I’m an Eng. Lit. graduate student, and so far the Kindle DX seems to be a good investment. I got the Kindle DX because of the larger screen, which I like, but I haven’t explored any other added features. For the casual reader the original is probably fine. I read a lot of classic literature, and many of these texts are free for very inexpensive. If I had to buy all the books I’m responsible for knowing it would cost hundreds of dollars; on my Kindle, I will probably spend $30 or so for the same collection. Obviously, I do quite a bit of scholarly writing, and this is the greatest problem I’ve encountered with the Kindle. Publication information is not included with a downloaded book, which makes it useless for papers and articles. Still, I enjoy using my Kindle and recommend it, if you can fork out the cash. If you get one, make sure you get the cover; otherwise you’ll obsess on protecting it, since the device itself seems fragile in your hand.

By	Derek Frazier

Amazon Kindle DX Upgraded and happy

I upgraded from the 2nd Gen Kindle and really love the larger screen and the newer features of the Kindle DX. Text to speech feature is one of my favorites. Could I have gotten by with my 2nd Gen and saved the money? Yes, but I am enjoying the Kindle DX much more. The only drawback is the size if you want to carry it in a handbag. 2nd Gen, even with a cover on was about the size of a larger paperback. The Kindle DX, while thin still takes up quite a bit of real estate in a handbag or tote. Be sure and get a cover for the DX. I got an M-edge leather one that stands upright.(like a stand)

My only beef is I wanted to sell my used (purch Oct 08) Kindle 2nd Gen on Amazon. Appears you cannot sell them. Guess they have a monopoly because Amazon’s still selling them new! So will have to use Craig’s list or ebay. 2nd Gen like new, with box, and addt’l red leather M-edge cover $225.(my retail was approx $415 plus shipping)

By

D. Gage

I already have a Kindle, and now I want to trade it in for a Kindle DX. Do you have an trade-in program?

No, we aren’t offering an trade-in program for Kindle DX.

If you ordered a Kindle in the last 30 days, you’re welcome to return the Kindle for a refund and order a Kindle DX.

I already have a Kindle–how do I transfer my books and subscriptions to Kindle DX?

We store all your purchases–including annotations and the last page read in each book–on Amazon.com. You can access your books and other content from multiple Kindles, including Kindle DX, as long as the Kindles are registered to the same account. You can transfer books and subscriptions from one Kindle to another in three ways:

1. Schedule delivery of books from your computer to your Kindle DX: Visit the Manage Your Kindle page and scroll down to the “Your orders and individual charges” section. Select the Kindle DX listed in the “Download/Send to” drop-down choices.

   You can schedule delivery of your existing books before your Kindle DX even arrives. Your books will be automatically downloaded to your Kindle when you turn on the device, as long as you’re in wireless range.

2. Wirelessly download books directly from your Kindle DX: Select “Archived Items” from the Home screen or “View Archived Items” from the menu. Select the item from there.
3. Transfer a periodical subscription from one Kindle to another: From the Manage Your Kindle page, scroll down to the “Your Active Kindle subscriptions” page. Under “Deliver future editions,” select the Kindle you’d like to use for the subscription and click “Save.”

Note: Subscription content can only be delivered to one Kindle registered to your Amazon.com account. When you update your delivery settings, the next available issue and all following issues on your subscription will be delivered to the designated Kindle.

How is Kindle DX different from Kindle?

