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?

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.

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.

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

[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.

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.