Hands-On Account of Amazon's Upcoming Color Kindle

jcgam69 writes with a description at TechCrunch of what's claimed to be an all-but-finished version of the upcoming color Kindle. "It's called simply the 'Amazon Kindle.' But it's not like any Kindle you've seen before. It displays content in full color. It has a 7-inch capacitive touch screen. And it runs Android." That last part inspires sharp words from some of the TechCruch readers, because the GUI described is an older version of Android wrapped so thickly in Amazon livery that it's hard to recognize. The author speculates that this new Kindle might be sold with a tempting sweetener — a free subscription to Amazon Prime.

Comments

Want: Added to to the list

[Marble68]

$250 is a *great* price point, IMHO. We know quality hardware sold for $99 ($300 loss) sells like hotcakes because of HP.

Will be interesting - especially since they're not working with Google on it... FTFA "At all".

I have a nook color and nook touch (the nook Touch is awesome) - I'll gladly add one of these. Amazon is shaking things up. Killer.

When will Apple start suing them?

Re:Want: Added to to the list

[DrXym]

$250 is still too much for a 7" tablet, especially one which should be subsidized by a service but I expect they'll sell a lot anyway. What I want to know is how long it will take before someone mods them to run vanilla Android.

Re:Want: Added to to the list

[creat3d]

Why do you need a third reader?

so much for e-ink...

[spacecoyotefarva]

The technology had promise.

Re:so much for e-ink...

[itsdapead]

The technology had promise.

...and it is unbeatable for sequentially reading large quantities of flowing text - but until it has a much faster response rate, that is about all it is good for. Paper books have better random access! Aside from the lack of colour or video, it can't even implement a decent multitouch interface (sure, you can add the touchscreen but you can't give the sort of fluid visual feedback on which iOS and Android depend).

I have an iPad and a Kindle - the Kindle is far more relaxing for reading novels on, but for anything else, even for reading reference books and other PDFs, the iPad is more practical.

On the other hand, Amazon have kept the price of the e-ink Kindle down to the point where it is viable as a single-purpose device. If the price given in TFA for the Amazon Tablet is correct (presumably they will be subsidizing it from media sales) then you could get a tablet + an e-ink Kindle for the price of most half-decent tablets...

Wonder if its going to have "free" worldwide 3G like the Kindle?

However, it does sound a bit like Kindle Tablet owners are going to be able to tell iPad owners "Lock-in? That's not a lock-in... This is a lock-in..."

Re:so much for e-ink...

[Man Eating Duck]

so much for e-ink... The technology had promise.

Promise? I'd say that the technology is wildly successful for those of us that actually read books. I don't have a Kindle, but I have a Sony PRS-650 which is a comparable device (slightly better IMO). I've read more than 300 books on it, and it's just about perfect for its purpose. No eyestrain whatsoever, only needs charging every third week. For Internet and media on the go I have my phone, but you just can't find anything better than E-Ink for reading novels. I really don't see how my reader could be significantly improved.

Re:so much for e-ink...

[tsa]

2011 was to be the year of the e-readers but so far I haven't seen any new and cool device come out. I love my B&W latest generation Kindle but if a real color Kindle with e-ink and a touch screen comes out I would instantly start to think about buying it.

Do not want

[narcc]

Who wants an e-reader without an e-ink display? The display is such a vital part of the experience!

I get that you can "do more" with traditional display, but I don't *want* to do more. A big part of the appeal, for me at least, is that it's a very quiet piece of technology. It doesn't encourage me to check my email or browse the web; the display just isn't well suited for that task.

It does encourage me to read, however, as the display is so easy on the eyes. As a bonus, the thing has amazing battery life. So much so, that it can go weeks without a charge. It's not even something I think about. I don't worry about charging, or running out of juice in the middle of a chapter. In short, I don't have to manage it the same way I'd need to manage a tablet. It stays out of the way, letting me read in peace.

If I wanted to stare at a light bulb, I'd just read on the computer. Here's hoping Amazon doesn't abandon the tried-and-true e-ink display.

Re:Do not want

[SomePgmr]

Who wants an e-reader without an e-ink display?

Well, Apple sold quite a few iPads. Besides, Amazon has a lot of stuff to sell beyond ebooks. Not least of which is video content.

Re:Do not want

[Serious Callers Only]

Who wants an e-reader without an e-ink display?

People who buy iPads (currently massively outselling kindles) and use them to read books, and the net, and watch videos etc. apparently do.

The display is such a vital part of the experience!

