Customer Reviews on Amazon.com

1. 3021 of 3090 people found this review helpful

   By Matthew E. Coenen on Amazon.com 7 September, 2010

   I Wanted a Dedicated E-Reader, and That's What I Got

   I'm a first-time Kindle owner, so I have nothing to "compare" the latest Kindle to. I don't own a Nook. I don't own an iPad (and, in any case, that's comparing apples to oranges). I don't have a Sony e-reader. '
   
   This will be a short, simple review.
   
   I received my Kindle about a week ago and haven't been able to put it down.
   
   Things I like about my Kindle?
   1. The e-ink display is amazing.
   2. Using the 5-way controller is simple and effective.
   3. Page turn speeds are faster than I thought they would be.
   4. It's lightweight, even with the attached cover (I have an Amazon cover with a built-in light)
   5. Page-turning buttons are quiet and well-placed.
   6. Recharge time is fast.
   7. I can order a book and start reading it in less than 60 seconds. Nice!
   8. Portability... I can take 3,000 books with me when I travel for work and not require additional suitcases or baggage fees.
   
   Things I'm not too keen on?
   1. Buttons are too close together and are laid out oddly.
   2. Lack of individual number buttons is frustrating.
   3. Power button on the bottom? Not a bad thing. Just an odd thing. (Same for the headphone input). I usually rest the "bottom" of a book on my lap when I read.
   
   Things I hope change in the future?
   1. How books are organized... When I put a book in a collection (which is actually a "tag"), it still appears in the main list. It's not actually "moved", it's merely associated.
   2. The look of the main screen. I'd like "folders" or some other way to display "collections".
   3. Ability to create personal "screen savers."
   4. E-book pricing, though Amazon has little control over this. Still, most titles are the same price as or less than their hardback/paperback counterparts. (And I'm not opposed to paying more for convenience and portability).
   
   Things that don't bother me regarding other reviews?
   1. The browser is experimental. Amazon has created a dedicated e-reader, and it's meant to be used to read. Period. Not browse the web. If you want to browse the web, get a computer -- not an e-reader.
   2. The Kindle is not an mP3 player, either. Yes, it's nice to have some classical music playing in the background while I read, but I don't need to see the title of the song, album art, etc. (And you can skip from track to track on the Kindle using shortcut keys).
   3. Lack of a "color" or "touch" screen.
   
   In summary, for $139, I'm quite thrilled with my purchase and have arleady read multiple books on it. In fact, I think I've read more in the past week than I've read in the past month.
2. 266 of 274 people found this review helpful

   By SerenityFL on Amazon.com 31 August, 2010

   Smaller, Lighter, Faster, Brilliant

   I have owned a K2 for over a year now and have really loved it. However, when I saw the K3, (or next generation Kindle), was coming out and was able to find a few images and specs, I knew I wanted it. I ordered immediately and began the long wait.
   
   It was well worth it.
   
   There is absolutely nothing wrong with my K2, it's still going strong and has never given me any problems at all but I had a number of reasons for ordering the K3:
   
   Graphite- Yes,really. I wanted something not white. I think the graphite looks better and cleaner. While skins are available, I found them to be a bit distracting so I'm very glad that Amazon gave us the choice to order white or graphite.
   
   Size- The K2 is actually nice but it seems a little big, especially in a case. I wanted something smaller and the K3 fits my hand perfectly. It's like it was designed around my hand that's how well it fits.
   
   "Previous Page" button on both coasts- I found this to be very important because it just feels right and it's necessary. See, there you are, in bed, all propped up on pillows, comfy, holding the Kindle in your right hand, reading, while your left hand dips in to the bag of Peanut M&Ms. You're reading along, engrossed in the story-you click the next page button and for whatever reason, miss something. "Wait, what?", you say and you have to go back to the previous page to pick up that word you missed but now you have to take your hand OUT of your bag of chocolates to hit the previous page button and it disrupts the entire flow and pulls you out of your comfy little cocoon for a second. With the previous page button on the right hand side as well, you don't have to stop using your left hand to shove candy down your throat, stop petting the dog or cat, stop twisting your hair, you just continue on, reading, using one hand. The Kindle needed that button on the right side, they put it there, I could not be happier.
   
   Placement of "Home", "Menu" buttons- While I may be used to the K2's button placement, the K3's home and menu button are where I intuitively want to press. It makes more sense to me to have them by the keyboard. This is where the bulk of the function buttons are, why have them spread out all over the place? All in one little area.
   
   The 5 Way Controller- I am so happy with the new 5 way controller. The one on the K2 stresses me out. It's a little knob and I have been very anxious this entire time that I'm going to break it right off. This was really noticeable when I started building my collections because I had to use that controller button a lot. It took me probably twice as long as others because I was very careful touching that controller, delicately pushing it to the right or up/down. The 5 way controller on the K3 works well, more responsive to the touch and I'm less stressed. It may take some getting used to for some when using it to navigate up or down a page as the Menu and Home buttons are very close to those controls but for me, again, no problems. LOVE it.
   
   Contrast- Ok, I read all kinds of things about contrast when I first got my K2. I, luckily, never had a problem with my contrast. It always seemed dark to me and I never felt the need for a hack or to return mine because it was good. Or so I thought. When I got the K3, holy cow what a difference! The fonts are so much darker, crisper, so much easier to read. What an absolute pleasure! They still have the grayish background and when I compare the two, the background looks almost the same color. On the K3 it's just more...clear, really. In fact, when I put my K2 and my K3 next to each other, I marvel at how I ever thought my K2 had dark fonts. It looks faded, sun bleached, hard to read compared to the K3. When they said better contrast, they absolutely meant, better contrast. The K2 was already easy on my eyes but this contrast is even better for my eyes. It's hard to tell from photos, you really have to see it in person. Excellent job on this part. Beautiful.
   