Kindle DX has many of the same features as the Kindle, with some additional features customers have asked for. Take a look at this chart to see what’s different:

	Kindle DX	Kindle
Display	9.7″ Diagonal E-ink	6″ Diagonal E-ink
Weight	18.9 ounces	10.2 ounces
Storage	3,500 books	1,500 books
PDF Support	native PDF reader	via conversion
Rotating display	Yes	No
Books in under 60 seconds	Yes	Yes
Text-to-Speech	Yes	Yes
Whispersync	Yes	Yes

In addition, Kindle DX features include:

• Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
• Carry Your Library: Holds over 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents
• Large Display: 9.7″ diagonal e-ink screen reads like real paper; 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images
• Auto-Rotating Screen: Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages
• Built-in PDF Reader: Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and work documents on the go. With Amazon’s Whispernet service, you can send your documents directly to your Kindle DX and read them anytime, anywhere.
• Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle DX, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots. No monthly wireless bills, data plans, or commitments. Amazon pays for Kindle DX’s wireless connectivity so you won’t see a wireless bill. There is no wireless setup-you are ready to shop, purchase and read right out of the box.
• Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
• Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging
• Read-to-Me: With the Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle DX can read every newspaper, magazine, blog, and book out loud to you, unless the book is disabled by the rights holder.
• 5-Way Controller: Kindle DX has an easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words.
• No Computer Required: Kindle DX is completely wireless and ready to use right out of the box–no setup, no cables, no computer required.

BY Amazon Kindle DX

I have quite a few pdf manuals for products that I own on my computer and it was very, very easy to transfer them to the Kindle. I only wish there were a way to zoom in on some of the diagrams!

Now for the bad news, what there is of it. The wireless connection is through Sprint so if you are like me, you have no service and you must travel somewhere with service to download books you bought. You can still surf the Kindle DX site on your computer, choose what you want, and then wait until you are within the service area of Sprint to download. Why they can’t give you a choice of carriers is a problem but not a ‘no deal’ for me. Just an annoyance.

You WILL have to purchase a cover of some sort to protect the Kindle’s screen and it should be substantial. Unfortunately, the ones that offer the most protection are $50 for the leather ones. That’s what I have and it is an excellently made product but expensive.

Speaking of expensive, while there are some free books you can download, most are $10 each and a surprising number are even more. Usually, the Kindle DX version is perhaps $0.50 less than a paperback version purchased from Amazon. Since you cannot pass the Kindle book on to someone else to read, I would think that the price should be substantially less. $10 may be cheap for a ‘Best Seller’, but not for books that are years old!

Yes, the Kindle DX is expensive but, being a sucker for new technology, I bit the bullet. I would have expected a much longer warranty for a product that costs that much! I can only feel that they have less confidence in their product than I do……

-Downloading new books is simple. Turn on the wireless, Click on Books in the main menu, type in the author’s name (or the genre if you are browsing), find the book you want, click on “buy”, and the book is there within 20 - 30 seconds. No more waiting a week to get a book. I love finding authors new to me, so when I’m reading a new author, and I decide I really like that author, it takes 15 seconds to find other books by that author - - no more trips to the local bookstore, or ordering from Amazon and waiting for the order to arrive!

-I quite often am reading in different places, and the text turns as you turn the Kindle DX. Very handy!

-If you turn the wireless off when not in use (very simple to do from the main menu), battery power is greatly enhanced, and a charge will last more than a week even with heavy use.

-The main menu is relatively easy to navigate - - the 5 way button allows you to move up and down the menu, sideways allows you to move forward or backward in the menu. Pressing the button allows you to make a choice. Very intuitive and easy to navigate.

-ALL pages of every book you purchase are viewable - - cover, table of contents, title pages, acknowledgements, comments from authors or others, everything.

-I download the New York Times daily. It is easy to read, slightly less easy to navigate, but hey, the NYT instantly available every day on the Kindle DX….

-The weight and size make the Kindle DX a little cumbersome…it’s not as light as a single book, but it also never feels “heavy”. It’s big when you compare to a regular Kindle or Kindle 2, but its not overly big. And, when I think of being able to have 20-30 books right there in my hand, given how easy it is to use and read, well, who cares about the weight?!?

Last thought: as mentioned, I’ve had the Kindle DX for just under a month. The other day, I found a paperback book I had half read on a recent international flight. I picked it up, thought about it, then put it back down…I realized I much prefer (already!) reading on the Kindle DX! Surprised me.

