After using Kindle DX for a while I would like to add to my first impressions. In my original review I’ve described large screen as more of a disadvantage because of the reduced mobility rather than something good. After Almost a month of usage I’ve changed my opinion.
I’ve actually come to like the larger screen. Reading experience is more book-like. I’ve used second smallest font on both Kindle DX and K2. With DX I have to slip pages less often and I actually like it this way because this actually distracts me a little bit from the process of reading. I’ve also found that additional weight doesn’t tire my hand this much and that I actually read at home much more than I do on the go.
Then there was another occurrence that elevated my opinion about DX even more. My eyes can hardly be called perfect. I wear +4.0/+5.0 glasses or contacts on constant basis. There was this evening when I already took out my contacts and then decided to read a little bit before going to sleep. Yet, alas! My glasses were nowhere to be found. I took my DX and set the font size to second largest that turned out quite comfortable to read with my uncorrected eyesight. With Kindle DX even at such large font size there was enough text on the screen for me to enjoy reading. I tried the same trick on Kindle 2 later and there were only 2 or 3 sentences on the screen at a time so I had to flip pages several times a minute.
I realize that this is all not rocket science but perhaps this first hand experience will help someone to decide Kindle DX vs. Kindle 2 dilemma :)
A month into my usage, I’ve enjoyed it as well.
If there were one thing I had to choose that I wish was improved, it would be the lack of left-side navigational buttons. But I suppose I could always flip the screen around and have them. :)
This is exactly my reason for liking the DX: Easier reading at night when my eyes are tired. Can’t do this very well with a Kindle 2 or with a book.
BTW: the Kindle 2 price just dropped on the Amazon site! ($299)
I’ve been thinking about getting a Kindle. Been flip-flopping between both with the DX winning out most times. Now with the $60 price drop, seems I might get the K2 instead. Here is to hoping for a price drop on the DX!
I do this with my K2 regularly. I wear reading glasses but when I can’t put my hands on them, it’s no problem. Just up the font size. Yes, you have to “turn the page” more often but no worries. I really like the flexibility. In fact, I have a friend who is visually impaired and bought her K2 on my recommendation because of that feature. She’s thrilled with it.
I just started researching the Kindle. Is the DX the original Kindle 1 or is it a larger version of Kindle 2? Which one is newer? I can’t seem to find the details anywhere. Thanks!
this is one of the big reasons I’m looking at getting the DX when they are back in stock. I read fast enough that on anything other than the smallest font size the page turning is just too fast. but many of the places I pull it out to read don’t really have good lighting. I could pull out a flashlight and shine it on the screen, but it’s very nice to be able to bump the font size up a couple of notches to where I can see it in the low-light conditions.
DX is the larger version of Kindle 2 that also has PDF support and some other additional features. You can read reviews on this blog to find out more. Kindle 1 is not being manufactured anymore.
I’m with you, Andrei. I just love this DX and that was a big surprise to me because I got it for more practical reasons (PDF). The screen contrast is outstanding as is seeing so much all at once if I don’t make the mistake of making the font smaller, which crowds the text together more also (automated line-space decreases).
But the K2 is great for when I hit the streets.
– Andrys
Does anyone know how to either turn Sleep Mode off, or at least, to change the default setting to extend it’s “awake” period?
I am reading a very old document (a tube radio repair instruction correspondence course from 1938) rendered in PDF format (optically scanned), and some of the type font is very small and cannot be increased, therefor, there is a LOT of info to be read, and I am often being interrupted by the sleep function. And I am NOT a slow reader! PDF books take longer to display again when the book is reawakened than normal book formats do. I’ve taken to tapping the five way switch now and then. It seems to tell the reader that I am still reading, and delays the sleep mode. But I don’t always remember to bump the switch!
I am not new to ebook readers. I was an early owner of a RCA REB1100 ebook reader, right after TVGuide/Gemstar bought it from Rocket eBook company. I find that I greatly prefer some of the book controls from my old obsolete RCA machine. Such as the easy ability to adjust the sleep timer! Grrrr!
I agree with Bob. Amazon needs to release a firmware update to allow the user to select a larger timeout for the sleep mode or at least stop blanking the screen when it goes to sleep. There is a thread on MobileRead.com that addresses this issue. http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48827
-robert
Besides wanting to control the sleep timer (as I mentioned in my first post), I would also like control of exactly which screensaver images are displayed. I find that I prefer the “birds” image. Is that an Audubon print? The sketches are very sell done. I would like more birds, perhaps a screen full of raptors, such as Peregrine falcons? Yes I know there are hacks available. But perhaps Amazon might increase their sales a bit by offering screensaver image packages? For folks that would like a change of pace, and don’t want to risk their Kindle’s brains?