Kindle Tips

The NYTimes’ David Pogue says the Kindle 2’s reading mysterious voice is Tom Glynn, an emo folk singer dude with beautiful hair.

via gizmodo via Tom Glynn via Pogue’s twitter via Jalopnik’s Wert

Marketing guru Seth Godin thinks Amazon can turn the Kindle from an e-reader into a cutting-edge tool for marketing books  — and offers some thought-providing suggestions.   Among them: allow publishers to include a pass-along credit, so you can share the book with a limited number of Kindle-owning friends; link to Facebook so you can see which books others are sharing (not a bestseller list – a “most-shared” list), allow Friends to view your margin notes — great for reading groups.

David Pogue of the New York Times tried out the Sony PRS-700 — and found that it’s much prettier, but all of its improvements make the reading experience worse.

First, it’s gorgeous. It’s made of sleek black metal, which is a better margin around the light-gray reading screen than the Amazon’s strange off-white plastic. And the Sony Reader does away with the vestigial thumb keyboard that makes the Kindle look strangely elongated.

What is it with Amazon, anyway? Why doesn’t it seal the deal by making the Kindle look stunning and sleek? The Kindle 2 is better than the original, but it still looks like it was designed by the makers of the Commodore 64.

Second, the Sony Reader 700 has two things many people sorely wish the Kindle had: a touch screen, which lets you turn pages by swiping your finger, and built-in illumination, so you can read in the dark. (The Kindle screen requires external light to read–like a book.)

So it’s a total Kindle-killer, right?

Actually, not in the least.

The beauty of the E-Ink screen on both the Kindle and the Reader is that it simulates the look of ink on paper. The black particles that form the images on the page are right there on the surface of the glass, as though printed there; it’s extremely satisfying to read at long stretches.

But in order to add the touch screen and the lighting, Sony had to add new layers on top of that screen–and it totally ruined the effect. Now you’re painfully aware that you’re looking at the words through a couple of transparent layers, and contrast suffers as a result; worse, the touchscreen layer introduces an annoying reflective glare that’s almost impossible to eliminate in any light. It’s deeply frustrating.

…

Second, Sony’s bookstore is priced higher and contains far fewer titles (under 100,000, compared with Amazon’s 240,000). Both devices also accept text, Word and PDF documents, meaning that you can fill them with the tens of thousands of copyright-expired, free e-books from the Web (at Gutenberg.org, for example). Sony says that the Reader also works with “other eBook stores and sites that offer PDF or EPUB eBooks — with or without copy protection, for purchase or for free.” But I’m not aware of any e-book store that’s better stocked or organized than Amazon’s.

This is for everyone wondering whether to get a Kindle or a Sony e-reader.   You probably figured out my opinion long ago — but now it’s proven: I’m not alone in considering the Kindle above and beyond.

The folks at ifixit.com have taken apart their brand new Kindle 2.0, and boy does it look cool inside!

Kindle 2.0

Fascinatingly – even when you take it apart, the e-ink screen still works…

According to Engadget, Amazon began shipping the Kindle 2.0 on Sunday.   If you’ve ordered a new Kindle, watch your deliveries today;  it’s the  “release” day, and you may be able to expect delivery today!

Amazon is offering a free cookbook for Kindle users – and not just any cookbook!
The Cook’s Illustrated How-to-Cook Library: An illustrated step-by-step guide to Foolproof Cooking–available exclusively to Kindle customers as a free download, beginning February 24. Pre-order yours now!

(straight from the Amazon blog. Thanks, Amazon!)

Amazon has updated the software on the original Kindle.    These updates include:

• Image zoom: Zoom in on any image in Kindle books or periodicals using the scroll wheel.
• Enhanced content management: Delete items directly from the Home screen with a new short-cut key–scroll to the item and push the “backspace” key.
• Improved character and font support: New support includes Greek characters and monospace fonts.

To update your Kindle software, simply turn the wireless on and leave your Kindle alone for about ten minutes.

Kindle is designed to automatically check for and download updates when one is available. If an update is available, Kindle will download and install the update the next time the wireless connection is activated and Kindle goes into sleep mode.

During the update, you’ll see screens that show the update progress. The update should take less than 10 minutes and is complete when Kindle displays the Home screen. Do not power off or reset the Kindle until the update is complete.