   Wi-Fi- I ordered the 3G/Wi-Fi because I'm not always going to be home when using my Kindle. But I am so happy that they added wi-fi because this entire time, I've been mainly using the USB cord to do anything with the Kindle. I've had to shop on my computer, send the book to my Kindle, hook up the USB cord, drag it to my Kindle...and no, it's not hard but you know, sometimes I just don't feel like getting out of bed to get the laptop and the cord and set it all up. Sometimes, I just want to order the next book in the series without moving. Oh yes, the Kindle is spoiling me and now, having the wi-fi, I don't even have to MOVE at ALL to get another book! How grand is life? The set up was laughably easy. At first when it scanned for a hot spot it didn't detect mine but I don't take "no" for an answer so I made it look again. It found my signal, I put in the password and now I can shop around in the Kindle store like everyone else, I can get on the web, browse around and get my books in 60 seconds, (or less), like all the others. I didn't feel I had missed out on too much before with my K2 but now that I've been able to do this with the K3, I realize I have been missing a lot of the Kindle experience. Thank you, Amazon, for adding this feature.
   
   So those were the reasons I ordered this unit.
   
   As far as weight is concerned, I'll be honest that I don't really notice much of a difference. I do carry both in a case, maybe that has something to do with it but, seriously, they feel just about the same. Also, I don't mind the number keys not being on the keyboard. I never really used them anyway and it's a matter of hitting the "sym", (symbol), key to get the number menu. I guess if you like to jump around to different locations it might get old but I have discovered there are ways to get around that. (Find out which letters associate with those number keys and you don't have to use the symbol menu.) But again, for me, not a big deal.
   
   The previous/next page buttons are a little different but once again, these work perfectly for me because as I was reading on the K3, I noticed that I hit those keys towards the very edge anyway. I picked up my K2 just to test and yep, that's how I held the Kindle so I don't have to put any effort in to turning a page. And they are quiet. No more, "click"...read, read, read, "click", read, read, read, "click"...you can't hear them.
   
   And finally, page turns: I put my two Kindles next to each other and hit the "next page" buttons simultaneously and they both turn at pretty much the same speed. I really don't notice much difference there.
   
   Anyway, my K2, as I said, still works and I'm keeping the K2 but this K3 is stunning. It is glorious. I absolutely love it. I had enough time between ordering and receiving and I wondered if maybe I would send it back, maybe I could just keep using the K2, maybe I'm being a bit of a tech junkie...but that would be wrong. There is NO WAY I would send this thing back. It's absolutely wonderful. I love it. I absolutely LOVE the K3.
3. 165 of 172 people found this review helpful

   By Abhinav Agarwal on Amazon.com 14 September, 2010

   Best e-book device on the market. For now. This is not an iPad. Nor is the iPad a Kindle (updated: Oct 20, Nov 11, Feb 26 2011)

   Combination of product and price make it perhaps the e-book device on the market. Just don't confuse it with the iPad. Rest of 1700 word review is first impressions and more. Updated Oct 20, Nov 11, and Feb 26 2011. Comparison with/of iBooks, iPad, Kindle Apps.
   
   I had never used an e-book reader before. Not even a borrowed one. My closest encounter had been in an airplane, seeing a passenger seated with an e-book reader (most likely the Kindle, or perhaps the Barnes & Noble Nook reader) as I walked up the aisle to my seat. So there was a lot to see and take in when I got my Kindle device (Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, 6" Display, Graphite - Latest Generation).
   
   1. First impressions.
   
   The device is small and feels very light in your hands. Dainty might be one word to describe it. Though this is not to suggest that it is flimsy. It feels well-built and sturdy. This is important because you do not want to feel that the seemingly bargain bottom price of $139 means the device is "cheap" or that build quality has been compromised to meet that price. Whether or not the device is actually going to last is quite another thing, but first impressions are first impressions. The page buttons, two on either side of the Kindle, are easy enough to operate, and silent. No deafening 'click' to resonate in the room every time you flip a digital page. There is a small keyboard at the bottom. The keys are circular. And tiny. But enough spaced apart that typing is easy enough. But requires a little practice.
   
   There is a micro-USB slot at the bottom of the Kindle that you can use to connect to your computer. The other end of the cable that ships with the Kindle allows you to plug the device into the computer for charging or for transferring content. The other end also connects into a power adapter that you can plug into your wall socket to charge the Kindle. Neat. Also present is a slot for the headphones to listen to a book, or to music, and a power-sleep-wake slider that also serves as a battery level indicator. Yellow when running, and green when fully charged.
   
   2. E-Ink
   
   If you have never seen "e-ink" on a device before, then be prepared to be surprised. Why? Because it does really feel like printed paper. Almost. The words almost feel printed on semi-glossy paper. They are that crystal clear. And sharp. You are almost tempted to poke at the words to see if they will peel off. Don't. You don't want to be messing up the display. Leave that bit to the dog. Or the kids. Or that accidental coffee spill. The e-ink display also means that there is no glare. You don't have to adjust the device to avoid the glare of sunlight or even the room light. If the room is well lit then the display appears bright. Not washed out. If the light is low, then you feel the need to turn up the light. This is not a backlit display, so it has to rely on external light to make the text visible. Which also means less strain on the eyes. That has to be a good thing.
   
