Posted: 9/1/2008 8:19:58 PM EDT
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Kindle Longer video towards the bottom. Anyone have one, read about one, or looked at them as an option? Books, news, blogs, and personal docs in 10.3 oz with days of battery life, and external memory options. Thoughts? Why survival? Entire library for 10.3 oz, personal docs and file back-up. |
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As we move to a paperless society this system, or another similar to it, will become the standard with only a small part of publishers actually putting out their wares in print. I'm not sure whether this is entirely good or bad. It does make editing and quoting easier. But you are gonna need some type of power in order to use the info stored on your device. How water / shock proof are these things? |
| E-paper is a great tech, and a long time coming, though it does have it's drawbacks... The screen takes a long time to refresh (compared to a regular monitor) and it's still quite fragile. My brother bought one, and it snapped almost in half when his 100 pound girlfriend sat down with it between her back and the couch (he had left it leaning against the back cushions). Maybe worth looking into in 5-10 years, once it's been out for a while and someone's developed a ruggedized version of it. There's also a flexible version in the works. It can't be folded (yet) but it can be rolled up. Color is supposedly coming, too. |
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I read the book "Lucifer's Hammer" and in it the bookworm buries 100s of books that are required to rebuild the world. He then takes with him 1 book due to weight restrictions. I have a cell phone charger that uses 2 AA batteries to charge my TREO almost 3 times to full on 2 batteries. There are multitudes of charging/recharging devices out there--some that are limitless. This thing brags about days of reading time on one charge. I don't see battery life as big a restriction... With that said, imagine taking 200 of your most important documents/texts/guides with you to the BOL or on the road. Even if you only reference it a few minutes at a time, say the medical guide, or edible plants, or water purification processes, or other items. I think being able to walk away with your library is sweet. Price is insane. At 9.99ish for each book it's expensive. I would rather see "device free with purchase of 30 texts" or something. This really is just a device to drive sales. Now, when planning a multi-day hike you could take a LOT of resource material with you for 10.3 ounces. I would like to see: Tougher construction Water proof (as much as possible) More media options (word+amazon books only) I think this is getting to the point of almost being worth it. I do like the idea of having my favorite library in my bag. Can we download those texts for portable devices, or is it stuck in the Kindle? My treo would be great for reading. |
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I'm considering a tablet pc (the latest HP ) and a library of pdf files on the hard drive and backed up on DVD. The tablet can also be used for navigation and I plan to get a vehicle mount for that purpose. has WiFI for internet, and most places you can find free or open wifi ports. A tablet is a better option overall than the kindle in my opinion for pre and post SHTF scenarios.... WDS |
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Its somewhat of an intermediate technology that has a good chance of dying out. With tablet PCs getting thinner and lasting longer on the same batteries there really isnt much need for it as niche device in anything near the current config. Especially at the price point. At the point where these are refined to a quality product that appeals to the majority we'll most likely have low end tablets in the same price bracket. At this point its a sandwich between a pocket device (palm, pocketpc) and a tablet. Unfortunately its got the limitations of both. The capabilities of the pocket device and the price tag of the tablet. |
