Amazon Kindle: Hands-on first impressions

By John P. Falcone – November 19, 2007, 12:11 PM PST

In the house: Amazon's new Kindle

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET Networks)

The slow drip of rumors and leaks about the Amazon Kindle e-book reader exploded into a full-blown flood over the weekend, once it was revealed as this week's Newsweek cover story. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos filled in all of the remaining blanks (or most of them, anyway) at this morning's New York press conference that officially introduced the product to the world. Some relevant details, finally confirmed:

Measurements: The Kindle weighs 10.3 ounces and is about the size of a trade paperback book. It's both taller and thicker than the Sony Reader.

Connectivity: The Kindle connects to the Web via the "Amazon Whispernet," a free high-speed cellular wireless network (Sprint EVDO). Books and other content are available for direct download, without the need for connecting to a PC (though a USB port does provide PC connectivity for transferring files). The Kindle's internal memory can store up to 200 books, and it's expandable via an SD slot (which can also be used to load additional media).

Books: Once you're online via EVDO, electronic books are available directly from Amazon for up to $10--just click on the title you want, and it's downloaded (and you're charged) in about a minute's time. Amazon is currently offering more than 90,000 titles, including 90 percent of the current New York Times bestsellers. The first chapter of most books can be previewed on the Kindle for free. Amazon keeps track of your purchases, so you can delete the file on the Kindle (to make space for more content) and then download it again later for no additional charge.

Newspapers and magazines: The Kindle can also be used to subscribe to a variety of periodicals, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Le Monde, and Forbes. Newspaper subscriptions are $6 to $15 a month, and magazines are $1.25 to $3.49. Dailies are automatically delivered to the Kindle overnight, and each periodical includes a free two-week trial. (There appears to be no discount for existing subscribers of these periodicals.)

Blogs: The Kindle also offers more than 300 blogs, including Slashdot, The Onion, BoingBoing, and Techcrunch--but these are customized Kindle versions that cost at least $1 a month. Moreover, unlike your RSS feeds, you can't add your favorite blog--if it's not on Amazon's list, you can't subscribe to it.

Web browsing: The Kindle can also browse the Web at large (it has its own QWERTY keyboard directly below the screen), but--unlike the Kindle-ized premium content listed above--most standard Web pages are something of a disaster. The CNET home page, for instance, was rendered as 18 separate pages. Likewise, don't expect support for any plug-ins such as Flash.

Notation and bookmarks: You can bookmark key passages of what you're reading, and (using the keyboard), make, edit, and export notes. The Kindle also saves your place when reading anything, so you can always pick up where you left off.

Price and availability: The Kindle reader is now available from Amazon.com for $400.

CNET got one of the first review samples, and we've gotten a chance to put it through its paces. What do we think so far? Here's a quick and dirty appraisal, based on just a couple of hours of use:

The Good: Excellent high-contrast screen does a great job of simulating a printed page; large library of tens of thousands of e-books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs via Amazon's familiar online store; built-in "Whispernet" data network--no PC needed; built-in keyboard for notes; SD card expansion slot; long battery life.

The Bad: Design is ergonomic, but not very elegant; pricing for nearly all the content seems too high, especially considering the periodicals and blogs are available for free online; black-and-white screen is fine for books, but less impressive for periodicals and Web content; lacks a true Web browser; included cover is clumsy and poorly designed; yet another dedicated device you'll need to lug around with you.

The Bottom Line: With its built-in wireless capabilities and PC-free operation, Amazon's Kindle is a promising evolution of the electronic book (and newspaper, and magazine)--but overpriced content could be its Achilles' heel.

In other words, the Kindle is a very promising gadget that offers the potential to revolutionize how we read books and periodicals--but I just don't see myself buying one (and I read about two books a month). But again, that's a very preliminary evaluation. The full review is coming soon. In the meantime, let us know if you have any questions about the Kindle's capabilities. And, of course, your opinions: is the Kindle the next must-have gadget, or is there a dealbreaker or two that keeps it from missing the mark? And how many of you are just holding out for the iTunes Bookstore on your iPhone or iPod Touch? Or would prefer to spend your $400 on an Asus EEE PC instead?

Correction: This article initially misstated the Kindle's built-in connectivity options. It connects to the Web via a high-speed wireless network called Amazon Whispernet.