For you. For most people, the disadvantages of an e-ink display outweigh the advantages. That's why more people buy tablets. I'm not sure why e-ink aficionados constantly insist that they can't be compared to a tablet - the two devices do similar things in different ways. They are both good in their own way, and yes they are (for many people) comparable. On some things tablets lose in this comparison (battery life, display in sunlight), but on many other things e-ink devices lose out (colour, response time, resolution, which leads to touch screens and the ability to function as a mini-computer). It's really just a matter of what you want it for - if you just want it for reading novels, an e-ink device definitely wins, if you want to do other stuff (argue on forums about the relative worths of eink and lcd for example), a tablet wins.

If I wanted to stare at a light bulb, I'd just read on the computer. Here's hoping Amazon doesn't abandon the tried-and-true e-ink display.

I doubt very much they'll abandon eink in their cheaper models for years to come. Perhaps they never will if the tech improves and gains colour and a decent refresh rate (though inevitably that'd bring it closer to lcd in power draw). In the meantime, you can enjoy cheaper eink kindles, what's not to like?

Re:Do not want

[advocate_one]

"People who buy iPads (currently massively outselling kindles) and use them to read books, and the net, and watch videos etc. apparently do."

In the basement, yes. Mom and Dad use an e-Ink reader on the deck in full sunlight.

So true... that is the primary advantage of an e-Ink display other than sheer battery life. I can chill out in the cockpit of my yacht and read a book on my Kindle in broad daylight with the sun shining on the display... Used to read e books on my Palm Tungsten E, but I had to find a really good shadow or else go indoors and lurk in the shade to even begin to make out any text on the display

Re:Do not want

[artor3]

Compare apples with oranges much? You keep citing sales figures to "prove" that most people prefer to read off tablets over e-ink. But how many people are buying tablets as e-readers?

You may as well say that since more people own stoves than barbecue grills, they must prefer to grill their food on stovetop.

You even then go on to admit that for reading, e-readers are better. So then why even post an argument to the sentence you quoted, "who wants an e-reader without an e-ink display?"

And there goes kindle

[Andtalath]

Relating the two products will dilute the name of kindle.

Expanding a name is very risky and you need to be very careful since people will still buy it to read on and will notice that it's garbage for it (too heavy, doesn't work in sunlight, needs to be recharged quite often).

Poor decision.

Very disappointed

[bhunachchicken]

If the initial report is to be believed, and I've read this all correctly, this is very disappointing news.

Amazon's tablet is basically just that: a tablet that is linked into Amazon's store.

That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

I was expecting something more: some sort of LCD / eInk combo or even a colour eInk screen, that Amazon may have been keeping secret to hit the competition with.

As it stands, this is basically just an Android tablet, capable of downloading and listening to music, downloading and watching films, and reading books (and not as well as a true Kindle at that, given that it's a LCD screen..!!) Just like any other damn tablet out there!

Probably the only thing going for it is the price. Other than that, this seems... pointless.

No kidding

[Sycraft-fu]

The e-ink display is what makes these things worth owning and why not to just get a tablet. If you want a tablet, fine and well, go right ahead, but don't say it is a replacement for an eReader until you've tried one. It is no more a replacement for an eReader than a stove is a replacement for a toaster.

The reason is the display. It really does look like paper. The e-ink name isn't bullshit, it really does work like ink and is fully reflective. The battery life is also really nice. It is a device that doesn't have to be plugged in every day.

I've played with tablets and they hold no interest for me. I don't find they fill any useful niche what with owning a laptop and smartphone. However I do have a Kindle and like it very much. It is because while it only does one thing, it does it very well. I would liken it to my toaster, or rice cooker. Those are specialty devices. I have another device that can do everything they do and more. However though they only do one thing, they do it really well, and that makes them worth owning despite having a stove, oven, microwave, and so on.

Re:No kidding

[berj]

The e-ink display is what makes these things worth owning and why not to just get a tablet. If you want a tablet, fine and well, go right ahead, but don't say it is a replacement for an eReader until you've tried one. It is no more a replacement for an eReader than a stove is a replacement for a toaster.

The reason is the display. It really does look like paper. The e-ink name isn't bullshit, it really does work like ink and is fully reflective. The battery life is also really nice. It is a device that doesn't have to be plugged in every day.

I've played with tablets and they hold no interest for me. I don't find they fill any useful niche what with owning a laptop and smartphone. However I do have a Kindle and like it very much. It is because while it only does one thing, it does it very well. I would liken it to my toaster, or rice cooker. Those are specialty devices. I have another device that can do everything they do and more. However though they only do one thing, they do it really well, and that makes them worth owning despite having a stove, oven, microwave, and so on.

I have a kindle DX and before the iPad came out I *loved* it. The display is *amazing* and is extremely easy to read.

