WheelMan Press Reviews

The Godzilla of Kindles tries to conquer the Ereader world

Kindle DX: Amazon's 9.7" Wireless Reading Device - $489.00

I've been a very happy 1st-generation Kindle (referred to henceforth in this review as the K1), since last April, and as a disabled person who's always loved to read but for various reasons (including the physical difficulties in handling an actual book), the device reintroduced the reading experienced and substantially changed my world. When the 2nd-generation Kindle (referred to henceforth as the K2) came on the scene, I didn't feel overly compelled to upgrade to the new version because there was not a significant advantage, in my view, to do so. But when the Kindle Dx was announced with it's larger screen and specifically the native PDF support, which as one who had converted many software manual PDFs for reading on the K1 with passable but not great results, I couldn't resist taking the plunge and upgrading. I've now been using the Kindle DX (referred to henceforth as the KDX), since Thursday (this review is being typed on Sunday), so here is my first impressions review.

The first thing I noticed about the KDX is that it could as easily be called the Kindle Jumbo, or The Kindlenormous, because compared to my K1 (as stated above, I never owned a K2) it's huge! I've seen several people comment on the difference in size, and one might get the impression from various comments (including my own above) that the device requires a forklift to pick up and a warehouse to house. The truth is that the KDX is only big in relation to the prior Kindles. In fact, if this had been the size of the first Kindle, I think everyone would have felt it was the perfect size. As for the increased weight over its smaller brethren, if I personally had to manually hold it, for me with my disability, it would be a real problem. It's not really the weight itself, but due to the center of gravity being more spread out as opposed to the more compact K1 and K2. Basically, if you hold the device vertically near the bottom, it becomes top heavy. Because of this, I don't know if I'd consider the KDX the best choice for the casual reader, especially one who hasn't owned a Kindle before. Sort of like buying a full-sized Hummer for the little old lady from Pasadena who just wants to run to the grocery store twice a week. Doesn't mean a Hummer isn't great in itself, but it would be just a bit of overkill for the proverbial old lady's needs.

As for the KDX itself (and keep in mind that I've never owned or touched a K2, so some of the things that impressed me might be applicable to the K2 as well), it is truly amazing. My own feeling is that this design greatly improves upon what was begun with the K1. In fact I'd go so far as to say that the K1 seems more like a production or Beta model...a great Beta model, but a Beta model nonetheless. The KDX feels more sturdy (and I think this due more to the case construction than the overall weight), and as I said, more polished than the K1. I like the 5-way controller (introduced with the K2) much more than the K1's scroll wheel. While I used the scroll wheel without any qualms whatsoever, it always felt a bit kludgy, as if it was a bit "low tech-ish" for such an advanced product.

The K1 display is great, and if images are done well, they can be quite beautiful. However, if images are done right for the KDX, they are mind blowing in comparison. The K1 always has looked great to me considering it's limited abilities, but the KDX shows just what eInk technology is capable of. Seeing this screen now has me excited for the first time about the prospect of a color eInk screen one day, because if they can do this with 16-shade grayscale now, imagine what we're in store for in a few years. I checked how a couple of my own books' covers looked on the KDX, and they looked great even at the larger size. The KDX screen is also more elongated than it's little brothers', so you get more text per screen not just because of the larger size, but because of proportionally having more screen real estate to work with. Text is sharp and the interface differences from the K1 are also pleasurably improved. Again, I would use the expression "more polished" to describe the difference. Some of that is due to the improved screen resolution, I'm sure.

The KDX's responsiveness is better overall, although that's a relative thing since a large PDF or a page laden with images will take longer to display than a plain text page, regardless of which Kindle you own. I do notice that when one scrolls the cursor with the 5-way controller, that it flies down the page. Not sure if the K1 could have done that it if had used the same controller, so I think the screen refresh rate is improved on the KDX (again, this may be true for the K2 as well).

I don't subscribe to any newspapers currently, but blogs look great on the KDX. On my K1, if you viewed the article list in a blog, you'd get a simple list of article titles. On the KDX, you get titles, a summary or first line from the article, and divider lines separating each listed article. Not to sound repetitive (although clearly I am guilty of just that), but "more polished is again the way I'd describe this difference.

I also own several Kindle books that are now listed as "DX optimized" (most of them being software reference books). These books look as if their layouts are very close to, if not identical to, their printed counterparts. One thing I've noticed, and I'll use one of the books I own, [[ASIN:B001VCD7VU How to Do Everything: Adobe Illustrator CS4]], as an example. My guess is that the images contained in the book are in color in the printed book, and were directly scanned into ebook format "as is." This becomes problematic because of the grayscale display, which shows these images as various shades of gray, often with little contrast between the different shades. The biggest problem, however, is that the gray in the images do not contrast well to the gray background of the screen. The gray screen provides plenty of contrast for text on the KDX, but for images with a lot of gray shades in them, the lack of contrast makes the images look washed out. I would therefore strongly urge Amazon to take the "DX optimized" designation even further and make sure that the images in these books are also optimized for the grayscale display, because they do the KDX fabulous display capabilities justice.

