Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tech / Books Re: The iKindle
Posted by Anthony Hecht on Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 11:02 AM
I tried the iPhone Kindle app this morning, here's my review.
Pro:
• Syncs with my Amazon Kindle account, so books I'm reading on the Kindle are on the iPhone too, and both devices update each other about what page (I mean "location") I'm on.
• Nice splash screen.
Con:
• The text is fully justified, which results in lots of annoying giant spaces between words.
• The background is pure white, which is way too bright for comfortable reading. Compare the screenshot above with this one from Classics.
• It doesn't appear to sync newspaper or magazine subscriptions.
• Can't shop the Kindle store from within the app.
• Lags when you try to turn more than one or two pages at a time.
• Retains Amazon's ridiculous "location" numbering system, instead of page numbers.
• UI lacks any kind of iPhone polish. It couldn't be more bare-bones. Again, see Classics.
So yeah, other than the convenience of being able to pick up where you left off if you have a Kindle, it sucks, but a few well-placed improvements could go a long way.
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1
Anyone with half a brain would have scored a Dell mini 9 with Ubuntu on Friday for $200.
Instead of a braindead limited computer, you can get a full computer...which by the way, also LETS YOU READ TEXT ON IT JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER COMPUTER IN THE UNIVERSE!!!
Instead of a braindead limited computer, you can get a full computer...which by the way, also LETS YOU READ TEXT ON IT JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER COMPUTER IN THE UNIVERSE!!!
2
There are a lot of free "public domain" books for Kindle on Amazon -- you can sort by price to see the free ones. I downloaded this one called "365 Foreign Dishes" by "unknown" to try it out.
Here is the smallest text size (I don't think it's too small): http://i39.tinypic.com/20sa98y.jpg
Here is the largest text size: http://i40.tinypic.com/2qlznyh.jpg
It's kind of annoying, but I'll probably buy a book in the future...
Here is the smallest text size (I don't think it's too small): http://i39.tinypic.com/20sa98y.jpg
Here is the largest text size: http://i40.tinypic.com/2qlznyh.jpg
It's kind of annoying, but I'll probably buy a book in the future...
3
Why would you pay for "Classics" when you can download Stanza for free and also download all of those books for free from project Gutenberg? Apple is obnoxious for pushing Classics so hard...
4
not so hot now, but Amazon basically just knifed the baby. that new Kindle 2 you just bought, now obsolete.
5
@4 - No, it's not. I haven't made up my mind about the Kindle yet, but there's no question it's a very different (and more book-like) experience than reading anything on an iPhone.
6
The iphone screen is too small for much reading for a majority of people. Buying and lugging around a cheap laptop is no replacement for a book.
That said, the kindle is far too expensive. If it were $150 I'd have one myself and so would a lot of people. At that price students might buy two (cause sometimes you need two books open at once.)
That said, the kindle is far too expensive. If it were $150 I'd have one myself and so would a lot of people. At that price students might buy two (cause sometimes you need two books open at once.)
7
If only someone made a way to carry books (perhaps a satchel or bag of some sort), we wouldn't need to drop a wad on this sort of thing.
8
I agree with most of the "cons," although the first two stopped bothering me once I switched to a smaller font size and dimmed my screen brightness a little. Looking forward to improvements in the next version.
@4, I don't think the iPhone app makes the Kindle obsolete--the Kindle is great for extended reading at home (where I've run out of bookshelf space), but the iPhone app is easier to carry around for reading during lunch at work, while traveling, etc. I plan on using them both a lot.
@4, I don't think the iPhone app makes the Kindle obsolete--the Kindle is great for extended reading at home (where I've run out of bookshelf space), but the iPhone app is easier to carry around for reading during lunch at work, while traveling, etc. I plan on using them both a lot.
9
Oddly, my Kindle for iPhone is NOT justifying text; it's flush left, which I like. See my example in an article I wrote. I wonder if it's book by book.
11
@8 - Yeah, changing the font size does help for sure, but I'm blind as a bat, so it makes it even more awkward to read on the phone. Agree also with the brightness, but I don't want to change my system-wide screen brightness just for this app. Amazon makes good software, and I'm sure they'll improve it.
14
"Can't shop the Kindle store from within the app."
From Apple's list of rules about what an app can and can't do...
"3.3.3 Without Apple’s prior written approval, an Application may not provide, unlock or enable additional features or functionality through distribution mechanisms other than the App Store."
From Apple's list of rules about what an app can and can't do...
"3.3.3 Without Apple’s prior written approval, an Application may not provide, unlock or enable additional features or functionality through distribution mechanisms other than the App Store."
16
Ah, just checked with a friend: The flush left/ragged right versus full justification setting is chosen by a publisher, and it's a per-book item. Stupid idea to justify text across narrow widths.
17
The Kindle is a knife in the heart of the neighborhood bookstore. And the neighborhood bookstore is the heart of the neighborhood.
Please consider that before purchasing this doohickey.
Please consider that before purchasing this doohickey.
18
@17 - I have a Kindle, and I still buy books from neighborhood bookstores, in no less quantity than before.
But really, computers and the Internet are the real knives in the heart of the bookstore and countless other cherished businesses. Please stop using computers and the Internet.
But really, computers and the Internet are the real knives in the heart of the bookstore and countless other cherished businesses. Please stop using computers and the Internet.
19
^^ Before that TV was the stake in the hear of the neighbourhood bookstore, and before that Cinema, and Radio. When was this time that neighbourhood bookstores were the heart, and who for?
20
Anything that makes the *possibility* of reading more ubiquitous is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.
I love Kindle for iPhone. I love Kindle. I love books. They each get me to the same places, just via different paths.
I love Kindle for iPhone. I love Kindle. I love books. They each get me to the same places, just via different paths.
21
@17 Astonishing that people *still* fail to realize that progress happens. The automobile was a knife to the heart of the town blacksmith, and the blacksmith was the heart of the town. But towns adapted. Perhaps you should as well?
22
The mystery is why the Kindle app is only available in the US. The Kindle device being US-only makes sense due to the wireless and magazine subs, etc., but why limit the iPhone Kindle app to the US?
The publishers? They haven't objected to eReader and Stanza on the iPhone (and eReader/MobiPocket/MS-Reader, etc. on other devices) giving consumers worldwide access to tens of thousands of in-copyright works from many online (mostly US-based) ebook retailers. Now that Fictionwise/eReader.com are owned by B&N are the publishers suddenly going to insist that eReader/MobiPocket/MS-Reader etc. only be downloadable by US residents and US ebook retailers only sell to US residents? Seems unlikely. The copyright territory game has been well and truly lost with ebooks already, piggy's not coming back.
So why are the Kindle app and Kindle ebooks not available worldwide like every other ebook and reader app?
The publishers? They haven't objected to eReader and Stanza on the iPhone (and eReader/MobiPocket/MS-Reader, etc. on other devices) giving consumers worldwide access to tens of thousands of in-copyright works from many online (mostly US-based) ebook retailers. Now that Fictionwise/eReader.com are owned by B&N are the publishers suddenly going to insist that eReader/MobiPocket/MS-Reader etc. only be downloadable by US residents and US ebook retailers only sell to US residents? Seems unlikely. The copyright territory game has been well and truly lost with ebooks already, piggy's not coming back.
So why are the Kindle app and Kindle ebooks not available worldwide like every other ebook and reader app?
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