Amazon's Kindle...finally

I have yet to figure out WHY ebook readers are so expensive. I can get an iPod, a cell phone that does everything but wipe my behind and handheld video games for those prices, and yet all the ebook reader has to do is READ an ebook.

I've been looking for an ebook reader, but at these prices it'll be a bit of time before I make that investment. Sad, because for all those claims that ebooks are the future of the industry it seems that the industry can't create something affordable. And I don't know WHY.

Expensive and dinky looking.

Sheryl Nantus said:

I have yet to figure out WHY ebook readers are so expensive. I can get an iPod, a cell phone that does everything but wipe my behind and handheld video games for those prices, and yet all the ebook reader has to do is READ an ebook.

I've been looking for an ebook reader, but at these prices it'll be a bit of time before I make that investment. Sad, because for all those claims that ebooks are the future of the industry it seems that the industry can't create something affordable. And I don't know WHY.

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No doubt some of it has to do with the economics of product design vs. mass production. A particular model cellphone is going to sell probably 100 times as many units as this thing.

Also, it's "traditional" for a brand new product to cost more, to extract the excess money out of the "leading/bleeding edge" consumers who have to have the latest gadget regardless of cost. I don't know how many people bought iPhones at $600 each or exactly when they dropped the price, but I recall the news blurb months ago that Apple sold over a millon of them. I'd be surprised if this thing sold anywhere near that many in the first year, but who knows.

I expect prices will go down substantially in the longterm (a year or two), especially if this becomes as popular as they hope, and competitors come out with similar products.

"I'll show you how to find and buy your favorite books, magazines, newspapers and blogs..." Does that mean they'll charge you to read a blog that's available for free on the Internet? It mentions Wikipedia, will they charge you to read that? A lot of people don't like reading Wikipedia for FREE...

I won't be getting such a reader - for one thing, much of my reading material is out-of-print books and other things not likely to be available in electronic form any time soon.

Butt ugly, although the wifi capability and keypad are cool.

Christine N. said:

I'm still looking at an ebookwise reader - for $139 it's a steal. And I can get all the books I want at Fictionwise and MyBookstore and More for less than $9.99, which is what Amazon's charging for 'Kindle' - which I believe is just Mobipocket.

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I'm looking that way as well...

it's just mind-boggling at the idiotic marketing gurus who figure that we're going to pay more for an ebook reader than a iPhone or other techie toys... maybe being literate is just too much of a blight on the technical world for them to consider creating a cheap ebook reader?

Sheryl Nantus said:

I have yet to figure out WHY ebook readers are so expensive. I can get an iPod, a cell phone that does everything but wipe my behind and handheld video games for those prices, and yet all the ebook reader has to do is READ an ebook.

I've been looking for an ebook reader, but at these prices it'll be a bit of time before I make that investment. Sad, because for all those claims that ebooks are the future of the industry it seems that the industry can't create something affordable. And I don't know WHY.

Click to expand...

The first commercially available DVD player cost over $10,000 and you can buy one for thirty bucks now. Less than 5 years ago, a plasma TV was at least 5 times as expensive as they are now. If this catches on at all, the price will drop.

I think it's a sign that a really good reader is almost here. If they could tweak the design to make it less angular, they could have a winner once the price comes down.

ETA: one killer feature would be the ability to flip pages by dragging a finger across the screen, mimicking how you turn pages in a paper book. I haven't researched ebook readers, I wonder if there already is one like that out there....

I'd rather carry around a paperback.

It looks soooo ugly, like something straight out of 80s technology.

I think you only get the 250 blogs they provide, not all blogs.

Ooo, what a little googling will turn up:

HP ebook prototype

Demo'd in Portugal last July, apparently. Scroll down to the video. It is a prototype, but this looks promising. Note the page flipping ability, I love it. Now, if you could add the sound of some nice crisp paper turning....

ChunkyC said:

Ooo, what a little googling will turn up:

HP ebook prototype

Demo'd in Portugal last July, apparently. Scroll down to the video. It is a prototype, but this looks promising. Note the page flipping ability, I love it. Now, if you could add the sound of some nice crisp paper turning....

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Cute and the page-flipping is gimmicky, but ultimately: too big (unless it can be folded -- it can't be that difficult to do a split screen/fold up device).

Two words: NO HANDLES.

Seriously, if I'm going to be expected to curl up on a nice comfy couch with this thing for hours at a time, it needs to have some kind of ergonomic grip.

Sheryl Nantus said:

I'm looking that way as well...

it's just mind-boggling at the idiotic marketing gurus who figure that we're going to pay more for an ebook reader than a iPhone or other techie toys... maybe being literate is just too much of a blight on the technical world for them to consider creating a cheap ebook reader?

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It's just different marketing model. First of all -- a large screen costs a lot of money -- hence the high price. Second -- the iPhone and the cell-phones sometimes expect to get some of the money from selling you services/content. Here -- this is only the reader. You're free to go to some other vendor for content and even download for free (piracy).

jamiehall said:

Two words: NO HANDLES.

Seriously, if I'm going to be expected to curl up on a nice comfy couch with this thing for hours at a time, it needs to have some kind of ergonomic grip.

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And what does it smell like? I mean...for us book-sniffers.

maestrowork said:

Butt ugly, although the wifi capability and keypad are cool.

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Well, I think the keyboard is awful. It's obviously not for people with normal sized thumbs.

I'll wait ten years and see.

maestrowork said:

Cute and the page-flipping is gimmicky, but ultimately: too big (unless it can be folded -- it can't be that difficult to do a split screen/fold up device).

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It is a prototype. A production unit is bound to be much more refined. I do agree that making it large enough to view two pages side by side makes it too big, but I like some of the thought they've put into the interface. Makes me think the unit they finally release could be interesting.

jamiehall said:

Two words: NO HANDLES.

Seriously, if I'm going to be expected to curl up on a nice comfy couch with this thing for hours at a time, it needs to have some kind of ergonomic grip.

Click to expand...

Well, paper books don't have handles. But, any e-reader should be as comfortable to hold as a paper book.

I agree ChunkyC an e-reader should be comfortable to hold. Okay so its a prototype still looks bad. And the price is a big turn off unless they come back in a month or two and give you a $100 back like i-phone - hee-hee just kidding.

tammieofmi said:

I agree ChunkyC an e-reader should be comfortable to hold. Okay so its a prototype still looks bad. And the price is a big turn off unless they come back in a month or two and give you a $100 back like i-phone - hee-hee just kidding.

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The prototype I was referring to was the HP Christine and I linked to in posts upthread. The Amazon Kindle is available. It definitely is too pricey, and despite having some interesting features, the looks are -- odd. It reminds me of the spaceships and gadgets on an old British TV series called Space: 1999.

Boing Boing ate the Kindle alive. And for good reason:

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/20/amazon-kindle-the-we.html

ETA: Should this thread be in tech?