The PDFs I have loaded onto my KDX look wonderful as well. Most of my PDFs are Adobe software manual, and therefore they are true PDFs (not all PDFs are the same, or true PDFs) with lots of imagery, and they seem to display almost flawlessly in their native format. So the it appears that the promise and the biggest reason I once again invested a significant amount of money with Amazon has proven to be well worth it.

A personal note about the Kindle DX's size. The KDX is too big for my Kindle stand from Octo, so I have to prop up against other stuff on my bed, Which is fine, and actually works well for this Godzilla of Kindles. However, when I want to charge the KDX while I read (which I generally do nightly), I have to turn it upside down because the charging plug is on the bottom of the device, and so can't be "stood up" on that end while charging. So for me, the screen flipping technology is a godsend, although oddly enough, neither the screen savers nor the Kindle store will flip. Probably because neither could display properly in horizontal mode. Still, it's annoying to be using the Kindle in one orientation but then be forced to reorient the device if I want to dash off to the Kindle Store briefly. While certainly a minor thing, I'd really like to see Amazon enable the screen flipping technology to work with the Kindle Store as well.

Overall, I already love my DX. While I'll always love my K1 as well, I just don't have the need for both, so I'm glad the K1 will have a happy new home with my sister. The KDX is an excellent addition to the Kindle family, while it was promoted as a device targeted to students and others with specific large-format document needs, the KDX could have easily been the first Kindle released, and I believe that it would have been equally successful even at the larger size.

If you're thinking of buying a Kindle DX, or are especially debating between a K2 or KDX, I'd recommend you really assess your needs and uses for your Kindle, and use those to help make your decision. The KDX itself is amazing and expands on the promise and functionality of the original Kindles. But some may buy the KDX and then criticize it, not because of the device's failings (of which I have seen none yet), but because they perhaps would have been better served by a smaller Kindle instead.

So while I say any potential Kindle buyer should choose wisely depending upon their needs, the Kindle DX is in itself an outstanding product that will only help to solidify the Kindle brand as the standard by which all other ereaders will be compared.

Where I gave the 1st-generation Kindle 5 stars, based upon how the Kindle DX has improved upon the design and functionality, I'd give the KDX 10 stars if I could.

Go on a fun romp at Night Camp

Night Camp by LC Evans - $9.00

Night Camp is a fun, YA book that people of all age can enjoy. It's the story of Shane, a boy who attempts to rebel against his parents annual practice of dumping at summer camp while they go on vacation by choosing the most offbeat, awful camp he can find. So this year he chooses a new camp called Night Camp. In choosing this particular camp he hopes that his parents will be so disturbed by the place that they will never force him to go to another camp again. But what Shane and his cousin Brad discover when they arrive is that there is a terrifying reason why Night Camp is literally held at night, and with the help of new friend Nicole, Shane and Brad must first prove their suspicions to be true, and then find a way to get help. But what they eventually discover is even more mind blowing than they could ever imagine.

What I loved most about Night Camp is that it is the perfect book for younger to middle grade readers, lots of spooky fun but nothing too intense or frightening for the little ones. In some ways it reminds me a lot of the books I used to read as a kid, tales like The Happy Hollisters by Jerry West, in the sense that they are both full of good, clean fun. For my personal tastes (being an old, cynical adult now), I'd have liked to see a bit more conflict and jeopardy. I never really feared for the children's safety, as I think there were plenty of clues that there was more afoot than the children themselves recognized at first. But as I said, this is also what makes this the perfect book for younger readers, as this book is geared toward. It's the very kind of book I'd have loved as a child, and the kind of book I'd want my children (if I had any) to read as well.

If you have kids or are just a child at heart, this is a book you should thoroughly enjoy.

A motivational and inspirational gem for would be marketers

Rubies in the Orchard: How to Uncover the Hidden Gems in Your Business by Lynda Resnick - $16.47

If you're in search of a book that will teach you the intricacies of marketing, or in need of analytical study of marketing tactics and techniques, this isn't the book for you. But "Rubies in the Orchard" is a precious gem and a must read for anyone looking for a book that will motivate them and get them into the positive, proactive, "can do" mindset that is necessary to become a successful marketer.

The book takes you on a journey through the author's adult life and shows us how she became an immensely successful marketer, building some of the best known brands in the world. Most impressive to me is the fact that this book promotes integrity in both marketing tactics as well as the product you are selling.

