Review - Ipad And Kindle

[PattayaPete]

As I have both and both were purchased here in Thailand I thought I might share my thoughts on these two very different pieces of technology.

Being a keen reader and often frustrated by the lack of English books available in Thailand I've been toying with getting an electronic reader for some time. I was somewhat put of by the lack of color screens on most models on sale, the unavailability in Thailand and a niggling doubt that I would enjoy reading a book on a gadget. I am usually and early adopter of technology and hence have been burned many times. Older and wiser these days I waited till now to dip my toe into the e-reader phenomenon.

It was brought to a head by my 16 year old son who had expressed a fervent desire to get an iPad for his birthday. Impossible of course because they were not yet on sale in Thailand, or so I thought. As luck would have it I needed something from Tuk Com in Pattaya a couple of days before his birthday and happened to spot some grey import iPads for sale for 30,000 baht. Expensive, yes, but he's been a good lad this year and anyway my early adopter roots came back to haunt me and I found myself leaving the store with a brand new iPad tucked under my arm.

It's an impressive toy. The color is great, the screen very readable, movies look cool and of course the apps store provided ready access to lots of interesting programs. I had to open a US Apps store account to get access to any iPad features but I believe the Thai store will have some iPad software soon.

For me though the real test was to try using it as a e-reader. Access to books was simple and I soon was ready to settle down and try reading a book. There is an immediate problem which takes about 30 seconds to pick up on. This thing is way, way, way to heavy. At 680 grams (1.5 pounds) its about 4 times heavier than a normal paper back. It's physical dimensions are also somewhat larger than is comfortable for reading but its the weight that is the real killer.

When you read the specs, 680 grams sounds pretty light but hold it in your hands, book reading style for two minutes and you realise its just not a book replacement. It's a gimmicky gadget that looks pretty but is totally unsuitable for reading a book. I didn't get past page 2 before I gave up.

What it did do for me was whet my appetite for e-reading. I had already acquired a few e-books that I wanted to read and so my mind turned to the Kindle. First job was to check out the weight of this thing. The Kindle2 at 294 grams its almost one third the weight of the iPad although still a bit heavier than a paperback. I ruled out the Kindle DX which is about the same size as an iPad meaning too big and too heavy.

Searching the net I found a store in Thailand that sells the Kindle 2 here with a patch to allow Thai fonts. I don't read Thai so that was not an issue for me but the asking price of 9,500 baht vs Amazon's $189 (6,000 baht) seemed a little out of whack. After reading reviews of other readers available, I took the plunge and ordered a Kindle 2 from Amazon. They add $20 to the price for shipping and $50 for custom fees making a total price of $262. I ordered on a Wednesday and they estimated it would be delivered the following Tuesday. I laughed. Imagine my surprise then when on Sunday afternoon there was a knock at the door and the nice friendly DHL man was standing their with my new Kindle in hand. That's pretty amazing.

First impressions were that it's lite, small and the black and white e-ink display looks just like a book page. It didn't take me long to load up my first book and start reading. Stieg Larsson's best seller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was my choice. Within 2 pages I forgot I was reading on a gadget and got seriously into the book. An excellent story, well told and the Kindle became a non-issue. I was just reading a book.

Once I managed to drag myself away for the tattooed girl I had a play with the other features. When I turned on the WiFi I was somewhat amazed to see the 3G indicator light up. I went shopping in the Kindle store and ordered a few book which both arrived within a minute. Amazing!

The Kindle comes with what is basically a built in phone and it connects to any GSM or 3G provider to download stuff from Amazon. It's basically an American ATT phone and it connects via roaming. Amazon pay the wireless charges. This will work anywhere in the world where a cell phone signal can be received. dam_n amazing.

I did play with the MP3 player and browsing the internet. Neither feature is particularly impressive. It's just window dressing so they can say me too.

I've had the Kindle for a couple of weeks now and I have to say I have joined the masses with the cry heard all over the internet . . . . I love my Kindle.

