Kindle DX - An Introduction

A K2 Owner Reviews The Kindle DX

I really love my kindle 2 but decided to order the Kindle DX because I was intrigued by the larger screen of the DX and wanted to see how the two kindles compare. Hands down the DX is a better e-reader despite being bigger and heavier. The key advantage is the larger screen which can hold a lot more words and information on a page than the K2. Even at very large font sizes the Kindle DX still looks like a page from a book. The contrast is also much sharper on the DX - something I noticed right way when I first turned it on. The words seem darker and crisper. The DX is faster than my K2 when I am opening books, turning pages or even accessing the web. With respect to the pdf feature I can’t critique the Kindle DX because I don’t read a lot of pdfs. For what I do read which are some pdfs and word documents it works well.

Although the Kindle DX is bigger and heavier than the K2 this in no way compromises the user-friendliness of the reader. There is only a marginal difference in how heavy the device feels as compared to the K2 and the increased dimensions are not so significant that it affects portability. This can easily fit into a large handbag (albeit not a small purse). As a normal sized woman with the typical upper body strength of a woman I am sensitive to carrying around heavy things and the Kindle DX does not feel that much different than my K2.

In short, as much as I love my K2, I am really happy I bought the Kindle DX and will likely use this exclusively. I will use it primarily for pleasure reading and for reading pdfs and other work documents. I am not taking any classes so I won’t be using it for textbook reading (and I have not tested textbooks on the Kindle DX).

By victori100 “victori100″

Kindle DX Arrives

The Kindle DX arrived last week and I have had a few days to really use the device and my conclusion is that this is a great eBook reader for the right users. Like the Kindle and Kindle 2, it isn’t for everyone. Here are my thoughts:

Pros:

1) The Kindle DX’s larger size allows for reading documents with fewer page turns. While Page turning is faster on the Kindle DX than it was on my older Kindle 1, the amount of text per page means fewer “pages” per document. My aging eyes also prefer to increase the font size on some documents, and having more screen real estate makes this more forgiving.

2) The larger size allows me to read some web pages and new PDF files much more comfortably. While PDF files still have many limitations, the native support for PDF means the few books I have in this format can now be read on the Kindle without converting them.

3) Landscape mode is a real plus for me. For several documents I own, holding the Kindle DX in Landscape mode makes reading much easier and the documents flow better in that mode. However I prefer to switch manually between Portrait and Landscape. I have the same problem with my iPod Touch. It wants to switch to Landscape just because I shifted positions while reading. I prefer to decide for myself which mode is best for a given document.

4) Portability, while it is larger and heavier than the original Kindle, it is still much easier than carrying around several books when going on a trip. I won’t hesitate to pack the Kindle DX along.

5) Amazon support. I can’t say this enough. I have heard horror stories of people trying to get support from Sony for their eBook reader. Amazon has bent over backwards to help us with every problem we’ve had. I purchased the wrong edition of a book by mistake, and Amazon quickly credited me. MY original Kindle stopped working a few days after the warranty had expired, but Amazon replaced it free of charge anyway. If you are going to buy some new and admittedly expensive technology, make sure the company you are doing business with will stand by their product. Amazon does.

Cons:

1) Size (yes this is a pro and a con): The Kindle DX won’t fit as easily into a purse or small backpack. It will be harder to ignore the weight while walking through the airport. Still, it is better than what I used to do when traveling. Nothing was worse than deciding what books to take along due to the constraints of airline luggage.

2) We still need folder options on the Home screen. Honestly, saying we can have up to 3,500 books on the Kindle DX is completely outweighed by the inability to organize them the way we want to. The Search function partially works around this by allowing us to find a book quickly. However, I suspect searching a Kindle fully loaded with books is not going to be very fast.

Still, the Cons of the Kindle DX are essentially the Cons of the original Kindle. The DX may be a bit more cumbersome, but for anyone who reads a lot or travels and needs to carry reading material along, the Kindle is the best solution.

You’ll note I didn’t bring up price. The truth is price is always subjective. If the item is worth the price TO YOU, it is worth it for you. If it is not, then shouting at others won’t do you any good. There are people who buy a new Ferrari every year because they like their cars fast with a new car smell. Then there are those who feel the Ferrari is a waste of money for a machine that simply takes you from point A to point B. All arguments between these people will never end in agreement.

By S.W.Martin “grown up kid”

Amazon keeps on hitting this Kindle thing right out of the ballpark.

The Kindle DX is a worthy upgrade to the Kindle 2. From the HUGE screen to the native PDF support to the ability to turn the Kindle DX sideways to read, everything is just better on the DX.

1) The packaging is crisp, clean, and similar to a certain fruit vendor from California.

2) The DX comes pre-registered so all you have to do is plug it into the AC adapter and turn it on. The Kindle DX does the rest. Within a minute or two, your books will start appearing. From the time the UPS driver dropped off my DX to my first book was less than five minutes. Amazon has made the setup process very, very easy.

3) The native PDF support is absolutely brilliant. I sent a 6.7MB manual to my Kindle DX account. It appeared in less than 2 minutes! The fonts are crisp, the graphics are decent, and there is a “go to page” feature that allows you to skip through large PDFs.

4) The gyro-thingie works like a champ. While reading a PDF, I turned the DX 90 degrees. The Kindle DX reorientated the PDF automatically. Took less than a second. Not sure how comfortable it will be to read since the next page/prev page buttons are now at the TOP of the page…but it’s a very cool feature to have.

5) The keyboard has been improved as well. The keys are now slightly raised and, in my opinion, easier to use.

The Kindle DX is expensive. No question about it…but if you do any kind of reading, you owe it to yourself to get one. You will not be disappointed.

Some people might question the e-ink, lack of color, and lack of a touch screen. The DX isn’t designed to be a tablet…or have a battery life measured in hours. The DX can run for days with wireless enabled…and up to weeks without wireless. There are tradeoffs to be made. If you are seeking those features, the Kindle DX isn’t for you.

If you are seeking a huge e-book reader with native PDF support, text to speech, massive storage, whispernet, ability to purchase a book and start reading it in under a minute, access to over 270,000 books plus millions of free books on-line, and enjoy reading, get a Kindle DX.

Ok, I did find one minor drawback. The left-side buttons have been removed in the DX. Not sure why. It’s only slightly annoying…given all the other brilliant features.

By Gordon Ewasiuk