Let’s be honest, many of us were wondering what the status of the Kindle DX would turn out to be after the recent price cuts on both the Kindle and the nook made it seem more than a little bit overpriced for the times. Thankfully, Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) has responded and then some with an update to the device. The new Kindle DX has greatly improved screen contrast, a more inviting graphite exterior, and most importantly a greatly lowered $379 price tag.
Now, nobody’s going to claim at this point that the DX is a game changer. It was a great idea that turned out to be impractical for many of its intended audience. The screen refresh is too slow for students used to flipping back and forth before they lose their train of thought, and the size was often found to be prohibitive to easy transportation in crowded areas. That part hasn’t changed. While it may appeal only to a slightly smaller audience than intended, however, this is a great eReader. It’s the only one I have used that has given me perfect, or near perfect, display on every PDF I’ve thrown at it, it’s amazingly easy to read and just simulates the feel of a hardcover better than the usual 6″ screen, and it has all the usual great features you expect from an Amazon eReader. Fortunately they ship on July 7th. I can’t wait to get my upgrade.
Sadly I bought my kindle just over 2 months ago, just outside the range of the free exchange, but close enough to feel the sting of this price drop :(
Really looking forward to some reviews of the new screen, and in particular whether the new graphite exterior makes the contrast better via the common optical illusions related to luminosity. The dark boundary will make the light-grey background look even lighter, fixing one of the aesthetic issues with all the Kindles before now. Presumably the additional contrast difference in the screen itself will make the new device even better.
And good note about PDFs — not everything anyone wants to read is available on Amazon!
I want a Graphite Kindle 2!
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I’ve been a Kindle DX user since it first shipped, and I can say I have honestly gotten enough use out of it that I have no regrets at all about having paid more for mine than a new customer will pay going forward.
That said, I don’t see any compelling reason to ‘upgrade’ to the latest model, so I will hold onto my $380 and see what the next generation iPad brings to the market.
Sadly, I think that Kindle is doomed to fail in the long run. But it sure has been a fun ride so far.