Does anyone who has a Kindle or Kindle2 also have the Kindle application for the iPhone? I wouldn't expect the app to be an adequate substitute, but I'm interested to see how people would compare it.
I ordered a Kindle 2 after playing with the iPhone app. I haven't had it long enough to really give the Kindle 2 a good review, but there are a few things that stood out:
1) It's a lot nicer to read on than the iPhone screen. Larger, and easier on the eyes.
2) Kindle UI is clunky here and there, but once you're reading a book it disappears. Easier to turn pages on the Kindle than the iPhone (you get tired of swiping all the time on iPhone)
3) I'm surprised how well the computer-voice readback feature sounds. Probably useful in a car, or if you love audio-books.
4) It's a poor-mans computer for browsing the internet. The iPhone is miles better than that.
5) Nice and light, good screen with light
6) I'm going to read a lot more books now, I can already tell. :)
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===== DRM Issue =====
I did have an issue with one of my ebooks, "Hackers and Painters" no doubt, having a DRM issue getting this message:
"The selected item could not be opened"
The message said to go to Amazon.com and I'd find an answer on my "Manage Your Kindle" page. Nothing there, unfortunately. I emailed Amazon about the problem, but solved it before I got a response...
===Troubleshooting===
I tried deleting and re-downloading the book, and de-registering and re-registering the Kindle a couple of times with no luck.
===Solution===
Finally I figured it out. I plugged the Kindle into my computer, deleted the Hackers and Painters ebook from the Documents folder on the Kindle (there were four files for the ebook), manually downloaded the ebook from Amazon's "Manage Your Kindle" page to my PC, and transferred the book onto the Kindle Documents folder via USB connection.
Sure enough that worked.
I bought this book on my iPhone initially, along with another one. The other worked fine, Hackers and Painters didn't. So my initial impression of the DRM is it's flaky.
The other two eBooks I've purchased haven't given me any trouble.
I don't say it's a substitute, but wicked handy. I read a lot faster on the Kindle, but reading on the iPhone gets a lot of stars given I always have it on me no matter what.
some texts are better when you can flip around randomly quickly. the recent mark bitterman book which is half recipes comes to mind. otherwise, I use it in situations where I've forgotten my kindle at home. luckily, it syncs what page you've read through to all devices. it's not a replacement, but a good auxiliary device. it might serve as a useful intro to the product.
