Kindle DX on sale for $239. Still worth it?

[hamisertvurdu]

Hey all,

I recently realized that Kindle DX is on sale at Amazon for just $239. Is it worth buying it at this price? I am looking for your advices.

I know its technology is pretty old and there seems to be no update in the future. But I am looking for an e-ink reader with large screen to read academic PDFs. As I know, Sony will release an 13.3 inch reader next year but I think they will set a price around $400-$500, which seems a bit expensive for me. Should I wait for Sony (maybe its price would be lower than I expected) or buy a Kindle DX? I am also thinking about buying 10 inch tablet but I wonder whether tablets are better than e-ink readers to read PDF files for couple of hours without eye strain.

I don't have any device (neither tablet nor reader) and would appreciate your help.

[AnemicOak]

Personally I've found a 9-10" tablet with a good PDF reading app to be the best solution for me.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by hamisertvurdu

I don't have any device (neither tablet nor reader) and would appreciate your help.

If you do not own either of these I suggest you go to a shop or try a friend's and see if these do what you want.

I've owned a DXG for ~2 years now (paid ~$400 for it btw) and it has been the best e-book reader I have ever owned. I also find the free 3G very useful when travelling. This is not limited to just wiki and kindle store like all the newer models.

I have used it to read a few academic documents and technical manuals. Works pretty well as long as you do not have too many double columns and colored graphs (800x600 res).

For $239, this is a real bargain as an e-book reader with fairly unlimited 3g access. If you mainly want to use it as a pdf reader I would say you probably would be better with an ipad.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Personally I've found a 9-10" tablet with a good PDF reading app to be the best solution for me.

I agree 100%. For the price of a DX you can buy a 2nd-hand iPad which will be hugely better for this purpose. The DX is just too slow to be good for rendering complex PDFs.

[jiggsKC]

I love e-ink. But the short answer is, no.

I particularly like the kindle with the brighter screen, the Paperwhite (which sells for $119). Unfortunately, there isn't a 10" version of the paperwhite. Also, i really like the keyboard functionality of the Kindle Keyboard (aka Kindle 2 and Kindle 3).

You have to be honest with yourself. If you are looking for a tablet, a kindle e-reader is probably far away from the direction you should be looking in. The Nexus 10, Samsung Galaxy Note 10, or Apple's iPad 2, 3, or 4 all look really inviting in that size. And at $239, you are getting into that territory.

I have an iPad 2, and i used to have a kindle 2 (keyboard), and now a kindle paperwhite. My mom has the Kindle Keyboard (kindle3) in slate. There is something about the way that the e-ink looks. it doesn't strain the eyes, and it keeps everything about the words. I can zip through novels and go to far away places by reading e-ink on the kindle.

The iPad, or any Android equivalent tablet (if you can call them that), offer beautiful colors, rich video experiences, and apps galore. They are very much what the laptop on the go experience is becoming.

But for reading black and white text, if i had a preference . . . a kindle; always a kindle. The DX to me looked rather large, and i always went for small and compact, but i could see if you are reading PDF's or pictorial type articles, you might want the DX. I think most people would steer you away, however, because devices have come a long, long way. You would have to really love e-ink, and really wanna live in that monochrome world to pass up the multitasking and variety of uses a tablet could offer. Even the Kindle Fire just gives you a lot more to work with.

It's the distraction that comes with it, which keeps me going back to my kindle. And sometimes looking at a screen that bright and colorful can detract from the colorful language, the mystery, and the sheer brilliance of the imagination.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

I have used it to read a few academic documents and technical manuals. Works pretty well as long as you do not have too many double columns and colored graphs (800x600 res).

For $239, this is a real bargain as an e-book reader with fairly unlimited 3g access. If you mainly want to use it as a pdf reader I would say you probably would be better with an ipad.

Agreed. I have a DX, and while it does fine with Mobis and simple PDFs, it's too slow for more compex ones. A 2nd-hand iPad or 10" Android tablet will work better for those.

Its' resolution is 1200x825, btw. It's the 6" readers that were 800x600.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by jiggsKC

I love e-ink. But the short answer is, no.

I particularly like the kindle with the brighter screen, the Paperwhite (which sells for $119). Unfortunately, there isn't a 10" version of the paperwhite. Also, i really like the keyboard functionality of the Kindle Keyboard (aka Kindle 2 and Kindle 3).

You have to be honest with yourself. If you are looking for a tablet, a kindle e-reader is probably far away from the direction you should be looking in. The Nexus 10, Samsung Galaxy Note 10, or Apple's iPad 2, 3, or 4 all look really inviting in that size. And at $239, you are getting into that territory.

