In some ways it's hard to write an objective review of a product you've been really excited about for a long time, got a week or so ago, and just love to this point.
However, despite that disclaimer, I present to you my review of the Kindle DX.
First, to tell you a little about myself, I am a married father of two children. We're getting ready to move so that I can finish grad school as a full-time student (distance learning wasn't cutting it).
I researched e-readers for a long time and never justified buying one for many reasons. That is until my wife called me from work one day to research which was the best. I jumped on this and told her value-wise it was the Kindle2, DX, or Nook, depending on what you wanted it for. She asked me to do some more research, and I was convinced that the DX was best for me. Surprise, surprise, I got a nice Amazon box as an early Father's Day present.
Reasons to choose the DX:
1. Size
Certainly, size is often seen as a drawback in electronics. However, for ease of reading, the size of the DX works to its advantage. Despite my intentions to keep it away from my kids, I downloaded a sample for my 8YO daughter while waiting at the doctor's office. She loved it, once I set the font to a size that didn't overwhelm her with the amount of text on the page. My elderly father asked my mom for two after he saw it. We asked him why two, and he said, "one for each eye." But seriously, he liked the adjustable fonts. Granted you get those on a smaller ereader, but you get more text per page on the DX. Size plays a part in other aspects of my review as you will see.
2. Native PDF
Size plays a part here. I read a lot of PDFs for school, and the Kindle displays them beautifully. Conversion is not so good (for academic PDFs with footnotes and other formatting), but I've tried it because I'd like to highlight and annotate in the text from time to time. The DX screen is wonderful for just displaying the text of a PDF, certainly compared to the K2 or the Nook.
3. Overall Reading Experience
I'm right handed and a big 6ft4in tall, so the one-sided controls and weight of the DX haven't been a comfort issue for me. To the contrary, I like the balance and heft. The nook was awkward to hold, IMO, compared to either of the Kindles. Put a nice, or not so nice cover on the DX, and you still get some of the tactile pleasure of holding a DTB. I'm using an M-Edge platform (black, synthetic leather) and the M-Edge light. I've found the DX a pleasure to read from for hours at a time. My wife likes that I can read in bed, and I like that I can do so without having to adjust the light at every page turn. You can't avoid that with DTBs in the dark, at least with the lights I've used. But this tangent will overflow into an upcoming cover review...so, anyway, I love to read on this thing. I can't stare at my laptop for more than 20 minutes without needing a break, and I can't use it for more than an hour without needing something for my headache. I wish I could hook-up a full-sized QWERTY and type my term papers on this thing. Are you listening Microsoft? Word for Kindle--the up and coming app for grad students.
Reasons not to get the Kindle DX:
1. Size
Certainly the heft of the DX might make it a poor choice for some who are smaller or frail. However, it does have its advantages, and with a stand, it provides a very comfortable read.
2. Book Availability
The DX is touted as a textbook killer, but it is not. Do not get a DX to display your textbooks, especially if you are in a technical field. Many texts aren't available, and the DX is limited in it's "flipping" ability. That is, unless you note the "location" of places you refer to frequently. On the other hand, for humanities students, the DX might just be the ticket. One other point: there are more textbooks available from Amazon than from retailers of other ebooks, so if you're set on this purpose, the DX would get my thumbs-up. Amazon also has a better selection of other books that I need and read. However, there is no e-pub, DRM Mobi, or DRM PDF compatability, so no buying from the largest competitors or using a library to get e-books.
3. Battery and Storage
It's been said over and over again, but the DX really could use a replaceable battery and expandable memory. Maybe I'll never use all my memory, but I could easily move all my non-DRM books and PDFs between devices if I had an SD card to hold them in my Kindle. I really hate the sealed battery concept. The nook battery retails for around $30. With my DX wireless on to receive periodical updates, I don't get much more than 4-5 days of charge, if that. I haven't tested the duration of a full charge with wireless off the entire time, because that probably won't ever be me. So compared to other readers, this time is a little low, but listed specs always give a best-case, don't they? Still, 4-5 days is a significant amount of time, but it means I'll have to pack the charger when I go on vacation. And the charger is smaller than an extra battery would be if I carried a spare.
So, 3 points for, and 3 points against (sort of). These devices are great, and to some extent the right choice depends on the user. I foresee the DX and its descendants being the choice of many in the future. I could say more, but anything software related is bound to change with future updates, making such a discussion here a fruitless addition. Take my 2 cents for what it's worth. I for one am a happy DX user.
