tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post8954256383376146576..comments2024-03-18T22:39:50.137-07:00Comments on A Kindle World blog: An Amazon answer to the free-Kindle? question More on $114 Kindle 3Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-30222370229107743232011-04-14T10:41:46.057-07:002011-04-14T10:41:46.057-07:00Opt-in opt-out could all be done with the same fir...Opt-in opt-out could all be done with the same firmware (and for all we know, maybe it is or will be). The feature could be turned on and off by some handshake between Kindle and Amazon's servers (noting that wireless connection fails if Amazon's servers cannot be contacted - you cannot for example connect to an isolated wi-fi network). I would argue that is the 'smart' way to do it since it keeps the code from branching.<br />I guess we'll find out when the new Kindle SKU ships, and perhaps more definitively when there is a K3 update.Tom Semplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05127272649086914117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-31806688866181159272011-04-14T03:22:16.067-07:002011-04-14T03:22:16.067-07:00Tom,
Thanks for your thinking here.
Re any opt...Tom,<br /> Thanks for your thinking here.<br /> Re any opt-in on other ad-free Kindles, people would want to opt-out when they want but that would involve another firmware up/down/grade and mucho support labor.<br /> So they'd have to have a time thing on it if they did it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-51442450305334646262011-04-13T23:59:23.058-07:002011-04-13T23:59:23.058-07:00I would consider getting one of these if I didn...I would consider getting one of these if I didn't already have what I need to read. I'm quite certain I could easily ignore ads without animation, color, or gratuitous nudity, and simply enjoy the savings of $25 up front and the prospect of 'exclusive deals' thereafter. I wouldn't consider it 'inferior' in any way. I used to install ad-blocker browser plugins but my brain now does the same work effortlessly.<br /><br />Note that Amazon could have (and still could) make this an 'opt in' for existing Kindle owners. But I think they need to evaluate the results of this experiment first.<br /><br />I see this as a way to maintain interest in the Kindle platform, as ereader prices continue to go down, and as Amazon puts the final touches on its Android tablet or Mirasol-equipped Kindle or whatever they are working on.Tom Semplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05127272649086914117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-71541583778339631212011-04-13T20:44:06.250-07:002011-04-13T20:44:06.250-07:00Hattie,
Really appreciate your feedback and your...Hattie,<br /> Really appreciate your feedback and your support!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-25999166701918125502011-04-13T20:35:19.910-07:002011-04-13T20:35:19.910-07:00Thanks for your reply. I have been following A Kin...Thanks for your reply. I have been following A Kindle World Blog ever since I got my Kindle 2 and find it very useful.Hattiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13297404386730167834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-18717250308382995632011-04-13T20:17:17.683-07:002011-04-13T20:17:17.683-07:00Hattie,
Your preferences are similar to mine. Bu...Hattie,<br /> Your preferences are similar to mine. But then this is obviously meant for others, but we also have to hope they keep offering the alternatives for those like us.<br /><br /> One correction -- both WiFi and 3G are types of 'wireless.' I have an <a href="http://bit.ly/kw3gwifi" rel="nofollow">entry on that</a>.<br /><br /> I'd say that most people buying Kindles -are- buying the less-expensive WiFi-only model because they feel $50 is 'too much' for osmething they don't envision needing. I'd add that they've no idea what they're shorting themselves on, but others don't use the device the way we do.<br /><br /> Some have even felt WiFi is just in the home! But some really don't plan to use that feature outside the home. <br /> I'm just one who uses it when I'm away from home, a lot. The freedom of doing that just about anywhere is huge for me. As I've said, on a bus, in an office waiting somewhere, at the beach. It's still like magic for me, and with mainly-text web-look-ups available and pretty fast for free, it's often a Godsend.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-64826065994635816102011-04-13T19:59:55.155-07:002011-04-13T19:59:55.155-07:00I am absolutely devoted to the idea of the Kindle ...I am absolutely devoted to the idea of the Kindle as an ad free space. I also think the wireless is an important feature, because wi-fi is not always available. Why would anyone want something that is an inferior version of what I have, the wi fi with wireless, even if it's a little bit cheaper? And I consider ads as less, not more. Look at television. Look at the Internet. What a mess. <br />As well, I do not like touch screens and the way people are always pecking and swiping away at them. I like the solid feel of the Kindle keyboard. So why would I want a touch screen on my Kindle? <br />For me, the Kindle 3 with wi-fi and wireless is the perfect book reading device. Don't change a thing for me. That's my motto.Hattiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13297404386730167834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-91724160659056648062011-04-13T16:56:59.990-07:002011-04-13T16:56:59.990-07:00Mike,
