Jim Lynch: Off the Top of My Head…

Well I finally got my Kindle 2 and also downloaded the Kindle App for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch. I did a review of both of them for ExtremeTech.

From the Kindle 2 review on ET:

So should you spend $359 for a Kindle 2? Is it worth the money? Well so much of the answer to this question depends on you. Do you read a lot? How many books do you buy in a year? What kind of books do you like to read? How much do you want to spend on each book? Before you whip out your credit card to order a Kindle 2 you need to stop and ask yourself some of these questions.In my case the answer is yes. I’m a voracious reader and the Kindle 2 provides me with access to bestsellers along with a huge variety of other books. It works well with my sense of impulse buying and it’s comfortable enough that I can lay on the couch or bed and read with it for hours. I lose myself in the ebook I’m reading and I don’t have to store the books in my apartment or otherwise deal with a print book collection.

So I’m glad I bought my Kindle 2 but your mileage may vary so think carefully before you buy one. If you read a lot of books you might find that you save yourself some money in the long run with the mostly lower price of ebooks compared to print. But if you buy two books a year then the Kindle 2 is probably not worth buying unless you’re made of money and simply don’t care how much you spend.

If you own a Kindle 1 I’d say sit tight and wait for another upgrade. As much as I like my Kindle 2, I don’t think it’s worth paying another $359 to upgrade to it if you already own a Kindle 1.

From the Amazon Kindle App review:

So far I’m impressed and fairly happy with this app. It’s free and it’s relatively easy to use. A lot of people have waited a long time to start enjoying Kindle ebooks on their iPhones and iPod Touches so I think they’ll be fairly pleased with this.

Kindle has its Own Icon
click on image for full view
Amazon still has some work to do, however, for this app to really live up to its full potential. Browsing the Kindle Store right from within the app should be added ASAP (they’ll sell FAR more books if they do that then forcing people to go to Safari to make the purchase) and a landscape mode is desperately needed. Ditto with search and the ability to add new notes (as well as edit existing ones) to your books.

Right now Amazon Kindle for iPhone is not in Stanza’s league in terms of being an ebook reader for iPhone. Stanza provides a wider range of features and lets you customize your reading experience much more. However, Amazon does have the content that Stanza and other ebook readers don’t offer.

Despite some shortcomings, Amazon Kindle for iPhone is a good start. Now let’s hope that Amazon also moves swiftly to put comparable apps onto other cell phones as well. There are millions and millions of people out there with cell phones and other devices who are waiting to buy your books…Amazon.

Don’t disappoint them.

So my overall take on both is quite positive. Be sure to read both reviews as there’s much, much more information to be had.

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