   3. But...
   
   One quirk of the e-ink technology is that when you turn a page, the whole page turns 'negative' for a mili-second before the new page is displayed. It's disconcerting at first, but after a few times it sort of recedes into the background, and you don't notice it. When reading a book. However, if you are using the Kindle for other purposes, such as changing the settings, or synching, or adding books to a collection, you will notice that there is a slight flicker as items and text and pictures on the page refresh or change. This is likely a function of both the e-ink technology as well as the processor speed on the Kindle. Again, not an issue if you are reading, but a little bothersome otherwise.
   
   4. Reading On Monitors, Or Not
   
   Over the past several years we have got used to doing a fair bit of reading on computer screens. On CRT monitors to begin with, and for close to 10 years now on LCD panels. These are all backlit, and the glare can be irritating, and it can be stressful to the eyes. Yet we all spend 10 hours a day or more with our eyes glued to these screens. Whether coding, or emailing, or creating spreadsheets or documents or presentations, or surfing. One thing we don't still do on computer screens is read. Read sequentially that is. We peck and surf. Read a few lines in an email. Hit the reply button. Type in a reply. Hit Send. Alt-tab to the presentation. Add a few lines of text. Hit Ctrl+M to create a new slide. Add more text. Alt-tab to Facebook. Read the latest posts. Click the "Like" button. Alt-Tab to email. And so on. When was the last time you opened a PDF of the user guide that you have been meaning to read for the last one year? And spent an hour going over the manual from the first page onwards? Not very often. And even when you really, really needed to read the guide what do you end up doing? Print the first two chapters and read the paper copy, don't you? Or that 15 page requirements doc? Print it out, read it, red-line it as needed, jot some points, note some questions. Do you really use that Microsoft Word "Review" feature? Well, sometimes. But not very often.
   
   5. Reading on the Kindle
   
   So how is the reading experience on the Kindle? Once you have got over the excitement of having a new electronic toy in your hands? Surprisingly good. To begin with I read a short story, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", which is available for free as a Kindle book. The wonderful thing is that I got the book on my device in under a minute, and after fiddling a bit with the settings, like changing the text size, I started reading. Less than an hour later, I had finished reading the book. And I now finally understood what Cypher really meant when he told Neo, "It means fasten your seat belt Dorothy, 'cause Kansas is going bye-bye." (The Matrix (1999) - Memorable quotes, The Matrix (10th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray], The Matrix). And I also realized that the reading experience had been very unobtrusive. No glare. No strain on the eyes. This was good.
   
   6. What can't you read on the Kindle?
   
   Simply put, there are certain kinds of books that you should not read on the Kindle. Firstly, books with color in them. Color photographs. Color graphs. Color not for color's sake, but color that is relevant. The Kindle renders only black, white, and gray. No color. Secondly, books with lots of illustrations. True, the Kindle renders graphics. And does a neat job of them. But the Kindle is really not the device for illustrations.
   
   7. The Kindle Vs the iPad
   
   The Kindle is no tablet computing device. It's no iPad. It cannot, and should not aspire to be an iPad. It does not either, which is good. The iPad is not a Kindle either. You can get the Kindle reader for the iPad. But the iPad is not really a specialized reading device. It's fabulous for a hundred other things. And if one of those hundred things that you do on the iPad is also reading, then fine. No issues. You will get by. But if you require a specialized reading device, then go for the Kindle. If you want your Kindle to be also your web browsing device, then it's not going to work out. Even though the Kindle contains a Webkit browser, it's best avoided. The flicker that I described above is going to render browsing pretty much a futile task. And yes, you will miss the swipe, the flick, the pinching, the double-tapping on the Kindle. You may **want** these gestures on the Kindle, but you probably do not **need** them.
   
   8. Do you own your books?
   The Kindle features DRM (Digital Rights Management), which means that the books are in a proprietary format on the Kindle. When you purchase a book for the Kindle, it comes with restrictions. You cannot share that book with others. Ten years from now you are reasonably sure to still have that first edition Harry Potter hardcover, but there is no guarantee that you will still have that book on your Kindle. Of course, one could argue that firstly, your paper book is going to yellow with age, it is going to get dog eared, it is going to deteriorate with time, none of which is going to happen to your digital book, which is going to be as new and as crisp on its hundredth reading as the first. Secondly, Amazon is more likely to be in business ten years from now than some of its competitors, so there is little reason to believe that Amazon would go and do something silly to hurt its image and customers. On the other hand, the whole concept of DRM goes against what printed books have stood for for centuries. A book can be lent to friends, loaned by a library, resold, all without restrictions, and without fear of an overarching, overbearing big-brother looking over your shoulder. Maybe Amazon wants to sell digital books without DRM, and the publishers are the villains in the saga. Or maybe not. It doesn't really matter in the end. The end is still the same. You buy the book, but you never really own the book.
   
   9. Summary
   In summary, the Kindle is perhaps the most perfect e-book reader on the market today. However, five years from now, whether it will survive as this standalone, dedicated e-book reader is debatable. Also, five years from now, the e-book reader itself will likely look very different from the Kindle of 2010. It may have color. It may have zero transition irritants. It may not have DRM.
   The combination of the device and the price make it, in my opinion, a very, very good product from Amazon.
   
