Rumors have been buzzing that a new one may come very soon. At 399 bucks a pop, let's hope it's a cheaper version...although at the rate they're selling I highly doubt it will be.
I think most people will start catching on when a nano-ish version appears. Unlike iPods where it's nice to store thousands of songs, most people would be happy with a device, I'm sure, that will hold just a few hundred (perhaps even dozen). Maybe Apple will catch on and offer an iPod Touch with a ebook feature. I've read books on my PDA phone (just slightly smaller than the Touch) and it's really not that small or hard to read.
So, Amazon, let's get the thing into the 200 dollar range, and then I'll sign on the dotted line. If you want me to pay 400 bucks for an e-reader, then you better be prepared to slap on a full feature color Internet browser onto it...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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2 comments:
Actually what I'd really like would be a touch sensitive screen you could draw on, like the iLiad. Add in handwriting recognition (like a PDA) and you could drop the keyboard, and have either a smaller device, or a bigger screen with more reading room.
I'd like them to just fix all the stupid crap people have been complaining about since literally Day 1: remove the insane DRM system so you can actually own and use your own books after you buy them; tweak the ergonomics so you can grip it firmly without pressing the buttons inadvertently; support standard file formats including PDF; lose the gouging subscription fees for free Web content (or add free WiFi downloads as an alternative); allow cut-'n-paste out of electronic text files for researchers and note-takers. A color screen and better definition/contrast are obvious upgrades as well.
Most of this just boils down to making it possible to access and use electronic content on your damn electronic content reader! Stuff that should have been a no-brainer to begin with. Redesigned interfaces and improved functionality would be nice in a second release, but if they'd just de-cripple the damn thing they'd be halfway home. And then I might consider buying one.
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