The Kindle DX is a great improvement over the previous versions should you be in the market to want to buy the Kindle DX. Amazon has lived up to its promise to deliver a product that gives the reader a book instantaneously onto a lightweight device that can actually be read with a battery that stays charged for days.
Reading PDFs are made easy with Kindle Dx’s 10-inch screen. Dig through those business reports or enjoy some actual literature. Formatting of textbooks is not problem for the Kindle DX.
One of the neat tricks of the Kindle DX is that it orients the screen horizontally or vertically depending on how you hold it. It is not a big deal for e-books, which are meant to look great in vertical (portrait) orientation. However, it makes all the difference when you’re looking at a PDF. Its not so great for browsing the web, but again its not a deal breaker since its meant for reading.
The kicker in the success of the Kindle DX is in its $490 price tag. Given the current state of the economy, its doubtful that consumers or students will pay this price for an e-book reader, and then have to spend even more on e-books themselves. However, in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning to bring digital math and science textbooks to California’s secondary schools as early as Fall, 2009.
Secondary education teachers will have 20 free math and science e-books available soon. Schools will decide how to get the content to the kids. Solutions range from CDs to printing. The open source solution could save the State millions.
The hefty price issue. Should the price come down, the Kindle DX may cause a revolutionary change in education. But if you are waiting to buy Kindle DX for personal use, now is as good of time as any.