   10. UPDATE: OCT 20, 2010
   Task Usability * *
   --------------
   For certain tasks, there are usability irritants with the Kindle:
   - If you have several items in your "home" screen, and you want to move them to different folders, you have to do it one at a time. This means, scroll down to highlight a book; click the right button on the navigator button; select "Add to collection..." and press "Enter"; scroll down to the collection; press "Enter"; press the "Back" button; press the "Back" button again; and do this for every single item you want to move to a folder.
   - You cannot manage your Kindle items from the Kindle app for Windows. Which is too bad, since these tasks would be much easier done on a computer.
   - You miss tags. You may want to categorize a book based on several tags. For example, I may want to mark a book as a "sample" and "fiction" at the same time. With a foldering metaphor for organizing content, you are stuck.
   
   Reading Experience * * * * *
   ------------------
   The reading experience, after more than a month and several hundred pages (or is it "locations"), I will reiterate: the reading experience is "invisible". The Kindle retreats into the background. It's the e-inked word and you.
   
   11. UPDATE: NOV 11 2010
   11.A Kindle App for the iPad vs. iBooks on the iPad
   -------------------------------------------------------------------
   - Little to choose between Kindle App and iBooks on the iPad as far as interface is concerned.
   - Both allow you to flip through pages using the tap or swipe gesture.
   - Both have menus that disappear as you read, but popup at a tap.
   - Both allow you to place ribbon shaped bookmarks.
   - Both have sliders that you can use to jump to any place in the book.
   - Both allow you to change the font size and the brightness of the display.
   
   - However, when it comes to font size adjustment, you can select from a list of font sizes on the Kindle app.
   - On iBooks you basically tap the larger font icon to successively increase the font size, and the smaller font icon to reduce the size. Works but not as intuitive.
   
   - iBooks has a beautiful bookshelf metaphor as its library interface. Every book you add to your library is placed on this virtual bookshelf. Looks very nice.You miss this on the physical Kindle.
   
   11.B Kindle Device vs. iBooks and iPad
   --------------------------------------
   - The iPad is so gorgeous a device. It allows you to do so many things with it, that I suspect others, like I did, fiddling and getting distracted with the device than actual reading, which may well take a backseat.
   
   - The temptation to multi-task when reading on the iPad is simply be too great.
   
   - The Kindle device lets you read; the iPad is more suited to surfing.
   
   - I miss touch gestures on the Kindle. I would like to use my finger to tap on a specific location on the page to start highlighting it, or to mark an annotation, etc... The navigation button is not as convenient.
   
   - Page flipping and reading:
   -- The iPad is most certainly heavier than the Kindle.
   -- You absolutely cannot expect to read a book by holding the iPad in your hand for any length of time.
   -- You cannot hold the iPad in one hand and maneuver your fingers to flip or swipe to the next page. Just won't work.
   -- The weight of the iPad and the slipperiness of the glass screen will cause the device to slip through and clanker to the floor. Goodbye iPad.
   -- With the Kindle, holding it in one hand and flipping to the next or previous page is very, very easy.
   -- Because the Kindle is light enough for you to do this, and secondly because the next and back buttons are very conveniently placed close to where you hand and fingers would be when reading, and thirdly because the matte finish of the device means it won't suddenly slide and slip from your grip.
   
   - Reading strain: the e-ink technology on the Kindle makes for a very, very stress free reading experience on your eyes. Backlit LCDs are just not that good for reading. That we still spend 10+ hours a day in front of such screens is quite another thing.
   
   - In summary, for reading books, the Kindle wins hands down over the iPad. The Kindle does the best job when it comes to reading. For other purposes, even for browsing and buying books, or social networking, etc... the iPad beats the Kindle every single time.
   
   ------------------
   Update Feb 26, 2011
   ------------------
   Some likes and dislikes after almost 6 months of usage:
   -Likes:
   --- Reading books is really a joy. You can read for hours without feeling the strain.
   --- I have read on the Kindle app on the iPod Touch, iPad, iBooks on the iPad, and in every single case the **reading** experience on the physical Kindle trumps these apps.
   --- Lightweight. A big plus here. You can read holding the Kindle in one hand without feeling the strain.
   
   -Dislikes:
   --- The absence of a good UI to manage your library on the Kindle. If you download and have 100 books or more on your Kindle, and want to arrange and tag them, the Kindle software sucks. It really offers no usable way to do so. Imagine you download Jane Austen's works, and want to place them into three collections: fiction, classics, and Jane Austen; you will likely give up the task in frustration before completion. This is a HUGE drawback presently.
   --- No sub-foldering/sub-collections.
   --- The Kindle sometimes takes as long as 5-10 seconds when you highlight a section and press "Enter" to save it. Not always, but sometimes. And it is inexplicable.
   --- Absence of color. For certain types of books the grayscale photos simply don't work.
   --- No support for specific fonts. No matter what the font face of the original paper edition, the Kindle renders it in generic font faces like Seriff, Sans-Seriff, Courier etc... Which takes away from those things that gives books some of their uniqueness.
   --- No easy way to navigate within the book. Say you want to flip ahead 50 pages, or 150 locations. The absence of a touch slider hurts. You have to go through the menu and use "go to".
   --- Touch interface. In some cases a touch interface would help. It will likely appear in the Kindle v4 or v5, but that's cold comfort for current owners.
   
