Amazon's E-Book Reader Widely Ridiculed

By Doug Caverly - Tue, 11/20/2007 - 3:41pm.

I wouldn’t mind keeping over 200 books close at hand, and I’d prefer not to need a large suitcase to do it. But Amazon’s new e-book reader is nonetheless looking less and less appealing as the analyses roll in.

Let’s start off with Kindle’s price: $399. For that amount of money, a person could buy four complete (and fancy) sets of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets. And after the initial purchase, things don’t get any better - e-books for the Kindle cost $9.99 apiece, which appears to be a little more expensive than the average paperback.

Valleywag’s Jordan Golson compiled a whole list of other areas in which Kindle falls short. Some are realistic, others aren’t, but battery life is a biggie - a real book never needs to be plugged into a wall for two hours.

Admittedly, as writers, perhaps Golson and I aren’t the most objective sources on this issue. Still, Mary Jane Irwin and Rob Beschizza checked out the actual Kindle product page on Amazon, and discovered that it’s not doing too well, earning just 2.5 stars based on 348 reviews. Even “Elvis Presley: Paradise, Hawaiian Style” scored better than that.

New technology is often appealing, yet Kindle has done anything but catch my interest.

News Tags: Shakespeare, Jane, Product, Kindle, Reader, Amazon

About the author:
Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.

Comments

Submitted by Guest (WPN reader) on Sat, 12/22/2007 - 1:01am.

The world has changed thanks to kindle

WAKE UP DUMMMIES! A new world order is here. Not one of poltics,or religon,or even self delusion,ie that of conspiercy theroiests,belivers in alll things occut,or any of that junk. For four hundred dollars you can know,I CAN'T EVEN BREATH THINKING OF TRUELY BAUTUIFUL THIS IS,recive books,knowladge in other words almost any wher in thw world. Lets set a few things straight,a week is a heck of a long time,nine ninnty nine,th most expensive books I could find on kindle is ridculoulsy low,find that at barnes an noble and what ever junk these morons concouct to tell you of kindles over hyped useful is over shadowed by one thing. YOU CAN RECIVE KNOWLADGE ANY WHERE ANY TIME YOU HAVE TEN BUCKS AND FREAKING CELL RECPTION! God created cave paintings,god created spoken language,god created written launquage,now at gods most wonderous creation since life it self,written language is free to the whole freaking world! Good by censorship,good bye having to settle for cheap cast off books,outdated and poorly written,goodbye to have to choose betttwen what you know you'll like and hello to exploring the world! Forget the draw back of this new device,embrace the possiblieties you stupid fools!

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