Talk:Amazon Kindle/Archive 1

Content Sources

Is the content sources section in Content really necessary? There are numerous sources for e-books and the line referring to the sources could be shortened to stating that the Kindle can view certain types of e-book files from various online websites. St33med (talk) 01:58, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

RSS subscription line

I am removing this line in content:

Amazon charges monthly for RSS subscription to select blogs, even though users could use the experimental web browser to navigate to and read blogs or any other web pages free of charge.

Simply because it is stated before hand and it has negative implications on the feeds. This, however, could be moved to criticisms. St33med (talk) 01:45, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

Whispernet

Whispernet redirects to Kindle... I would like to request an article about Whipsernet. - (me: 4 Dec 2007) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.102.242.56 (talk) 01:54, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

I figured that since no one else responded, I shall. There was a Whispernet article, you can see the last version. There wasn't much to it, so it was decided to merger in. To the best of my knowledge Whispernet is simply a term for the use of the Sprint EVDO network (per whats written in the Kindle article). If at some later point more information becomes available - the article can be resurrected. --ShakataGaNai ^Talk 22:00, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

Yes, Whispernet is just Sprint EVDO, with the added twist that the user does not pay any recurring fee for it. NuclearWinner (talk) 22:43, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Sane ELs to Kindle User's Guide and About Your Amazon Kindle?

Amazon.com does provide access the PDF versions of the Kindle's Getting Started and Reference guides from the product's page listing, which might be valuable external links (if not references). However, I cannot ascertain what an appropriate link to either may be (i.e. whether the URLs I see locally represent content cache locations to balance request loads). Thoughts on what may be appropriate here? D. Brodale (talk) 04:21, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

Does it work in Finland/Europe?

Hi!

Someone should write whether or not this Kindle's EVDO/CDMA AnyDATA wireless modem work in Europe? How about the Whispernet? Does it work in Finland/Europe? Urvabara (talk) 13:35, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

WP isn't an FAQ, but I'll answer it here for you. The short answer is "No". So far from what I've read, amazon wont even sell it to other countries. Also, most of the world (including Europe) uses GSM, not CDMA. If I remember correctly, generally the only use of CDMA still is North America. --ShakataGaNai (talk) 19:19, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

Thanks! Someone should add this info to the article. Urvabara (talk) 06:38, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

It actually already says that. More specifically it says "service launched in the United States" and "which uses the Sprint EVDO network". Short of flat out writing "No, this wont work anywhere other than the US", everything has been said. Its also arguable that the kindle is usable outside the US. Every key feature Amazon has included on the kindle uses the Cellular capabilities - but doesn't require it. So if you were to get a kindle outside the US - you could still purchase books and load them up over USB. --ShakataGaNai (talk) 07:00, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Ok. Urvabara 13:55, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

Instead of saying 'someone' should do something, just go make the changes you think the article needs, be bold.Brianhe (talk) 07:05, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Ok, but someone already edited it... Urvabara 13:55, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

Amazon's website says U.S. users can continue purchasing and otherwise managing their Kindle activities via their computer when abroad. Without mentioning this one gives the impression the device is completely dependant the domestic Whispernet when this is not so. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.197.244.81 (talk) 01:24, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

What Books Does it Have?

Though you can search Amazon.com for what books Kindle offers, There is no full list of the books. If you like reading more obscure books, what does Kindle offer? Why Does Amazon.com offer more books than the Kindle? Shouldn't it be the same? There are a ton of questions that need to be answered.24.250.59.55 (talk) 20:19, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

Huh? There is a full list of books that Amazon offers for the kindle, Goto amazon's site and click Kindle books (linked for your ease of clicking). Right now it says "91,961 Results". Thats -every-single-book- amazon offers for the Kindle. There aren't any "hidden" books or equally "obscure" titles that hide out on the device. What the Kindle (Devices) accesses, is the their website, just slightly reformatted. Thats it. End of Story. As for "Why does amazon.com offer more books than the kindle?" by that I assume you mean "Why doesn't amazon offer every book on the Kindle" and the answer is simple - because their either don't have a license to sell it electronically, or no electronic version exists. --ShakataGaNai (talk) 20:26, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

