michael’s thoughts

collected

Newer:

Tweets on 2009-06-05

June 5th, 2009 | 2:59 am | Michael Ridley
  • Thought I was getting laid off yesterday but apparently safe until the 12th - maybe longer. Stressful. #

Kindle DX is the Kindle I’ve Been Waiting For

May 17th, 2009 | 12:32 pm | Michael Ridley

I have been excited about the prospect of eInk readers for a long time.  Back in January of 2006 I wrote about looking forward to the Sony Reader but expressed that a tabloid sized version that would allow me to read periodicals is what I really want.  It looks like Amazon’s upcoming Kindle DX will finally realize that dream.

I’m a fan of books.  I read a fair amount and I like having a bookshelf of paper volumes.  I’m not sure that I would use an eInk reader to take the place of my paper novels.  The value for me in an eInk reader is in periodicals and PDFs of technical manuals.

I have a paper subscription to The Economist but there is no value to me in having piles of previous weeks issues laying around my house.  I wouldn’t mind switching that to an eInk version.  And as I wrote back in January 2006 I’d love to be able to get trade press such as Daily Variety delivered electronically.

I also download a lot of PDF manuals for various technical products.  I don’t like to print them out as it’s a waste of paper.  On the other hand, I am not thrilled with reading lengthy documents on an LCD or CRT screen.  The main reason I haven’t bought an e-reader so far is that they have not had good native support for PDF.  The Kindle DX does support PDF without having to convert the file which is a must-have feature for me.

I haven’t preordered a Kindle DX but if the user experience reviews are positive once it’s released I think I may purchase one.  The selection of periodicals available in the Kindle store is limited but I hope it will expand over time.  It really seems like an excellent platform for regional trade papers.  If I could get Variety and the Hollywood Reporter on the Kindle I’d consider renewing my subscriptions to those papers.  Digital delivery is the future of news.  At least for me.

Older:

Playing Around with FriendFeed
May 16th, 2009 | 4:10 pm | Michael Ridley
On Internet Writing Styles
May 6th, 2009 | 10:16 pm | Michael Ridley
This Week in Startups
May 3rd, 2009 | 2:32 am | Michael Ridley
My How TV Ratings Have Changed
April 30th, 2009 | 4:18 am | Michael Ridley
UN World Digital Library
April 23rd, 2009 | 4:06 pm | Michael Ridley
Created My Google Profile
April 22nd, 2009 | 5:19 pm | Michael Ridley