By	Aric Krause

I read a lot of technical documents too. I’ve always been sorry that I couldn’t read good technical books on my Kindle 1 (the latest Photoshop books, etc.) They look great on the DX though. With the Kindle DX, you can carry your whole reference library with you: dictionaries, reference manuals, the Bible, … I even have PDF versions of the shop manuals for our dirt bikes. I haven’t loaded them onto the DX, but it sure would be easier to have them on one compact device than having five big fat books for the bikes.

By	David Edmiston “Dave”

]]> http://blogger.sanook.com/kindledx2009/2009/07/07/kindle-dx-even-better-than-kindle-1-2/feed/ http://blogger.sanook.com/kindledx2009/2009/07/06/kindle-dx-review-update/ http://blogger.sanook.com/kindledx2009/2009/07/06/kindle-dx-review-update/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:21:30 +0000 new_sukae2@sanook.com http://blogger.sanook.com/kindledx2009/?p=24 Kindle DX: A little ungainly, but not so little

The Kindle DX is not a rock star like its sibling, the Kindle 2. The DX is bigger, more expensive and can be tedious to use.

If you’re a college student schlepping a half-dozen textbooks in a backpack and spending $1,000 a year on those books, you may welcome the DX. That’s certainly one of Amazon.com’s aims with its latest Kindle, which went on sale recently.

The company wants to get it into those backpacks and briefcases that students — as well as business people — carry. But at $489, the Kindle DX is still a pricey option. And it may not be the best one.

Its wee keyboard — keys resemble those tiny paper punch holes on exams meant for No. 2 pencils, not fingers — can drive you wild with frustration as you strain to see them and avoid hitting the wrong ones. The keyboard on the Kindle 2, with rounded keys, is much better.

The Kindle DX’s dimensions — about a 1/3 inch thick, 10.4 inches high and 7.2 inches wide — make it a marvel for what it is, yet it’s ungainly to deal with as an on-the-go device, especially with its lilliputian keyboard.

The 9.7-inch screen — compared to the smaller Kindle’s 6.5-inch display — is excellent for reading, especially for newspapers and PDFs, the kinds of materials the Kindle DX is partially designed to serve.

Print publications such as The New York Times and Washington Post hope the DX is the kind of device that will help keep subscribers onboard. And it’s certainly easy and fast to download a newspaper — or books — using the Kindle’s wireless Internet connection.

Reading a newspaper on the DX takes some getting used to; it’s a little more cumbersome having to go back and forth from stories, rather than accessing the same information on one or two Web pages with the click of a mouse.

Some newspaper publishers are reportedly working on their own e-reader devices. Better they should focus on the Web and mobile Web versions of their papers. While not everyone’s reading news on their computers and phones, more people are. Almost all of us carry our phones with us all the time. That isn’t likely to be the case with an 18.9-ounce device like the Kindle DX.

Amazon.com’s Kindle e-reader software is available for the iPhone, for example, and will likely be coming out in versions for other smartphones and devices.

Terrific battery life
The Kindle DX does have a huge advantage over phones and laptops when it comes to battery life, the bane of modern electronics. No phone or netbook can even begin to compare with the DX, which can be left on for three or four days with Wi-Fi on and still have plenty of juice. That’s impressive.

Book reading itself is better on the Kindle 2 ($359) which at 10.2 ounces has more of the portability one associates with a book likely to be tossed in a briefcase or bag.

Amazon.com The Kindle DX’s large screen is excellent for displaying PDFs, maps and other visual elements.

Some fans of the original Kindle and its successor have tried the DX, but not found it to be quite the same experience. Susan Umpleby is one of them.

“My plan was to use the DX at home, and keep my K2 for carrying all over creation with me,” she said on Amazon.com’s Web site.