Not sure if ShakataGaNai is a native speaker of N.A. or RP English. "Obscure" doesn't mean hidden, it means less popular or not as widely known works. I've found some of these, like one of the novels by Dostoyevsky which I did not expect to find for Kindle. The Charlie Rose interview listed among the External Links will answer a lot of the questions people seem to have here. Bezos says that the figure 90,000 titles is roughly what a brick-and-mortar superstore would carry in terms of inventory. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.197.244.81 (talk) 01:31, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

I have added a summary of available content that I have been able to track down based on discussion forum threads. Some of these sites I have visited. I don't pretend that is is exhaustive, and I I others will add to this list as time goes on. --Knipfty (talk) 17:44, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

To be perfectly honest, I disagree with these additions, but I personally won't revert. The table goes against general principles, WP:NOT for not a directory, as these are indiscriminate links. And so it's clear where I stand, I've personally used many of these links myself to find free content, but that is not the purpose of the article. Yngvarr (t) (c) 18:48, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

I agree with Yngvarr... as useful as the table may be, it really doesn't fit on wikipedia. This is an encyclopedia not a directory. Perhaps the ones which are Kindle-specific could be added to the outside links section.Pstanton 20:32, 22 December 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pstanton (talk • contribs)

Maybe the table should be on a Kindle specific site, but this still answers the question of "What books does it have?". I am open to suggestions on where or how this could be better positioned. It took some time to put this together and it is a common question not just for the Kindle but all eReaders. For me, I am receiving mine on Christmas Day and have looked into this over the past month. I also plan on addressing content in more detail once I get more familiar with the Kindle. Namely, how to convert content. --Knipfty (talk) 21:39, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia

I've heard it allows access to Wikipedia articles. Does anyone know whether they're complying with the GFDL? Superm401 - Talk 02:22, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

I don't follow. Amazon is not copying, translating, modifying, aggregating, etc. but just displaying existing Wikipedia content, so how does the GFDL pertain? Brianhe (talk) 05:17, 25 December 2007 (UTC)

no it goes there on the web. also i am editing this on one right now. it is really a pain but works —Preceding unsigned comment added by 8.18.145.230 (talk) 17:14, 28 April 2009 (UTC)

Introduction

"Amazon Kindle is an electronic book (e-book) service" I think that this should be amended to something like:

"The Amazon Kindle is an electronic book (e-book) which can provide the user with a service allowing easy content delivery.

If I were to purchase a Kindle and never turn the Whispernet on, there is no 'service' as such. —Preceding unsigned comment added by JayCeeEll (talk • contribs) 15:58, 24 December 2007

I agree, since Amazon themselves refers to the Kindle as a wireless reading device and an electronic reader. The wireless access is a feature. -Wikipedia XP (talk) 18:31, 24 December 2007 (UTC)

Why is it called Kindle?

Such a weird name, but Wikipedia doe not like trivia sections, where such info would go. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.245.46.128 (talk) 21:04, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

I believe (and I could be wrong) it was called the Kindle because of what wiktionary:kindle means. Specifically "To start (a fire) or light (a torch).". Something about starting a fire under ebooks, or literacy, or the desire to read. --ShakataGaNai ^Talk 22:04, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

Because that's the one thing you can do with real books but not the Kindle -V. Vecera, 04/2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.65.172 (talk) 17:49, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Actually, it's the second definition of kindle - "to excite; stir up or set going; animate; rouse; inflame: He kindled their hopes of victory." Amazon is trying to "kindle" interest in e-books and their wispernet system. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.189.82.18 (talk) 16:21, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

Reception section?

Given the profile of the product, would it be appropriate to detail how it was received? If I recall correctly, there were reviews in both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.69.118.1 (talk) 21:55, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

AZW file format Merger

I've proposed that the contents of AZW file format (all one sentence) be merged into this article. --ShakataGaNai ^Talk 21:57, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

I agree with this proposal. White 720 (talk) 00:22, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

Agree also. I expected AZW file format to grow larger when details were available, but it doesn't look like this is happening. Brianhe (talk) 01:51, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

Done. Everything that was in the AZW article is already here on the Kindle article so I did not copy and information. --ShakataGaNai ^Talk 02:20, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

