[LINK] The Amazon Kindle e-book

[Ivan Trundle]

On 07/07/2008, at 1:05 PM, Scott Howard wrote:

> On Sun, Jul 6, 2008 at 7:31 PM, Eric Scheid <eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au 
> >
> wrote:
>
>> So .. what *are* the advantages of reading a book on the kindle vs  
>> reading
>> it on paper?
>
> The need to only ever carry one single "thing", and always being  
> able to
> have a book available.

Err - how about a recharging unit, and availability of power  
supply..., a bag to put it in, protection, etc.

> No getting half-way to work on the train and finishing your book,  
> and then
> realizing you forgot to bring another.

For this, I'd simply plan to take another book, or buy another, or  
borrow one from the library beforehand.

> At the end of the day, it's exactly the same reason that I carry an  
> iPod
> rather than a CD player and a few dozen CDs.

That's a common argument, but flawed in its logic. You cannot PLAY a  
CD without a player, but you can read a book without a book reader. I  
think what you mean to say is that you can store more music on an iPod  
than you can with other devices, and the benefit is that it is light.  
However, music to listen to requires a device that consumes power  
(unless you take your own instruments). This is the reason that the  
iPod works so well - light, convenient, and powerful enough for  
personal use.

Back to quantity: Even the most voracious book reader would have  
trouble reading more than a large novel on the longest available plane  
flight around the world - it's a different data set. Two large novels  
would cover most possibilities, and ease of access to other novels in  
such predicaments is not an issue, mostly (unless your reading tastes  
are eclectic, of course).

I'm not denying the attractiveness of an electronic device that can  
store more than a book - but the Kindle is only the precursor to  
devices that are light, attractive to use (and I don't mean bells and  
whistles, think 'iPod elegance'...) - with no DRM issues (again, which  
helped iPods to take off).

There's also a lot more to the tactile senses that are used when book  
reading - page thickness, page location, text location, serendipity of  
access, ability to bookmark, annotate, etc all need to be addressed in  
an e-book - some developers understand this, and are working towards  
it, but all realise that it won't replace the book.

For starters, look at the size and variety offered in book formats: an  
important part of the experience - snuggling up in a crowded space in  
bright sunlight (for example) is not an easy task with a Kindle, and  
nor is it as easy to throw in your carry bag as some books are.  
Ultimately, there is a lot to be said for the robustness and  
flexibility of the humble book: but I concede that inroads will be  
made from the geeky end of town until a wider acceptance is gained,  
and usability issues are addressed.

ps. Try reading for long periods where the only form of light is the  
screen that you're reading... It's really tough on the eyes. Mind you,  
my kids can quite comfortably read in the dark, it appears, so it must  
be me. Incidentally, the Kindle has backlighting that allegedly chews  
the power, but can run with backlighting off (hence it's  
attractiveness compared with other e-books).

iT