Umpleby said she likes the DX’s capacity — it can hold up to 3,500 books, compared to 1,500 on the Kindle 2 — and the DX’s “ability to rotate the screen is great. Gives you a closer look at things like maps and charts.”

However, she wrote, the DX “is too big to hold comfortably. It’s not really all that heavy, but it is top heavy and you feel a pull on your hands. And that pull is really evident if you try to use the keyboard while holding it — you practically have to lay the Kindle DX down flat, it becomes so difficult to type.”

Umpleby, contacted for this story, said she said sent the DX back after a week. The device’s “drawbacks outweighed its great screen, crisper text and ability to show pictures well.” She said she does “look forward to future improvements in the DX and may buy it again in its next incarnation.”

Taking the college test
One of the DX’s biggest tests will come this fall, when six universities ask some students to test it out as a textbook replacement. Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve University, Pace University, Princeton, Reed College and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia will participate in Kindle DX pilot studies.

Case Western has said it will study 40 students’ use of the devices, how they effect the students’ reading habits, note taking and knowledge retention.

Textbooks are not only weighty, they’re expensive, of course. A 2005 report by the federal Government Accountability Office said the average annual costs for textbooks is $900 a year for students at four-year public colleges. The non-profit California Public Interest Research Group had a similar finding in its own survey that year.

Emily Rusch, CALPIRG state director, said digital textbooks “can be done in a way that gives students more power and more affordable options … or they can be done in a way that could limit students’ choices even more and do nothing to reduce the high costs.”

The organization’s concerns are that in addition to the cost of the Kindle DX, Amazon.com is not only the maker of the device, but also the channel through which textbooks will be delivered, without any equivalent competition.

“Over the long term, if we have more open textbook options for students, Kindle DX could be a great avenue for accessing those resources and fostering a competitive market that will ultimately benefit students’ learning experiences and their wallets,” Rusch said. “But we have to create that competitive market first.”

By Suzanne Choney

 I am a grad student who need to read lots PDF journal papers. I like the screen size of Kindle DX which really makes me comfortable to read by clean words. It does heavier while I hold it in one hand. Though it weighs like iPhone 3G but the big size keeps you hard to hold it for a long time reading.

Wireless download and the screensaver are two of the sweet features in Kindle DX. I do wish Amazon could let user set up their own custom screensaver. And let us upload Images and DOC files via USB not the wireless conversion.

And I have to say that I am really disappointed about the PDF reader. Amazon provide the native PDF support in Kindle DX but w/o the most important Annotation and Zoom In/Out features. Now, look at the machine I got:

It can read the books ONLY on itself, and plus a PDF reader which cannot do anything but rotate the screen(fine, you can do some searching keywords). How could you claim the Kindle Kindle DX as an E-Reader? It cannot even support the most common file type, PDF, with the basic features. Then you sell students the Kindle DX as the highest price at market, $489 + $50 with a cover?

I do not think Kindle DX worth the price because it doesn’t provide the complete features for academic users, I cannot annotate/Zoom in/out the most files(PDF) I have. And there is no proper file organization in DX. In addition, the text books I brought are only for Kindle. I cannot read w/o the machine.

I do hope Amazon would let us upgrade the PDF annotation and zoom features via firmware update. Also the doc, images files syn with personal computers.

By

J. Chiu

(Amazon Kindle News) Eclipse magazine has reviewed the Kindle DX, giving it a negative review grade of a “C-”. The magazine’s main contention with the Kindle DX can be summed up with the following two sentences that appear in the Conclusion section of the review:

“The problem is the hardware is getting worse and worse, and more and more expensive with each release. That’s a bad direction to go in.”

Other things the review found as drawbacks include the battery life, having to hold down the off switch to turn the Kindle DX off (versus an instant action switch like on the original Kindle), and the small size of the buttons.

The review was done by Eclipse magazine writer Michelle Alexandria who made it clear that in the case of the Kindle DX, “bigger isn’t always better”.

by Joe Tracy