Can It Kindle the Imagination?

I've accumulated an 850 page library from Project Gutenberg, at least 250 of which are on any serious "Great Books" or "Must Read in Your Lifetime" list. I've rebuilt and exceeded my personal collection (give away years ago during a move) of classical literature, poetry, philosophy and original historical sources. And I have already pulled down first chapters of about 50 books available for the Kindle using its free "try before you buy" sample system. I've held the Kindle, and I placed my hand *underneath it* to cradle it, like I would a book, I didn't grab it from both edges squeezing hard and hold it up to face level (sheesh). A few accidental page turns? OK, well I have severe arm and wrist pain from repetitive stress, and the huge buttons are a dream -- turning pages on the Sony book reader is physically painful by contrast. I plan to leave the wireless off much of the time, or to suspend the unit (easy two-key combination), which extends battery life with active use to over a week.

I think the cliche he's groping for is "voracious," not "voluminous" reader. And surely he's wrong in any case. The voracious reader -- more than five books a week -- is not buying them at ten bucks a pop, unless he or she is very well off and a spendthrift even then. You can buy anywhere from one to four hundred good used books for the price of an empty Kindle, perhaps a year's worth of reading, many of which can be traded back in, and that's what real readers will be more tempted to do. The Kindle hoopla seems a little baffling when you consider that the device fails to address the two disadvantages that have doomed all previous gizmos of its kind: expense and inconvenience. At least, that's how it looks to those of us who are a) actually voluminous, i.e., fat enough to be able to carry fairly hefty paperbacks in our pockets, or b) who long since learned how get a dozen free classics from Project Gutenberg into the Palm PDA we can also fit into a pocket. (And once you have more than two or three books on your person, the ability to get more wirelessly instead of at home doesn't seem worth whatever large percentage of the Kindle's price it represents.) Those who think they can't get used to reading a book on a Palm probably haven't tried very hard, or are using the wrong document reader -- but I can readily believe that the latest digital ink technology is far better. That's the only selling point I can see, though, except to the person with small or no pockets, for whom a regular book is perhaps as inconvenient as a Kindle. (Perhaps. The kindle may be smaller than some trade paperbacks, but it has to be a heckuva lot more breakable.) So far, I just don't get it. I can believe that the gimmick-happy will have to own them, but I don't see the appeal to the average big reader.

Sorry for the double post--I had to get an account to post, and I thought it had erased my first post.

Copy protection may be the deal breaker for me. I've already been burned by that with Microsoft Reader. Having gone though a few generations of laptops, desktops, and phones/PDAs, I've exceeded the six-device limit. Now I own several Reader format books that I cannot read, because I cannot activate a new device. Microsoft has not answered my requests for help. Meanwhile, none of my paper books require a password.

It looks wonderful - my only question: can I read it in my bathtub without getting electrocuted?

It all sounds wonderful - my only question: can I read Kindle in the bathtub?

Despite its looks, I would buy this if I could (I'm in the UK so, for now, can't). Amazon has pulled a stroke of genius in pioneering the launch of a personal vending machine which is on hand to guide your wallet to the book store in moments of emotional madness. We've all been there - on reading a gushing review, a rave from a friend or, Heaven forbid, a command from Oprah.
Now, to Sony, Phillips, Bookeen, Seiko and anyone else hoping for a slice of the pie - wake up, the rest of the world awaits. RRaise your game

Now

Despite its looks, I would buy this if I could (I'm in the UK so, for now, can't). Amazon has pulled a stroke of genius in pioneering the launch of a personal vending machine which is on hand to guide your wallet to the book store in moments of emotional madness. We've all been there - on reading a gushing review, a rave from a friend or, Heaven forbid, a command from Oprah.
Now, to Sony, Phillips, Bookeen, Seiko and anyone else hoping for a slice of the pie - wake up, the rest of the world awaits. RRaise your game

Now

A very interesting beginning. I'd almost say that we shouldn't be too harsh because it's a version 1 product, but, as pointed out in the article, this is hardly the first such device of its kind. As an engineer, I shouldn't be taken aback by the design, but did they have to make it look so utterly ungraceful? It honestly looks like Hollywood's concept of "high tech" from the 80's with its odd angles and questionable button placements (volume buttons on the bottom edge??). And did it really need a physical keyboard taking up space? I imagine most people just want to read and not annotate, though an on-screen keyboard would suffice for most who do want to take notes (perhaps separate "Reader" and "Academic" models in the future?). That aside, I think the real revolution with this device is not the device itself but the business model and delivery mechanism - downloading books easily over a national wireless network without having to pay access charges is sheer genius and the Kindle's real shot at making a splash. The fanboy in me keeps hoping Apple will get their hands on the concept and take off with it, but I expect that will never happen. Apple's focus is on multimedia, which doesn't work on a low-power e-ink display. Oh well. Go, Amazon, go! Prove the business model works and then come out with a more polished version 2 - I'll be waiting!