I'm using Callibre to manage my now growing e-book library on my PC. It's a free download (do a google search) and seems to be an excellent program. It not only organizes your library but also provides easy conversion from any format to the Kindle format. I've discovered limitless free books out there on the net, some legal some not. One thing is for sure and that is that I'll never run out of things to read again.

Conclusion:

The iPad is a nice, flashy gadget with limited use in the real world. The Kindle is a book reader which does that one application superbly. If you have been waiting to take the plunge into e-books I encourage you to get a Kindle now. You won't regret it.

[pault17]

Thanks for this review. I'm interested in getting an e-reader, heard/read positive comments, but it is very nice to get the opinion from a 'user'.

[Xangsamhua]

Thank you. Very helpful review.

My wife says to wait though, as the price drop suggests there's a new model on the way.

Does anyone know anything about that?

[sarahsbloke]

Thank you. Very helpful review.

My wife says to wait though, as the price drop suggests there's a new model on the way.

Does anyone know anything about that?

The price drop is due to a format war between the Amazon Kindle and The Barnes and Noble Nook.

They are trying to drive the other out of business, what the price will be when only one survives is anybodys guess.

[Traxster]

PattayaPete, thanks for your review.

I too have become frustrated at the lack of English reading material here in Thailand ,

and now that I have your excellent review of the KINDLE I will certainly give it a try.

Thanks again........

[TheLaughingMan]

A flashy gadget lol? Im just going to assume you mean if you entirely only need the ipad as a book reader since it does 6 million things the kindle does not do. I use the ipad to run my business among every other day to day need like email, web browsing and gaming.

As an ebook reader I cant even begin to understand how that dark little black and white screen is even comparable to the beautiful large ipad screen. All your opinions seem based on the weight? Do you all stand around with a book in your hand? I have never done that even once in my entire life and I've read thousands of books. I sit and relax when Im reading, so the weight of the book has never been an issue. But if standing around with nothing supporting your ebook reader is in fact what you want to do then ya I totally agree the ipad is too heavy to do that comfortably.

[CDNinKS]

Pattayapete is right on the money with his assesment regarding reading of e-books.

Not knocking the Ipad, I'm sure it shines in its own right, but when it comes to reading novels, NO computer screen can compare with e-ink. Besides the weight, there is the eye strain and the biggy for me, battery life. I charge my Kindle about once every 2 weeks as it uses no power at all unless you change a page and the battery is good for something like 2000 page turns.

I wish people would stop trying to compare e-book readers (Kindle, Nook, Sony) with computers of any type. As I've said before, Apples and Oranges people!!!

Edited July 5, 2010 by CDNinKS

[nikster]

The iPad is fine as a book reader. It's true that it's a bit too heavy - you kind of have to lay it down or use the folder that Apple makes.

On the other hand, the iPad does a million things the Kindle does not so it's not fair to compare the two like that. If you want to read books, end of story, the Kindle is probably better. Its main aim is to provide an electronic book store. I think the iPad is better when it comes to choice though, no?

iPad has iBooks + store (Apple); Kindle + store (amazon, it's an iPad app); and it also reads any book you get in the open epub standard, no matter where it came from, which I think is important. I don't think the Kindle does that?

As for battery life - Jobs said that most people don't read books for 10 hours straight. But there's always exceptions to that, isn't there

[chrgrims]

its a good chance this review is a bogus one. if its not, its quite similar to what a company would make some people write for promotion purposes.

but that doesnt mean it hasnt got some good info. but for me, as many others, kindle and ipads are not really meaningful to compare.

[angiud]

It's a mistake mix an ebook reader with a computer tablet. They are two different devices.

The trick of Mr Jobs is make customers believe Ipad can be used as an e-ink device. Just try to read a book on the beach with your Ipad or Iphone.

I don't want enter in the argument Ipad good Ipad bad. If you happy with the new 25.000 baht toy, good for you.

But to read a book every day, some hours a day, everywhere, you can do only with an Ebook reader.

