So Amazon brought out this "Kindle" thingy... But I have one question for them...

  • Article

Amazon just brought out a new eBook reader called "Kindle".  It looks pretty cool, but I have one question:  "Where can I go to try one of these out before I fork over $399 for one of them?"

 

I have a real problem with buying a new technology item (especially one where the form factor is as critical as an eBook reader) without actually having one in my hand before I purchase it.  So I'm sitting here wondering which retailers carry the Kindle.  For some strange reason, I can't seem to find it on Amazon's web site :).

Somehow I think that once again, I'm going to be waiting until one of my co-workers buys one before I can play with it.

 

See, there ARE some things that brick&mortar stores do better than electronic retailers - they let you touch the merchandise before you buy it.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    November 19, 2007
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    November 20, 2007
    They could do a lot worse than to have a "no questions asked, return postage paid" return policy for the Kindle. That would overcome the obstacle for me.

  • Anonymous
    November 20, 2007
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    November 20, 2007
    I never buy anything where the UI is central without being able to hold/see it first.  I think Amazon is going to have to find a way to get it in people's hands risk-free.  Even then, $400 for a device that can't share content with anything else is going to be a hard sell; without letting people hold it first, I think it's dead in the water.

  • Anonymous
    November 20, 2007
    I don't know about this gadget, but Costco is currently carrying (at least in my local warehouse) a Sony electronic reader that looks pretty similar.  I was playing with one on display with an ebook loaded last weekend and must say I'm impressed.  The screen was fairly responsive and the contrast was pretty good. While it's not something I'd spend that much money on ($300-350 I think) it was pretty easy on the eyes.  I still prefer paper books, but it was still pretty neat.

  • Anonymous
    November 20, 2007
    You're so right about the need to get something in your hand before buying it.  I had to scour stores looking for a decent Tablet PC to play around with (which is impossible, since people break pieces off and steal the stylus), and I wouldn't even consider the Zune until I was able to spend time with it at a retail kiosk. If Microsoft opened a showcase-type store, even if it didn't sell any products, I fear I'd be there every day.  The list of MS partner products I want to touch grows every day, especially Windows Mobile phones.

  • Anonymous
    November 20, 2007
    You could try asking Amazon if they'll let you send it back (with full refund) if you don't like the fit.  They're usually fairly reasonable.

  • Anonymous
    November 21, 2007
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    November 21, 2007
    NathanWeinberg: In fact, when I went to buy my son's tablet PC, I went to the various PM's in my group to find the one that they recommended - I was fortunate because many PM's at Microsoft have tablets. Nathan_works: I do everything in my power to patronize local institutions.  In fact, I hate purchasing anything other than fungables online or over the phone.  I'll purchase books from Amazon, because (a) the alternative is Barnes&Noble, and I don't consider them to be any different than Amazon, (b) books are a known quantity - the difference is the content, not the physical item, and (c) Amazon IS a local business :). I try very hard NOT to look at items in a store then buy them online, because it hurts the local economy, even when the local store is a part of a megachain.

  • Anonymous
    November 21, 2007
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    November 25, 2007
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    November 28, 2007
    I have an iLiad made by http://www.irextechnologies.com.  I've been dying to see an eInk product since it first appeared in Scientific American almost 10 years ago.  While I like the display and I like being able to carry around many books on one device, there is an inherent problem with all electronic book readers that I didn't forsee.  I can't share the books that I want to.  I like to lend out books that I've enjoyed to friends that want to read them.  Short of lending them my iLiad for a week or two (yikes!), I can't do that.

  • Anonymous
    November 29, 2007
    I'm at MS, and I asked on a relatively large internal alias a few days ago if anyone had one they wanted to show off. No luck. I figure I'll try again in a week or two.

  • Anonymous
    November 30, 2007
    Norman Diamond: That's a good one. And so very true.