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I saw a Kindle 2 for the first time last week, and I was seriously underwhelmed. I can’t imagine how it has gained any traction. The screen is slightly larger t

I saw a Kindle 2 for the first time last week, and I was seriously underwhelmed. I can’t imagine how it has gained any traction. The screen is slightly larger than a post-it note, and the best comparison I can come up with is of reading a book on an Etch-a-Sketch. I have read a ton of Project Gutenberg books on the iPad already, and it is fabulous. The screen does wash out in direct sunlight, but it’s still very readable—I took it to the beach in Hawaii last week a ton and read it for hours. Beyond the beach I can’t imagine anywhere I would ever read something in direct sunlight during the course of my normal life—it’s an enormous edge case for me. Ironically, I’m unable to read a real book at the beach in direct sunlight, because too much light reflects off the page and I can’t stare at it. And I don’t agree that it’s not as nice as reading off paper or e-ink. Everyone mentions eyestrain but my eyes have never felt ‘strained’, even after reading for six hours. I guess different strokes for different folks, but I don’t think the Kindle and iPad are any comparison. It’s like comparing a calculator and a laptop.

asnyder 16y ago
For most readers that screen-size is fine, but if you really want to read you'll need the Kindle DX.
- codyrobbins 16y ago
  But at that point, you’re spending as much as an iPad for something that has a fiftieth the functionality, and not to mention no color screen. I still just don’t get it.
  - tghw 16y ago
    Kindle 2 costs $260 new. The cheapest iPad is $500. Want 3G, like the Kindle has? $630, plus $15/month. It does one thing, and it does it well: reading books.
    - codyrobbins 16y ago
      OP is talking about a Kindle DX, which is only $40 cheaper than the cheapest iPad.
    - ojbyrne 16y ago
      The $15 a month plan is pointless. I doubt anyone will ever use it more than one month. It costs $30 a month for data, for all intents and purposes.
  - potatolicious 16y ago
    A BMW is 3x the price of a Toyota but has the same number of wheels and pedals. It doesn't go too much faster either. When you look at a spec sheet or list of bullet-point features, and can't seem to see the attractiveness of a good-selling product, you are probably missing the forest for the trees. [edit] Also, a futon is a bed and a couch - two use cases for the price of one! Yet it hasn't exactly taken over beds altogether. There's something to be said for devices that excel at a single primary task.
    - codyrobbins 16y ago
      Your example of a BMW vs. a Toyota only emphasizes my original point. A BMW is fundamentally the same thing as a Toyota, but worth 3× as much. An iPad is not the same thing as a Kindle—for my purposes, the iPad does what the Kindle does except way better, plus it does a million things that the Kindle can’t do. And I wasn’t looking at a list of features, I used one. If the iPad is a BMW, then the Kindle isn’t a Toyota that costs ⅓ as much—it’s a golf cart that costs exactly as much as the BMW. If they made a futon that is better than both a stand-alone mattress and a stand-alone couch, then, yes—it would take over beds altogether.
  - sliverstorm 16y ago
    I typically start my argument with the 2 week battery life.
    - KirinDave 16y ago
      I have a DX. If you leave the radio on, it does not have a 2 week battery life. If you meticulously remember to turn the kindle off _and_ you don't use it, you might limp to two weeks. But then you actually start reading a lot and maybe playing just a smidge of music to drone out crowd noise and you're at maybe 2 days of medium use. Better than an iPad, but it's not some magical perpetual motion reader.
      - sliverstorm 16y ago
        Yes, the radio messes things up, which is why I leave it off 99% of the time. It's mostly useless when I'm just reading. 2 weeks if you don't use the Kindle? I'm confused as to how you came up with that. Some quarters I will go months without a chance to read. I turn off the wireless, my Kindle 2 auto-sleeps, and it still has a mostly-full charge months later. If you don't use the wireless and don't play music (I find music distracting, and prefer my iPod or my stereo anyway) the battery life is truly epic. Though, this may be different for the DX.
oscardelben 16y ago
On the other hand, I read on a kindle DX which has a large screen. I can't imagine reading on a smaller screen but the DX is perfect for me.
phreanix 16y ago
Agree. Having used both the Sony Reader and the Kindle and finally the iPad to read books, I'd have to say that the iPad is superior to both. I can't speak for those who have their own experiences so I'm just relating mine like Cody. I also think it will only be a matter of time before a company comes up with a screen protector that will address the 'glare' and and reflection issues. I've personally never had to deal with them and I've used the iPad both in direct sunlight and under a bright lightsource. Just a matter of angling it another way.