However, despite that disclaimer, I present to you my review of the Kindle DX.
First, to tell you a little about myself, I am a married father of two children. We're getting ready to move so that I can finish grad school as a full-time student (distance learning wasn't cutting it).
I researched e-readers for a long time and never justified buying one for many reasons. That is until my wife called me from work one day to research which was the best. I jumped on this and told her value-wise it was the Kindle2, DX, or Nook, depending on what you wanted it for. She asked me to do some more research, and I was convinced that the DX was best for me. Surprise, surprise, I got a nice Amazon box as an early Father's Day present.
Reasons to choose the DX:
1. Size
Certainly, size is often seen as a drawback in electronics. However, for ease of reading, the size of the DX works to its advantage. Despite my intentions to keep it away from my kids, I downloaded a sample for my 8YO daughter while waiting at the doctor's office. She loved it, once I set the font to a size that didn't overwhelm her with the amount of text on the page. My elderly father asked my mom for two after he saw it. We asked him why two, and he said, "one for each eye." But seriously, he liked the adjustable fonts. Granted you get those on a smaller ereader, but you get more text per page on the DX. Size plays a part in other aspects of my review as you will see.
2. Native PDF
Size plays a part here. I read a lot of PDFs for school, and the Kindle displays them beautifully. Conversion is not so good (for academic PDFs with footnotes and other formatting), but I've tried it because I'd like to highlight and annotate in the text from time to time. The DX screen is wonderful for just displaying the text of a PDF, certainly compared to the K2 or the Nook.
3. Overall Reading Experience
I'm right handed and a big 6ft4in tall, so the one-sided controls and weight of the DX haven't been a comfort issue for me. To the contrary, I like the balance and heft. The nook was awkward to hold, IMO, compared to either of the Kindles. Put a nice, or not so nice cover on the DX, and you still get some of the tactile pleasure of holding a DTB. I'm using an M-Edge platform (black, synthetic leather) and the M-Edge light. I've found the DX a pleasure to read from for hours at a time. My wife likes that I can read in bed, and I like that I can do so without having to adjust the light at every page turn. You can't avoid that with DTBs in the dark, at least with the lights I've used. But this tangent will overflow into an upcoming cover review...so, anyway, I love to read on this thing. I can't stare at my laptop for more than 20 minutes without needing a break, and I can't use it for more than an hour without needing something for my headache. I wish I could hook-up a full-sized QWERTY and type my term papers on this thing. Are you listening Microsoft? Word for Kindle--the up and coming app for grad students.
Reasons not to get the Kindle DX:
1. Size
Certainly the heft of the DX might make it a poor choice for some who are smaller or frail. However, it does have its advantages, and with a stand, it provides a very comfortable read.
2. Book Availability
The DX is touted as a textbook killer, but it is not. Do not get a DX to display your textbooks, especially if you are in a technical field. Many texts aren't available, and the DX is limited in it's "flipping" ability. That is, unless you note the "location" of places you refer to frequently. On the other hand, for humanities students, the DX might just be the ticket. One other point: there are more textbooks available from Amazon than from retailers of other ebooks, so if you're set on this purpose, the DX would get my thumbs-up. Amazon also has a better selection of other books that I need and read. However, there is no e-pub, DRM Mobi, or DRM PDF compatability, so no buying from the largest competitors or using a library to get e-books.
3. Battery and Storage
It's been said over and over again, but the DX really could use a replaceable battery and expandable memory. Maybe I'll never use all my memory, but I could easily move all my non-DRM books and PDFs between devices if I had an SD card to hold them in my Kindle. I really hate the sealed battery concept. The nook battery retails for around $30. With my DX wireless on to receive periodical updates, I don't get much more than 4-5 days of charge, if that. I haven't tested the duration of a full charge with wireless off the entire time, because that probably won't ever be me. So compared to other readers, this time is a little low, but listed specs always give a best-case, don't they? Still, 4-5 days is a significant amount of time, but it means I'll have to pack the charger when I go on vacation. And the charger is smaller than an extra battery would be if I carried a spare.
So, 3 points for, and 3 points against (sort of). These devices are great, and to some extent the right choice depends on the user. I foresee the DX and its descendants being the choice of many in the future. I could say more, but anything software related is bound to change with future updates, making such a discussion here a fruitless addition. Take my 2 cents for what it's worth. I for one am a happy DX user.