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Amazon building a Color Kindle with FFS display. Shipping for holidays 2011?

41 points by suprgeek 16y ago

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
listrophy 16y ago
What an unfortunate acronym. Whenever I see "FFS," I think "For #&%*'s Sake." Tell me I'm not alone on this.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- kmfrk 16y ago
  That probably only improves the marketing. Blizzard's WarCraft 3 file extensions are .wtf. Don't see any harm done.
  - stcredzero 16y ago
    True story: Someone just returned a check I sent to a web designer by snail-mail back to me, but instead of writing "Return to Sender" on the envelope, they wrote WTF!?
    - mustpax 16y ago
      Sorry I accidentally downvoted you. That's actually a funny story. Maybe I should be browsing HN logged out to prevent such mishaps.
      - stcredzero 16y ago
        That's actually a funny story. The fact that someone wouldn't bother to open an envelope, and just write "WTF!?" on it -- is itself a WTF!?
- StavrosK 16y ago
  You are not alone.
- dguaraglia 16y ago
  Hah, I came here to say something along those lines, although I know HN is not very tolerating of that kind of comments.
davidw 16y ago
Part of what I love about the Kindle is the screen and battery life. It puts readability first and foremost, and that makes it a tolerable substitute for books. However, there's some serious tension with the fact that it would be extremely useful as a tablet in that form factor if it got better screen refresh rates and was a tad more usable. I wonder how they'll handle it; I'd be sad if you couldn't get the e-ink screen any more, but I'd be pretty tempted by a more full-featured device.
- justincormack 16y ago
  It seems likely that it will turn into a more or less standard Android tablet, with some nod to a slightly readable (FFS) screen outdoors. I wish Qualcomm would get Mirasol manufactured in volume; I have seen it on a 5inch prototype tablet and it looks really lovely, is readable in full sunlight, and has good refresh rates.
- joebadmo 16y ago
  After having used a Kindle 3 for a few months now, I've come to realize that there are certain things about it that a touchscreen would sort of ruin. It's a remarkably stress-free device. Some of the stress of using a tablet that an e-ink screen mitigates: 1. It's light and cheap enough that I'm much less afraid to drop it, both because it's light enough to more easily avoid dropping and because it's less likely to sustain damage from a drop and cheaper to replace if dropped and damaged. 2. I literally have never had to worry about charging it. I use Wordcycler to sync to Instapaper, which I guess means I have it plugged in often enough to have never had to explicitly charge it. 3. The non-touchscreen means I don't have to worry about accidentally touching the screen and causing an erroneous input. Which means I can hold it by the screen if that's most comfortable. Physical buttons mean that I know for sure when I've made an input. Truth is, there's very little I would change about the hardware of this device.
suprgeek 16y ago
I love my Kindle 3. It has gotten me thru many a long and boring waits that are inevitable as a part of daily life in India. The parts I wish will not change when it morphs into a Tablet - High Readability in Sunlight - Low weight, easily handled in one hand for hours - Ridiculously long battery life - High build quality (dropped mine once to no discernible damage)
drtse4 16y ago
The e-ink screen is the major selling point for me and i could not care less about a kindle4 with a color lcd screen. I use it (and want to use it) only for reading. If Amazon want to sell a tablet-like device, adding a "kindle tablet" to their line-up would be a wiser idea, imho.
- maw 16y ago
  Agreed. I'm still hoping for e-ink monitors. I'd be willing to shell out decent money for a large e-ink screen. It'd need color and would have to be faster than current screens. For writing and for reading mostly-text webpages, I think that a just slightly faster e-ink screen with 16 or 32 colors would be a real boon.
  - evilduck 16y ago
    I've never seen one in person, so I can't vouch for any of its properties, but Pixel Qi netbook screen replacements are available: http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKPQ01 http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKPQ...
- LarrySDonald 16y ago
  This would seem like the reasonable choice. Or, just leave the tablet market alone. They could, perhaps, enhance the amount of other useful features in it for the "temporary mode before bothering to find a computer" but abandon the very low power drain (mostly by frugal screen) and they're abandoning the whole niche and stepping into a strange and different land. Many others have so much more to offer in all kinds of ways except.. recharge it every few hours of use. Nope, sorry, can't do that - the tempting device is now useless to me.
ctdonath 16y ago
How does this affect the "free Kindle" theory?
hopeless 16y ago
I've been waiting for a decent colour ebook reader. Most of the ebooks I buy are either programming text (ok on a standard Kindle) or photography books (unreadable). I'm not sure if this is the utopian device but there's definitely a market for it. Children's books, text books, comics and so on