[Phil Conners]

I'm in the market for an eInk device, but not the Kindle. Not only is it ugly, it also is too limited in which file formats it will read. I like the Barnes & Noble Nook from a design point, but also that have been made with the view that it should be used with one vendor. I'm probably going to get most of my books the same place as where I get most of my movies (Torrents). More and more books are available as a free download but in many different file formats. For that reason my priority would be on a device that is able to read as many file formats as possible. For example this page http://ebook-reader-review.toptenreviews.com/ compares 10 of the most popular eInk devices and there is one called BeBook Neo that reads practically all common file formats. Unfortunately the price is still around $300. Once it comes down to around $150 I think that will be a winner.

The Apple fanboys wants us all to carry around an Ipad. They probably haven't tried an eInk device yet - or perhaps they don't read books.

Edited July 6, 2010 by Phil Conners

[angiud]

I can read any kind of ebooks format in my old Sony PRS 505 (CBZ, CBR, CBC, CHM, EPUB, FB2, HTML, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC**, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, TCR, TXT) thanks to Calibre Ebook management software (free download).

You can use the software with most (or all, I don't know) Ebook readers on the market

[boblunch]

Hello Pete and Everyone,

Great review. I've had an excellent time with my Kindle as well...even though I've also heard rumors of a price drop on the Kindle Boards forum because of competition with the Nook.

What I like about the Kindle: sometimes it's difficult getting the books I want without a long wait or extra expenses. With the Kindle I can instantly download anything. I still like printed books and I buy a lot from Monsoon and some of the used stores in BKK of course.

There are many free and inexpensive books at Smashwords and Amazon from indie and traditionally published authors. Many writers who published in the traditional way have a book or two they couldn't sell to the big houses and have lately made it available as an e-book. It might be short stories or something the publisher doesn't think is marketable in a big way for whatever reason.

But Amazon raises the prices of books in Asia. For example, my novel sells for 2.99 in the States and 4.99 here. I have no idea why and have no control over it.

[TheLaughingMan]

It's a mistake mix an ebook reader with a computer tablet. They are two different devices.

The trick of Mr Jobs is make customers believe Ipad can be used as an e-ink device. Just try to read a book on the beach with your Ipad or Iphone.

I don't want enter in the argument Ipad good Ipad bad. If you happy with the new 25.000 baht toy, good for you.

But to read a book every day, some hours a day, everywhere, you can do only with an Ebook reader.

Well I cant comment on reading books on the ipad in the hot sun... but why would you want to do that? Never tried it so dont know if it looks crappy, I'll take your word for it.. unless of course you TOO havent tried it and are just talking out your ass? lol. I read books every day, I dont understand how a crappy looking black and white "straight from the 70's" looking screen is somehow better than my full colour bright and beautiful pages with amazing cover art displayed so nicely on my "bookshelf". I just dont get it at all. The weight thing is the only issue that makes sense to me at all.

As for the ipad being a toy, I KNOW you havent used one, this thing runs my whole life. Couldn't work or leisure without it.

[Phil Conners]

Good for you

[TheLaughingMan]

Good for you

Oh, you reminded me, about you needing a device to read all the formats. I downloaded a free program called calibre, it converts all formats to epub format which the ipad uses, takes about 25 seconds and you can add a beautiful cover for the book to be displayed on the book shelf. Just sayin, worrying about a device that can play all formats is not an issue unless you are technologically disabled, which Im sure you are not.

[Benjie]

Well I cant comment on reading books on the ipad in the hot sun... but why would you want to do that? Never tried it so dont know if it looks crappy, I'll take your word for it.. unless of course you TOO havent tried it and are just talking out your ass? lol. I read books every day, I dont understand how a crappy looking black and white "straight from the 70's" looking screen is somehow better than my full colour bright and beautiful pages with amazing cover art displayed so nicely on my "bookshelf". I just dont get it at all. The weight thing is the only issue that makes sense to me at all.

As for the ipad being a toy, I KNOW you havent used one, this thing runs my whole life. Couldn't work or leisure without it.

Eh? It's only been out a little while, whatever did you do before then?