Ms. Resnick teaches how she earnestly believed in every product she sold, and how she invested time, effort, and money into creating high quality products, and even made sure that every aspect of the production, distribution, and sales of her products met with the highest standards of integrity and social responsibility.

This book should be required reading for every person who intends to market a product, service, or themselves, and I really took the ideals and principles laid out in this book to heart. And I think you will too.

Poetic Prose with Both Depth and Substance

No Irish Need Apply by Edward C. Patterson - $6.50

It's not often these days that you come across writing that possesses both the literary beauty of a classic poem with the depth and substance of a contemporary tale. A story may be gritty and real, with writing that reflects the coarseness of the environment in which the characters live, or you have prose that weaves a magical spell with beautiful turns of phrase, but once you're done reading it leaves you with little to chew on after the fact. But "No Irish Need Apply" by Edward C. Patterson contains both substance and style, a contemporary tale with told with the poetic beauty of the literary classics of the past.

"No Irish Need Apply," a reference to the times when Irish immigrants were discriminated against, blatantly reflected by signs posted outside many establishments letting it be known that if you were Irish, then you shouldn't bother coming inside, is a story of love, a forbidden love in many circles, because it's the love story for two teen boys. For many, the subject may be controversial, even considered a topic as forbidden as the incidents it portrays. But in the hands (or should I say pen?) of Mr. Patterson, the story is told with compassion and grace. The tale of these teens as they come to recognize, and eventually accept, their growing love for one another is one which transcends the stigmas and prejudices surrounding homosexuality. It's a story that lives and breathes, takes you inside the minds of two young men dealing with issues that pretty much every human being should be able to identify with. "No Irish Need Apply" is a preachy tale, nor a rant against the establishment that denies same-sex relationships equal protection under the law. It's simply a story about teenage angst and love, and of two people trying to find themselves as they discover each other. If the world is lucky, stories like this one that will kick down the walls of prejudice and the misguided applications of morality that still plagues our world, and in doing so bring better understanding and acceptance to us all.

"No Irish Need Apply" isn't just a must read in my opinion, it should be required reading for everyone. Do yourself a favor and read it today.

A “Golden” Story with a Relevant Message

The Golden Compass (Starring: Kathy Bates, John Bett) - $14.99

I've never read the original books by author Philip Pullman, but I heard much about them leading up to the release of this much anticipated film adaptation. One of the things I hate most about such pre-hype for a film like this is that you can't help but form biased opinions about the success or failure of the project even though you've yet to see it with your own eyes. Given that the original books were written as an expression of Mr. Pullman's atheist beliefs, which though I disagree with, I have the utmost respect for, and having heard that the movie had been changed to downplay that particular angle, I was afraid that what would be left would be a watered down, generic fantasy with a lot of special effects and action but little or no depth. So I'm happy to say that when I finally saw this film the other night, I was pleasantly surprised.

First off, one of the gripes I do have with the film is that I'm not sure that it ever really provides the audience with a full understanding of what's at stake. We quickly learn that on this world, daemons are living, physical manifestations of a person's soul that walk alongside their human counterparts, appearing in animal form. There is also reference to Dust, which is believed to connect this world with the many other parallel worlds out there, and which is somehow related to why a child's daemon can change form at will but an adult's cannot. Lord Asriel, played in the film by current James Bond star Daniel Craig, believes that he can use this discovery as a way to travel between worlds. Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter, portrayed in a wonderfully scary way by Nicole Kidman, represents the Magisterium, an organization that seeks to, for some unexplained reason, control people through their beliefs. The Magisterium also has been kidnapping children in an evil plot involving the children's daemons. Lyra, portrayed by Dakota Blue Richards, is Lord Asriel's niece, an orphan being raised at Oxford, who is given a device which is capable of discerning the truth of things. Lyra, along with her alethiometer, or golden compass, proves to be a child prophesied long ago who will ultimately determine the future of everyone.

While I can sort of fill in the gaps on my own, I never felt satisfied that I had been given a firm explanation for the Magisterium and the full implications of their plan. I suspect that this is the point where the removal of any anti-religious content may have left a gap in the story, a missing piece that was left ambiguous rather than filling it with something contrived. That absence, along with parts of the story early on that felt a bit rushed, keep me from giving the story 5 stars. But it is beautiful visually, in some ways even more so than Lord of the Rings. The story is certainly more than exciting enough for the young and young at heart, and if you pay close attention, even with the missing allusions to the books original undercurrent, you can sense the message is still there, and I felt that was a very big plus.

I will definitely be looking forward to the anticipated second film in the trilogy, and I think once you've seen it, so will you.