A Machine for Reading Books
Why does the Kindle Touch, a device with the sole purpose of allowing its users to read, have a touch screen? Tablets perform multiple functions so a touchscreen is essential. This is not the case for a kindle, however.
Kindle Fire - Full Color Kindle with 7" Multi-Touch Display, Wi-Fi
Amazon unveils the Kindle Fire (a 7” multi-touch colour tablet) for US$199, the Kindle Touch (a 6” touch screen E Ink Kindle) for US$99, and introduces a low priced, ad-supported E Ink Kindle for just US$79.
The the bargain basement Kindle will become a staple for users dipping their toe into the eReader market, while the Kindle Touch will be a nice upgrade for current Kindle owners. Finally, the Kindle Fire introduces a totally new product category, one that is cheaper than the iPad and current stock of Android tablets but ostensibly does just as much.
Personally I won’t be getting the Kindle Fire for reading purposes. My current Kindle 3 works just fine and the only reason I would upgrade is to get faster page refreshes. After all it’s just words on a page, you don’t need any fancy graphics for that!
A 7” LCD Tablet from Amazon is a BAD Idea. Here’s Why
Apparently, the venerable MG Siegler of Techcrunch has been lucky enough to get his hands on the rumoured ”Kindle Tablet” and he has come away quite impressed. I don’t have any issue with that. He likes it and that’s great for him. However, I do take issue with Greg Kumparak’s article which suggests that a 7” LCD tablet from Amazon is actually a good idea.
Here is what, in my opinion, makes a Kindle (the current e-ink model) better than the iPad or other Android tablets:
- Longer battery life by many, many, many hours
- Easier screen to read books on
- Distraction-free reading
- Thin and light
The astute reader will notice that most of what makes a Kindle a great device (in my eyes) is the fact that it does not have a LCD. If I wanted a LCD tablet I would have bough the iPad. But, I did not. I wanted something that I could READ BOOKS ON. Do you remember that? Reading? I thought not.
Will I want to buy a heavier Kindle that has significantly less battery, a glossy, back-lit screen, and a hot battery? No! Because then I would just go out and buy a full-sized tablet (from 8”-10”) which runs stock Android. I would be able to watch videos and do all the other stuff people do on their tablets. However, would reading be an enjoyable experience? I think not.
The iPad is an immensely popular device. I applaud Apple for creating a product that is beloved by consumers. I am sure it has many fascinating uses. My parents share one and I have occasionally played around with it and since I prefer to read than watch videos I decided that the e-ink Kindle was a better device.
Will I still prefer the Kindle when the new LCD version launches? I doubt it. It will be a smaller iPad and that is something I have no use for in my life.
If Amazon really wanted to innovate it should make the e-ink Kindle as close to a fully-functional tablet without sacrificing the benefits of a e-ink device. Here is what Amazon should do:
- Improve the quality of the e-ink screen. It’s already quite good but it could become even clearer, especially for images.
- Improve refresh rates. This is woefully slow in some cases and it’s almost impossible to “flick” through a number of pages.
- Make search faster. If you have more than about 500-odd books on your device searching for a particular one is a headache.
- Make the device touch screen. The B&N Nook managed this so it should be a piece of cake for the Kindle.
- Reduce the price to $0. I have spent hundreds of dollars buying books and I think I have paid Amazon back many times over for the Kindle.
Till the new and improved e-ink Kindle launches, I am going to be perfectly content with my 3rd generation model.
New Kindle :)