I find it kind of amusing, one review by a guy who is in his own words looking for a replacement to carrying books and the apple fanboys are foaming at the mouth.

[TheLaughingMan]

No, cmon, he called it a flashy gadget when it is a very useful tool for so many things. When someone is going to say something so totally untrue well.... As for the ebook reader comparison, like I said I stil dont understand how a 70's looking amigo black and white screen is better than full colour, big and bright?

Who the <deleted> is an apple fanboy? Before the iphone most people never heard of them, useless overpriced computers that arent compatible with the rest of the world (compatibility being the major issue of useless). They should have made their computers very cheap instead of going the route of the "elite" computer barely anyone will want to use. I also hate apple and their attempts at control. But ya... dam_n products they are making recently are taking over the world. Because they are good. Its the people fighting against that, that look strange.

As for what I did before my ipad... I cant even remember, it was like going from rubbing 2 sticks together to build a fire to cook my food for an hour to a microwave oven to cook it in 1 minute, took me right out of the dark ages. The convenience of working on the ipad anywhere anytime within 2 seconds (no startup time) is an incredible change to my life. Why did it take so long for a tool like this to come out? Baffles me.

[negreanu]

Have to agree with OP. I use an ipad and i love it for browsing etc. But extended reading I still reach for the kindle 2. It just feels much better and reads much better. +1 for Kindle 2 for ebook reading.

[sarahsbloke]

Have to agree with OP. I use an ipad and i love it for browsing etc. But extended reading I still reach for the kindle 2. It just feels much better and reads much better. +1 for Kindle 2 for ebook reading.

I have a Samsung netbook for reading books at the moment, same drawback as the Ipad ....... battery life 6hrs.

I see no point in the Ipad, any netbook will do the same job but better, battery life of the Ipad not much better.

Now the Kindle and Nook can be used for a week without a recharge, great for trekking in the jungle or out on a dive boat for a week.

Don't know if an e-ink display is better for reading, everyone who owns one seems to think so .... I just want better battery life.

The Ipad seems a pointless gadget, wildly overpriced and does nothing all that well.

Apple fanboy

Someone who loves apple products and defends them against all comers no matter what piece of pointless junk they sell at any price.

Edited July 8, 2010 by sarahsbloke

[tominbkk]

I'm still not quite sure why comparisons are being made with the Kindle and the Ipad.

The Kindle does one thing, and according to my brother, that one thing it does it does very well. I played with one for awhile and it is quite pleasant on the eye and is a cute little uni-function reading gadget.

But to compare it with the Ipad is not really possible. First off, I read for long periods of time on my Ipad, and do not get eye strain. I read novels, many longer articles I pull from the internet which are fabulously reformatted and organized via the instapaper app, full color magazines (PDF) in all their glory, comic books with a couple of my favorite comic book readers, and I have a couple very excellent RSS readers (Pulse, anyone?), and of course I get on the web and do anything I want, except play flash games. I also have instant access to my dropbox for access everywhere cloud storage, and can open any office file and edit and send back files in a snap with one of my few office format editors. Of course all of my different email accounts are a one button push away.

I can play one of my way too many games, including scrabble, backgammon, chess, racing games, and so many other games it would make your head spin.

For music, which I play a lot of (piano and guitar), I have a few different music creation programs, Studiotrack, a 4 track recorder with oodles of mixing and effects, plus the easy ability to bounce tracks for a basically infinite amount of tracks available.....easy to use and great to sketch out songs on the go. I have midi sequencers, loop players, a great tab reader which hooks right up to guitaretab.com, so that I have instant access to half a million songs, so that I can just type a song in, and presto there it is, I can place my Ipad on the piano and set it to auto scroll and away we go, hours of fun...

I have instant access to youtube, a great service called Newsy (a video news service), and as well with some easy converting (though a little slow, you'll want to batch convert your vids when you are sleeping) I can have any video on my Ipad I want.

