Thursday, March 31, 2011

Kindle on Today Show

Great to hear that the Kindle was getting plugged alongside other ereaders on the Today Show today. Shame they got it wrong though.  (I didn't see it myself, someone emailed me about it so if there was more wrong, let me know.)
So - to clarify some mis-information that was given about the Amazon Kindle on the Today Show this morning...

Partial Truth #1. That you download books to Kindle via USB.
While you can do that, they failed to mention you can also browse, buy and download your books wirelessly from the Kindle store AND from other ebooks websites, such as Manybooks.net. No wires or computer required.  If you have Kindle WiFi you can do it wherever there is wireless internet. With Kindle WiFi+3G or an older Kindle, you can connect wherever there is 3G/ cell phone coverage.

Wrong Fact #2. That Kindle doesn't support audio.
Oh yes it does! You can download audiobooks, MP3s and it also has Text To Speech - the ability for the book to read to you (unless a specific publisher has blocked it for their ebooks on all platforms).

While touting that you can read NookColor in the dark, they failed to mention the downside of that. Think about it: reading for a few hours in a dark room on a backlit screen - bring on the headaches! Nook also comes in a non-color version with e-ink like the older Kindles. Newer Kindles have the advanced e-ink Pearl with sharper contrast. E-ink is more like reading real paper & is kinder to your eyes. And you do what you did with an "old style" paper book: turn a light on or use a book light.

Don't have a Kindle? Learn more on the Amazon website!

2 comments :

  1. Well, the dude they had plugging the thing also said the Kindle 3 was "brand" new! Maybe to him...that was about 8 months ago, I think!

    Kathleen WW

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  2. Really Kathleen? Oh dear! Yes, K3 came out around the end August 2010, if I remember correctly.
    Of course, if someone doesn't like it after knowing about it, fine, but to make a decision on inaccurate information is a great shame for such a super product!

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