Is the Kindle DX Worth the Money?

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."

Comments

Portable PC with epaper screen?

[xaxa]

At my workplace some staff work outside (in full sunlight) with various stuff -- currently tablet PCs and some handheld PCs. They're typically using Access databases on them. The problem is the screens aren't very good in bright sunlight (or even moderate sunlight).

I haven't seen one, but I think an OLPC would be perfect. Unfortunately, they aren't available in the UK.

Does anyone know of an alternative device with:
- A screen at least as big as a handheld PC
- That works fine in daylight
- Battery life of at least, say, 3 hours
- A standard OS (preferably Windows, much as I don't want to say that).
- A screen, preferably a touch screen
- Reasonable cost (say... £800 or less).

Re:Why not a laptop?

[Attila Dimedici]

(try reading a 500 or even 300 page book in 2 hours).

Over 2 hours to read a 300 page book? Only if I keep getting interrupted. Actually, it has been a while since I timed how long it takes me to read a book, but I generally figure about 2 hours to read a standard novel.