by Anton M (USE)
Here are my first impressions of the Kindle DX which I received earlier today. I have been using the Kindle two for the past months & have loved it. It's improved the way I read by making it simple to download & try books before purchasing them, & allowing me to over a variety of reading material with me. I was one time disappointed with the way it handled PDF's, which is important to me, so I sold the Kindle two & bought the DX.
- The DX works like the Kindle two in terms of keys, navigation, joystick etc., except all the navigation keys are on the right.
- Was concerned about lack of navigation on the left, but in case you flip it 180 degrees, the display auto rotates & you can use your left hand. Very slick.
- The DX is heavier, but is still comfortable to hold & read.
- The general size of the DX is not as giant as I expected from the pics on the net.
- The digital ink looks similar on both, but a small sharper on the DX.
- The DX works much better for PDF's overall. The bigger screen helps here.
- A complex powerpoint I converted to pdf looks like it does on my computer except in b&w.
- PDF's with columns work fine. I could not read them on the Kindle two.
- In case you have a PDF with multiple columns, the print may appear small on the DX, & you cannot alter fonts in PDFs.
- Newspapers are simpler to read on the DX, pics & tables.
- I downloaded a sample chapter of a textbook. I can see this working well for students.
- The rotate feature is excellent on the DX; works as advertised.
- The Kindle two weighs less & is more transportable. If reading only books, I'd probably prefer the Kindle two, given the lower cost & size, & nav keys on both sides.
Regarding the cost, while I'd love Kindles to cost less, I think the cost is reasonable. Here's how I justified it. I assumed I could resell the DX in two years for 50% of its purchase cost, or $245. (50% seems reasonable based on the experience of Kindle one). So my net cost is $245. The differentiating feature of the Kindle is the built in wireless capability. Not only is it elegant & integrated, it is also included in the acquisition cost. If limitless wireless were priced separately, a reasonable cost would be around $10/month. So effectively my out of pocket cost using the DX for two years is roughly equivalent to what the wireless would cost me if it was priced separately.
Both the DX & Kindle two are lovely values. In case you only read books, the Kindle two is probably better. In case you already own a Kindle two, & don't read PDF's, I recommend keeping your Kindle two. In case you read plenty of pdf's or newspapers, or you like to read with giant fonts, you'll be happier with the DX. For my needs, I am liking the DX more.
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