Why I won’t be buying a Kindle

November 26th, 2007  |  Published in Hardware  |  3 Comments

I think I might need a new blog category: why I won’t be buying … First Leopard, now, Kindle. Kindle, at first blush, sounds pretty cool. I’ve been waiting for devices using the e-ink technology for a while now. And, I’m an avid reader, so the idea of being able to carry a bunch of books with me in a small package (instead of the usual very heavy pile I travel with) is quite appealing. And $10 a book is great - I love the idea of not using all of that paper. But …

Why am I not buying a Kindle?

  • No wifi - uses Sprint’s EVDO network (for me, that makes the Kindle basically a brick when I’m at home.)
  • Closed - can’t upload open document formats
  • Can only buy books from Amazon
  • I’m still not clear about what happens when you buy your 201st book - do you have to throw out one?
  • Can’t share books - I like to loan out my books to people.

I want something like a Kindle that:

  • Has wifi (EVDO would be a nice addition, but some of us live in areas where the EVDO network does not go)
  • Allows me to share books with people.
  • Allows me to upload any open document format (.odt, rich text, pdf)
  • Allows any vendor of books (like Lulu, for instance) or any independent author to provide books for the device.

Sorry, Amazon. Kindle is a bust for me.

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  1. Elwing says:

    November 26th, 2007 at 1:28 pm (#)

    Look at the iRex Iliad. It supports the open formats, and any book that is not DRMed is sharable. A friend loves his, but I’m not ready to plunk the money down yet as most of the books I want to read just aren’t available digitally yet (like say, textbooks…)

  2. admin says:

    November 26th, 2007 at 1:52 pm (#)

    Thanks! That looks very interesting (and very pricey, too!)

  3. Ann says:

    November 26th, 2007 at 5:09 pm (#)

    I agree! Amazon has this thing sewed up tight, whereas books are to be shared.

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