[ファブリス]

Whoah, this is awesome.

Personally I think this is really the future for books. Tablet PC's come from a more complex user interface background, I mean it's a PC in a tablet. But this thing is like phones turning into mobile phones and then iphones. It comes from a far more usable perspective, imho.

If it becomes popular enough, it's only a matter of time before we get the "android" of electronic books, completely open and programmable. Mp3s, calendar, surf the web, edit your todo list, spreadsheets! etc. All from a simple interface. I really hope it will pickup. I'm much more excited about this than portable phones (I still have a horrible Nokia with Snakes heh). Far more usable and useful. Just the right size for browsing and reading.

I'll get one as soon as it is official release in Europe, hopefully cheaper. Right now from Amazon.com with taxes and shipping it'll probably come down to 300 € min.

I was surprised that it has web surfing capability. But if I understand well, it works via a mobile phone line?

To me this is even better than reviewing on iPhone, even in 16 shades of gray. Looks like the browser is NetFront and it supports ajax.

I'm also really excited about the new version because it has PDF support, so you're not sandboxed to Amazon's book library (you can download any PDF you want and copy it via USB..). So in theory, you can export any of your personal documents into PDF so you can consult lists and such on the go.

Oh and copying and searching. All those programming books that don't sit flat on the table, and example code you can't copy. About time!!

What do you think? Got one? Like it?

Ps: I did put one in my Amazon.com wishlist, it's pricey but hey maybe there's a Rockefeller reviewing kanji

Pps: Found a Amazon Kindle Wiki.

It's not available in Europe, but the Barnes & Noble Nook looks really good. It runs on Android, so I'm sure someone will root it soon enough and get all the Android apps running on it. (completely unbiased) comparison page vs the Kindle.

Edit: I see it's not actually available anywhere yet, only in January now.

They certainly seem interesting but I have read about there being dodgy owner rights on the books you buy via amazon, but more importantly when you read non-fiction (which I do 99% of the time) how do you flip around in the book to different parts and diagrams etc?

[ファブリス]

Well tehcnically Amazon announced you can buy it for use in Europe, with global coverage for connecting to their shop from the Kindle, but no blogs subscriptions in Europe yet ("The Times" etc). And they also redirect you to buy it from Amazon.com.

Great, any other devices?

Edit: Sony Reader. But .. bleh. Not very fond of Sony's black/grey looks and their typical interface. That's the kinda device where I would really enjoy the lightly-coloured looks of the Kindle.

@Shingo I would imagine you can jump directly to any page number, since they have a search feature (there is a tiny keyboard at the bottom).

Edit: Amazon vs Nook huh, hahah the battle rages on, it's only started

My wife ordered me a Nook for Christmas. I can't wait to get it. I have lots of scanned books in Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, and Latin that I have been dying to get around to but after 9+ hours of staring at a computer screen at work, I can never get myself worked up to stare at one to read at night.

I'll post a review once I get it. Unfortunately, it's only available in the US as the WIFI capability only works here. Hopefully they'll update that soon.

Let us know how the scanned books in Japanese work out. What format do you have them in?

I'd love to see an image of the nook displaying them.

[ファブリス]

@jondesousa Yeesss, keep us updated

On the Kindle you could play a Japanese mp3 and then follow along the text version on a PDF. How practical that would be I don't know.

It also has support for Audiobooks, but I suppose that means just audio. Assuming you can playback mp3's while reading, this could be a very useful tool for language learning. I mean it's like having a textbook with the audio, on the go.

AFAIK, you can copy your own mp3's and PDF's on the Kindle, question is how practical it is to go and select the mp3, start playback, and switch to the PDF. And how practical it would be to rewind the mp3, a few seconds at a time.

If there is web browsing on it, you should be able to browse Japanese blogs too. But can you start the mp3 on there (as on many language learning blogs), and does it actually support Asian scripts?

Well I raise far more questions than I answer don't I :p Given the price unfortunately I'll have to find more YouTube clips and reviews to answer those questions before I go out and buy one.

[ファブリス]

Awesome, it seems possible to get free RSS feeds on it. Once you converted a file via Feedbooks's RSS feature you can update the feed straight from the Kindle. That's a relief, I thought from Amazon's description that it was "locked" to subscription-based magazines and blogs.

Anyone has a Kindle here?

I am planning to buy a kindle 3 (well, I already preordered it).
I know many would recommend me to buy Ipad or wait for the many android tables are going to come soon.
But for me the kindle makes perfect sense (I travel quite a lot, global 3g coverage is just worth it), independently of buying or no other devices.

Anyway.
This version supports Japanese fonts at last.
Anyone planning on getting one? Or anyone having one? Any good resource?
Have anyone accessed this site thought kindle?

I was reading up on the new kindle yesternite, and it was the first time I was temped to buy one. If I remember correctly it lasts 30 days on one charge with 3g/wifi off.

As far as the ipad, it's nothing more than a fancy gadget to me. Not the same as a digital book reader.

It's only $140 w/o 3g, and $190 with. I'm tipping towards buying one.

oregum Wrote:I was reading up on the new kindle yesternite, and it was the first time I was temped to buy one. If I remember correctly it lasts 30 days on one charge with 3g/wifi off.

