A few weeks ago I received my new Kindle 2 from Amazon. Contrary to popular belief, I am not a gadget freak who has to have the latest of everything. But by the time version 2 comes around for new and innovative devices, I’m ready to try it. That is why I didn’t run out and buy the first Kindle. But I do read a lot and buy a lot of books. Could this be the new way for me to get my fix? Well, so far so good!

What is interesting about the Kindle is that this is far from the first e-book device, and not the first one to use E Ink. But it succeeds for the some of the same reasons that the Apple iPod succeeded - it delivers an integrated experience. The Kindle 2 is an extension of the Amazon experience. Similarly the iPod is an extension of the iTunes experience. Apple delivers the player, the content, the delivery and the e-commerce. But the Kindle is even more integrated and seamless.

The Good 

When the Kindle is delivered, you simply turn it on. The WhisperNet cellular connection automatically knows who you are and is tied to your Amazon.com account. A Kindle-specific version of the Amazon Kindle store is available to search and browse through thousands of books, newspapers, magazines and blogs. Everything is available to sample before you buy a book or pay for a subscription. When I am ready to buy, the transaction is automatically posted to my account and my one-click configured credit card is charged. Is this a one way that Cloud Computing services will be delivered? This is where the Kindle is great and why it is succeeding. But what about the reading experience.

The E Ink display is surprisingly easy to read. Even though it is a purely a reflective display, it is easy to see in low light or bright light. I’ve seen these displays before, so it didn’t knock my socks off. But judging by the people I have shown it to, it is impressively different. But I was impressed with the display when I happened to use it one afternoon while sitting on my porch in direct sunlight.

I had a travel day last week with multiple plane flights, so I took the opportunity to use the Kindle as my onboard reading material. I was favorably impressed by the display not tiring my eyes, and by its size and light weight. It is far better than lugging books and magazine in and out of my carry on. It was also pleasant to be able to read many different books, magazines and newspapers during the trip. I would have read even more, if I wasn’t busy showing the device to a number of travel mates. They, too, were interested in how it worked for a plane flight. I feel that even if I only used the Kindle during plane trips, it may be a worthwhile investment.

The Bad 

Now what do I feel could be better? One of the new features being tested is a text-to-speech converter. All that I can say is that it works. For text to speech, it is actually very good. But I tried to have it read a chapter for me. Well, it’s not a book on tape. I don’t think I’ll be using it.

One of the areas where I would like to see improvement is in the size. I like to read hardback books rather than softbacks. For that reason, I would like to see a Kindle that is just that much larger. One of the much touted would-be competitors is the eReader coming from Plastic Logic. The size of its device is the size of an 8½ x 11 piece of paper. But it won't be available until 2010, and I have a Kindle 2 now. What I want from the next Kindle is more like 7 x 9½ inches versus the Kindle 2 at 5½ x 7¾. Picky? Yes, but it would be more comfortable for me.

As I was using the Kindle, I began to think about how I consume information. I tend to dog-ear the pages or bookmark web content. Very often, I'll  forward these pieces of information to others. That's how I work, that's how I ‘play.’ I like to share information. The Kindle 2 has a clipping feature, but unfortunately I don’t get it. It seems to do just that, cut and paste the article to a clipboard. What I really want is a simple way to send clips to friends.

The Future 

I think that it is very clear that forms of electronic paper will change the way we consume media in general. The Kindle is but one form. It is part of a continuum of innovation that is common to most technologies. Consider this quote from The Future of Things about the e-paper innovation at Xerox PARC:

"Thirty-five years in the making, electronic paper is now closer than ever to changing the way we read, write, and study — a revolution so profound that some see it as second only to the invention of the printing press in the 15th century."

There are many e-paper and e-book products on the market or almost ready to enter the market. In perhaps ten years, with the availability of color and flexible devices, we will see the mass adoption of reusable e-paper over throw-away printed newspapers, magazines and local print of our own electronic communications. One of the more exiting trends in these product is the use of Adobe AIR. A common runtime can allow for a rapid expansion of many web-to-print publications to electronic devices in general. This is what Trekk has begun to call web-to-everyyhing.

Everything Trekk produces is digital and increasing is consumed electronically. Print will never go away, but its portion of the media mix will continue to decrease. Trekk's innovations in content creation and reuse across all media are an important step for our clients' future. Electronic paper devices like the Kindle 2 are bound to be increasingly important.

My conclusion about the Kindle 2? I like it. I’ll use it. It is peek through the doorway to an exciting future of media.

Posted by JA Stewart at 03/22/2009 08:28:53 PM |