Kindle DX is the Kindle I’ve Been Waiting For
Sunday, May 17th, 2009I 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
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.
