E-Reader Feeder

The Kindle DX  was in trouble for a while when the Apple iPad came to market but recent upgrades and a sizeable price decrease to $379.00 US has put it back in the game.

As before the Kindle DX is a large-screen e-book reader with an improved, higher contrast e-ink screen with a large library of 350,000 plus  e-books, newspapers, and blogs via Amazon's online store. Other features include free 3G wireless access; it can store up to 3,500 books in memory;  battery life that lasts up to a month and it displays image files, PDFs in eight different fonts as well as plays MP3 and AAC audio.

The Kindle DX is much less expensive than last Christmas but is only $119.00 less than the entry level iPad (which does almost as much as a netbook computer).
You can't remove or replace the battery and the size is heavier than most other e-Readers. 

The size is much more friendly for newspaper readers and I think some students will prefer to study their math and science problems on the larger screen. The bulkier dimensions make it less comfortable for travelling on the go.

As in previous reviews  I did last year, the Kindle DX is mainly for hardcore users who want to use it everyday and on the go. The extra battery life and the e-ink display makes the Kindle DX a winner over any competitor tablet. It's easier to read in bright sunlight as compared to a LCD screen and will last weeks on a single charge vs  a few hours that an iPad can give you.

If I had to go on a week long trip and wanted to read on the plane, in the car or even inside a tent or hotel room, I'd pack the DX instead of the iPad. If I wanted to read a full book or daily newspapers while commuting to work, I'd still choose the DX again.  For casual magazine reading and fun computer use at home, the iPad is far superior due to all it's extra features.

So if you want to spend hours of reading on the largest e-Reader you can find, the Kindle DX is the way to go.

I think Amazon should be worried about the future of the Kindle DX as Apple launches it's iPad multi-media device. With a starting price of $499.00 US, the iPad is just slightly more than the DX at $489.00 US and can do far more things on a 9.7" color LCD screen than the DX on it's e-Ink gray screen.

Who would not want to read magazines and newspapers in full color as well as browse the web, play videos, listen to music, email and more for just ten measly dollars? The DX can browse the web, display newspapers, books and magazines but only in black and white while it can't display color photos or videos at all. It is not suited for writing letters, creating spreadsheets or as a PDA and does not let you play Wii/Xbox 360/PS3 types of games at all. 

Amazon might say the DX is more suited for longer reading (ie studying textbooks for hours at a time) but I don't think that will be enough incentive for people to continue to purchase the DX. It is time for the DX to pack up it's bags and leave the e-Reader arena or slash it's price by at least $100 just to stay in the game.