[Web4lib] Amazon's Kindle e-book reader

[tomkeays at gmail.com]

MPOW is exploring the idea of buying Kindles as a way to deliver
e-book content to patrons. So, we were interested to see if the
academic holdings were of sufficient number to make it worthwhile. Yes
and no. Yes: commercial publishers like Springer, Elsevier, Wiley,
Taylor and Francis, even Oxford UP. No: society presses (that I
found). No: e-journals (nor any way to buy individual articles).

So, factoring in all that's already been said about the proprietary
nature of this product... probably not. Maybe, with Kindle 2.0 (or
more properly speaking, when there's a way to buy a Kindle book
without the Kindle).

Also, Amazon was making a PR splash that most of their content went
for $9.99, but this obviously is not the case for textbooks. For
example, spotchecking a random science book, "Chemistry of Pheromones
and Other Semiochemicals II" (part of the Topics in Current Chemistry
series) is available as a Kindle book for $199.20 vs the $249.00 that
the hardcover goes for (or the $2.85 + ssh I could get it for used!).

Plus, no EVDO network in my town yet. I doubt I'll be planning trips
to Rochester so I can download the new Tom Clancy.



On 11/19/07, Roy Tennant <tennantr at oclc.org> wrote:
> Hmmm...let me see...spend $400 on a device where the only thing I can do is
> read books, or spend the same amount on a different device where I can read
> books, visit any web site I want, make phone calls, listen to tunes, etc.
> Hmmm....
>
> Yes, I understand that one requires a service plan and the other does not
> (although at least $9 for every book you want to read). But come on. After
> watching the video I thought the interface was actually kind of annoying,
> again especially in contrast with the iPhone. My advice to libraries: don't
> rush out and jump on this bandwagon.
> Roy
>
>
> On 11/19/07 5:24 PM, "Tim Spalding" <tim at librarything.com> wrote:
>
> > See also NYT technology blog, Bits:
> >
> > Enough About Kindle 1.0. What About Kindle 2.0?
> >
> http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/enough-about-kindle-10-what-about-kin
> > dle-20/
> >
> > When people rave about what your product *could* do on the day of its
> > release, you have a hype/reality mismatch!
> >
> > On 11/19/07, B.G. Sloan <bgsloan2 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>   Newsweek has a cover story about Amazon's Kindle e-book reader:
> >>
> >>   http://www.newsweek.com/id/70983
> >>
> >>   Bernie Sloan
> >>
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------
> >> Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See
> how.
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>
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