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Is the Kindle DX Worth the Money?

Posted by timothy on from the wouldn't-turn-it-down-in-a-gift-basket dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Now that some little time has passed, and the hype has died down a bit, I'm wondering if anyone has taken the $500 plunge and gotten a Kindle DX. From the academic-paper-reading-geek perspective, is it worth the money? How well does it work with PDFs, and is it easy to get them on and off? I haven't been able to find any good reviews on the interweb that address its usability as I would like to use it."

5 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. Not an anti-DRM Nazi.... by Rick+Zeman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...by any means here, but I'd never buy a Kindle unless I can borrow or lend a Kindle book like a dead tree book. Serialize it to the purchaser, and have the mothership ensure it's only on one device at any one time. To me, that's a reasonable compromise. The way it is now SUCKS and should be avoided at all costs (pun intended....)

  2. $500 is way too much no matter how good it is by DrXym · · Score: 4, Insightful
    If I'm paying full whack for an e-reader I expect it to support all of the common book formats without prejudice. If the firmware integrates a store or a proprietary format as an extra then fine. This after all is how the iPod sold so well. Apple wisely ensured it played unencrypted MP3s and AACs first and foremost, complete with ripping software. The result was iPods sold through the roof and Apple coined it from integrated iTMS support.

    I just don't understand who is stupid enough to buy a Kindle at full price considering how crippled it is. The device should be subsidized to reflect its proprietary nature or the software should be opened up to make it more useful. FFS even Sony (a company not exactly known for embracing standards) has a more open reader that costs less.

    Even less fathomable is why publishers are letting the ebook market degenerate into competing formats, proprietary readers and possible market dominance by Amazon. One would think it is in their interest to come up with and dictate a single book format, one which all readers can implement, one which all stores can sell books with. It sounds obvious but a single format would level the playing field and catapult ebooks into the mainstream.

  3. Re:Why not a laptop? by MBoffin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why not a laptop, you ask?

    Because a laptop battery doesn't last for two weeks.
    Because a laptop screen can't be read from any angle.
    Because a laptop is much heavier than a Kindle.
    Because a laptop doesn't have always-on, free Internet access.

    Because a laptop is not a book reader.

  4. Re:Maybe by rbanffy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "nor can you use the search function"

    That's really bad if you want to keep a library in your backpack. Indexing and search should be the first thing to be implemented after rendering.

    --
    http://www.dieblinkenlights.com
  5. Re:No, it's not worth the money by melted · · Score: 3, Insightful

    #2: http://www.teleread.org/2009/06/22/device-limits-fuzzy-on-downloads-for-kindle-books-if-so-should-the-ftc-investigate/

    And a Kindle wielding friend of mine was complaining that newspaper subscription he uses is limited to one device, too. Which is insane.

    #3: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44350&highlight=amazon+banning

    This dude now has a $350 door stop.

    #5: Yes, my bad.

    #6: That still doesn't change the fact that until this problem is addressed (and Amazon has enormous leverage here, while I personally don't), Kindle will not be able to replace books for me.