Kindle

E-textbooks vs. Kindle DX: What will college kids pick?

Amazon announced its most recent Kindle device this week: the Kindle DX. Though it's almost identical to the original Kindle, this newer model is marketed for use with textbooks and for reading periodicals. While this seems to give the impression that Amazon has presented a more practical solution for college students, it's likely that the everyday pupil will reject this new device.

Currently, most students purchase their books on campus, where new and used copies are available, while the more frugal of us order online from Web sites like Amazon.com or eBay's Half.com. At the end of the semester, students can sell their books back to the school or to online buyback services where they receive a check for about 15 percent of the original price. For decades, this has been the routine.

More recently, however, the words "e-textbook" and "Netbook" have created a buzz around campus.

E-textbooks have been available for some time now, and are currently purchased for use on a laptop or desktop for about half the price of the print book version. Electronic textbooks are an excellent alternative to print books since with them, a student can search for a specific word or topic, copy/paste text into their coursework, comment within the textbook, and enjoy a lighter backpack. … Read more

How the Kindle DX could be worth the price

Amazon announced the Kindle DX Wednesday, sporting a bigger screen, more storage capacity, a built-in PDF reader, and better battery life (a full look at the new Kindle DX can be found here).

It's an upgrade over the current Kindle 2 for sure. But if you thought the Kindle 2 was expensive with its price tag of $359, you're probably shocked that the Kindle DX will retail for $489 when it's made available this summer.

The Kindle DX is too expensive. For what we're getting, which basically amounts to a larger Kindle 2 with more storage, I'm not impressed. But that doesn't mean it can't eventually be worth that price. With a few additions, I think the DX could eventually provide enough value to justify spending $489 on it.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 969: Poetry and warp drives

It's a-hole Thursday on Buzz Out Loud today, as we regale you, the listening audience, with tales of cyber douche baggery on Wikipedia, Facebook, and computer fair failures. Also, warp drives (space rant!), the death of Duke Nukem, and Meatspace.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 969

It’s 5/7/09. Why do numbers people like stuff like that so much? http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/06/national/a195730D93.DTL&tsp=1

WiGig Alliance formed: Seeks to codify an in-room wireless spec that can handle HD video and everything … Read more

With Kindle, why is Amazon blind to Wi-Fi?

This was originally posted at ZDNet's Between the Lines.

Amazon has unveiled its much-hyped Kindle DX, an e-book with a 9.7-inch screen designed to raise a ruckus in the textbook market, but also has delivered a $489 curve ball that seriously alters the return on investment calculation for academia.

On the surface, the argument for the Kindle DX (Techmeme) in academia holds somewhat but that price tag makes the case much harder for your average student. Amazon is asking students to learn a little about total cost of ownership over three years before they pick up a book. … Read more

Kindle DX: Hands-on impressions

Even before the Kindle 2 launched, there was talk of an even newer, larger Amazon digital reader that would be geared more toward reading textbooks and periodicals. We all assumed it would be bigger, but it was unclear exactly what form it would take. Well, now that it's finally arrived, what is a little surprising is how much the Kindle DX--bigger face aside--is a dead ringer for its little sibling.

In profile, the two devices appear equally svelte: the 0.38-inch-deep DX is just a tad thicker than the 0.36-inch Kindle 2. Obviously, the big difference here is the Kindle DX's 9.7-inch e-ink display, which technically offers 2.5 times more screen real estate than the Kindle's 6-inch display. That extra screen comes at a price, both figuratively and literally, as the DX weighs almost twice as much (18.9 ounces) as the Kindle 2 and costs $130 more, at $489.

That said, while the DX is significantly larger and heavier, when you pick it up, it doesn't feel too burdensome to carry or hold. However, it clearly isn't as portable as the Kindle 2; its larger footprint requires a larger bag or briefcase for stowaway purposes. Most women's handbags, for instance, just won't be big enough to contain the thing.… Read more

With new DX, Amazon supersizes the Kindle

roundup The debut of the larger, but still svelte, Kindle wasn't exactly a secret. Now we have all the details on the $489 device. As expected, education is a big market for the bigger Kindle DX.

Kindle DX: Hands-on impressions While Amazon's new Kindle DX won't be out until sometime this summer, we got a chance to play around with a unit at the launch event. Check out our first impressions. Early analysis: Overview Early analysis: E-news Early analysis: E-textbooks (Posted in Fully Equipped by David Carnoy) May 6, 2009

Amazon's big-screen Kindle DX makes its debut … Read more

Early analysis of Amazon's Kindle DX: E-textbooks

This is the third part to my early analysis of the new Kindle DX large-format e-book reader. In the first post ("Early analysis of Amazon's Kindle DX: Overview") I discussed the physical and software features of the new device. In the second post, "Early analysis of Amazon's Kindle DX: E-news", I described the limitations of the DX for news reading.

The textbook market represents an even greater challenge for the Kindle DX. There's a lot of variety among textbooks. Some textbooks will work well enough on the DX's display, but most, I … Read more

Early analysis of Amazon's Kindle DX: E-news

This is the second part to my early analysis of the new Kindle DX large-format e-book reader. In the first post ("Early analysis of Amazon's Kindle DX: Overview") I discussed the physical and software features of the new device. In the third post, "Early analysis of Amazon's Kindle DX: E-textbooks", I'll talk about how the DX will fit into the educational market.

But here, let's talk about the DX's suitability for reading electronic newspapers.

Newspapers are about text, and there's only a moderate need for interactivity. For each story, the … Read more

Early analysis of Amazon's Kindle DX: Overview

As expected, Amazon rolled out its new large-screen e-book reader, the Kindle DX. See Caroline McCarthy's coverage of the announcement here on CNET: "Amazon's big-screen Kindle DX makes its debut." I've spent much of the day reviewing the available information, and here are my first thoughts on the announcement.

Inevitably, the DX isn't exactly what I expected when I wrote my predictions earlier this week ("What to expect from Amazon and Apple"), but I got most of the major points right.

Here are the basic facts:

It's 7.2" wide … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: Can Kindle DX rekindle publishing industry?

Amazon hopes that its new, large-screen Kindle DX will revive the newspaper industry and maybe lighten the load for students lugging around heavy textbooks. Reporter Caroline McCarthy talks to Michelle Meyers about what real impact the new e-book reader could really have.

Also in today's podcast: Americans look to prepaid cellular plans as a way to save money; which PCs and laptops won't support Windows 7's XP mode; and how long before piles of e-waste start to get smaller? Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Amazon's big-screen Kindle DX makes its debut

Apple adding 3G to MacBooks?… Read more