The problem is that in addition to reading books I read *alot* of pdf scientific papers. the Kindle (neither the small one nor the DX) is just plain old not suited to this task. The rendering is *very* slow. The display has the resolution but I find that the iPad's display can render the text so much cleaner and readable. I ended up turning the kindle sideways and reading that way but that's a sub-optimal way to read multi-column text (especially when coupled with the slow rendering). Add to that instant zooming and full color images and in the arena of reading not just books but also pdfs the iPad (and any other tablet for that matter) wins hands down.

If e-ink tech can get rendering and refresh rates similar to an LCD then I would return to that market because the screen really is incredible. But until then I can't justify a single purpose device that doesn't fill the actual purpose (for me).

Re:No kidding

[bemymonkey]

The thing is: Most people don't want to lug around a separate device that can't be used for *anything* other than reading text, especially when the devices are reliant on proprietary (i.e. device specific) software, restricting the available input formats and causing rendering problems on more complicated PDFs and such. I've heard many a complaint about eBook readers' PDF rendering - they don't seem to be suitable for anything much other than reading fully reflowable text.

A tablet, on the other hand, will display PDFs (and other formats) exactly as they were intended, because apps are available to do so, and if they aren't, you could write one yourself. Also, being able to do everything from a single device is great... especially for people who don't need a laptop with them when they've got a tablet - add an E-Ink reader to that and you more or less double their load.

Also: Backlights are great for reading if you don't set them on full blast like an idiot (basically Apple's default "Fucking blind me!!!!" auto-backlight settings), and in the dark, when you don't want to keep the SO awake.

Re:No kidding

[demonlapin]

apps are available to do so, and if they aren't, you could write one yourself

The number of people who can actually write PDF display software that is both accurate and fast may not be small in an absolute sense, but as a percentage of the market it's so small as not to be worth bothering with.

The eInk devices have succeeded because they're cheaper, lighter, longer-lived, and better at one specific task than the real tablet alternatives.

Re:No kidding

[Anonymous Coward]

When you say "most people" you really mean "I".

The Kindle replaces books. It doesn't replace your laptop. If you want to replace your laptop, then you're not in the Kindle's target audience - you're in the tablet's target audience.

Re:No kidding

[narcc]

If you're lugging a tablet around already, which works perfectly fine for eBooks, are the E-Ink advantages really worth carrying around a whole additional device?

Yes, it's undoubtedly worth it.

How is it different to a Nook Color?

[Namarrgon]

• * Price is the same
• * Size is the same
• * Hardware is (pretty much) the same
• * Display is the same
• * Lack of Google apps is the same
• * Heavily-skinned, older version of Android is the same

You could buy a Nook Color and root it (to enable sideloading), install the Amazon apps (market, books etc) and get the best of both worlds (and Google apps as well). So I suppose the only real difference is Amazon's custom UI instead of B&N's, or if you prefer Amazon's services and don't care to root it.

Either way, I don't see why pundits are suddenly predicting it'll disrupt the market. Maybe if they'd put a Mirasol display in there...

Now you know ...

[DrXym]

... why the Android 3.x source didn't get released. Google didn't want want Amazon lifting it, forcing them to either fork or come back to the negotiating table. The publically cited excuse that the 3.x codebase broke stuff and the code needed to be fixed probably had some truth but IMO this was the real reason.

Re:Sign of the end times

[Man Eating Duck]

... yet you're talking about e-readers.

Yes. I work at a publishing company, we publish books in hardcover, paperback, and electronic versions. It's still a book. If I needed to specify a format I could have written ebooks, but in this case I was referring to content, not format. I'm not arguing about this, this is just how the terms are used in the business. Oh, and if you're in the "only-paper-books-are-real-books"-camp, that's pure BS, I will not argue about that either. Go huddle with the vinyl record fanatics over there :) (I actually like vinyl for nostalgic reasons, but it's not exactly a practical format for carrying music around, and the sound quality is arguably inferior.)

Why not an iPad?

[SuperKendall]

I'm not going to buy any touchpad until it meets this requirement, and I'm not buying an iPad period.

I can understand the page size requirement.

But why not an iPad? It's a really good system for doing what you want.

In fact, since I think it really unlikely you're going to see a full-page tablet any time soon (well, possibly a Windows8 tablet may ship at that size) the next best thing would seem to be the rumored high-resolution version of the iPad coming early next year. Even though the page size is slightly smaller a screen with a high DPI would be FANTASTIC for rendering comics.

You have to ask yourself if hate is really more important than love - love of comics and using whatever tool can best render them.

So you may want to wait a bit to see both how the iPad turns out and if Windows8 tablet makers decide anyone else would be interested in larger tablet screens.