I have an iPad 2, and i used to have a kindle 2 (keyboard), and now a kindle paperwhite. My mom has the Kindle Keyboard (kindle3) in slate. There is something about the way that the e-ink looks. it doesn't strain the eyes, and it keeps everything about the words. I can zip through novels and go to far away places by reading e-ink on the kindle.

The iPad, or any Android equivalent tablet (if you can call them that), offer beautiful colors, rich video experiences, and apps galore. They are very much what the laptop on the go experience is becoming.

But for reading black and white text, if i had a preference . . . a kindle; always a kindle. The DX to me looked rather large, and i always went for small and compact, but i could see if you are reading PDF's or pictorial type articles, you might want the DX. I think most people would steer you away, however, because devices have come a long, long way. You would have to really love e-ink, and really wanna live in that monochrome world to pass up the multitasking and variety of uses a tablet could offer. Even the Kindle Fire just gives you a lot more to work with.

It's the distraction that comes with it, which keeps me going back to my kindle. And sometimes looking at a screen that bright and colorful can detract from the colorful language, the mystery, and the sheer brilliance of the imagination.

Your comment is beautifully expressed.

I see this is your first post, so let me officially welcome you to MobileRead.


Don
(Moderator)

[banjomike]

I still read my 'normal' books (fiction etc) either on a Nook Glowlight or Sony PRS-505 if no light needed but using the Nook HD+ to read PDFs on a 9" screen has been a revelation. And you still have the web/email/games options.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by hamisertvurdu

Hey all,

I recently realized that Kindle DX is on sale at Amazon for just $239. Is it worth buying it at this price? I am looking for your advices.

I know its technology is pretty old and there seems to be no update in the future. But I am looking for an e-ink reader with large screen to read academic PDFs. As I know, Sony will release an 13.3 inch reader next year but I think they will set a price around $400-$500, which seems a bit expensive for me. Should I wait for Sony (maybe its price would be lower than I expected) or buy a Kindle DX? I am also thinking about buying 10 inch tablet but I wonder whether tablets are better than e-ink readers to read PDF files for couple of hours without eye strain.

I don't have any device (neither tablet nor reader) and would appreciate your help.

I've bought mine 3 years ago and still love it.
But I can't recommend it at all for PDFs.
For the "typical" ebook from Amazon it's great, although I rarely really need that size and often are more than fine with my Kindle Paperwhite.
But for PDFs, functionality is way too limited.

I very much preferred my iRex readers re. PDFs. Way better zoom options and such. iRex dropped out of business, nowadays probably the PocketBook series and similar units close the gap best.

And of course, as others already have stated: Tablets, albeit heavier and more power hungry, do a phantastic job with PDFs. GoodReader for example on iPad offers sheer endless options and is way faster than your average reader...

And: Although the display on Kindle DXG still is more than adequate, it's not quite state of the art anymore...

[Cheerful Hamster]

Originally Posted by hamisertvurdu

As I know, Sony will release an 13.3 inch reader next year but I think they will set a price around $400-$500, which seems a bit expensive for me.

The last I heard, the Sony was supposed to be released this year. Has this changed? And this is the first mention I've seen about a price, although I remember some speculation about that price range being optimistic.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Personally I've found a 9-10" tablet with a good PDF reading app to be the best solution for me.

Agreed. I think a tablet would be the best for your needs OP.

[hamisertvurdu]

Thanks all for your help/comments. As I understood, it doesn't seem reasonable to buy a Kindle DX now.
I would rather buy a tablet or wait for Sony's 13.3'' reader.

Originally Posted by Cheerful Hamster

The last I heard, the Sony was supposed to be released this year. Has this changed? And this is the first mention I've seen about a price, although I remember some speculation about that price range being optimistic.

To be honest, I have no info about the release date, am just guessing. But I cannot wait more than two months and I would be suprised if Sony will release this nice reader before 2014.
If you are interested, I recently asked info about the release date in another topic.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Cheerful Hamster

The last I heard, the Sony was supposed to be released this year. Has this changed?

Last I'd read the prototypes will undergo field trials in late 2013, unless there was some update I didn't see. That would mean at least 2014 for a retail device.

[GreenMonkey]

For PDFs, I'd recommend a Nook HD+, they're on crazy clearance right now ($149 at B&N). Good battery life, reasonably fast, beautiful 1920x1280 screen, official Cyanogen Mod support.

[twobob]

I really wanted to buy one.
BUT

In compliance with shipping regulations, some item(s) in your order cannot be sent to blahdeblah in United Kingdom.
Please provide another address below or edit your shopping bag to remove the following item(s):
NOOK HD+ Tablet Slate 32GB

Shipping regulations?
Whut?

Sigh. Their loss