Yesterday I came across Amazon’s new Build It program and when I first saw it it got my hopes up about possibilities for new Kindles because it says this at the top of the page:
“Help make your favorite device ideas real. Want to decide which devices we build next?”
My first thought was if we could get enough people to recommend ideas for Kindles we could finally get something new and innovative, but unfortunately that’s not how the program works at all.
Instead Amazon comes up with the ideas, and all customers get to do is decide if they want to buy the new products or not. If enough people pre-order a certain product then they will start shipping it several months later. If not, the product gets scrapped. Wow, what an innovative concept.
I bet if they added a 10-inch Kindle to the list it would hit the pre-order minimum in one day, but we’ll probably never get anything that interesting.
Instead Amazon is working on a cheap plastic Cuckoo Clock with Alexa support for $80. That’s so much better than a new Kindle. I’ll take ten.
Or how about a Sticky Note Printer that costs $90? Oh, but that’s a bargain because the regular price will be $115 when it gets released. This one is actually quite popular; it hit the pre-order goal in just 3 days.
Amazon has clearly gone all-in on Alexa. They’re always looking for ways to come out with new Alexa products, no matter how goofy the concept (seriously, $80 plastic cuckoo clocks now?). Meanwhile Kindles no longer get any attention and remain unchanged for years and years.
Kindles are the last ereaders on the market to add new features like warm lighting, and there are no large models, no models with color E Ink, no note-taking models with styluses, and you can’t get something as simple as page buttons anymore without spending a minimum of $250. Instead they’d rather stick with the same 6-inch Kindle Paperwhite that’s been largely the same since 2012. Too bad Amazon doesn’t have a Build It program for Kindles…
It looks like if the device can listen to you, it will be made. Maybe they should make an eReader that will highlight text and change pages when you tell it do it.
Turn the old read-along story book concept on its head, that would.
Alexa, turn the page when you hear me go “beep”.
I’d love this for washing dishes.
I am not sure if a new Kindle hardware upgrade is needed as much as software upgrades. They should focus on making the use of VoiceView much easier and improve on the quality of the voice. They need to add the ability to listen to audio books AND read the book at the same time. Add reverse view to the kindle basic. Remove ad support since they are already pushing book suggestions no matter what. And add Overdrive for those in the USA.
This.
All of that is nice but in reality as far as software updates I would be extremely happy with the most basic things. You know, such as more realistic font size options, better line spacing options (instead of only 3) and margin spacing options (which only has one usable option). Simple standard reading features that for whatever reason Amazon thinks is totally unnecessary and unimportant. Blows my mind that after 14 years we still don’t have these basic features.
Blows my mind you haven’t moved to a better e-reader with those limitations, the only way to make them put out a better product is them loosing customers to companies that do it.
The Kindle device may not have all the features of other devices but what it does have is the platform support that others lack. The ecosystem of the Kindle is very robust. From the apps that make it very easy to side load books to the free and low pricing of books and the largest book selection from their website. Kindle, I believe is the better option. Especially outside of the USA where overdrive isn’t even much use due to the lack of both public libraries and support. Also, my impression is that Kindles generally have consistent high quality standard when it comes to physical manufacturing. I’ve read more complaints about other brands. (Not counting the tablets, I’ve heard that the tablets don’t last long.) Also difficult to beat the low price of Kindles compared to other brands. Un short, Kindle devices seem to be an overall better value than other devices.
Rod, I understand your point. But I’m not talking about all of the other features. I’m talking about extremely basic essential features that are not included in the Kindle. What good is it to have a mansion without a proper kitchen?
JC, I have used Kobo as an alternative since the first Aura H2O which I still think is the best eReader to date. I have since then purchased every single Kobo aside from the Forma after after that so what’s your point? Amazon still hasn’t done anything.
That´s why I stated that the firmware needs more of an update than the hardware.
Not a point as such, you are remarkably well informed on kindle’s failings for not using it.
Never used a kindle myself and not planning to, sure they are cheap but not very useful, an alternative device with all the proper features could last you 5 years at least and is well worth the price.
Rick, what are these basic essential features that are not included in the Kindle?
Rod,
Rod, Kindle has the worst font sizes in the industry. They go from very small to very large with only one increment in adjustment. They also only have three line spacing options which is ridiculous and only three margin options with only one usable one. Those are basic features that need to be addressed but they haven’t in 14 years.
