Well E-book fans, and those still sitting on the fence, Amazon has done it again. In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new Kindle coming and this one is called the Kindle DX. While in most respects this new Kindle isn’t revolutionary it does bring some exciting new features to the table. Additionally, it holds promise in a few areas where the previous Kindle models may have fallen a little short. If you’re not familiar with the Kindle 2 and how that differed from the original Kindle, please look at my article on just that subject here.
Let’s examine the new Kindle DX and compare it with the Kindle 2:
9.7-inch screen (measured diagonally). This is the biggie (pun intended)! The original Kindle and Kindle 2 had a 6-inch screen. The screen is 2.5 times the size of the Kindle and Kindle 2 screens. This allows for better display of graphics, tables, and charts with no zooming or scrolling necessary. Total size of the unit is 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.38" and it weighs 18.9 ounces (Kindle 2 is 8" x 5.3" x 0.36" and weighs 10.2 ounces)
16 shades of gray. This is the same as the Kindle 2, the original Kindle only had only 4. The 16 shades make a very big difference when it comes to viewing graphics of all kinds. I wouldn’t have expected any less with the Kindle DX. Graphics will be very clear and bright on the Kindle DX with no zooming necessary.
1/3 of an inch thick. This is about the thickness of the average magazine. Again this is about the same as the Kindle 2 and it is quite thin, and a pleasure to hold.
Lots of memory. The Kindle DX is said to hold up to 3,500 books in its 3.3GB of available onboard memory (total memory is 4GB). This is up significantly from the 1,500 book capacity of the Kindle 2 which has 2GB of which 1.4GB is available.
Auto-rotating screen. This is a new feature being introduced with the Kindle DX. This will be extremely handy for easy viewing of large graphics, charts, etc. Just turn the Kindle DX from vertical to horizontal and the orientation of the screen changes automatically from portrait to landscape and back again as needed.
Built in PDF Reader. This is a very cool new feature. With either previous Kindle you needed to have Amazon convert the PDF to Kindle format. Sometimes the results were far less than perfect. This will be a great way to read personal and business documents, as the PDF format is so universal.
Words per line control. Unlike the previous Kindles where you could only adjust the type size, the Kindle DX also gives the user control over how many words appear on a line. Not earth shattering, but nice.
Text to speech. This was introduced with the Kindle 2 and it’s here again with the Kindle DX. The gotcha here is that the publisher can deactivate this feature in any given book so it is no longer universally available for every book purchased. This applies to the Kindle 2 as well.
Battery life. With wireless turned on you can read for four days without recharging. Two weeks of reading are possible with the wireless turned off. This is the same battery life as the Kindle 2. This is a significant increase over the original Kindle.
EVDO connectivity. Amazon Whispernet utilizes Sprint’s high-speed wireless network for fast and easy downloading of books, blogs, newspapers etc. This is the same on all three Kindle models. This is one of the greatest feature of all the Kindles. No computer is necessary to use the device. It is a fantastic user experience to browse the Kindle store, read descriptions, reviews and download book samples.
USB 2.0 port. This is used for charging as well as hooking up the Kindle DX to a Mac or PC. This is optional as here in the US content can be purchased wirelessly through the Amazon Kindle Store or emailed to the device (for a nominal charge). This is the same port and charging scheme as on the Kindle 2.
Audio. There is a 3.5mm stereo audio jack as well as stereo speakers. These are useful for listening to music or Audible recorded books. This is the same as on the Kindle 2.
It’s kind of interesting that Amazon introduced the Kindle DX when they did as the Kindle 2 shipped as recently as February. I’m guessing the DX wasn’t quite ready back then and Amazon is probably assuming the customers interested in the Kindle 2 may not be the same customers interested in the Kindle DX.
Some very interesting aspects of the Kindle DX go beyond the feature set:
The large screen will make it much easier and more convenient to read newspapers. As we all know, many newspapers are struggling to survive. Many people have stopped reading conventional newspapers because by the time the paper is printed the news is old. Obviously, the news you can get on the internet is timelier and this is the cause for the downward trend in newspaper readership.
The previous Kindles partially addressed this by providing newspaper subscriptions that are updated throughout the day. They have proved fairly popular but there is still some resistance due to the small screen of the Kindle and Kindle 2. Now, with the Kindle DX this is being addressed. Photographs will look much better and there will be much less scrolling through the articles. This should make for a much more pleasant newspaper or magazine reading experience.
Several newspapers: The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe will be rolling out pilot programs for the Kindle DX. While the details are still sketchy, there is talk of reduced prices for long-term commitments on subscriptions. I’m guessing that a yearly subscription will cost substantially less than what is currently being charged for a monthly subscription. We’ll have to wait and see the details on these pricing plans. It does sound like a good idea to me and it certainly couldn’t hurt the newspapers to do this.
Perhaps the greatest impact of the Kindle DX is in the area of academics. The larger screen has opened the door to the device being used as a substitute for textbooks. This is huge on many levels. In fact, I’m not the only one who believes this, as three textbook companies (unnamed at this point) and five universities (Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, Princeton, Reed College and University of Virginia) have signed on to try pilot programs with the device. Again, details are sketchy, and there are even whispers of controversy as to what these programs will consist of. Stay tuned.
What I think will be the biggest potential impact will be on textbooks in a couple of ways. First, the most obvious, if all the textbooks a student needs are available on the Kindle think of how much weight and bulk will literally be lifted from the student’s shoulders. Cost of the books should go down as well.