"Next to content" is certainly tr...Mike,<br /> "Next to content" is certainly true, though. You're splitting hairs, as it didn't say IN content. <br /><br /> As you know, I'm not high on this as any 'deal' but it is not at all "poor fact checking" on the part of the NYT. A screensleeper is ALWAYS 'next' to content, since when you put down your reading for a few minutes, you then see the ad. That's not even 'next to' but something a Kindle owner will see if pausing a book but not closing it (VERY often the case with Kindle users).<br /><br /> I don't think that's huge for the people who opt for the device though.<br /><br /> And a real ad is part of your listing of book titles, on the Home page bottom screen. I show their image with the Visa ad at the bottom tho' it is of course also a 'special offer.' Again, no big thing if you have opted-in by buying that particular device and knew what you were getting and don't mind. Some find $25 savings worth it. I'd pay the add'l $25 to avoid it, but that's just me and they currently give the option and let's hope the difference in price won't be greater when wanting one with no ads.<br /><br /> While you may find them 'soft' ads, others will have a different reaction, and that's why Amazon gives the option to get one w/o ads (at this point).<br /><br /> You said you weren't sure a quote was true. The quote was from Jay Marine, an Amazon Kindle director. And he's right.<br /> A new ad doesn't appear unless you leave WiFi on -- they come from the servers.<br /><br /> Only someone intensely anti-ad would just download an Amazon book, designated for a specific Kindle, to the computer, for moving it to that Kindle via USB cable though. He did say it wasn't likely people would use that method.<br /><br /> The ad-Kindle would have different firmware that can be changed as needed...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-58876951394872993392011-04-13T08:20:47.939-07:002011-04-13T08:20:47.939-07:00One reason why I won't miss the NYT huddled be...One reason why I won't miss the NYT huddled behind its paywall: "By selling ads that will show up next to digital content, Amazon is laying..."<br /><br />Poor fact-checking.<br /><br />Amazon has specifically said the ads wouldn't show up next to content (meaning inside books). They'll be a line on the book list page and they'l be the entire screensaver. As ads go, these are pretty soft. The lovely young lady in one of their sample ads is a major improvement over their current sketches of often dour-looking writers.<br /><br />I'm not sure this is true either: "' People could buy the less expensive Kindle and then avoid the ads by turning off Wi-Fi."<br /><br />We don't have one to test, but Amazon may have taken care of that by stockpiling some ads when you are connected, as when downloading a new book, for later use. And even if it hasn't, a fix wouldn't be that hard. After all, the Kindle has to show something as a screensaver. It might as well be an ad.<br /><br />My more serious question is illustrated by how far Apple is getting behind in upgrading iOS for the Verizon version of its iPhone. I wonder whether this ad-Kindle is running a slightly different version of the Kindle OS than its sibling. If so, the updates for it might be delayed or, near the end of product life, not come at all. Before sales start, Amazon should let us know if the differences are in the firmware or in the OS. There are few things in the tech world more frustrating than owning an orphaned gadget.Mike Perryhttp://www.inklingbooks.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-22390847701963890112011-04-13T06:45:30.980-07:002011-04-13T06:45:30.980-07:00I think this is a proof of concept test for Amazon...I think this is a proof of concept test for Amazon. Their real goal may be to launch a tablet device which is subsidized in price, but without a carrier contract. It certainly looks like Amazon is assembling all the pieces to launch an iPad competitor, something I have called the "kPad." I'd be interested in your thoughts on my prediction which I write about in my blog, Profit Perspectives... http://www.profitperspectives.com/2011/03/meet-amazon-kpad.htmlProfit Perspectiveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00284680909545863841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-80364858909811317852011-04-13T00:50:14.396-07:002011-04-13T00:50:14.396-07:00Cameron,
Right. No problem at this point - an o...Cameron,<br /> Right. No problem at this point - an opportunity to buy at less-$$ if you agree to see ads while getting alerts to actual good Amazon deals/offers - but some worry about it being a precursor to all future models being ad-supported.<br /><br /> It's important that Amazon leave the pure-book form (some consider the Kindle itself, a 'book' they open, the Book of Many Books, sorta). The basic Kindle has made a rep as a personal space for just reading. <br /><br /> Amazon Kindle advocates have argued that tablets are too distracting while the Kindle is not. <br /> I'd rather be distracted by entertainment than ads, so it's important to some of us that they plan to also keep the 'purer' form w/o charging an arm/leg for that, which may be one of the reasons for only a $25 difference with the WiFi-only option, possibly. But this will be a boon for those who wanted the lower pricing and might appreciate Amazon-deal alerts while not minding screensleeper-ads.<br /><br />As for browsing the entire Amazon store, they'd have to have optimized pages for everything, and e-Ink is just too slow for enjoying web pages with many images. I use the 3G for look up a LOT but mainly for text info (reviews, Wikipedia, mobile-optimized news pages...<br /><br /> With an Amazon Tablet almost sure to come someday, you'll likely see the option of a wider connection with the store itselfAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-80028354231170502932011-04-12T23:57:34.559-07:002011-04-12T23:57:34.559-07:00I think this is a really interesting experiment an...I think this is a really interesting experiment and as long as i can buy an Ad free Kindle at a resonable price, i don't see the problem.<br /><br />I personally have always thought it was odd how disconnected the Kindle felt from the rest of the Amazon store. It was curious that it lacked a dedicated and optimized way to browse things other than books that amazon sells.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03551904586302918944noreply@blogger.com