   -----------------
4. 274 of 294 people found this review helpful

   By J. Doherty on Amazon.com 29 August, 2010

   K3 vs PRS-505

   Anyone that has ever surfed an eReader forum knows that the PRS-505 has been the long standing benchmark for eReaders. Why? Because it had the best eReader screen (which is why they have held their original MSRP of $300 on eBay and upwards of $199 for a used one). Sony didn't seem to realize what they had accomplished and even newer models can't compare to the screen that was used on the PRS-505. I've also frequently read that many people also preferred the PRS-505 screen to some of the earlier Kindle's. So... I purchased a PRS-505 (after returning my mistaken Sony PRS-600 purchase). I can say, it was true, the PRS-505 screen was beautiful and was even better than paper.
   
   That brings us to today, I'm now an owner of a Kindle 3. I won't even bother comparing anything to the PRS-600 because it is just that bad (other than the convenience of the touch screen).
   
   History lesson aside... In this review I will be comparing the Kindle 3 with the Sony PRS-505 because I know there are a lot of PRS-505 owners out there who might be wondering if it would be a good switch. Of course, as with all reviews, YMMV (Your mileage may vary), no warranties are expressed or implied, legal yadda, yadda...
   
   Kindle 3 vs PRS-505
   (I will abbreviate: Kindle 3 = K3, PRS-505 = 505)
   
   -Screen Quality-
   Winner: Tie
   The K3 DOES have better contrast and I would agree with Amazon, it is about 50% better, so no complaints there at all. Grayscale is great and displays book covers, pictures, etc. better than the 505. However, the K3 does have a tiny bit more glare than the 505. When I say a tiny bit, I do mean a tiny bit. Even if I had a video camera, it probably wouldn't show up on camera. It is no where near as bad as the PRS-700 or PRS-600, but it should be known that there is that ever so little, miniscule amount of glare when compared directly with the 505. Personally, not enough to make me dislike the K3 and the increased contrast makes up for it... therefore it's a tie.
   
   -Screen Functionality-
   Winner: K3
   Page flips are just faster on the K3 than the 505. Also, the K3 does a better job of updating smaller sections of the screen than the 505 did (i.e. Menus). It's simply more responsive, faster and during the white-to-black-to-white transition is almost unnoticeable if not natural.
   
   -Controls-
   Winner: K3
   I did like the controls on the 505, however, I found myself getting a little uncomfortable with them when I read for extended periods (i.e. 6-8 hours). On the K3, I have not experienced that 'uncomfortableness' (not sure if that's a word but lets go with it). The K3 is still new to me so it's possible that I just haven't had enough time with it yet, but I think I've put in enough use to make that determination.
   
   -Connectivity-
   Winner: K3
   Naturally, the K3 has wireless and USB. The 505 only has USB. Pretty simple, enough said.
   
   -Battery Life & Charging-
   Winner: K3
   K3 definitely has better battery life (although, I could be slightly biased since the battery in the 505 is older, but I think the K3 has better battery life than even when my 505 was new). In terms of charging, it was nice of Amazon to include a wall charger. I have a laptop and don't want to leave my laptop on just to charge my eReader. With the 505, the wall charger had to be purchased separately. Plus, if you discharged the 505 too much then it took forever for it to start charging via USB and almost needed a wall charger.
   
   -Memory Size-
   Winner: 505
   Sorry Amazon, the 505 clearly has the better memory platform (Internal Memory + Sony MemoryStick Slot + SD Card Slot). I don't think it would have been too difficult to implement a MicroSD card slot into the K3. Heck, the slots on the side for connecting the optional K3 cover are about the same size needed for a MicroSD card slot. The K3 does have 4GB on board but the MicroSD option to expand storage would've been nice (not to mention inserting the card into a computer card slot to transfer books between the computer and the device instead of the USB cable).
   
   -eBook Store-
   Winner: K3
   It doesn't get any easier than the Kindle Store in terms of finding books and downloading them. Plus, the Kindle store has many titles that can be hard to find to purchase for the 505 (I know, I've already run into 3 titles that were ONLY available in the Kindle Store). Pricewise, the Kindle store is often cheaper than the Sony store making it an easy win for the K3 as well. (I understand that there are other stores available to purchase from, but the general audience isn't likely to hunt and peck every eBook store. They are more likely to shop at the eBook store that interfaces directly with their device and don't want to worry about formats, converting formats, etc.).
   
   -Miscellaneous Pros- (that the competing device doesn't have or doesn't do well)
   Kindle 3: Dictionary & Notes (a welcome addition over the 505 which the PRS-600 tried to implement but the screen was horrible), Web browser, automatic download of content (periodicals, newspapers, magazines)
   PRS-505: Format flexibility (library ePubs, DRM ePubs), feels really solid
   
   In the end, the Kindle 3 is a better device for me. There are some definite upsides to the PRS-505 which make it a good device as well, but the Kindle 3 has brought more of what is expected of an eReader today (newer technology) and put it in a package similar to that of the PRS-505 which makes it a good compromise.
5. 234 of 255 people found this review helpful

   By monakh on Amazon.com 3 September, 2010

   K3: The Next Generation.