The second aspect is quite interesting and quite a boost for textbook publishers. Currently when a textbook is new and introduced into a curriculum sales are quite strong for a semester or two. Then, as far as the publishers are concerned, sales plummet. Why? Used book sales. A widely adopted Kindle DX would be a huge boost to textbook publishers as it would eliminate the used textbook market. The Kindle DX books would not be able to be passed from student to student or be sold as used. The net result would, in my opinion, be lower textbook prices to the students while the publishers increase their sales. The only losers in this scenario would be the bookstores.
In conclusion, the Kindle DX is in broad terms just a larger Kindle 2. Yes, there are differences that go beyond the bigger screen but the bigger screen is really the big news here. Should you buy a Kindle DX? That depends on a variety of factors. As I see it, I’d say yes if you read lots of newspapers, use PDFs, or read graphically intensive materials. Of course, if you don’t want to “turn pages” as much it would be a good purchase as well. If the above scenarios don’t apply to you and you’re happy with your Kindle or Kindle 2 I’d say there isn’t a hugely compelling reason.
What am I going to do? I love the idea of the large screen, that’s all it took to get my attention. I’m thinking a Kindle DX for home use and my current Kindle 2 for travel. As soon as I have an extra $489 (the cost of the Kindle DX) burning a hole in my pocket I’ll probably get one.
What do you think? Will you buy your first Kindle now or perhaps a second or third? Please leave a comment.
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Comments
How many audio books will the DX store? How long will it take to transfer an average audio book? What is the battery life while using audio. Has Amazon worked out the problem of allowing users to transfer purchases/subscriptions from a K1 or K2 to the DX without having to repurchase everything?
Amazon stated approximately 3,500 books can be stored on the DX. Average transfer time is less than one minute. They haven't stated, nor have I tested battery life while using audio but I'm pretty sure it will be quite sufficient. There isn't any problem, nor need to repurchase anything. When you upgrade a Kindle the new Kindle (Kindle 2 or DX) can either directly download your previous purchases or you can send them from the Amazon web site.
A friend of mine (that I do a podcast with) just bought a Kindle 2 a month ago or so. It is amazing, and they are just starting to scratch the surface with what it can do I think. The DX will be a nice improvement to an already great concept. I just have to wait until the price comes down a touch, or you give one away on the site here. I'll keep enjoying the updates, it's nice to keep in the tech loop. And, yes I am mainly responding for the chance at the ear buds.
This is the device (other than iPhone) that has most graced my co-workers gear-lust wish lists. And I really haven't a clue as to why? I mean flexible digital paper, duh...awesome! But, another notepad thing to break in your bag? Note: I think you hit one a number of pluses, and I do like reading on a more eye-strain reduced surface, but linking or aligning to one source like Amazon and EVDO makes me hedgy and edgy about being locked into anything specific.
Honestly, it all boils down to your mention of headphone jack for "audio books"...WHAT? Why would I want to deal with big flat object luggage to listen to audio book? I'd just shove it on my tiny MP3 player or nano/shuffle. These days, plug anything in with headphones that can't be slipped upon your person and you're asking for trouble as you get up to get a printout and your Kindle becomes kindling as it slides off the desk. I'm just saying...
I was originally skeptical about the Kindle. But just this week I started to take a second look as even the publisher of one of the textbooks we use was excitedly talking about the device in a recent presentation to our department. No, I am not ready to buy yet, but it did make me take another look.
I have a hard time justifying the purchase of the DX when I could buy a much more capable (albeit less sexy) laptop for about the same money, and is probably less susceptible to being broken. I think they should have added the PDF & landscape features to the Kindle 2, improved the zoom feature so you don't need bigger screen, and kept the same price point (unless you want more memory).
I have to agree with Duane. I have a Kindle 2, but received as a gift. While I love it, I can't imagine buying one myself, if for no other reason than it doesn't read PDF and converting PDFs have ended with a very pleasant read. I read a lot of PDF files...
The DX may add a PDF reader, along with a larger screen and whatnot, but for the price, I think my Eee 1000HE is a *much* better value. And reading PDFs on that can only be a much more pleasant experience.
Thanks for this review, Jay. I have seen the smaller Kindle in action (reviewed for me by its very exuberant owner). I understand the convenience and appreciate the advantage for the human eye to read off the Kindle as opposed to the computer screen.
Having heard rumors for years of paperless textbooks in our future, I no longer dread that day. The K-DX will save my students the hassle of carrying books, save their eyesight, prevent migraines and allow for actual highlighting and note-taking IN their high school math books. Yay!
I am sure that school districts will find it easy to pay for the first Kindle for each student. But who will be responsible for replacing the stolen/lost/broken Kindles? Better not be the teacher! Anyone in the education field will understand when I say that the students most likely won't be held responsible for them.
Other than that, they sound great.
I have seen the DX in the wild and I thought it much smaller than it appeared in the ads. Being left handed and the buttons on the right are a small inconvenience. I own the Kindle 2 and when push comes to shove, I think I will stick with the Kindle 2. After all, the DX is bigger for being able to read manuals and other stuff like that, but I have found the Kindle is best for reading books and reference manuals or finding paperwork is really not convenient. Most people like to flip through that stuff. Besides, I might abandon Kindle for the new Nook by Barnes and Noble...
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