"Reaction [beta]"

Scoble on Kindle 30 Nov 2007

If you head over to Amazon.com this morning, you'll see that there are already more than 800 reviews of Kindle. You'll also notice that it has an average customer rating of a middle-of-the-road three stars. This suggests that you can confidently expect a mediocre user experience should you decide to purchase this product.

...Or does it?

If you take the time to read some of the reviews you'll notice that the lion's share are written by people who have never actually used Kindle...so they - and the accompanying star rating - are, in reality, useless indicators of the product's quality. (This incidentally highlights a major flaw in Amazon's review system in general, but let's talk about that another time).

So if you can't rely on the customer reviews, who can you turn to for a useful point-of-view?

The blogosphere? Well, most bloggers - including our good selves, might we add - haven't used it either. Thus we're left with experts. But some experts have commercial ties to Amazon and / or its subsidiaries and others are in the game of selling their books through Amazon / via Kindle - which may engender a little bias. And of course, in many cases, they too haven't used the product either.

So who do you choose?

We're putting our faith in Robert Scoble, because (i) as former technical evangelist for Microsoft, he should know a thing or two about innovative new products and their likelihood of achieving success in the marketplace; and (ii) he's been using Kindle ever since it launched.

So what does he think of it? Hmmm...his week one summary doesn't sound too good. Here's the gist (excerpted from Scoble's site):

No ability to buy paper goods from Amazon through Kindle.
Usability sucks. They didn't think about how people would hold this device.
UI sucks. Menus? Did they hire some out-of-work Microsoft employees?
No ability to send electronic goods to anyone else...That's lame.
No social network. Why don't I have a list of all my friends who also have Kindles and let them see what I'm reading?
No touch screen. The iPhone has taught everyone...that screens are meant to be touched. Yet we're stuck with a silly navigation system because the screen isn't touchable.

Scoble's conclusion: "Whoever designed this should be fired and the team should start over."

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117 comments so far

Ed 30 Nov 2007 01:48 PM

Mine hasn't arrived yet - although I was just as irritated with the Amazon reviewers that haven't bought it. (Even more so with responses such as: "Con: It's too expensive" - yeah, for you. Get out of my way)

However, I have a few counterpoints to Scoble [and I don't read Scoble, but I read y'all, so I'm responding here ;) ]

1. I don't want paper goods from my Kindle. I want e-goods. I would like to see a discounted, combined book and kindle offering for new and bestsellers, but all in all - I want to read ebooks on my ereader.

2. Walt Mossberg (who I can't stand, but my parents, and the rest of their generation, listen to him) agrees. This may be the one thing that forces me to return mine.

3. Withholding comment. Haven't seen the device.

4/5. Yeah, and people complained when the iPod didn't have FM radio or let you share songs between iPods. The Zune does both, and they are selling juuuuuust great, eh? I want a MP3 player that plays MP3s. I want an ebook reader that reads books! Leave the space shuttle launching features for something else.

6. I disagree. Screens aren't always meant to be touched. My book pages (nostalgia aside) don't need to be fondled.

Jim Treacher 30 Nov 2007 03:38 PM

I haven't seen Scoble that upset since the time he tried to kiss Dirk Diggler. Well, I was on the fence on the Kindle until I read this helpful FAQ.

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