Kindle DX: Amazon's 9.7" Wireless Reading Device

I ordered an Amazon Kindle the day they first became available, and I love it. I use this handheld book e-reader to read newspapers and some books. I love it for newspapers, magazines, and reference materials (dictionaries, encyclopedias, "how-to" books, etc.) but probably will never use it to read a novel. I read the Wall Street Journal on the Kindle every day. The Journal is delivered by a wireless data connection during the night.

The biggest drawback of the Kindle I have been using is screen size. The display is crystal sharp but is only about 6 inches on the diagonal. Now Amazon has announced a new Kindle DX with a 9.7-inch screen and is accepting pre-orders. I suspect the larger screen will be even easier to read although the first model was rather easy on the eyes. The new screen is roughly the same size as a printed magazine. In fact, with its adjustable font sizes, the Kindle is often recommended for people with vision problems. Its crystal sharp display is easier to read than printed pages. If a word or phrase is difficult to see, it can be instantly magnified into huge letters that vision-impaired readers will appreciate.

Even better, the newly-announced Kindle DX includes a read-to-me feature that reads books out loud, perfect for anyone who is totally blind.

The new Kindle DX includes:

• 9.7" diagonal e-ink screen reads like real paper; boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images
• Slim:  Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines and significantly thinner than the original Kindle
• Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents
• Auto-Rotating Screen:  Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages
• Built-In PDF Reader:  Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go
• Wireless:  3G wireless lets you download books right to your Kindle DX, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, no annual contracts, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
• Books In Under 60 Seconds:  You get free wireless delivery of books in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
• Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging
• Read-to-Me: With the text-to-speech feature, Kindle DX can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book's rights holder made the feature unavailable
• Over 275,000 books already available with more being added daily. Most books sell for $9.95, less than the price for the printed versions.
• U.S. and international newspapers including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, magazines including The New Yorker and Time, plus popular blogs, all auto-delivered wirelessly

The biggest downside is the price of the new Kindle DX: $489.00. It has great technology, but I suspect that price is too high for most people. The original Kindle with the 6-inch screen will continue to be available for $359.00.

The Kindle DX is expected to ship this summer. For more information, or to pre-order the device now, look at Amazon.

You might also be interested in my earlier "The Future of E-paper" article at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/06/the-future-of-e.html.

Comments

[Fred Nauman]

I didn't quite match you on the first day purchase of the original Kindle. My wife bought it for me as soon as I expressed an interest. I do download novels and I subscribe to the NY Times on it.
One disappointment!
On a trip to Australia and New Zeeland last year, I was surprised to discover that it could not connect to get the downloads. I had though that it would be available anywhere a cell phone could get service.
I still think it's a great device.

[Mary Rhinelander McCarl]

Helpful review. Does this version have the page numbers of the original book/magazine? I need those for footnoting & reference purposes. Otherwise it would not be worth the money.

[Dick Eastman]

---> Does this version have the page numbers of the original book/magazine?

No.

If it did preserve the original page numbers, the numbers would be useless. The Kindle reformats the pages as needed, including page size. If you select larger or smaller fonts, the pages get resized accordingly. The Kindle also omits most advertisements. What might have been page 55 in the original magazine might be page 32 in the Kindle.

If the original page numbers were shown, nobody would be able to use them.

Everything is menu driven and that works well.

- Dick Eastman

[Rick Koelz]

I think the most important feature of the new Kindle DX has been overlooked. The DX comes with a native PDF reader. This opens up the Kindle to many more documents. PDF conversion on previous models of the Kindle was almost worthless because it couldn't duplicate the original page layout. The DX's larger screen allows you to view the whole page as a complete (original format) page.

I think the PDR reader capability will become a major selling factor once people realize its possibilities on the Kindle DX.

[Eileen Souza]

Amazon came out with the Kindle 2 in February 2009. I just measured mine and my screen is 4 1/8" L and 2 7/8" W. I do read novels and for that reason I like the overall size of this Kindle (the size of a trade paperback). It makes it easy to handle it as you would any paperback. You can even "curl up with a good Kindle." My only complaint has been that the background is not white and the white case darkens it even more making it difficult to read without direct light for these old eyes, even with a larger font. Of ocurse, with this screen size, the larger font doesn't really cut it, unless you love turning pages.

[Bunny Maurer]

I received a Kindle II for Christmas in February due to the large number of orders for the original. I download novels and think it is a magnificent invention. I love that one can receive a sample free prior to "buying" the book so one doesn't get "stuck" with a lemon.

[Betty Mayfield]

In your article "e-books: an Invasion of Privacy," Jan. 14, 2008, you said you were changing your former favorable opinion of the Kindle. I quote, "However, I am now so concerned with the privacy and legal ramifications that I am tempted to permanently power off my Kindle e-book reader."

Further on, you said, "Amazon is spying on you by tracking what you read, where you set your bookmarks, and even (gasp) preserving any notes you make in the margins. In fact, Amazon.com even guarantees that it will store all of that data on its servers, where it remains available to you. Of course, that same data is also available to Amazon.com, to its employees, or to anyone with a court order. Do you really want the government or even your creditors to be able to discover what you are reading?"

That article insured that I would never buy a Kindle. What has happened to make you praise the Kindle once again? Has Amazon ceased to track your reading?

[Betty Mayfield]

I posted a comment to this articlean hour or so ago, and it has not appeared.You said it would not be posted unless I approved it, but did not provide me a place to say I approve.

[Dick Eastman]

---> I posted a comment to this article an hour or so ago, and it has not appeared.

I am afraid that I cannot check the comments here every hour, especially when I am traveling or sleeping. However, I do check multiple times most days so the typical delay is 8 hours or less.

- Dick Eastman

[Dick Eastman]

---> In your article "e-books: an Invasion of Privacy," Jan. 14, 2008, you said you were changing your former favorable opinion of the Kindle.

Two things:

1. Amazon has since moderated the requirements somewhat. See the Kindle Terms of Service for details.

2. I don't really have much to hide. I use the Kindle to read the Wall Street Journal and have purchased a couple of cookbooks for diabetics. If they wish to spy on that, more power to them.

HOWEVER, I am not pleased with spying on customers by any company, no matter what the format. Many web sites do that and I don't like it. I also don't like to see Amazon do it with their Kindle.

- Dick Eastman