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Kindle Versus The iPhone
Bernie Campbell writes "Forbes takes a look at the recently announced Kindle ebook from Amazon, and considers the possibility that Apple may have beaten them to the punch. 'Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs has a not-so-secret weapon when it comes time to load up the iPhone with content: Google ... Google's Book Search project has already pumped much of the world's printed matter into Google's servers. Downloads of classic titles, such as Bleak House, can already be had for free. Mix Apple's iTunes content distribution smarts with Google's vast storehouse of content, and you'll have an instant competitor to Kindle -- one with a touch interface and the ability to play movies and music, too.'
If you forget the price difference, the monthly fee the iPhone requires, the shorter battery life of the iPhone (how long can it last if the display is lit nonstop?)...
Not to mention that the iPhone display is smaller and lower resolution.
And that Amazon already has a lot of pull with book publishers.
I'd buy a Kindle if I knew I could get all my college books on it.
I believe the Kindle was also going to be the size of a standard paperback book. That means its screen size is going to be a lot more functional for reading than the relatively small size of the iPhone screen.
When will people get over the iPhone already? Really, it's just a phone.
Well, they can be had for less than half the price of the iPhone, can do everything the iPhone can do, have a ton of 3rd party apps (including one of the iPhone's big selling points, google maps), and are very hackable. Mine also has a slide out keyboard, built in GPS, and 3G. It cost me less than $200 and has better battery life than the iPhone. Sure the UI isn't so simplified that any idiot can use it, but it's quite easy to use if you take the time to figure it out. I'll take the extras over shiny and a nifty on screen keyboard any day.