asnyder 16y ago

For most readers that screen-size is fine, but if you really want to read you'll need the Kindle DX.

codyrobbins 16y ago
But at that point, you’re spending as much as an iPad for something that has a fiftieth the functionality, and not to mention no color screen. I still just don’t get it.
- tghw 16y ago
  Kindle 2 costs $260 new. The cheapest iPad is $500. Want 3G, like the Kindle has? $630, plus $15/month. It does one thing, and it does it well: reading books.
  - codyrobbins 16y ago
    OP is talking about a Kindle DX, which is only $40 cheaper than the cheapest iPad.
  - ojbyrne 16y ago
    The $15 a month plan is pointless. I doubt anyone will ever use it more than one month. It costs $30 a month for data, for all intents and purposes.
- potatolicious 16y ago
  A BMW is 3x the price of a Toyota but has the same number of wheels and pedals. It doesn't go too much faster either. When you look at a spec sheet or list of bullet-point features, and can't seem to see the attractiveness of a good-selling product, you are probably missing the forest for the trees. [edit] Also, a futon is a bed and a couch - two use cases for the price of one! Yet it hasn't exactly taken over beds altogether. There's something to be said for devices that excel at a single primary task.
  - codyrobbins 16y ago
    Your example of a BMW vs. a Toyota only emphasizes my original point. A BMW is fundamentally the same thing as a Toyota, but worth 3× as much. An iPad is not the same thing as a Kindle—for my purposes, the iPad does what the Kindle does except way better, plus it does a million things that the Kindle can’t do. And I wasn’t looking at a list of features, I used one. If the iPad is a BMW, then the Kindle isn’t a Toyota that costs ⅓ as much—it’s a golf cart that costs exactly as much as the BMW. If they made a futon that is better than both a stand-alone mattress and a stand-alone couch, then, yes—it would take over beds altogether.
- sliverstorm 16y ago
  I typically start my argument with the 2 week battery life.
  - KirinDave 16y ago
    I have a DX. If you leave the radio on, it does not have a 2 week battery life. If you meticulously remember to turn the kindle off _and_ you don't use it, you might limp to two weeks. But then you actually start reading a lot and maybe playing just a smidge of music to drone out crowd noise and you're at maybe 2 days of medium use. Better than an iPad, but it's not some magical perpetual motion reader.
    - sliverstorm 16y ago
      Yes, the radio messes things up, which is why I leave it off 99% of the time. It's mostly useless when I'm just reading. 2 weeks if you don't use the Kindle? I'm confused as to how you came up with that. Some quarters I will go months without a chance to read. I turn off the wireless, my Kindle 2 auto-sleeps, and it still has a mostly-full charge months later. If you don't use the wireless and don't play music (I find music distracting, and prefer my iPod or my stereo anyway) the battery life is truly epic. Though, this may be different for the DX.

oscardelben 16y ago

On the other hand, I read on a kindle DX which has a large screen. I can't imagine reading on a smaller screen but the DX is perfect for me.

phreanix 16y ago

Agree. Having used both the Sony Reader and the Kindle and finally the iPad to read books, I'd have to say that the iPad is superior to both. I can't speak for those who have their own experiences so I'm just relating mine like Cody. I also think it will only be a matter of time before a company comes up with a screen protector that will address the 'glare' and and reflection issues. I've personally never had to deal with them and I've used the iPad both in direct sunlight and under a bright lightsource. Just a matter of angling it another way.