Alas, they haven’t enabled any sorting of documents by folders — or even viewing only the files stored on the SD card or in the Kindle Memory, both of which Content manager can do without a problem.

Nor have they done anything to make sorting and exporting your notes any more functional.  But hey – baby steps!  Thanks, Amazon!

Sara Nelson, former publisher of Publishers Weekly, writes her first post on TheWrap.com about Kindle 2.0:

It’s no secret that publishers have more complicated, love-hate relationships with Amazon, which still commands less than half of the bookselling market, than, say, Barnes and Noble. But its “mind share” is huge – Amazon feels to bookselling what Xerox was to copiers in the 70s – and its power increasing.  And there are plenty of traditional publishers who worry just how that power will be used: to demand special terms that cut into publishers’ profits is one real concern. So are such Amazon programs as BookSurge, which virtually gives the Seattle-based behemoth a shot at becoming a publisher. You couldn’t quite shake the feeling that all these New York publishing hot-shots were there at least partly to gauge the speed and extent to which Amazon might take over their world.

The new device itself seemed cool enough. Version 2 is sleeker, 25% thinner, Bezos said, than the size of the #1 bestselling phone (probably an iPhone, but of course, Bezos doesn’t name a product from his rival, Apple.) Its buttons are less obtrusive and more easily manageable – removing the Fisher Price See-and-Spell feeling of the original. It offers improved graphics and more storage – up to 1500 books, Bezos says. And the battery – which seemed weak in the old version – will reportedly hold its charge for two weeks.

The biggest advance, without doubt, however was the audio feature. Apparently now, “when you’re cooking in the kitchen,” as Bezos said, you can push a button and have the book that you were just reading read itself to you. (Unstated, but likely: This development surely has something to do with the fact that fact that Amazon recently bought Audible, the leader in downloadable audio books. Don Katz, the journalist who founded Audible in the late 90s, was one of the machers present.)

Interesting observations, particularly about the connection with Audible…   Alas, the humble editors of KindleTips did not get an invitation to the “star-studded event”;  as we haven’t been able to put our hands on the device yet, our opinions on the updates are necessarily preliminary.

The Kindle 2.0 will ship on February 24th, for the price of $359.00

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback

Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images

Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging

More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books

Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns

Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you

Large Selection: Over 230,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwis

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other points:

Storage: 2GB internal (approximately 1.4GB available for user content).

Sleek & Trim

At 10.2 ounces, Kindle is lighter than a typical paperback and as thin as most magazines. Barely a third of an inch in profile, you’ll find Kindle fits perfectly in your hands.

Improved Ergonomics

Kindle is as easy to hold and use as a book. We designed it with long-form reading in mind. When reading for long periods of time, people naturally shift positions and often like to read with one hand. Kindle’s page-turning buttons are located on both sides, allowing you to read and turn pages comfortably with one hand from any position. The page-turn buttons now flex inward to prevent any accidental page turns when picking up or handling Kindle.

New 5-way controller

Kindle has a new easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words.

Fast 3G Network – Get Books in Under 60 Seconds

Whispernet utilizes Amazon’s optimized technology plus Sprint’s national high-speed (3G) data network to enable you to wirelessly search, discover, and download content on the go. Your books and periodicals are delivered via Whispernet in less than 60 seconds. And unlike WiFi, you never have to hunt for a hotspot.

(current kindle owners get perks too:  Amazon says:    “Even though we’ve increased our manufacturing capacity, we want to be sure our original Kindle owners are first in line to receive Kindle 2. Place your Kindle 2 order by midnight PST on February 10th and you will receive first priority.”)

Alley Insider did the math, and finds out:

“…it costs the Times about twice as much money to print and deliver the newspaper over a year as it would cost to send each of its subscribers a brand new Amazon Kindle instead.

“Are we trying to say the the New York Times should force all its print subscribers onto the Kindle or else? No. That would kill ad revenues and also, not everyone loves the Kindle.

What we’re trying to say is that as a technology for delivering the news, newsprint isn’t just expensive and inefficient; it’s laughably so.”

(via boingboing gadgets)

In other news:  another week until Amazon’s expected announcement of the new Kindle…