   Review Summary: *** When I first reviewed my Kindle three weeks back, it was extremely buggy, unstable and kept rebooting. I am happy to note that most of those issues have been addressed but I am still testing the K3 ***
   
   Ahh, I am compelled to write this review for two reasons, first and foremost, this is a FABULOUS device for readers. I waited out the K1, and gifted the K2, but for myself, I opted for the 3rd Generation Kindle. The second, I wanted to warn everyone about the pitfalls of being on the bleeding edge since when I first got the device it was not performing well at all. However, that seems to have been fixed for the most part. I do want to point out that I am still getting reboots but they are far reduced. The last reboot occurred recently as I was browsing a .docx document that had been converted to .azw for the Kindle.
   
   So the pros:
   
   * Great contrast, this is my first e-reader so I am being spoiled by what is obviously a well-refined screen.
   * Page turning is almost perfect (could be faster but at least it doesn't frustrate like some I have seen).
   * The Kindle ecosystem is stellar. It took me less than an hour to get 20 books on my K3, three quarters of which were free as they were in the public domain. Did you know everything from Little Women to 20,000 Leagues under the Sea is a free click away? You will go crazy like a kid in a toy store with all the free books to choose from.
   * I have the WiFi-only variant and it works perfectly for me (even with a hidden SSID and WPA2 encryption) here in the Middle East since I am an American expat.
   * I really appreciate the 'mail documents to the free Kindle e-mail address' feature. I have read tons of work-related and other PDF/MS Word documentation that I would have otherwise printed out or viewed on a PC. It really is something that adds value to your life. I no longer need my laptop everywhere. I can read stuff on the bus that needs to be reviewed before a meeting. Now, I just tell my friends (you have to authorize their domains or e-mail addresses in your Kindle account) to mail a document to my Kindle if they want me to look at it.
   * The battery-life is stellar! It lasts forever and ever. A couple of weeks at least for occasional reading. A week if you are a heavy reader and this is with the WiFi on (I always leave mine on).
   * The web browser may be 'Experimental' but it works surprisingly well. You can actually browse any text-based sites with ease and those formatted for mobility are even better. +1 for that.
   * 'Collections' is a good feature and a nice way to organize your stuff.
   * The text-to-speech feature may be a gimmick and sounds mechanical but has great potential. I can see why it has the audio book publishers up in arms, even though, to me, at the moment it poses them no threat whatsoever. The mechanical male or female voice just cannot, as of yet, compete with the nuances and inflections that the human voice possesses.
   * The mp3 playback is nice-to-have but I don't see myself ever using it, it's too cumbersome to move the files to the Kindle. Even after you move the files, you can't see anything and you just have play and pause control over your recording. No jumping through a 'playlist' or anything. It's like an iPod Shuffle--without the shuffle...or feedback!
   
   And now the cons:
   
   * Kindle Dev Team: What the EFF were you thinking releasing the firmware that came with the launch? When I browsed the Kindle store after receiving my device--and I was counting--The K3 REBOOTED on me FIVE times. It did the same thing twice as I read 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. And, of course, the WebKit browser is experimental so I don't mind that it also rebooted my Kindle twice. Update: This issue appears to be resolved. My device is now actually usable for long periods of time whereas before it was not.
   * After three weeks of usage, I find the back/forward buttons to be a bit too mushy. They need to provide more tactile feedback.
   * The accessories are a rip-off. $59 for a case with a light? Isn't that like almost half of what I paid for my Kindle? Is that how much it costs to import? Amazon, I want you to make money but come on, this is extortion! It's almost like Amazon is trying the old hand of HP's InkJet Printers and the Ink Cartridge situation: Sell the hardware ultra cheap and make up for it via the supplies.
   * OK, fine you are scaring us with the dead author pics, but can you put them in the dozens rather than single digits? Or, as another reviewer lamented, let us choose our own. Or how about a world clock for crying out loud with an international dateline thingy majingy. For me, I want to see everyone from Victor Hugo to Pearl S. Buck. Come on guys, it can't be that hard, put the stuff up for free in the Kindle Store and let your customers choose if they want this...or that.
   * This is a minor con but the overall speed of the device could use a 30% increase and I think then it would be perfect.
   * I wish there was a way to make the cursor move faster from the top of the screen to the bottom of the screen, it goes down (or up) one line at a time which can be frustrating.
   * I can't seem to sort the Kindle Search results via price or reviews etc. That may just be me, though. Edit: As the commenter below pointed out, I want to sort results by pricing because it's woefully difficult to find the free books on the Kindle Store. Amazon, can you just make a 'Freebie Store' or whatever so we can browse that too? Why make it so bloody hard?!
   * Not all words show up with dictionary look-up. A good example is the word 'herring'. OK, I may know what it is, but my kid doesn't.
   * Standard documents need to be converted before they can be displayed on a Kindle. This, again, is not a huge con given what the device is primarily for, nevertheless this feature can add real value for those of us who regularly review cumbersome work-related documents. If I could save trees by not printing 50 pages, I would love to do so. You can email the documents to yourself at the free Kindle account and perform the same service for the sake of your environment.
   
   I appreciate the fact that Amazon immediately addressed the problem of unstable Kindles by releasing a software patch within two weeks. I must also give props to Amazon customer service that called me to inquire about my device based on some of my comments here. Not only that, they put in a follow-up call after the patch was released. When was the last time a vendor called YOU because you had a problem? Two thumbs up! To me, the Kindle is the best e-reader out there, and remains so in its 3rd iteration. The rating has been upgraded to 4 stars :)
   
   Happy reading and peace out!
6. 75 of 80 people found this review helpful

   By Thomas G. Sanner on Amazon.com 5 September, 2010

   Review of a First Time Kindle User

   I consider myself an avid reader and a bit of a geek, but was very hesitant to the idea of purchasing an e-reader. Yet eventually curiosity got the better of me and I took the plunge with the latest version of kindle. I must say I am very glad I did, wish I had earlier, and really wish I had purchased the latest series of books I had lost to water damage in electronic form instead of paper.
   
