Five Reasons Why I Won't Be Buying the First Version of Amazon's Kindle
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This review that I found on Amazon.com’s website encompasses every reason why I’ll be avoiding the purchase of a Kindle for now.
1. The buttons are misplaced and extremely easy to hit by accident causing your page to flip unexpectedly. Inexplicably, the NEXT PAGE button on the left side is only 1/3 the size of the PREV PAGE button, when in fact you want to go to the next page 99.9% of the time. On the right side, the NEXT PAGE button is properly sized, but it consumes nearly the entire right side of the device, all the way to the underside of the unit, making it annoyingly easy to accidentally bump and click. This is something I am certain Amazon will fix in their next version, so you should wait.
2. Page turns are slow. I clocked nearly 2 full seconds. This makes the accidental click even more annoying since it takes you a while to page back to where you’re supposed to be. I have seen prototype e-ink displays where the page turn is far faster than this, meaning: you should wait for version 2.0.
3. Page turns have an annoying black flash. Some people report they get used to it, but it’s definitely a turn-off for me. I have seen other e-ink device prototypes that do not have this flash, so waiting for version 2.0 might be a good idea.
4. The EVDO cost model is not fully figured out yet. This is evident in their “experimental” browser which the documentation says is “free for the time being”. I.e., there are potentially hidden costs that are not know at this time. Again, this means you should wait. Perhaps in version 2 they will go with WiFi which really would have been a better choice since it works in Europe and has no fees or costs associated with it.
5. The Price. $400 would be fine if this were perfect, but with all those flaws you can expect Amazon to be putting this thing on the bargain shelf in a few months. You’ll feel stupid paying $400 for a device with these flaws when a new device with everything fixed up is most likely around the corner and probably at a much lower price. Again, all the evidence says: BE PATIENT and wait for version 2.