Category: Media Tags: Amazon Kindle, e-book reader

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by mas90guru November 19, 2007 12:52 PM: Is it true that this does not have a back light? If true, isn't that a pretty major oversight on Amazon's part? Also, who exactly do you think the target market for this is? I think I'd like reading the WSJ and NYT on the device -- except for the fact that I already do so for free on my PC. So that leaves mobile professionals who aren't smart enough to figure out how to read e-books on their laptop or Smartphone. Am I wrong here? This is simply a v1.0 alpha that Amazon is putting out there in order to perfect their e-Book skills. My guess is they don't expect to sell many. Am surprised to learn that the EVDO is free. I think the lack of a backlight is going to send this to the clearance bin within the year. If EVDO access required a plan then I think the obsolescence would be measured in only a few months.; Reply to this comment View reply
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by Jay Parkhill November 19, 2007 2:26 PM: I second the comment above. I still have yet to hear consumers *ask* for ebooks. This doesn't seem like a very interesting device for all the attention it has gotten.; Reply to this comment


by FrankTurd November 19, 2007 7:31 PM: You can't have a back light with the current version of "e-ink" they're using. It's the same with the Sony e-reader as well. Also, a back light would kill battery life (as it stands). Clip on LED lamps work just fine.; Reply to this comment


by Jeff Wasel November 24, 2007 5:53 AM: As an academic and geek, I read a lot in both the print and electronic worlds, but for the most part aim to read sans PC. I view a book as a welcome diversion from things digital, and as a die-hard bibliophile and book collector, value the tactile experience of a book as much as the content imparted. The look, feel, indeed the font used in printing the book are part of the whole reading experience to me, and as mentioned above, the thought of yet one more device in the armory is, for me, a show-stopper. I could see specific applications for this device in the form of field workers needing real-time access to complicated engineering or planning documents, law and medical students and others with very specific content demands. For a leisurely read on a plane, beach or bed, it just seems too utilitarian.; Reply to this comment


by noriver57 November 24, 2007 8:21 AM: This is for the person that read more than one item at a time.The fact that you can carry a 10 Oz. gadget instead of a ten pound laptop or a seven pound book will be worth the price. Try carrying you library with you and you will see what I mean.; Reply to this comment


by surfbored November 24, 2007 9:57 AM: No eBook will replace "real" books for those that love to read. For those that LIKE to read, like me, an eBook will be a godsend. I'd buy this ugly thing if wasn't also so expensive. Here's why... I need to refer to reference material all the time and carrying arm-loads of books just doesn't cut it. Also the ability to annotate pages is a bonus that's hard to ignore. Several other aspects that are frequently overlooked in eBooks: 1. A lot of books in a little space helps those that don't have room for a library. 2. A fire in your house won't kill your whole collection, just the reader. 3. Environmentally speaking, eBooks obviously use less paper! One downside that I hadn't thought off, until speaking with an avid reader, books take serious damage regularly (dropping, getting sat on, set on a sandy beach towel, etc.) that eBooks won't shrug off so easily.; Reply to this comment


by BPBerk November 24, 2007 12:59 PM: Both the Kindle and Sony's similar device are made in China. I hope someone makes a reader for those of us supporting the China Boycott. I'd buy one.; Reply to this comment


by objectcentral November 24, 2007 5:09 PM: Most of the comments so far are obviously from people who haven't used an e-paper device yet. I've used a Sony PRS-500 for several months now, and it is a truly better way to read. (And like a book, you gotta have an external light in the dark, but you can read in in the sunlight.) I think the Kindle model is much better than the Sony. The idea of having newspapers, magazines, and yes, even blogs automatically to the device is really cool - it would be worth a buck a month to me to not have to start up my computer, start the blog reader, etc. I can take this relatively small device, go where ever I want, and there it is. For me, it is much easer to read in bed (with the same light I use for paper books) because I can lie on my side, and don't have to do that awkward flip when changing pages in a physical book - just press the page forward button. And I can always have a whole bunch of books to choose from, and the morning paper! That is what will separate the Kindle from the Sony and other e-books. And really, the prices for the books at $10 aren't that steep. (And this is a secret, but there are thousands and thousands of bootleg e-books available that can easily be converted to the Kindle or Sony format. My personal rule is that if I own the paper version, it is OK to use a "free" e-book version. You do have to be a bit of a techie to find and convert these, which is why the Amazon model will win in the end.) This is a start, but it is the start of a real revolution, I think. There will be color e-paper in a couple of years, and maybe they can build in a LED sidelight for dark reading. And maybe ask Apple to do the design?; Reply to this comment


by roettcher November 24, 2007 5:50 PM: I realize most people think of this device for reading popular books, magazines, and newspapers but wouldn't this be a better device for sturdents reading text books? Will education publishers publish their books in a format where students can download the book and not carry the 30#s of book they do now? Seems they're shooting for the wrong market for people to read newspapers on this thing. How the graphics capabilities?; Reply to this comment


by brucerobb November 28, 2007 7:49 AM: I believe a lot of textbook publishers already use electronic media; at least, a lot of instructors do. . . . There are those of us who love to read (as different from "like to read"), but who have to travel. Having more options of what to read is much better than having to pack six or eight books. And there are scads of actually free, public domain books. I haven't read all the Sherlock Holmes stories yet, myself. All that said, I prefer a PDA (and, yes, those are getting scarce on the ground these days). Dell stopped production of their Axim line, and now carries Palms, Asus, Socket Mobile, and Pharos. HP has only four models that aren't smartphones.; Reply to this comment