Size Matters
Amazon goes global with bigger, new and improved Kindle reader
- Published: 31/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Brunch
Earlier this month, Amazon.com announced the official release of an international version of its popular Kindle electronic reader - the Kindle DX, now available in over 100 countries, including Thailand.
Here and elsewhere, the burgeoning popularity of electronic readers sees benefits for manufacturers and users alike.
And Amazon and other vendors, with their environmental, social and moral concerns, are also hoping to capitalise on the huge profit potential of the new technology.
Although sales are increasing for electronic readers, they haven't quite taken off as many had hoped.
Let's take a closer look at the new Kindle DX to see if it will crack the market for Amazon and also what it can bring to the readers of Thailand.
Out of the box, the unit appears like the big brother of the Kindle 2, which is basically what it is.
The monochrome screen is now 9.7-inches, (2.5 times the display area of the 6-inch Kindle 2 screen), and is roughly the same size as a paperback book, giving a noticeably more natural reading experience. The thickness (or thinness) has been kept at a wafery 1cm, about the same as the Kindle 2.
The bigger screen comes at the cost of weight, and the unit is a little heavier at about 540g (up from 290g), but can be easily managed with two hands, similar to a book or magazine.
Inside, the storage capacity of the DX has been increased to 3.3GB, or about 3,500 books, a big jump from the 1,500 storage capacity of the Kindle 2.
In terms of functionality, the navigation buttons that appear on both sides of the Kindle 2 are now only the right side of the DX, which can be a little frustrating when it comes to turning pages, especially since the unit can now be rotated 360 degrees.
Also, the tilt sensitivity has been noted for being too sensitive as it rocks the text before the unit orientates even 45 degrees from the vertical - very annoying when using the device in irregular positions, such as in bed. Luckily, this feature can be disabled in the options settings.
A central flaw of the DX is the keyboard, which is much harder to use than the impressive input options available on other portable devices such as smartphones.
The DX has been flagged as having huge potential as a textbook reader, with students being able to annotate their notes via the keyboard, but the physicality of the DX keyboard hinders this potential somewhat.
On a more positive note, the DX features PDF file compatibility, allowing users to browse business or official documents and the many books now available in this format. However, problems arise because there is no zoom function, hence some files are displayed too small to read, even when in landscape mode.
Battery life of the DX is similar to that of the Kindle 2, at an impressive three or four days use with the wireless function turned on, and over a week with it turned off, ensuring high portability.
So far, there has been no mention of any electronic text books being made available yet from Amazon, so students will have to wait.
For the home user, the Kindle DX is the best e-reader available with its impressively large viewing screen and PDF compatibility.
But it's not yet worth the 21,900 baht asking price, and although it has many benefits for the user and the environment alike, people will probably still hold onto their paper-printed novels and magazines for now.
The Kindle DX is available from http://www.kindlethai.com for 21,900 baht, with delivery within three days. Visit the website for more details.
Relate Search: Kindle DX
About the author
- Writer: Richard Mcleish
- Position: Reporter
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