My Kindle....

Ok, so here are some random thoughts and things about my Kindle after a couple months of daily usage;

What I don't like

• Selection limited for South African's - don't believe the huge library/literature/book download/availability bragging
• ie I can't download Wired magazine (not allowed) or purchase most books in the tech genre
• South African local content non-existing
• Content management is flawed - a lot of content comes across formatted incorrectly
• Connectivity in SA pathetic - signal loss means no newspaper (and other daily's) updates
• Clippings possible but not granular enough and the management, review of clippings difficult to navigate and manage
• Newspaper and Mags update erratically and without limited notification or tracking
• Keyboard difficult to type on
• Four point "mouse" quick but feels restricted
• I HATE THE FACT THAT I HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO AN ENTIRE MAG OR NEWSPAPER WHEN I ONLY LIKE 1 1000TH OF THE CONTENT - see the following rant
• e-ink easy on eyes but the plastic screen cover reflects overhead lighting (glare)
• Content still feels static and limited - it's a simple port of offline content onto an electronic medium
• I've already bought so many books I'm yet to read - would be great if I could download those onto Kindle at no cost
• Connectivity slow which results in screen display render being slow and frustrating
• Tendency to freeze/hang periodically
• Amazon's social online destination for Kindle owners is so lame...
• Beta web browser on Kindle a joke
• Device feels delicate and screen easily scratched
• Search sucks and not accurate - the results often hidden if you don't know exactly what you want
• Kindle device "Home" page layout needs work - simply listing things sequentially and page by page is archiac
• Blogs not accessible to South Africa users

What I like;

• Instant gratification
• Ease of purchase - 1-click purchase simply awesome!
• Archiving older subscription based publications I missed
• Memory of where I was even though I navigated away
• e-ink is just like paper and easy on eyes
• Navigating through news sections efficient (but I'd like each article title to have a relevant blurb that makes better sense to the relevance and subject matter of the hyperlink)
• Form factor allows me to carry an entire bookcase without the burden of lugging a tree trunk in my bag
• Bookmarking easy
• Battery life
• Amazon's huge book selection
• Screensavers/hibernate displays are cool
• Digital text platform - dtp.amazon.com - allows others to sell their books on the Kindle
• Self publishing via third party

Summary: with all it's quirks, it still works awesomely well and has become a complete substitute...so much so that it's extremely frustrating that I can't do more with it or get more on it. There are so so many possibilities with this product/platform. I think it's expensive and I think it's inevitable that we'll see the free Kindle on a 2 year plan...just like a mobile phone...(it costs half the price of a blackberry so why not?)

What I would love;

• A Kindle for my kids - colourful...with access to only kids content (ie all archie comics) - my 9 year old would eat it up!
• Granular, per article subscription
• Touch screen with multitouch
• Better caching of amazon titles - why not store all titles local so we don't have to go online to search
• Broader SA/local content - deal with Naspers?
• Better search and navigation
• Ability to browse better
• Facebook friend connect for Kindle - imagine!
• Kindle application marketplace - therefore Kindle content needs to be completely open and free?
• Instant messaging and twitter enablement?
• Blackberry type keyboard
• Home page look and feel makeover
• Phone calls on my Kindle? - skype + webcam please?