Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

This is a Kindle DX post that covers the Kindle DX and various questions you might have as you decide to buy a Kindle DX. 

You can also read  -

1. An extended Kindle DX review.
2. Look at a comparison of the Kindle DX and Kindle 2.
3. Read the Kindle DX FAQ (in progress).
4. Read the Kindle DX PDF FAQ.

The Kindle DX is available for $489 at Amazon. This post focuses on answering questions about the Kindle DX’s features and its value proposition.

What does the Kindle DX look like?

1. From the front -  
   

   Kindle DX Front View

2. Size comparison with Kindle 1 -  
   

   Kindle DX compared in size with Kindle 1

3. Thinness -
   

   Kindle DX is really, really thin

What do you get for the DX’s $489 price?

The top 5 things you get are -

1. A large, very readable eInk screen. At 9.7″ the screen is 2.5 times larger than the Sony Reader or the Kindle 2. 
2. In built PDF support and Auto Rotate. Lets you read textbooks and books and your PDF documents. Note that PDFs do not support notes, clippings, links, etc.  
3. Free Wireless Internet and 60 second Wireless delivery of books and textbooks.
4. A thin (0.3 inches), sam weight as a hardcover (18.9 ounces), reasonably compact (10.4″ by 7.2″ by .38 inches) device that can carry thousands of books and textbooks.
5. A lot of books and textbooks – Amazon is saying 60% of textbooks to begin with. There are also 250K+ normal books available.

Kindle DX reading a PDF document

You also get a lot of other features – The Kindle DX page at Amazon is a good place to check. Here are a few -

1. Kindle for iPhone so you can read your purchases on your iPhone or iTouch.
2. WhisperSync – so you can sync across Kindle DX, iPhone.
3. Changeable Font Size, Changeable words per line.
4. Very readable eInk screen that DOES NOT tire out your eyes.  
5. Good bang for the buck. A comparable sized eReader (iRex Illiad) is $859. So Amazon is doing a pretty good job getting the price down below $500. 

What are you giving up if you’re in College or School?

Firstly, $489 and secondly, the chance to buy another ebook reader or device.

Keep in mind that the Kindle DX will help you in 3 main ways -

1. Reading Textbooks and getting them cheap. 
2. Reading books and getting them cheap. 
3. Convenience such as carrying around as many books as you like, free internet, 60 second delivery of books.

There are also drawbacks with the Kindle DX, particularly with how you can use PDFs -

1. There is no touchscreen.  
2. PDFs do not support highlighting, clipping, adding notes. 
3. You cannot scroll and pan and zoom PDFs. You can go into landscape mode and that increases the size of the PDF – however there is no changing Font Sizes beyond landscape mode.

What are you giving up if you’re buying Kindle DX for reading newspapers?

Three things -

1. The money, and $489 may or may not be a lot for you. 
2. The possibility that a much better newspaper reader comes along at end of this year (Apple’s MediaPad) or early next year (Plastic Logic’s eReader). 
3. NYTimes, Boston Globe and Washington Post are talking about offering a lower priced Kindle DX for readers who live in areas that don’t offer home delivery. They will trial it in summer 2009.

At the moment there is no better device for reading newspapers than the Kindle DX. Apple MediaPad is probably not going to change that as its screen is focused on movies and games and is not ideal for longer reading. Plastic Logic might – however, it’s a year away. So, from this summer till spring/summer of 2010 the DX is the clear choice.

What are you giving up – if you’re buying Kindle DX for reading books?

This is the easiest decision.

The Kindle 2 is the best small, portable, read in one hand, ebook reader. After using it for the last few months I can assure you that the K2 is amazing.
The difference in readability between eInk and phone and computer screens is huge. There is NO comparison.

The Kindle DX has the same eInk technology, 2.5 times the screen area of the Kindle 2, built-in PDF support, and more storage.
The big thing is that the Kindle DX is heavier and larger and not as portable and convenient. If you read mostly books, get the Kindle 2.

If you need bigger fonts or a bigger screen and PDF support is really important, get the Kindle DX (or the Kindle 2).  

Do look at the Kindle Review Videos and make sure that the screen resolution and general usability are what you expect.

Is the Kindle DX a multi-purpose device?

No.

The DX is your device if you’re looking to read – whether it be books, newspapers or textbooks.
The DX is an ebook, etextbook and enewspaper reader.

Kindle DX is, however, not a multi-purpose device - It can’t play movies. There are no games on it (except simple ones like Tic Tac Toe). The web browsing is good (and free) – however, its nothing like using a browser on your pc.

If you don’t read books (for school or for pleasure) and don’t read newspapers, then there is little benefit you can get from the DX.  

What are the Kindle DX’s Technical Specifications?

The Kindle DX’s tech specs are listed at the Kindle DX product page.

Please do add your own questions and I’ll answer them to the best of my knowledge. Thanks for visiting!