Self-referencing link

AZW redirects here, yet is included as a link in this article. Seems to me that an article about AZW needs to be created (by someone who knows what he's talking about, unlike me), or the link removed. 67.96.20.158 (talk) 15:47, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

hold on

No mention of how Amazon was deleting unflattering reviews of its product (on its own site, obviously) soon after the Kindle was released? How about the Amazon shills who went around criticising such reviews? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.163.0.42 (talk) 19:13, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

This is why user-generated content and reviews on online retail stores are not suitable for sourcing. In this case, if this reporting of this activity by reputable news sources, then it could be added. Flowanda | Talk 01:40, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure Amazon has a standing policy of deleting reviews that are clearly by people who havn't bought the product; this doesn't just apply to their own stuff. --81.158.148.64 (talk) 00:29, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, given that large parts of this Wikipedia article have a heavy whiff of corporate spin about them, it's hardly surprising that Amazon would do that on their own website. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.108.233.249 (talk) 19:18, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

I fail to see how accusations like this are worthy of an encyclopedic entry, unless there has been some sort of report by a reputable news source on this alleged activity. Until there is, I would suggest no mention of "deleting unflattering reviews" in this entry. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.7.198.226 (talk) 03:59, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

Sales Numbers?

Anyone know how many of these things have been sold? Enough to call it a success yet? Paul, in Saudi (talk) 17:04, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Well Amazon is selling 10% of its books as kindle books, that's a significant indication of what they've achieved, they've also sold out, another good indication (or logistical miscalculation if you want to look at it that way).. --Wmspareaccount (talk) 23:25, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Amazon has fairly consistently refused to release sales numbers for the Kindle, despite it being widely considered a major success. No one really knows why, I myself would be interested in the actual number sold. Pstanton 03:17, 5 January 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pstanton (talk • contribs)

Editing wikipedia on the Kindle?

Amazon's product page indicates the Kindle has free access to Wikipedia, but it does not indicate if contributing to Wikipedia (editing articles, uploading content, etc) is possible. It would be nice to see this information in the article, if anyone has it. Gh5046 (talk) 21:20, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

i am doimg so now but i would not recommend it. it is hideously slow and painful. i would rather pull my nose hairs out —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.21.198.64 (talk) 17:56, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

Added explanation of why statement of 4GB implied SDHC was removed

The mention of 4GB implying support for SDHC was removed, because 4GB does not imply SDHC. Non-SDHC SD cards can support 4GB. 24.26.128.185 (talk) 17:31, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Tech specs

The section Amazon Kindle#Technical specifications is redundant, as the infobox lists the specifications is a much more readable format. There is no text in the section which is not already listed in the infobox. Unless there is serious disagreement, I think that the section should be removed. Yngvarr (c) 11:13, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Backup?

If one's kindle is lost or damaged, does the user lose his entire library?Sylvain1972 (talk) 16:02, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

In a way, kinda sorta. All your Amazon Kindle purchases are stored on the Amazon website through your Amazon account ("Manage my Kindle"), so if you loose your library, you can re-download them (for free). You will loose bookmarks, annotations, etc; anything not an intrinsic part of the book. If you've downloaded free e-books (like from Gutenberg), you'll need to reinstall them (or store non-Amazon books on a memory card as a backup procedure). Yngvarr (t) (c) 16:07, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

Why no kindle sales in Canada?

One GLARING deficiency in this wiki article is an explanation of the legalities around why Amazon can't, or won't, sell the Kindle to Canadians, or why you need to use a US-based credit card to buy the e-books to read on the Kindle.

On a related tangent, it's supposedly against the merchant agreement that vendors have with credit card companies to refuse a transaction based on the card holder's address or country of residence, yet it seems that Amazon (and possibly other merchants) get away with it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.12.201.85 (talk) 15:48, 24 December 2008 (UTC)

This is probably an intellectual property rights disagreement between either the US and Canada or Amazon and Canada. When something like an Ebook isn't sold in a country, it's because the seller is afraid the target country will not adequately protect their products. Puerto Rico for example is another place that gets screwed by these laws, there are many american products that you can not buy in Puerto Rico because Puerto Rico isn't considered a secure market for them, such as many Dell computers. --Wmspareaccount (talk) 23:22, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Ahhhh no. The reason the Kindle isn't sold outside the U.S. is because they don't have a contract for Whispernet service in Canada. Pstanton 20:24, 10 January 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pstanton (talk • contribs)

Even now that the international version has been released, the Kindle is still not available in Canada. However I haven't seen any explanation of why this is anywhere. TastyCakes (talk) 00:21, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

It's now (17Nov2009) to available in Canada, at least the original US version will ship to Canada although with reduced functionality (no web browsing). The delay seems to have been getting a favorable deal with Canada's limited choice of cell phone providers. 24.87.93.229 (talk) 21:30, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

Use in various countries

I've added a note about UK availability, after finding nothing definite and needing to look up articles for myself.