That's really just the tip of the iceberg. Whatever else you might need is only a few clicks away. for example, I am going to Hanoi for a biz trip, and wanted to learn some common phrases in Vietnamese. A quick search in the Apps store led me to a free app which has the most common phrases, which you can click on and listen to, read, and repeat to yourself. A simple app, nothing fancy, but free, and is exactly what I needed, nothing more or less. This is just an example of the power of the Ipad.

So these strange comparisons being made between the retro looking one trick pony kindle, and the Ipad, which can do anything programmers can imagine for it to do very well (albeit it weighs a little more, which by the way hasn't stopped me from using it all the time) is for the most part ridiculous.

Plus when I'm out lying in the sun, I don't read anyway, I listen to my Ipod!

[tominbkk]

I have a Samsung netbook for reading books at the moment, same drawback as the Ipad ....... battery life 6hrs.

I see no point in the Ipad, any netbook will do the same job but better, battery life of the Ipad not much better.

Now the Kindle and Nook can be used for a week without a recharge, great for trekking in the jungle or out on a dive boat for a week.

Don't know if an e-ink display is better for reading, everyone who owns one seems to think so .... I just want better battery life.

The Ipad seems a pointless gadget, wildly overpriced and does nothing all that well.

Wow, I nominate you for ignorant poster of the year award!

[sarahsbloke]

I'm still not quite sure why comparisons are being made with the Kindle and the Ipad.

The Kindle does one thing, and according to my brother, that one thing it does it does very well. I played with one for awhile and it is quite pleasant on the eye and is a cute little uni-function reading gadget.

But to compare it with the Ipad is not really possible. First off, I read for long periods of time on my Ipad, and do not get eye strain. I read novels, many longer articles I pull from the internet which are fabulously reformatted and organized via the instapaper app, full color magazines (PDF) in all their glory, comic books with a couple of my favorite comic book readers, and I have a couple very excellent RSS readers (Pulse, anyone?), and of course I get on the web and do anything I want, except play flash games. I also have instant access to my dropbox for access everywhere cloud storage, and can open any office file and edit and send back files in a snap with one of my few office format editors. Of course all of my different email accounts are a one button push away.

I can play one of my way too many games, including scrabble, backgammon, chess, racing games, and so many other games it would make your head spin.

For music, which I play a lot of (piano and guitar), I have a few different music creation programs, Studiotrack, a 4 track recorder with oodles of mixing and effects, plus the easy ability to bounce tracks for a basically infinite amount of tracks available.....easy to use and great to sketch out songs on the go. I have midi sequencers, loop players, a great tab reader which hooks right up to guitaretab.com, so that I have instant access to half a million songs, so that I can just type a song in, and presto there it is, I can place my Ipad on the piano and set it to auto scroll and away we go, hours of fun...

I have instant access to youtube, a great service called Newsy (a video news service), and as well with some easy converting (though a little slow, you'll want to batch convert your vids when you are sleeping) I can have any video on my Ipad I want.

That's really just the tip of the iceberg. Whatever else you might need is only a few clicks away. for example, I am going to Hanoi for a biz trip, and wanted to learn some common phrases in Vietnamese. A quick search in the Apps store led me to a free app which has the most common phrases, which you can click on and listen to, read, and repeat to yourself. A simple app, nothing fancy, but free, and is exactly what I needed, nothing more or less. This is just an example of the power of the Ipad.

So these strange comparisons being made between the retro looking one trick pony kindle, and the Ipad, which can do anything programmers can imagine for it to do very well (albeit it weighs a little more, which by the way hasn't stopped me from using it all the time) is for the most part ridiculous.

Plus when I'm out lying in the sun, I don't read anyway, I listen to my Ipod!

You have yet to tell us what your Ipad does better than a Netbook, I suppose because the answer would be nothing.

Anyway, no point on replying, I won't see it as you have been added to my ignore list for the personal insult.

Edited July 8, 2010 by sarahsbloke

[tominbkk]

You have yet to tell us what your Ipad does better than a Netbook, I suppose because the answer would be nothing.

Anyway, no point on replying, I won't see it as you have been added to my ignore list for the personal insult.

Please never buy or use an Ipad, keep your head buried under the sand!

