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Kindle for PC now available for download

Wayne — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:19:51 +0000

Kindle for PC beta

The wait is over. The beta version of Kindle for PC is finally out. Currently the reader only supports Windows OS. Mac users should also expect it coming within a few weeks.

Note that Kindle newspapers, magazines, and blogs are not currently available for Kindle for PC.

Kindle do not like protections

Wayne — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:13:19 +0000

The Seattle Times reports that one customer is suing Amazon for the trouble caused by the Kindle protective case, asking for $5 million in refunds. Yes, I am not typing it wrong: FIVE MILLION DOLLARS.

Matthew Geise, executive director of a Seattle property management firm, bought a $359 Kindle 2 in February for his wife’s birthday, plus one of the official Amazon Kindle covers.

After about three months the Kindle started cracking around the points where the cover attaches with metal clips. The cracks grew and on July 6 the screen froze and the device (shown above) stopped working, according to the class action complaint that seeks refunds, treble damages and legal costs.

The crack caused by the protective cover has also seen by other customers. So the verdict is: To protect your Kindle, do not use protections.

The $9.99 selling point on Kindle thwarts publishers

Wayne — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:03:45 +0000

Sourcebooks Inc., an independent publisher based in Naperville, decides to postpone pushing its new book “Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse”, a young-readers in the vein of Harry Potter to Kindle, concerning the relatively low selling price of $9.99 or even less. “It doesn’t make sense for a new book to be valued at $9.99.” said Dominique Raccah, CEO of Sourcebooks. Normally the hardcover novels are sold at $25 to $27. The ebook version of “Bran Hambric” will be landed on Kindle or other ebook readers about half a year later after the paperback, that is in January 2009.

The CEO of Sourcebook is obviously not the only one who doesn’t really understand for the ebook business. Another New York Time best selling title is absent on Kindle: Catherine Coulter’s novel “Knockout”. Robert Gottlieb, chairman of Trident Media Group LLC and Ms. Coulter’s literary agent said that he does not allow any of his author’s books to appear as an ebook. “It’s no different than releasing a DVD on the same day that a new movie is released in the movie theaters. Why would you do that?” he said. But he seems to forget that he is the only adamant publisher that refuses to accept ebook format on the best selling chart. Moreover, the analogy of comparing the paperback edition with new movie release in movie theaters is ridiculous. He definitely thinks that reading on Kindle is a far more inferior experience than feeling the real paper.

“WeFound” a Kindle ripoff

Wayne — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:48:04 +0000

WeFound reader

Seen on the Digital Publishing Fair at Tokyo, the ‘WeFound’ reader drew people’s attention by its outstanding cloning appearance as the Amazon Kindle. This unit is manufactured by the Founder Group China, a major technology company well-known in the digital publishing fields. Nevertheless, the company states that it was a product of independent research. “Peking University Founder Group independently developed this terminal, and it has nothing to do with the Kindle,” Founder International said. The display is measured about 6 inch, similar to the dimension of a Kindle 2 screen. E-ink technology is also adopted.

The reader will be available in China by the end of 2009 at the price of $200. It supports wireless download with a SIM card.

Kindle 2 gets a $60 price cut, now below $300

Wayne — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:16:35 +0000

Amazon is now offering the 5 month old Kindle 2 ebook reader at $299, that is $60 cheaper than the original price tag. The Kindle DX is still at $489, and it is out of stock.

Kindle slows its way into Germany

Wayne — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:04:27 +0000

According to this report, the negotiation of the wireless connection price between Amazon and wireless carriers in Germany broke down, which suggests that people in Germany still have to wait for another few months until they can get hands on this hot ebook reading device. It has been said that the carriers asked for a very high connection fee for the Kindle wireless access.

University sued by groups because Kindle use hurts blinded student

Wayne — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:27:05 +0000

It was reported that two groups representing the interest of the blind sued Arizona State University to stop it from distributing electronic textbooks using the Kindle digital reading device. These two groups, the National Federation of the Blind and American Council of the Blind, said that blind student cannot use the device’s menus to select a book to read, purchase books from Amazon, or activate the text-to-speech feature although the text-to-speech technology seems well-oriented and promising for the blind students.

Kindle OS sources released

Wayne — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:14:22 +0000

It is quite surprising that Amazon has just released the operating system sources for Kindle, including the first and second generations of Kindle as well as Kindle DX. The Kindle OS v2.1 is actually based on Linux kernel 2.6.22, with implementations of E-ink, the ebook reader and internet browser developed by Amazon. The source codes can be accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200203720.

Partial file list of Kindle OS src 2.1

This is certainly a big step for Kindle, and Amazon already has demonstrated its ambition in the ebook business by sending out the signal that Kindle is going open source. It is clear that, on the other hand, the release of OS souces could stimulate the “jailbreak” of the Kindle devices. The DRM of Kindle ebook format should also be compromised very soon.

Update: After a fast check of the source files, I didn’t find anything related to Amazon’s proprietary softwares (such as ebook reader or internet browser). Correct me if I am wrong.

Kindle books soon available on other platforms

Wayne — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:24:14 +0000

Right after the announcement of Google to enter the ebook business, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos suggested in Wired Magazine’s Disruptive by Design Conference that the Kindle e-books will not be restricted on Kindle and iPhone, but will be spread to other mobile devices and computing devices at the same $9.99 price points. Furthermore, Kindle devices will be able to support other ebook encryption formats. According to the New York Times, Jeff Bezos “described the hardware business and the e-book store as separate“. It is a clear signal that Amazon tries to shape its ebook business model analogous to Apple iPod and iTunes. Amazon doesn’t want either books or readers to subsidize the other. On the contrary, Amazon is looking for a way to profit from both.

Kindle DX review round-up

Wayne — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:03:01 +0000

Reuters defines Kindle DX is a device for those “people who want larger type and a Kindle will want to spend the extra money“.

CrunchGear describes the Kindle DX as a heavy unit with some issues in the auto-rotation function. The positive aspect is that it is easier to read books on the Kindle DX thanks to its 6 inch display. The display quality is also very good overall: “Images are crisp and clear and books can be viewed horizontally.” But the price of about $500 is definitely not for average readers.

Kindle DX with a large display

SlashGear says the Kindle DX is “a great piece of hardware” except that a few ergonomic issues (like absent left-hand buttons) may be a problem. Kindle DX can read PDF files, but it doesn’t support PDF zooming, either. So it raises some serious issues when the text of the PDF document is too small.

Gizmodo suggests that besides the pros and cons mentioned above, the screen might be still not large enough for textbooks and business documents. Also, “E-Ink screen is easy on the eyes and battery efficient, but makes pages slow to “turn” and does not come in color“.

Editors in CNet summarize the Kindle DX as a “ pricey” one, but it “offers improvements over the Kindle 2“, and “its larger chassis has its pluses and minuses“.

In short, Amazon brings us a new Kindle with a large screen for easy reading, bigger keyboard buttons for comfortable input, and new PDF support for better compatibility. If you really think $500 could payoff these, go and grab one.