From my own use of the Kindle, I find it very useful and have seen a lot of reviews that talk about how they use their Kindle for many years, so obviously they do hold up well. I haven´t used a Kobo, but from what I have seen from reviews and from personal accounts of users I know, the Kindle seems to have more features than the Kobo. Like the Voiceview, Wordwise, Audibles. What it does lack is Overdrive, which is useless outside of the USA and a couple of other countries. Here in Mexico it is completely useless. I also get the impression that Kindle has a more robust online presence and support software than the Kobo or other platforms. I am able to sideload books with easy with my Kindle with a few clicks. The Kobo seems a bit underserved and you have to go through several more steps. In the end, each device or platform has functions that are useful to some and not for others. Not sure if one could really say one is better than the other. My Kindle basic is perfect for me as it does what I need it to do at a price I can afford. The Kobo would have been too expensive and not offer the functions that are most useful for me. I do find it interesting the negativity towards the Kindle and I really don´t understand why people hate it so much other than maybe some misplaced feelings toward a huge corporation. Neither device is perfect. It would be nice to combine all the functions of both devices into one with the infrastructure support. Then you would have the perfect device.
The points that you mention about the font sizes and spacing seem very insignificant to me as all we are doing is just reading. These features would be very important when creating a document for artistic style, but reading a book? Are these two things deal breakers? Sorry to dismiss your two complaints, but I don´t see how they really take away from the reading experience of text. I think the other advantages that I listed are more of deal breakers on choosing a Kindle over a Kobo. Or having 50 font styles really don´t seem that important either. I would think that if you are in a country where Overdrive is supported would be a deal breaker between choosing a Kindle or a Kobo if you like to borrow books from your local public library, but you don´t mention that as being important. I continue to watch reviews for Kobos and I think the simpler experience of the Kindle is a plus as it is all about reading, not in formatting or creating content. Being able to use VoiceView and audio books for me has been a very positive experience. Something Kobo doesn´t seem to have. Hope I don´t step on your feelings, but I don´t see how what you mention really matter. I guess it could make things a little nicer, but ultimately it doesn´t take away from being able to read a book.
I almost forget that the robust online support from Amazon for the product also out-ways what Kobo or other e-readers can count on favors the Kindle. I find the Kindle to be very easy to use and very easy to sideload books. Most websites support the Kindle format or you can use online options to convert to the MOBI format or even Calibre. So access to books outside of Amazon is not an issue either.
How much do you actually use those features (Voiceview, Wordwise, Audibles)?
Especially playing audio books on an e-reader is very cumbersome, using my phone is far better for it.
I got my boox for reading and font size (very much) and page formatting (to a lesser degree, unless it’s a badly formatted book) are extremely important to reading comfortably.
Being able to zoom pinch to any font size is an absolute upgrade.
I’ve had zero trouble side-loading content to my device quickly and efficiently; Also it has no trouble reading any book format kindle or otherwise and if it did, I could just install the appropriate reader.
J.C. – I actually use the VoiceView often when doing various household chores. The Audible not as much but I have used it from time to time. The Audible function on the kindle is not difficult to use. I personally don´t read with the text while listening to the book. But I can see how people learning English would find that useful. But you can read along while using VoiceView. WordWise is also very useful and I bet more people use it than you would think. It is certainly very useful for those learning a foreign language. So, just because you don´t use the features doesn´t mean other don´t. And that is the advantage of the Kindle, it can cater to a wider audience with different needs. No doubt that the Boox had more flexibility, but a much higher price. Plus, you have to go through the hassle of having to find the appropriate app to do what you want it to do. Yes, you can also pinch and zoom to any font size in the Kindle device. I can also sideload any document with out having to find the appropriate app for the device. The Kindle is limited in functionality because it is a reading device. The other devices are great because they offer more flexibility but at a much high price. Many people would prefer the simplicity of the Kindle as a dedicated device. and use a phone or tablet for other functionality.
Amazon did something similar with their original Echo/Alexa devices too. I got one of the first units free of charge after getting an emai from Amazon. I just had to submit user experience comments and suggestions for improving the device to Amazon. They ran this pilot program and if enough people gave positive feedback after using the devices for a certain amount of time, they put them into production for wide distribution. And as they say: “the rest is history. “
Nothing makes sense anymore. At this point I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if somebody found the Kindle offensive and now they are canceling it out completely.
They have to market cornered with a lot of people thinking e-reader and kindle are synonymous and even more think that you can’t read kindle books without a kindle.
So motivation wise, they don’t have it.