[angiud]

I would like to know from you Apple nerds what you can do more with your Ipad than me with my 10.000 baht netbook.

(BTW I don't use my netbook to read books, I use my Ebook reader)

[CDNinKS]

But Amazon raises the prices of books in Asia. For example, my novel sells for 2.99 in the States and 4.99 here. I have no idea why and have no control over it.

Only if you wirelessly download them. If you download to your computer and then transfer to your Kindle by USB you save the 2 bucks.

[nikster]

I'm still not quite sure why comparisons are being made with the Kindle and the Ipad.

The Kindle does one thing, and according to my brother, that one thing it does it does very well. I played with one for awhile and it is quite pleasant on the eye and is a cute little uni-function reading gadget.

But to compare it with the Ipad is not really possible. First off, I read for long periods of time on my Ipad, and do not get eye strain. I read novels, many longer articles I pull from the internet which are fabulously reformatted and organized via the instapaper app, full color magazines (PDF) in all their glory, comic books with a couple of my favorite comic book readers, and I have a couple very excellent RSS readers (Pulse, anyone?), and of course I get on the web and do anything I want, except play flash games. I also have instant access to my dropbox for access everywhere cloud storage, and can open any office file and edit and send back files in a snap with one of my few office format editors. Of course all of my different email accounts are a one button push away.

I can play one of my way too many games, including scrabble, backgammon, chess, racing games, and so many other games it would make your head spin.

For music, which I play a lot of (piano and guitar), I have a few different music creation programs, Studiotrack, a 4 track recorder with oodles of mixing and effects, plus the easy ability to bounce tracks for a basically infinite amount of tracks available.....easy to use and great to sketch out songs on the go. I have midi sequencers, loop players, a great tab reader which hooks right up to guitaretab.com, so that I have instant access to half a million songs, so that I can just type a song in, and presto there it is, I can place my Ipad on the piano and set it to auto scroll and away we go, hours of fun...

I have instant access to youtube, a great service called Newsy (a video news service), and as well with some easy converting (though a little slow, you'll want to batch convert your vids when you are sleeping) I can have any video on my Ipad I want.

That's really just the tip of the iceberg. Whatever else you might need is only a few clicks away. for example, I am going to Hanoi for a biz trip, and wanted to learn some common phrases in Vietnamese. A quick search in the Apps store led me to a free app which has the most common phrases, which you can click on and listen to, read, and repeat to yourself. A simple app, nothing fancy, but free, and is exactly what I needed, nothing more or less. This is just an example of the power of the Ipad.

So these strange comparisons being made between the retro looking one trick pony kindle, and the Ipad, which can do anything programmers can imagine for it to do very well (albeit it weighs a little more, which by the way hasn't stopped me from using it all the time) is for the most part ridiculous.

Plus when I'm out lying in the sun, I don't read anyway, I listen to my Ipod!

Wow - we should start a "what do you do with your iPad" thread - I had no idea. Definitely going to get the RSS reader at least. I have a few RSS links and as well as Safari does RSS on the Mac, it doesn't really do it at all on mobile devices.

Apple Fanboy: A fictional figure only present in the mind of the Anti-Apple-Fanboy. The Anti-Apple-Fanboy thinks that all things made by Apple are overpriced toys that are proprietary and sell only because of "marketing hype". Anyone buying Apple products must therefore be Apple Fanboys, in the Anti-Apple-Fanboy's mind.

In reality, I don't know any Apple fanboys. Never seen them. Anywhere. What I see is a company that produces hit products every year which change the shape of computing as we know it. And they do it in a way that makes them a lot of money. And lots of Anti-Apple-Fanboys, who, rather then ignoring that which apparently doesn't interest them, complaining about Apple fanboys.

[nikster]

I would like to know from you Apple nerds what you can do more with your Ipad than me with my 10.000 baht netbook.