41 points by suprgeek 16y ago

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

listrophy 16y ago

What an unfortunate acronym. Whenever I see "FFS," I think "For #&%*'s Sake." Tell me I'm not alone on this.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
kmfrk 16y ago
That probably only improves the marketing. Blizzard's WarCraft 3 file extensions are .wtf. Don't see any harm done.
- stcredzero 16y ago
  True story: Someone just returned a check I sent to a web designer by snail-mail back to me, but instead of writing "Return to Sender" on the envelope, they wrote WTF!?
  - mustpax 16y ago
    Sorry I accidentally downvoted you. That's actually a funny story. Maybe I should be browsing HN logged out to prevent such mishaps.
    - stcredzero 16y ago
      That's actually a funny story. The fact that someone wouldn't bother to open an envelope, and just write "WTF!?" on it -- is itself a WTF!?
StavrosK 16y ago
You are not alone.
dguaraglia 16y ago
Hah, I came here to say something along those lines, although I know HN is not very tolerating of that kind of comments.

davidw 16y ago

Part of what I love about the Kindle is the screen and battery life. It puts readability first and foremost, and that makes it a tolerable substitute for books. However, there's some serious tension with the fact that it would be extremely useful as a tablet in that form factor if it got better screen refresh rates and was a tad more usable. I wonder how they'll handle it; I'd be sad if you couldn't get the e-ink screen any more, but I'd be pretty tempted by a more full-featured device.

justincormack 16y ago
It seems likely that it will turn into a more or less standard Android tablet, with some nod to a slightly readable (FFS) screen outdoors. I wish Qualcomm would get Mirasol manufactured in volume; I have seen it on a 5inch prototype tablet and it looks really lovely, is readable in full sunlight, and has good refresh rates.
joebadmo 16y ago
After having used a Kindle 3 for a few months now, I've come to realize that there are certain things about it that a touchscreen would sort of ruin. It's a remarkably stress-free device. Some of the stress of using a tablet that an e-ink screen mitigates: 1. It's light and cheap enough that I'm much less afraid to drop it, both because it's light enough to more easily avoid dropping and because it's less likely to sustain damage from a drop and cheaper to replace if dropped and damaged. 2. I literally have never had to worry about charging it. I use Wordcycler to sync to Instapaper, which I guess means I have it plugged in often enough to have never had to explicitly charge it. 3. The non-touchscreen means I don't have to worry about accidentally touching the screen and causing an erroneous input. Which means I can hold it by the screen if that's most comfortable. Physical buttons mean that I know for sure when I've made an input. Truth is, there's very little I would change about the hardware of this device.

suprgeek 16y ago

I love my Kindle 3. It has gotten me thru many a long and boring waits that are inevitable as a part of daily life in India. The parts I wish will not change when it morphs into a Tablet - High Readability in Sunlight - Low weight, easily handled in one hand for hours - Ridiculously long battery life - High build quality (dropped mine once to no discernible damage)

drtse4 16y ago

The e-ink screen is the major selling point for me and i could not care less about a kindle4 with a color lcd screen. I use it (and want to use it) only for reading. If Amazon want to sell a tablet-like device, adding a "kindle tablet" to their line-up would be a wiser idea, imho.

maw 16y ago
Agreed. I'm still hoping for e-ink monitors. I'd be willing to shell out decent money for a large e-ink screen. It'd need color and would have to be faster than current screens. For writing and for reading mostly-text webpages, I think that a just slightly faster e-ink screen with 16 or 32 colors would be a real boon.
- evilduck 16y ago
  I've never seen one in person, so I can't vouch for any of its properties, but Pixel Qi netbook screen replacements are available: http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKPQ01 http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKPQ...
LarrySDonald 16y ago
This would seem like the reasonable choice. Or, just leave the tablet market alone. They could, perhaps, enhance the amount of other useful features in it for the "temporary mode before bothering to find a computer" but abandon the very low power drain (mostly by frugal screen) and they're abandoning the whole niche and stepping into a strange and different land. Many others have so much more to offer in all kinds of ways except.. recharge it every few hours of use. Nope, sorry, can't do that - the tempting device is now useless to me.

ctdonath 16y ago

How does this affect the "free Kindle" theory?

hopeless 16y ago

I've been waiting for a decent colour ebook reader. Most of the ebooks I buy are either programming text (ok on a standard Kindle) or photography books (unreadable). I'm not sure if this is the utopian device but there's definitely a market for it. Children's books, text books, comics and so on