You make a good point,Kim. Not too long ago after committing an act of unintentional Kindle-slaughter, I called Amazon with the best of intentions about to ask the price for repair or replacement. As soon as I mentioned that my Kindle was damaged, perhaps it was Jeff himself quickly interrupted to say he would be more than happy too replace it free of charge along with a complimentary pound of peanut brittle.
i didn't know this -- but I do have a Kindle that's getting a bit poorly. Thanks for the suggestion. Guess a phone call to Amazon is in my near-future. Had thought I'd just have to grin and bear it until the e-reader finally konked out completely. Love the device and probably just wore it out!
Mine was when I discovered I could put my 6" e.Ink Kindle in the side pocket of my Dickies. Hey, I don't need a protective case any more! Yeah, well, unless I bend or sit down. Guess they're prone to stress damage from deforming the screen.
Luckily it's the cheapest model and Amazon - feeling my pain as the waranty ran out just a week prior - gave me a small discount when I replaced it (getting the much cooler all black one in the bargain).
Hi Dave. The first one refused to turn on after only one week. I took it back and the second one shut down after 2+ months. Luck of the draw? Maybe, but after those two experiences (I just took a store credit after the 2nd fail) I could not give it a ringing endorsement. (Your cousin had a beta player? Sweet!)
Sorry Tom, the whole comment was sort of a sarcastic joke. I do that a lot.
There was no such video. I did have friends who had Betas, who actually preferred them to VHS, but the cousin here was made up.
I did, however, read a review on the Newton, which is why I never bought one. I remember reading about several readers that came out in the time period. I figured they would never catch and they would die soon. It turned out I was right and I thought that was the end of it.
Then Kindle and later Nook came out of the ashes, and later others. Better technology and more books available. I acutually have had a Nook for over a year now and I love it. I opted for the vanilla b/w one. I figure I use it for reading books. If I want color I have a laptop for that.
Anyway, sorry if I accidently diceived you, people who around me a lot are use to my sarcasim.
Dave, I got the joke right from the first sentence. You forget that I have been reading your commentary on Sherpa for many months now as well as "Oat" on the Cartoonist Studio contest and your style and sarcasm are well known to me. I thought your "beta' comment was hilarious. No apologies necessary. Keep your style and cartoons coming.
Another advantage of print books over ebooks: A print book is a better weapon, particularly if it's Stephen King's 1,000+-page Under the Dome. In hardcover.
Yes, there are times when books trump e-readers. I typically read a cheap paperback when I'm lounging on a floatie in the pool and reading! The Kindle and iPad stay safely inside.
Also when i want to read while travelling in the train or the bus. In the city i live in if i got out that kindle and read from it in public transport, as soon as i get out and if not before, someone will follow me and take it by force. There's at least 50 percent guarantee of that.
That is a very good point. I also live in a city like you have described. I take my Kindle with me when I go to appointments, but I am always aware of the people around me. If I feel there is a chance of this happening I will just leave it in my purse. There was recently an incident here on our public bus system where a twelve year old was beaten and robbed of his iPod when he got off the bus. It's sad, but it happens, all too often.
I suppose people to have even their basic Kindles stolen--mainly by people who don't understand how they work. Anyone who steals my Kindle better like reading what's already on it.
@Kim I'm very tempted to say something along the lines of "well, how intelligent do you expect people who deliberately do something that is proven to harm their health to be?" But I will restrain myself.
@Ariella. I'm glad you were able to refrain yourself. But for some, it definitely appears to be a pattern of making repeated "not so smart" decisions. You have to wonder what is going through their minds.
I would be paranoid that the phone wouldn't be there when I got back. Ironically, this is because I grew up in New York. Clearly, New York is a different city than the one I grew up near.
Plus, I don't like to be separated from my smartphone for that long.
I am sure some people that are stealing these items like Kindles, probably don't understand the security aspect of it; surely their interest is the money they can get for it. Also, many peopl just bypass password settings, etc....so it leaves it wide open for a thief to use at their will. My daughter had all of her passwords shut off on her e-reader...and I had to give her a mini lesson on security.
"When I am stressed, I like to read in the bathtub. I don't think an e-reader nor a laptop would be comfortable or safe."
@Dave: You can't do that with a physical book either so you're neither better off nor worse off :). I guess it's high time companies start investing into waterproof e-readers and underwater touch-based LCD devices.
@taimur_tz: Actually, I have taken a book, a paper back. Also, the newspaper. Once in a while I have slipped an ended up with soggy papers not often, but with the electronics, it would only take one slip to ruin your whole week.
On Sunday I like to reward myself for a week of working by taking a hot bath and reading the Sunday funnies, probably sharing a little too much here.
I like your idea of waterproof products, if the cost was down and it didn't styfle the funtions of the e-reader. If it floats, I could give my rubber duckie a ride.
I don't think I have used an e-Reader in the bathtub, but I think I would. I mean, it's not going to electrocute you--it's about as dangerous as dropping a digital watch in the water--and honestly, they're more disposable than a lot of books.
"Another advantage of print books over ebooks: A print book is a better weapon, particularly if it's Stephen King's 1,000+-page Under the Dome. In hardcover"
Mitch: Now that's clearly an advantage I never considered before making a decision between a physical book and ebook or a normal book or a hardcover book for that matter :)
My daughter's Kindle started acting up and one day I was poking in my Amazon account and realized I'd bought a two-year extended warranty on it that expired the very next day. I called them quick like bunny, they said no problem, and sent a brand new one.
We use it primarily for travel.
Speaking of which, that's why we still need books -- to read during the part of the flight where we can't use devices.
Ariella, in that case, there can be KIndle and a book. and by the way, Kindle is not an electronic device that is needed to be switched off,unfortunatelly flight attendants don't know it
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
Recently, the Obama administration has been of two minds where privacy rights are concerned. On one hand, you have an administration that vowed to veto CISPA and mandated open data for government websites. On the other hand, you have an increasingly out-of-control Department of Justice on a fishing expedition at AP and demanding legislation to let the FBI wiretap private, encrypted communications and levy fines if a company fails to comply.
The apartment and house sharing service, Airbnb, now requires members to verify their identities by demonstrating a presence on the web, and by either scanning a government ID or entering detailed personal details. Other enterprises should take a close look at Airbnb's verification policies.
Facebook advertising is a lightning rod. It seems neither brands nor consumers are 100 percent happy about the social media site's policies, placement, or procedures. But the real controversy about Facebook ads and promotions is over whether they work.
By now, you've most likely heard about the 3D-printed gun that Texas-based Defense Distributed demonstrated last week. But we haven't heard the last about the censorship war that began soon afterward.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Subsidized handsets, rather than locked handsets, should be the focus of regulators. We're not getting good deals, not fostering innovation, and weakening our power as buyers.
Expert Integrated Systems: Changing the Experience & Economics of IT In this e-book, we take an in-depth look at these expert integrated systems -- what they are, how they work, and how they have the potential to help CIOs achieve dramatic savings while restoring IT's role as business innovator. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
