Gizmodo 
Enter your username and password.
Tip your editors:
tips@gizmodo.com
Editorial Director:
Brian Lam | Email | Twitter
Editor:
Jason Chen
Email | AIM | Twitter
Features Editor:
Wilson Rothman
Email | Twitter
Senior Contributing Editors:
Jesus Diaz
Email | AIM | Twitter
Mark Wilson, Reviews
Email | AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editors:
Matt Buchanan
Email | AIM | Twitter
Adam Frucci
Email | Twitter
Sean Fallon
Email | Twitter
Jack Loftus
Email | Twitter
John Herrman
Email | Twitter
Dan Nosowitz
Email
Chris Mascari
Email
Danny Allen
Email | Twitter
Rosa Golijan
Email | Twitter
Chris Jacob
Email
Columnist:
Brendan I. Koerner
Interns:
Don Nguyen
Email
Kyle VanHemert
Email
Comment Intern:
Nick Ellenoff | Email
Comment Account Questions:
Comments@gizmodo.com
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
10/07/09
10/07/09
There are upsides and downsides to each. It really depends on your preferences. I think as smartphones go, the iPhone is pretty good for reading since it has an excellent screen which is a little easier to read in sunlight than others. LCD has the benefit of a backlight for when it's dark, too. However, some people find that reading on an LCD for extended periods strains their eyes. I read short things on my phone but for books, I like the larger eInk screen. I also don't like wearing down the battery on my phone. EInk devices last for days or weeks even on a charge. If I were to wear it down when I was out, I would be without my book reader but that's not nearly as bad as having your phone die on you.
10/07/09
Can I let someone borrow a book I've bought?
Can I disable Amazon's "remote delete" feature that, no matter what's been said in the news lately, they still retain the ability to do so?
If not, then it doesn't really matter what the price is. :(
10/07/09
1) yes, you just need to convert it which is free
2) yes, you just need to hand them your kindle. Alternatively you can share the book digitally within the same household
3) yes, you can just turn off the wireless. you might also want to construct a hat out of tinfoil though, just to be sure.
10/07/09
10/07/09
"2) yes, you just need to hand them your kindle. Alternatively you can share the book digitally within the same household"
You can also share a book with another Kindle owner if you register their Kindle to your account, give them the book, and de-register them. This will take one of your licenses, though.
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
If I buy a Kindle can I search Wikipedia from wherever there is coverage? What about NYTimes? Blogs? Project Gutenberg, for free public-domain books?
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
[blogkindle.com]
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
But for Australia look at the coverage. Seriously, if you live in West Australia sucks to be you, if you live in Tasmania sucks to be you, but if you live in Sydney, Canberra or the Gold Coast, okay coverage.
10/07/09
10/07/09
...that sucks for you guys up there. I'm not surprised though with Rogers being the only major GSM network (for the moment..the Telus/Bell thing hasn't been launched AFAIK) and their exorbitant data rates.
But I think it's even more depressing when countries like Mexico, Bahamas, Russia etc. are all ready to go while Canada still has to wait.
10/07/09
10/07/09
Unfortunately, I need color for my design classes, which the Kindle cannot display with the current E-Ink technology...
booooooo. :(
10/07/09
So why not quit complaining about a hundred dollar textbook? How many friggin' pairs of hundred dollar pants do you have? It's not a lot of money for all that knowledge.
10/07/09
You know he has hundred dollar pants? Not every student is wealthy.
10/07/09
And I understand your point, which is why I have yet to sell any of my books back to the school (and I do not plan on doing so). Still, some books are a bit pricey, others are reasonable though.
10/07/09
Anyhow. About digital textbooks:
It's not ever going to be that much cheaper. Digital text being cheaper is a complete lie. A lie foisted on you by the people who want to bottleneck the distribution of texts so that they can make an enormous profit.
The rush to digital media isn't about anything more than controlling the marketplace at the EXPENSE of publishers. Published works cost what they're worth because of the content generated, not because they're published on paper. I don't really think publishing and distribution costs are as much of the price of a novel as anyone thinks they are.
People like Amazon and Apple are concerned with controlling the market because that way they can chisel out a huge profit from the publishers involved. Amazon is already trying to do that with major magazines and newspapers, and Apple will be no different. Taking an enormous part of the profit of selling something solely because they control the point of distribution.
It's not about generating new audiences, it's not about distribution of media, or helping sell books to an American public who doesn't really give a fuck about books. It's about taking money away from an industry that is already dying, and therefore vulnerable.
10/07/09
Second, I think you're neglecting the authors here - the professors and scholars who write the material. Often they are not paid well, and they are entirely under the grip of the publisher. I think widespread adoption of digital reading devices would actually encourage scholars to write and sell their works outside of the traditional publisher relationships.
Finally, professors are actually aware of how much a college education costs and that books can be a burden, both financially and physically. They will often take cost into consideration when assigning reading materials. If there's a way for them to provide materials more cheaply, they'll do that and that pressure will help drive down costs.
10/07/09
"
Low Book Prices:...When traveling abroad, you can download books wirelessly from the Kindle Store or your Archived Items for a fee of $1.99"
10/07/09
03/30/09
03/30/09
03/30/09
03/30/09