   WHAT I AM HAPPY ABOUT
   
   1. I am most impressed with the e-ink and clarity of the words on the screen. The words and pictures are very sharp and easy to read. You also don't have to worry about sun glare like on the IPAD which was a big selling point for me as I like to read outdoors.
   
   2. Extremely long batter life.
   
   3. Web Browser with access to internet where ever I go for a one time payment of 50 dollars. Not worth it if you have a smart phone but if your like me and don't want to pay for internet service for your home and your cell phone every month than its worthwhile. I will talk more about the "experimental" features more later but this was much better than expected and deserves kudos.
   
   4. Good design and build. User friendly without much of a learning curve. I do not feel like I need to handle it with kid gloves, I don't recommend tossing it around much but I'm not overly worried of it breaking easily.
   
   5. Receive newspapers and magazines no matter where I am.
   
   6. Amazon offers applications on practically every electronic device out there so your not forced to use the kindle forever if you don't want to.
   
   WHAT I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT
   
   1. My biggest complaint is that I can create categories to organize my book but CANNOT create sub-categories. For example I have books under a folder/collection for "Science Fiction" but cannot create another group for each under science fiction such as "Dune Books" or "Halo Books'. Like I said I'm a geek.
   
   2. Price of Books. Since I am not buying a physical copy of the book and the distributor is saving a ton on printing and shipping the prices should be a lot lower. However I admit some of that might be out of Amazon's control. I however do not agree with those who says newspapers and magazines need to be cheaper as you receive those without advertisements which is how most of those organizations make their money.
   
   3. A small kick stand would be nice that folds flush into the back of the kindle make out of similar material as the rest of the device so you don't feel it while holding the device. If I purchased an instructional book or cookbook it would be nice for it to stand by itself while using it.
   
   4. I wish I could personalize my kindle "sleep" picture.
   
   EXPERIMENTAL REVIEW
   
   Amazon was clever in labeling these features as "experimental" so I can't be to critical of them and understand they are works in progress.
   
   1. Web Browser- I am much happier with it than I expected, but at times while I am using it my kindle will freeze or restart itself. Very annoying but doesn't happen often. For simple web text surfing or email checking it works great but most likely most people will have cell phones with far greater capabilities such as video.
   
   2. MP3 Player- The feature is nice perk and the sound quality isn't bad. Yet the music player doesn't let you create a play list that you can pick and choose to play. Just starts at the beginning of music you had loaded and you have to skip ahead to a song or album you want. Its a bit worthless to me without this capability.
   
   3. Text to Voice- Its nice, just wish it worked on every book.
   
   Overall I like all of these features but hope Amazon does improve these features but doesn't loose sight of the fact its an e-reader and not a computer.
   
   Finally I recommend this device to anybody who reads a lot but the 3G version is only for those without smart phones.
7. 37 of 39 people found this review helpful

   By M Larocque on Amazon.com 8 September, 2010

   Reading Experience: just like a paper book.

   There have been a lot of reviews of this product, with some focusing on certain issues with Wi-Fi or 3G or just plain hardware issues. I will focus specifically on the reading experience itself as my kindle is in perfect working order and apart from one freeze when I used the experimental browser, I am very pleased with my purchase.
   
   This was my first e-reader purchase and I had played around with the kindle 2, Nook and Sony e-readers. The newest generation kindle is by far superior to these other devices. The contrast is akin to reading a paper book and the fonts are clear and I was so submerged in a book that I actually went to 'flip' the page, having forgotten I was reading on an electronic device. This was when I knew the kindle was a great product for me.
   
   I have transferred pdf documents and also downloaded a few free classics and I love the ability to change books depending on what you feel like reading at the moment. It connected to my Wi-Fi network instantaneously (as soon as I remembered the password!).
   
   Other advantages: the ability to read outside with no glare, the light weight of the product, the ease of getting new books (although you have to watch your impulse buys!). Lastly, my wife says she can't hear the page clicks when I read in bed. Actual paper pages make more noise.
   
   The only real disadvantage for me is the book 'locations'. I find it somewhat confusing and I do miss real page numbers. I also miss looking ahead as to when the next chapter starts. I could hit the forward buttons but it's not as quick as flipping a few pages to see where you are in the book - and then just reading on.
   
   I bought the kindle as I wanted an e-reader, nothing more and nothing less. I am very pleased with the little machine and am looking forward to downloading my next book - in 60 seconds or less!
8. 24 of 24 people found this review helpful

   By CdnChris on Amazon.com 29 September, 2010

   Do not hesitate to purchase this Kindle, but battery life is not as advertised.

   As a person who requires top performance and exacting standards in my work, I don't have too much patience for products and services that are shoddy or poorly executed. This is definitely not an issue with the Kindle and the Kindle-purchasing experience. Rather, in the case of the Kindle 3G WiFi (graphite), I am absolutely amazed and positively impressed. Let me explain.
   
   1. Shipping; my Kindle and Kindle cover with light both arrived well in advance of the estimated delivery time. The shipping was so fast as to be almost unbelievable.
   
