An eBook reader has been on my wish list for a long long time – in fact, it even precedes the first generation Amazon kindle!. Back then I wrote a blog post comparing the eBook readers available in the market. The chance to buy a Kindle arrived when Amazon offered free shipping and lowered price for their “International Wireless Edition Kindle 2” during the Christmas. A friend in USA helped buy and bring it to me here in India.
The initial impression
Amazon Kindle 2 is a realistic replacement for Books. It is nice to hold, thin and controls for navigation are well placed. The letters on the screen are sharp and well contrasted. The graphics with 16 shades of grey appear nicer too. Reading on Amazon is a purely individual experience with no social touch to it (Perhaps that’s something Kindle rivals could aim at ;) )
The Good
- High contrast, Paper like display with no glare
- Good GPRS/EDGE connectivity all over India. I tested this in Kerala and Bangalore.
- Very thin and rugged (K2 is a great way to fall asleep ;) Sustained a drop yesterday without a single mark)
- The ‘Page turn’ speeds are acceptable.
- Easy dictionary lookup
- Free online Wikipedia access
- Good stereo speakers and MP3 support
- Calibre’s support for Instapaper makes Kindle a good offline reader for well formatted web content.
The Bad
- There is no Library management of any sort. There is no Book Cover Grid display. No support for Categories, Folders or Tags. This should be fixed in a Kindle Software update.
- The in-page jog stick navigation could be better
- The free general Internet Browsing does not work in India ‘due to local country restrictions’.
- The Magazine/Blog subscriptions strips the “Images” from the content for International wireless users of Kindle
- The native PDF rendering is just average with no support for Zooming, Search and Font resizing. The Calibre software comes to the rescue with excellent support for converting many file formats including PDFs to the Kindle supported format (.Mobi).
- Kindle books are costly (nearly $12) and many titles are not available to non-USA customers.
For now, I am enjoying the Kindle 2. The reading experience is really good and immersive with no distractions. If you are into technical manuals and PDF eBooks with complex formatting, you may opt for the Kindle DX, International wireless edition – with a bigger screen.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: @jyotibhargava
I’ve meant to do a quick post on my Kindle experience but been stalling it till I’ve figured this lovely acquisition some more. I’ve also had mine brought over by a friend in the US but I made the mistake of not ordering a cover for it. So for now I’ve improvised and used a soft cloth ‘book purse’ to carry it around. A leather case would make the experience of using it more book-like. I love its portability the most and that e-ink keeps the screen quite readable even in the sun. Yes, I dislike the idea of paying$11+ for each read so will be focussing on free classics on gutenberg or elsewhere. Heard that HT has also started its circulation for Kindle but @ $10/month — and HT isn’t my favourite npaper. Wouldn’t mind paying for Mint from HT Media if that got available. Lack of library management is a bother so yes a software upgrade is called for. Its battery life has proved to be good though and I still have some 10 books on it that the friend bought and I want to finish before worrying about the drain on my pocket. As a parting gift, the comments on this post make a useful read…http://battellemedia.com/archives/005062.php
Jyoti
Thanks for dropping in Jyoti!. Glad to hear another ‘kindler’ in you. Yes. a leather case would make it closer to a book. The subscriptions are prohibitively costly and for now I have settled on Calibre. It is one extra step to move the content to the Kindle, but for free. The link you shared was very interesting too. Happy kindling!
Hi,
I also got my kindle 2 today. Although it works great, I do not like the restrictions which they have put on browsing.
Moreover I had to pay more for shipping & customs. I wish I has someone in US to bring a kindle for me :(
Otherwise the device is just great, works even in direct sun light (thanks to e-ink) Battery life is also great. Overall it is good to have it :)
For now I have downloaded 100+ books from http://manybooks.net/ directly in Kindle 2 (*.azw) format & I am really enjoying the overall experience.
Typo correction:
I wish I *had* someone in US to bring a kindle for me :(
Damn . . . I always wonder why \d\ & \s\ are too close on keyboard :)
I am looking to import the Kindle DX from the US to India, but have the following queries:
1. Is the software update available for India where in the blogspot and browser both are operational.
2. Are there any subscription charges for using the Kindle DX in India and which network will the Kindle DX connect considering Edge or GPRS in most cities of India.
I really hope to get the above clarifications so that I can go ahead in purchasing the Kindle DX.
Hi Manish,
Let me clarify your doubts.
First of all GPRS/EDGE support for International Kindle (2 or DX) is provided by AT&T Global and hence you have to live with local browsing restrictions till the time Amazon changes it’s policy and/or makes agreement with AT&T to allow global browsing.
However let me tell you that you can still access Wikipedia “FREE” of cost which is really great as most of your reading needs can be satisfied by searching wikipedia!!! :)
Moreover Just to remind you that Kindle DX will cost around 489$ + 49$ shipping(including insurance) + 100$ Customs = 650$ approx or 30,000 INR Approx
I have a solution to ‘unlock’ unlimited browsing and buying experience on a Kindle2. Check out this post:- http://www.vinodlive.com/2010/01/19/how-to-unlock-the-kindle-global-wireless-browsing/
Thanks for your workaround but I have couple of questions
1) Is Browsing free? Or Is there some roaming charges. Are you using it?
2) Should we top up US Account [Does it mean that I have to deregister kindle from Indian Address Account & register it to the one with US Address??? ]
Please clarify these doubts
@Vikram: You’re welcome!.
1) Browsing is Free (no roaming charges)
2) Yes you have to de-register.
3) Roaming charges applies only for downloading purchased e-books over the air. You can circumvent this by simply selecting the download to computer option during purchase and then use the USB cable to load it in to the Kindle.
Yeah, It really worked!!!! great!!!
Thanks I will try this today & I will post the results :)