(BTW I don't use my netbook to read books, I use my Ebook reader)

Reading books? Maps? I guess your netbook doesn't have a GPS. See the screen in sunlight - it's an IPS panel. Use our fingers to navigate and surf. Never boot or reboot our machine, which is always instant on. Use it for 10 hours. Don't have to deal with Windows. 9.7" screen. Use it as a photo frame (there's a special button for that). Use finger painting apps.

The rest is more something that you can't really put in specs... the iPad works. Everything is instant. Zooming in and out of maps, photos, is bliss. The maps app is more beautiful than it could ever be on my $3000 laptop. You basically have a magic map in your hand. It's pretty much the opposite experience to using a teeny-tiny laptop to display goole maps. Video is gorgeous.

I paid ~16,500 for my iPad.

You use a 10,000 baht netbook? What for, 'cause I could never imagine a use for those things? Provide a link, then maybe I can tell you more....

[FarangBuddha]

Wow...what a p#ssing match between the Apple fanboys/girls and the Kindle folks...I mean, I'm used to such slugfests when it comes to Wintel vs. Mac threads but in one devoted to an e-reader...who would have thought the passions would run so high

Just my 2 baht but as others have said...it's really an apples to oranges comparison. I mean, how can anyone seriously compare a single-purpose e-reading device to a tablet form-factor personal computer...to say nothing of the price difference between a US$ 200 device and a US$ 500-700 computer!

There was allot to learn about the Kindle, which I am also considering purchasing FOR READING. What I find really cool is with the international editions is the Whisper-sync functionality. To be able to download a book instantly for basically free anywhere in the world (or more precisely any beach in the world with a cell signal) is pretty cool. Sure one is locked into the Amazon store for books but most are 10 bucks or so so what's the big! I did not see it mentioned but one can also get newspaper subscriptions from around the world and magazines too for really cheap (compared to print copies bought at home or in Thailand) and these are automatically delivered to your Kindle every nite/morning. Yes, I know you can get the same info free from their websites (at least mostly for now but maybe not for long) but for a few bucks a month, you can get the Kindle versions and easily take it along with you to read during the day or at the table with your morning cup-o-java!

At US$ 200, the Kindle seems almost like a no brainer for someone who wants a dedicated reading device. No knock on the iPad or notebooks either...they are great multi-purpose devices but for reading alone, the Kindle seems like the way to go.

[TheLaughingMan]

I stated quite clearly that I hate apple, but the antiapple fanboys just refuse to hear it. Unfortunately apple makes the best phone and portable device on the market currently and I'm forced to buy from them. Hopefully in a few years someone else will properly compete (not pathetically compete) and I can buy from someone else.

I will describe how the ipad works better than another similar device by how I used it today. I was working on a 4 page newlsetter than needs tables, charts and pictures alongside text. So... went to the toilet and had a few minutes to spare....took all of 3 seconds to turn on the ipad and open my work in progress, leaving me several minutes of productivity I normally wouldnt have thought of having. Added a table and started inputting data in a beautiful and extremely easy to make format. Continued to work while lounging in bed, the newsletter was really starting to look great, adding pics and a chart and moving them around to the right position with all the text seamlessly floating around the images until I find the right place to put them. Had to go to work so jumped on the bts and again whipped out my ipad and was working within SECONDS. And doing things that take me 10 times as long and dont look nearly as nice on my pc. I'm using the pages app btw.

The point is, this is what makes the ipad so great, no bootup, almost instant loading times of documents, can work instantly on the go standing up, sitting down or lounging around anywhere. Dont have to save anything because it is saved automatically when I close the app with the home button to quickly rush out of the BTS. Open up my work in progress at the office and its instantly there to show anyone or continue working on.

This really has improved my life, besides the time saving and ease of use that has increased my productivity, its so much fun it encourages me to work more and harder! No other device has ever done that for me.

Back on the topic of reading books. Farangbuddha mentioned the way he can buy and download ebooks anywhere anytime.... I'm pretty sure this is exactly how it works on the ipad. I already have an extensive ebook collection so I simply transfer them all to my ipad (beautiful full colour book covers displayed) and brwose my large collection of books and comics and magazines.

Edited July 8, 2010 by TheLaughingMan