Chris Pirillo » amazon-kindle http://chris.pirillo.com News and Reviews! Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:38:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Is the Amazon Kindle eBook Reader Worth It? http://chris.pirillo.com/is-the-amazon-kindle-ebook-reader-worth-it/ http://chris.pirillo.com/is-the-amazon-kindle-ebook-reader-worth-it/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:21:20 +0000 Chris Pirillo http://chris.pirillo.com/?p=11286

Is the Amazon Kindle eBook Reader Worth It?

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed Note: The Kindle is currently backordered 11 to 13 weeks at Amazon and there are no current coupons. We’ll keep an eye out for Kindle coupons in the new year, but your best bet to get one before then is to [...]

Is the Amazon Kindle eBook Reader Worth It?

]]> Is the Amazon Kindle eBook Reader Worth It?

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Note: The Kindle is currently backordered 11 to 13 weeks at Amazon and there are no current coupons. We’ll keep an eye out for Kindle coupons in the new year, but your best bet to get one before then is to buy one on eBay…

I’m not sure how many of you are into eBooks, but you may have heard of Amazon’s Kindle. It’s been out for quite awhile now. The Kindle is interesting, in that you can download over 200,000 books instantly including New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases for only $9.99. You can read RSS feeds with it, and access parts of the Internet with it. Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, reading Kindle’s screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper—and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen. Kindle is also easy on the fingertips. It never becomes hot and is designed for ambidextrous use so both “lefties” and “righties” can read comfortably at any angle for long periods of time.

The screen is good, for reading text. I have never really wanted Kindle, though. That’s not to say I wouldn’t want an eBook reader though. I’ve always been interested in having something to read with me anytime I’m traveling and such. I love having something like this in an offline capacity. I’ve never been really into reading electronic books. Even if I was, I don’t think I’d want a dedicated device for reading them. With a printed book, I can carry it with me. I can donate it to someone else. Heck, I can even just keep it on my bookshelf. The downside of a paper book would be not being able to search for words or phrases, but how often do I need to do that?

Ponzi purchased a Kindle without my even knowing it. She did that because I’m against the eBook thing for a variety of reasons, including the whole DRM thing. If I were to get into reading eBooks, I’d likely read them on my iPhone. It’s absolutely true that the screen and battery on the Kindle are better, yes. However, which am I more likely to carry with me wherever I go – the iPhone or the Kindle? Yeah, the iPhone is going to win that battle.

Another reason I don’t like the Kindle is due to a few engineering mistakes as I like to call them. The Kindle has a mini USB port – but it doesn’t charge this way. You have to charge it with an AC adaptor. Are you kidding me? If you ask me, that’s just crazy.

Ponzi loves her Kindle, that’s for sure. The reviews on Amazon are great… 4 stars out of more than 7000 reviews. She has proven my point though. Even though she loves the Kindle, she never takes it with her. She does, however, take her iPhone with her everywhere.

There’s a large debate as to whether eBooks are the wave of the future. I think I’d be a lot more interested in this idea if there were an open market for the content, or the ability to read the text wherever I may be – on any platform I should choose. That’s not possible at this moment, thanks to things like DRM.

Here are the most frequently tagged Kindle items on Amazon:

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Is the Amazon Kindle eBook Reader Worth It?

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/is-the-amazon-kindle-ebook-reader-worth-it/feed/ 12 Amazon Kindle http://chris.pirillo.com/amazon-kindle/ http://chris.pirillo.com/amazon-kindle/#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2007 10:17:27 +0000 Chris Pirillo http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/12/01/amazon-kindle/

Amazon Kindle

First, here’s what Amazon has to say about its own device: Amazon Kindle is a revolutionary portable reader that wirelessly downloads books, newspapers, magazines and blogs to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight. Kindle customers, no matter where they are in the U.S., can [...]

Amazon Kindle

]]> Amazon Kindle

First, here’s what Amazon has to say about its own device:

Amazon Kindle is a revolutionary portable reader that wirelessly downloads books, newspapers, magazines and blogs to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight.

Kindle customers, no matter where they are in the U.S., can wirelessly shop the Kindle Store and download new content — all without a PC or a WiFi hot spot. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so there are no monthly wireless bills and no service commitments for customers. The Kindle Store contains over 90,000 books that can be purchased and delivered wirelessly to Kindle, each in less than a minute. Customers can choose from hundreds of top newspapers, magazines and blogs and have their subscriptions auto-delivered wirelessly. All New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are $9.99, unless marked otherwise.

At 10.3 ounces, Kindle is lighter and thinner than a paperback book, carries two hundred books, and includes built-in access to The New Oxford American Dictionary and wireless access to the Earth’s biggest encyclopedia, Wikipedia.org.

I gave Amazon a bit of feedback on the device (including sending suggestions directly to Jeff Bezos directly), but I don’t think they appreciated what I had to say about it. Oh well. I tried to help.

At least they didn’t call it the Amazon Kindall (which would have been accused of murdering content, even though the true murderer was a one-armed book author).

Here’s where it gets interesting for Amazon affiliates:

Associates are eligible to earn 10% in referral fees on both the Kindle device and content. With Kindle priced at $399 you can earn $39.99 on each Kindle purchase you refer. We do not yet pay referral fees on subscription content such as Kindle newspapers, blogs, or magazines, but we will be announcing that support in the near future.

Building links to Amazon Kindle is no different than other products on Amazon. To build a Product Link, simply visit the Product Links page in Associates Central and select “Kindle Store” in the search menu. You can find the Kindle device itself under the “Electronics” search menu. You can also build a Slideshow or My Favorites widget to showcase your favorite Kindle titles.

We have also made Amazon Kindle banner graphics available to you in Associates Central.
To link directly to the Kindle device, simply substitute your Associates ID in the link format below:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA/?tag=lockergnome-20

Anybody reading this on a Kindle yet?!

Amazon Kindle

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/amazon-kindle/feed/ 6