Ferros Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 The thought occurred to me that this could be hugely useful for peeps in IT, in that they can have all the books and reference material that they would normally have to lug around in a laptop bag onto the kindle which can hold 1500 books, depending on size. You can also convert pdfs to work on the kindle for about .10 cents a pop I believe. I was wondering if anyone out there is using the kindle for this purpose, to have all their reference material in this one device? I know there is a lot of buzz and bullshit about how great it is, but i just wanted to get some impressions from IT peeps on whether or not this could be really useful in the field. I know the usual answer will be just pop open the laptop, but i think it would be nice if i didn't have to break it out every time i was working on another computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vector Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 i think a nice smart phone/ppc would be a much better solution. i mean if youre gonna spend hundreds of dollars on a device to display text then might as well give it wifi capability, gps functionality, let it run applications for troubleshooting network issues or anyalyzing wireless network connection issues, also support any type of ms office document, pdf, or .txt. hell why not even give it mobile internet capability just incase you need to check or send an email, or ask the all knowing google a question that you dont have time to look through 1500 ebooks for answer. and i suppose it would be nice to be able to make some video calls or watch tv while on a lunch break. but maybe im missing something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metatron Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 i think a nice smart phone/ppc would be a much better solution. i mean if youre gonna spend hundreds of dollars on a device to display text then might as well give it wifi capability, gps functionality, let it run applications for troubleshooting network issues or anyalyzing wireless network connection issues, also support any type of ms office document, pdf, or .txt. hell why not even give it mobile internet capability just incase you need to check or send an email, or ask the all knowing google a question that you dont have time to look through 1500 ebooks for answer. and i suppose it would be nice to be able to make some video calls or watch tv while on a lunch break. but maybe im missing something. lol, I think most people tend to just use there smart phone. I like the HP iPAQ 111 Classic for business stuff personally as I change my phone twice as year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlit Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 For $350? No, not really. I just use a Palm m130 for reading ebooks. Bright, clear, backlit screen and buttons in pefect positions for flipping pages, it's light and it fits in my pocket. Cost me a grand total of about $20 used and came complete with box, accessories, manuals, etc. Also takes SD cards, so storage isn't a problem. MobiReader is pretty alright for a Palm reader (though it's available for other platforms too), works on PalmOS 3 devices and newer I think, so it'll work on pretty much any reasonably functional Palm device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparda Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I don't read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopez1364 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I would say yes because of the potential it has for other things. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razor512 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I use my ipaq rx 3115, it may be old but it does a lot more than what the kindle does, only problem is the screen is smaller but the grab to scroll and the hot keys to change pages and the instant changing of pages is nice the kindle is overpriced for what you get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullArray Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 I use my ipaq rx 3115, it may be old but it does a lot more than what the kindle does, only problem is the screen is smaller but the grab to scroll and the hot keys to change pages and the instant changing of pages is nice the kindle is overpriced for what you get The kindle would be awesome for a college student..., 1 textbook for one of my classes = the price of a kindle..., however, most textbooks aren't available on the device. My roommate is a classic major and reads nearly 25 books a semester, mostly greek literature..., all of which is available on the Kindle... so jealous. As for IT people, it could be VERY useful if books are the main source of info..., it's all indexed and searchable, comments can be made, and it's all in one device. A smartphone/handheld seems like a good idea, but it has flaws: tiny screen, quickly depleting battery, diagrams/photos would require panning and couldn't always be seen all at once, and the annoyance of flipping the page every three seconds. On top of all this though, Then again, the in order for the Kindle to be remotely affordable, the owner would have to purchase over $350 worth of books during the Kindle's lifetime. My gadgetlust wants me to get one anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferros Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 I understand I could get an e pc for the same price, but then i would still have to pull it out everytime i needed to read something, boot up and so forth. Maybe i'm just a lazy ass hehe. I know there isn't much out there available in kindle format, but what is selling me is the fact that you can convert pdf files to kindle format, abit for .10 cents a piece. So i can just download the material I need, if not in pdf format covert it to it, then convert to kindle format. Actually i wonder how long it will take for someone to crack the kindle format hehe. anyway, just my thoughts. Battery life if you don't have the 3G on is suppose to be like 2 weeks or something stupid like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bit Hunter Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 I wouldn't pay 350 USD for it, i use my Eee 901 and iPaq 614c for reading eBooks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psydT0ne Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 honestly i'd use it if i could get one for no more than $50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 The only thing that stops me getting one is the way Amazon have a monoploy over the device. A Kindle clone would be absolutely perfect for the FOSS world to develop, as some kinda open platform with support from a number of publishers. Having said that, I am decidely old school when it comes to reading fiction, as there is something about the feel of a book you can't get from a screen. Technical documentation is fine for ebooks though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullArray Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 I understand I could get an e pc for the same price, but then i would still have to pull it out everytime i needed to read something, boot up and so forth. Maybe i'm just a lazy ass hehe. I know there isn't much out there available in kindle format, but what is selling me is the fact that you can convert pdf files to kindle format, abit for .10 cents a piece. So i can just download the material I need, if not in pdf format covert it to it, then convert to kindle format. Actually i wonder how long it will take for someone to crack the kindle format hehe. anyway, just my thoughts. Battery life if you don't have the 3G on is suppose to be like 2 weeks or something stupid like that. ~250,000 books isn't much? The only thing that stops me getting one is the way Amazon have a monoploy over the device. A Kindle clone would be absolutely perfect for the FOSS world to develop, as some kinda open platform with support from a number of publishers. Having said that, I am decidely old school when it comes to reading fiction, as there is something about the feel of a book you can't get from a screen. Technical documentation is fine for ebooks though. It's going to take publishers a very long time to start warming up to DRM free books -- like with music. I don't mind Amazon having a monopoly, as the Kindle itself is arguably the best reader available, and if my device is lost/stolen, the books/bookmarks/comments/notes/etc are transferred to a new device for free instantly. You should at least commend them for taking an effort (and money) to make it happen..., no one has come this close before and they should reap what they sewed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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