Kindle and the newspaper of tomorrow

I would never pay to read a newspaper electronically. There are way too many news sources available for free electronically. I don't own a Kindle. Perhaps if I did I would think differently, but I doubt it.

I do pay to get the Sunday Washington Post at my house though. I know I can get the same news online for free. But there is just something very relaxing about coming home from church, getting a cup of coffee and perusing the paper (particularly this time of year coming up when the NFL will no longer be on and I have nothing to rush to the TV for). There is something inherent to a paper newspaper that the electronic version will never be able to replicate.

I wonder if this will be one of those generation gap things....the Kindle. I LOVE books. having them around makes me feel happy, warm, it's like comfort food. I decorate with them. My 14 yo son has an ITouch and and loves to read that way. His generation is almost entirely electronic. He would find the sound, smell, size and feel of a newspaper awkward and annoying. And in reality, it is when compared to a 6 inch thing that fits in your pocket.

I saw the Kindle on Amazon just a few weeks ago and my gut response was, "How sad....there go the books." I hope not though

The big problem with " The news is free on the web" meme, is that the primary sources for the news are papers and wire services that actually have to pay folks to gather it. The Seattle P-I ( here in Amazon's hometown ) is most likely going to shutter in 60 days because of the decline in subscriptions and the like. This is a paper in the Hearst portfolio, they have a wonderful web presence, but since the ads don't pay for the site and , like other papers, they give it away, they are short-timers.

As for the Kindle, since I get books for free from the library, I don't see the appeal beyond a "gee whiz" another electronic gadget for me to throw into a heap five years from now. It will join my i-pod which sits on top of the Palm Pilot, the Tablet PC, the Apple Newton, and what other silicon-based stuff I own.

I would like to the world is moving towards flat "e-paper" surfaces which are portable and act as aggregators of various news sources that I select for relevance and interest. Of course I will want it for free and I will hack it so that various ad-blocking software can be installed, and yet I expect that there is actually quality-driven news gathering organizations driving it...

I having been using a friends Kindle recently to try it out. I even subscribed to the Kindle version of the NY Times. For reading a book I think it is great. It is easy to see and there actually is a way to bookmark a page and easily get back to it (though it takes some practice to get a handle on navigation).
But when it came to the paper I found I like the online version of the Times better than the Kindle version. For one, the online is free and the Kindle version is subscription only, but I don't mind paying for things that bring value into my life. But a book is linear and thus more amenable to the Kindle format. I rarely read a whole article in the paper and so want the whole news laid out so I can see what grabs me.
If I spent a lot of time on airplanes it might be different, but when I can sit on my couch with my Mini and browse the net, I just find that a much better way to get the news.

My wife got me a Kindle for Christmas because she saw it on Oprah. I was less than enthused (inwardly), but I've really grown to like it because of its convenience. My biggest issue thus far has been restraining myself from buying, buying and buying more ebooks because they're only one click away.

Loudon, The Kindle use's this new ink technology that doesn't use any power except to change the page. It is like a hybrid of an iphone or computer screen and an actual book.

I'm sure there are many marginal benefits to a device designed to be an ebook over a device not designed to be an ebook. But in the long run I don't think dedicated ebook readers will be competitive with increasingly sophisticated mobile phones. Why buy a great ebook reader when you can get a very good ebook reading device that is also a phone, email device, address book, calendar, navigation system, music and video player, internet browser, and much, much more.

"Why buy a great ebook reader when you can get a very good ebook reading device that is also a phone, email device, address book, calendar, navigation system, music and video player, internet browser, and much, much more"

Screen size. Awfully difficult to read off of a phone screen. I have had a Kindle for quite a while. I scan through a couple of blog sites which do compilations of articles (and now get the new Foreign Policy bullet every day). Based on what looks promising I get a newspaper or two, sometimes none on an off day.It is limited to the major papers such as the NYT and WSJ. It holds about 100 books. I usually read more than one book at a time (start one before finishing another that is), and keep a couple of reference books on it.

It is great for travel, and is saving me lots of room. We have a library with wall to wall bookshelves and they are almost all full. I am now buying my fiction almost exclusively on the Kindle, except for some obscure Russian writers I can only find in paperback.

Steve

Why buy a great ebook reader when you can get a very good ebook reading device that is also a phone, email device, address book, calendar, navigation system, music and video player, internet browser, and much, much more.

The e-ink technology these devices use doesn't just save power. By eliminating backlighting and refresh cycling it helps eliminate the eye strain problems associated with reading large amounts of text on LCD screens. It really does make a difference.

The biggest downside to the current devices are black & white screens and clunky interfaces. Both will change. Once color e-ink screens become viable the real killer app for these will take hold. Magazines. I currently subscribe to about a dozen magazines and most of them are photo heavy and glossy. Color devices will be a boon to many magazine readers. Make them cheap enough and you'll see these devices everywhere.

Another thing I love about it is its Whispernet downloading system. You can download books and magazines no matter what your location. No internet connection necessary. No wi-fi necessary. I think (though I'm not totally sure) that anywhere a cell phone will work, the Kindle can download. It would be a really lovely gift for someone in the military, or anyone who travels a lot, especially if they travel to developing countries, where cell phone use is established, but the internet infrastructure isn't necessarily there. And again, the size of the screen makes it more convenient to read than a phone-sized or PDA-sized device.

Currently, Sprint will only sell the Kindle to US addresses.

I meant Amazon will only sell to US addresses, since Whispernet is managed by Sprint.

As for the Kindle, since I get books for free from the library, I don't see the appeal beyond a "gee whiz" another electronic gadget for me to throw into a heap five years from now.

Maybe the real test for e-books will be if (once a standard e-book reader format is adopted) you will be able to "check out" e-books for free from the library -- i.e., download the file from the library onto your reader. The file can be set to delete itself once the "due date" is reached, unless you renew it. Of course, that would pretty much eliminate the ability of libraries to collect fines for overdue books.

"Maybe the real test for e-books will be if (once a standard e-book reader format is adopted) you will be able to "check out" e-books for free from the library -- i.e., download the file from the library onto your reader. The file can be set to delete itself once the "due date" is reached, unless you renew it. Of course, that would pretty much eliminate the ability of libraries to collect fines for overdue books."

This is already happening with the Sony reader ( which is a major competitor of the Kindle). The Sony reader is able to read the format that most public libraries use for ebooks called Overdrive. So with the Sony you can check out an ebook from the public library and read it and the book expires after 2 or 3 weeks.

Plus the Sony reads more formats than the Kindle and has a much nicer form factor or look.

I don't see much difference between a Kindle-delivered newspaper and what I can get on the internet, frankly. If it's mobility people are looking for, I'm not sure how big the Kindle device is, but guessing it's bigger than your standard internet-connected cell phone. Seems it would be kind of clunky to lug around. And why would you use this thing in the comfort of your own home to read your newspaper, assuming you have access to the internet on your home computer?

I much prefer to crack open a fresh, actual, newspaper . . .

If there was a large format of the Kindle, I could sit at the breakfast table, drinking my coffee with the e-newspaper in front of me (like I do today with the paper). I can't see doing that with the Kindle -- too small. Same thing with magazines. Wired magazine is relaxing and interesting to read, sitting on my "easy chair." Booting up my laptop and viewing online is somewhat of an inconveinece. Give me a large Kindle to enjoy my quality of life (at home).