Let us imagine that Amazon provide 10+ inch device. Basically, it will be same as 6 or 7 incher, maybe (just maybe) with stylus support and based on custom OS. Would this be sufficient for shelling out 500+ USD?
I am using Onyx Note2 currently and it has, more or less, everything I expect from 10″ e-ink device: Kindle application, nice note taking, pdf (and other formats) annotation, front light, audio interface, Dropbox, OneDrive and other integrations…
For pocket reading there is Oasis 2 (at time of purchase there was not Onyx 7.8″ device; maybe I would buy that one).
So, let me ask once more, would you really buy big Kindle and why?
First off, Onyx needs more competition. They have good products but their prices are getting ridiculous. Also you can’t discount how much of a presence Amazon has now. People would be 1000% more likely to buy a product with a Kindle name on the front from Amazon than buying a Boox product made by some company from China that nobody has heard of, especially now that most people seem to think everything from Chinese companies is riddled with spyware.
I’d personally rather have a large-screen Kindle than an Onyx for a number of reasons. For one, I’m not a fan of Onyx’s business practices of never sticking with anything for longer than 6-12 months. Amazon is still regularly updating the software on Kindles from 2014. With Onyx you get maybe 2 years of updates max before a device is abandoned, and they never update the OS and often leave out new features on older devices. Even a few of the new software features they added to the Nova3/Note3 weren’t added to the Nova2/Note2, and the Nova2 was replaced after just 6 months. Amazon takes 5 years to change anything, and Onyx can’t stick with anything for longer than a few months. They are at two opposite ends of the spectrum.
Another reason is Kindle software is better than the Kindle Android app. A large-screen Kindle would run a lot smoother, be more responsive, and it would have more features like being able to use custom fonts with boldness settings. The Kindle Android app works well enough to be usable on Onyx’s devices, but it’s not optimized for E Ink and all. A real Kindle would be a lot better.
All true. I am very well aware of Onyx business model and pissed-off sometimes with it.. Yes, Kindle device has better software than Kindle application but, in general, my comment was more related to Amazon and their perception of Kindle readers and the need for bigger display sizes. I expect that, if Amazon produce 10+ Kindle, it will be just bigger screen. Since Onyx is here and offers much more than Kindle app and is constantly upgrading both devices and software I would expect that big Kindle at the minimum matches Onyx. At least, that is my perception of Amazon business model for Kindle: Sell books, good enough small devices, decent application and do not develop Kindle book ecosystem to full potential (i.e. not only reading but writing as well).
If Amazon’s Kindle team wasn’t so lazy they could develop a note app like Onyx to bridge the gap between reading and learning. They tried the education angle briefly with the Kindle DX over ten years ago but that was too early on a device with no touchscreen and limited features. Now they could make it happen if they really wanted too, but they just don’t seem to care about advancing the Kindle brand anymore. 5 years from now we’ll probably still be limited to a Kindle Paperwhite 5, a low end model with a low resolution screen, like the one now, and maybe a Kindle Oasis with Alexa support or some other gimmick that most people won’t care about.
If Amazon offered a 10″ Kindle, I would consider it if it also did handwriting functionality. It would justify the high price. I don´t think I would buy it just to have a bigger screen. Through those who live for manga and graphic novels might feel different.
I have been a long time user of Kindles (I own at least 4) and have both purchased ebooks through Kindle Store and sideloaded ebooks into them.
Unfortunately, I accidentally broke the glass screen on my Kindle Voyage, and there is no replacement by Amazon.
This gives me a moment to decide if I would like to go for a Kobo instead… of course, I presume I will lose all my Kindle ebooks which I have bought from Kindle Store.
One of the factors driving my decision to switch away from the Kindle is the price of ebooks. It used to be that we could buy one for under $3… but now, ebooks are usually priced at $15-$20, with the prices still seemingly going up.
Hope that helps some of you who are considering Kindles vs. other brands.
Not all books are $15+ in Amazon. They have a lot of much cheaper and free offerings. So i don´t see how book pricing would be an issue in deciding what device to get. Can´t forget the sideloaded material that can be loaded. Get a Kobo if it fits your lifestyle. A kindle fits mine perfectly.
I have to think that Amazon’s decision to stop evolving the Kindle is tied to the nosedive Nook has been on for the better part of a decade. They must not consider Kobo much of a threat either. I was hoping that Kobo’s partnership with Walmart would give Amazon the market threat they need to actually care about the Kindle again, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.