The kindle and the kindle DX have arrived to Europe! So has Sony and perhaps some other of which I have yet to read about. So why buy the kindle? Because it works, does what it is supposed to and it does it in a very nice way. I guess there is one advantage of the Kindle over other ebook readers: it has idiot proof access to amazon's library of ebooks. This easy access from anywhere (train station, airport, etc) makes buying new books or simply reading free samples of those you consider buying dead easy. Also its perfectly suited for those who want to avoid using a PC to transfer files.
Until there is a standard format for ebooks as there is for MP3 and DVD, I think its worth compromising with some of the limitations of the Kindle (not all public formats are supported) and buy one now. I am sure in 2 years time there will be a much better version or alternative available on the market, as e-ink and ebooks evolve. In the meantime, I think the Kindle is a great buy and well worth the money spent.
Would I recommend the new DX version over the smaller one? Other than for reading corporate PDF documents, I think its hard to justify the DX. Choose the smaller and cheaper version!
The cost of Kindle in Europe is 260 USD. Just for the fun I actually looked at whether it pays of to buy a Kindle versus buying paperbacks. To my suprise it actually make financial sense to buy one even if it becomes obsolete in 2 years! The details of simplified calcuation are outlined below:
ULGW.com's method for calculating savings by using a Kindle instead of paperbacks:
1. Assume you buy 4 business books per annum:
I took the following books as a sample and compared their paperback and kindle prices:
Vivienne Hardwood, Modern Tort Law: Kindle $33, Paper $41
Benjamin Graham, Security Analysis: Kindle $44, Paper $47
Molerus, Wirth, Heat Transfer in Fluidized Bed: Kindle $122 , Paper $159
Harvard Business Review on Marketing: Kindle $13.58 , Paper $15
Average saving on the above was 15%, on an average book price of 53 USD. Assuming 4 books, that would equal to 30 USD saving. The caveat here is that while looking for sample books, I noticed quite a few were missing on the Kindle!
2. Assume you make 4 impulse purchases of books at a 10 USD premium to an amazon/kindle price (again per annum). With a Kindle you would simply buy them directly from amazon.
That's an annual saving of 40 USD.
3. Assume you don't have a kindle and you bought 2 books at $10 each, which are simply bad. With a kindle you would have been able to first read the free sample and hopefully would have avoided buying them in the first place.
That's an annual saving of $20 USD.
4. Assume 20 USD saving (again per annum) on excess luggage charges while going on holiday. Okay, that a bit of a random number, but at least a reflection of traveling light!
5. Assume 5 x 5 USD of savings from reading a book instead of buying a magazine while waiting for someone at an airport/meeting etc.
That's an annual saving of 25 USD.
6. Finally, assume you buy 4 bestseller books
I took the following bestseller books as 14 Jan 2010 from the US store:
Dan Brown, Lost Symbol: Kindle $14, Paper $12
Stephanie Meyer, Breaking Dawn: Kindle $10.99, Paper $10.50
Sarah Palin, Going Rogue: Kindle $14.09, Paper $14.50
Levitt, Dubner, Superfreakonomics $14.09, Paper $12.00
Here comes the first suprise! It looks like its actually more expensive to read a bestseller on the kindle! So Amazon believes you should be paying a premium for instant access to current books!
The above sample gives an extra cost of approx. 5 USD per annum.
Final calculation:
All the above adds up to 130 USD of savings in one year. Assume a lifetime of 2 years and the cost of Kindle is covered! This is actually pure coincidence, but I won't blame you if you are thinking I am working for amazon with those numbers! So where is the catch in the calculation? Well...there isn't one really. Perhaps the assumption that you actually read a lot business study books compared to bestsellers is a bit streched. I have assumed you a buy a total of 12 books, which isnt actually that unreasonable. It becomes even more worthwhile if you are able to share the kindle with your partner!
The above calcuation is just an illustration, but I definitely think the Kindle is a great buy, even if its obsolete in two years!