   2. The products arrive in rugged, small boxes which are accessed with a simple pull-string. This is not one of the dreaded plastic impossi-shells that require knives, scissors and the use of non-renewable materials to ship your Kindle. Rather, recycled materials are used, the packaging is very easy to open, very easy to break down for recycling, and is completely adequate. This is among the best packaging I have seen, both in size (not over sized) and in execution.
   
   3. The Kindle is a very well thought out device. It arrives with sufficient charge to begin use upon being removed from the box, although it is recommended that it be charged up first (you can see videos of the unpackaging and set up of the Kindle on YouTube, which are helpful). Since the Kindle can be used while being charged, you spend the first afternoon with it plugged in and charging as you read through the very thorough overview and getting-to-know-your-Kindle information. As you read along, you can test out the features as you read about them, i.e. use the 5-way navigation toggle to get an immediate dictionary definition of a word in the text you're reading. The instructions and introduction are very complete and this aspect of educating the new user succeeds in my opinion.
   
   4. While I was waiting for delivery of my Kindle, I was able to buy books from Amazon and have them delivered by "Whispernet" (c'mon, its a cool moniker a proprietary e-book delivery system). When my Kindle arrived, I unpackaged it and plugged it in, and found that all of my purchases were already downloaded into the device! I know its easy to get jaded in this age of technical marvels, but really, this thing was sitting in a DHL warehouse while it was filling up with books I ordered off my personal computer, many miles away. The so-called Whispernet delivery worked flawlessly, since your Kindle is automatically linked to your Amazon account when you buy your Kindle. If this doesn't impress the pants off you, then you may have lost your sense of being able to be amazed. Talk about well thought-out, well-executed technology. Additional purchases are made from the Kindle itself, or if I prefer to use my personal computer--which I do--then purchases are made from the Amazon Kindle store and are delivered electronically to your device. Wow, wow, wow. If I could speak to several authors of the classics, I suspect they would shake their heads in amazement at the development of a small tablet that can receive thousands of entire books with the click of a button.
   
   5. The so-called electronic ink is really easy to read, the real-time dictionary at your fingertips avoids disrupting the flow of the reading, and you can even search out a topic on Wikipedia if you have a WiFi connection. Again, if you're not amazed by the convenience of having 3,500 books in a tiny device that receives books through the unseen ether and loads them into your device without wires, then its time to re-assess just how amazing this technology really is.
   
   Overall:
   
   Pros: User friendly, from the packaging it arrives in to the common-sense feel of the keyboard navigation. Small in stature, it is therefore portable.
   
   Cons: Heavier than I thought it would be; navigation keys for forward/backward page movement are often in my way when trying to get a comfortable grip on the device while reading. It really does require some sort of cover or case. I went with the Amazon cover with the electronic light built in, which is much better than the reviews tend to imply. Once Kindle can organize the buttons and navigation keys in such a way that you can grip the device without inadvertently navigating, it'll get 5/5 stars. As it is, it should be a 4.7/5 for me.
   
   In conclusion, this is an amazing gadget for the money. Granted, there will be many credit card statements for e-books, which is where Amazon will make its money; the device itself is pretty low-priced. And, I know that my spiritual friends would be quick to tell me things don't make us happy--which I believe to be true--but this is one of those things that is a real pleasure to have in your hand, its true. Book titles beyond imagining in one tiny electronic device, no paper, no trees cut down, all in a small device that you can take just about anywhere. It seems to me to be the biggest innovation in the written word since Gutenberg devised the printing press in the mid-1400's. About time, too.
9. 41 of 45 people found this review helpful

   By Mr. Gelek on Amazon.com 31 August, 2010

   Amazon, please debug your software!

   Update: ever since Amazon let me test drive the new 3.0.1 update things have been fine. No crashes, hangs or reboots getting in the way of my reading experience.
   Still needs standardized page numbers with the kindle books to make it useful in the classroom. Needs a way to index and search PDFs. And like everyone says should be able to read epub texts. Otherwise a fine thing to have in my bag.
   
   This is my first Kindle and I've been giving it heavy use since Friday. A few bought books, many public domain books from archive and gutenberg, but mostly a lot of my own PDF files. I've been bothered by numerous re-bootings that occur for no obvious reason. And the browser got "stuck" -- refused to operate whatsoever on its own or within the reader -- until I restored the unit to factory settings and lost all my PDFs and freebie books.
   So. The kindle has great potential. But the 3.0 release is very buggy. Amazon has us doing beta-testing for them. So please hurry up and update the software. I would love a device that has a stable platform, that doesn't make me worry about crashes and reboots all the time. It kind of kills the whole reading experience when temperamental technology is constantly calling attention to itself.
   5 stars for the hardware, two for the software, three to goad Amazon into action.
   
   Update: still lots of random reboots, twice total freezes that required a hard reboot with the power button. I'm avoiding the browser. At first I figured it's a software problem but since most people seem to be having flawless experiences I now suspect I got a lemon. Amazon: I hope you've got some clean and tested models because I want a replacement.
10. 26 of 27 people found this review helpful

    By Laura on Amazon.com 29 August, 2010

    Worth the wait

    I just received mine yesturday, and living out in the country with no WIFI service was not able to connect. I was expecting this, so I had already made my account on the computer & put several books in my wish list. I purchased a few, went to McDonalds & connected to WIFI and the books downloaded authomatically! This is small enough to fit in my purse so I can read while waiting for appointments, or anywhere I have down time. It's only been 1 day and I already love this! Looking forward to putting this to full use!