As far as the ipad, it's nothing more than a fancy gadget to me. Not the same as a digital book reader.

It's only $140 w/o 3g, and $190 with. I'm tipping towards buying one.

The inability to use kindle in poor lighting without some snap on accessory that barely works is a deal breaker for me. Presently I'm waiting for a second generation iPad.

The new lowered price and lack of 3G makes kindle less offensive though. If it got down to around $80 I might even be tempted. It needs to lose the keyboard though.

reading any LCD display under poor lighting doesn't strain your eyes?
I can't bear using my Nintendo DS more than 30 minutes on night buses

trusmis: kindle doesn't use an lcd and has no lighting whatsoever. If you're reading it in the dark it looks exactly like you're looking at a piece of paper in the dark (in other words, you can't read it, period).

I often read or do anki on my iphone in bed before sleep, and the screen isn't hard on my eyes (which wasn't what I was talking about anyways) if I turn down the brightness. It's too small to really make reading very enjoyable, but I have read through 2.5 or so novels and a few manga on it.

trusmis Wrote:reading any LCD display under poor lighting doesn't strain your eyes?
I can't bear using my Nintendo DS more than 30 minutes on night buses

Depends on the lcd. My pc monitor is a higher end 32' sony bravia tv, no strain on the eyes.

But I enjoy the look of epaper. Sure there is no backlight on the kindle, and I have no idea why its not possible to add one, but its not an issue for me. I just think of it like a paper book.

I'm considering buying Kindle 3, since it supports Japanese fonts. What's the selection like for japanese ebooks? And are they as outrageously priced as the hard copy books?

I wouldn't get too excited about the kindle -- apparently mp3 playback and web browsing were not very usable in earlier versions and it doesn't seem like a very open platform (though there's an SDK now), but the biggest problem is that anything more interactive than reading a book is going to be limited by the glacial refresh rate of the e-ink display...

crayonmaster Wrote:I'm considering buying Kindle 3, since it supports Japanese fonts. What's the selection like for japanese ebooks? And are they as outrageously priced as the hard copy books?

At present, there is zero selection for Japanese ebooks, but I don't know what you mean by Japanese books being outrageously priced.

i guess the point of the Kindle is that you can read on sunny days outside... if you want to read in bed at night, you can just use a light, or your laptop.

i've been ignoring modern reading, until today my nanna said she's getting a Kindle for her birthday lol. i can't believe she's 70 but more modern than me...!!

ugh, why no Japanese books?!? it doesn't make sense...

Not sure why you necro'd this post, but just so you know there is Japanese text support on the kindle. You can get books from Aozora Bunko for it. For free.

But since it has been brought back, we might as well add this to the thread for the benefit of those searching the archives.

http://a2k.aill.org/ <--- use this site to convert aozora bunko files into pdfs.

[ファブリス]

Or get iBunkoHD for iPad

I wouldn't get a Kindle now, seeing as we're waiting for a new Android based tablet from Amazon which will most likely also support their cloud service, music etc.
http://www.topcomputertablets.com/amazon...on/225378/

ファブリス Wrote:Or get iBunkoHD for iPad

I wouldn't get a Kindle now, seeing as we're waiting for a new Android based tablet from Amazon which will most likely also support their cloud service, music etc.
http://www.topcomputertablets.com/amazon...on/225378/

Everybody always forgets the one feature no other product (besides other e-readers) replicates: the e-ink technology.

It's so much nicer to read on a kindle than on an iPad. There is no comparison.

yeah, e-ink is pretty much the only reason i would even consider buying one, otherwise i'd really much rather buy a real life book.

apart from aozora, can you display other (totally innocent) japanese books on the kindle? And could you say, put anki on it with yomichan, and have a complete reading tool ready to go? (that you could sync online to review on a normal computer?)

or does it come with Japanese dictionary support or anything?

I got the iPhone app last week, and I've already bought about six books. It's so convenient and it's pretty easy on the eyes in sepia. It's also pretty handy to be able to search reference volumes and make bookmarks in them. You can have your whole library in your pocket (well, as the availability continues to improve).

I think an iPad would be too shiny and heavy to make a good reader, not that I'd pay £700 for the sake of a bigger screen anyway. I might end up getting the Kindle in future for the e-ink though.

I got a kindle at the beginning of this year. I haven't looked for much in the way of Japanese materials on it yet, mostly using it for more casual reading, but I absolutely love it. For one thing, it's increased the selection of books so much for me- living in Japan, English book selections in most bookstores tend to run toward the John Grisham/Stephen King/ Danielle Steele and nothing else variety. To save on shipping, I'd been piling up the titles I wanted to read and then making a large order with Amazon. With the kindle, I don't have to wait anymore (nor have those dry spells in between orders while I was letting titles pile up again).

Note that there is an additional fee for international sales with the Kindle, usually a $2.00 (USD) fee tacked on. The easy workaround to this is to register my Kindle's home region to the US. No more delivery fees, regardless of where I happen to be.

And after having moved just over a month ago, fewer heavy books to box up and move when I someday move again is a big plus.