I'm also interested to know if US purchasers of a Kindle can use it OK when in the UK etc. Do they still have everything they downloaded? Please add a note if you know.

--GwydionM (talk) 16:48, 24 December 2008 (UTC)

You can't use Whispernet, and aside from power conversion requirements, it'll still work. There's no "phone home". Yngvarr (t) (c) 16:51, 24 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. Could you please add that to the main article? --GwydionM (talk) 15:30, 25 December 2008 (UTC)

With respect, I see no reason to put it in the article. The availability section already mentions that Whispernet is not available outside the United States. Yngvarr (t) (c) 00:26, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

Lead image needs to be updated to Kindle 2

Just FYI Gary King (talk) 21:46, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Unless someone is willing to post an NFCC image (I'm not), I probably wait until it's in people's hands, and then they can take an photograph of their own device. Yngvarr (t) (c) 22:14, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Yep, I'm just saying, it should be updated whenever a free one is available. Gary King (talk) 23:44, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Device Topic Split

Should the information about the device be split off into an article called "Amazon Kindle (Device)", and a second article created called "Amazon Kindle 2"? This article then becomes a repository for information about both devices, such as Whispernet and the store, etc., while the two articles about each device contain information about the hardware, such as battery life, display, etc. Billyoneal (talk) 16:29, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

what format are images in?

this would be good wiki worthy. the format of the images in the different e-book formats. Obviously .txt does not support images, but do the other formats? can we have a table that compares them? TY —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.125.28.119 (talk) 03:07, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

Image and infobox

There is now a new image of the Kindle 2, but the infobox still reflects the original Kindle specs. Should the infobox be updated for the new Kindle 2? Yngvarr (t) (c) 22:39, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

It's mentioned on xkcd!

i don't know how to write these things properly, and so i just wanted to mention that xkcd mentioned it in the most recent thing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by RowanEvans (talk • contribs) 16:56, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

The XKCD reference demonstrates the enormous potential for Kindle, with a further sentence demonstating this it will add to the article.72.162.48.2 (talk) 19:10, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

I don't disagree with adding this. But whoever tagged the original xkcd refs as "vandalism" needs to review WP:VAND for a clear explanation of what vandalism is and is not. Anyways, I see it has been re-added. Yngvarr (t) (c)

Not everything needs to be documented as it has appeared in "popular culture." Source: another xkcd comic. White 720 (talk) 22:00, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Kindle vs Kindle 2

Does anyone think a side by side image of the two versions is a good idea?

How about this?

• 
  Original Kindle
• 
  Kindle 2

--T1980 (talk) 01:34, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

The sidebar has been updated such that it is a mish-mash of some specs from Kindle 1 and some from Kindle 2 so that it is correct for neither. This needs to be split in two, one for each version. Jlick (talk) 04:06, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

I don't think the infobox is a good solution at this point, it would just clutter up the article. Maybe a table? Yngvarr (t) (c) 10:06, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

I'd like to point out the picture of the Kindle 2 is awful. Can we please return to the Picture of Kindle 1? It would still be an article on the Kindle, but the Kindle 2 images are of appalling quality. --Pstanton (talk) 17:57, 27 April 2009 (UTC)

Please add wikipedia capability to this page

Unless page is wrong, the Kindle still features wikipedia access. Shouldn't this be mentioned on the Kindle's wikipedia page? The Amazon Kindle page does not mention this at all!

Quote from ad page for Kindle:

Wireless Access to Wikipedia
Kindle also includes free built-in access to the world's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia--Wikipedia.org. With Kindle in hand, looking up people, places, events, and more has never been easier. It gives whole new meaning to the phrase walking encyclopedia.

Thanks! -Dutchwiki (talk) 03:05, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

You know, I bet Douglas Adams didn't expect THHG to be made reality this fast. Yet, here it is. Zazaban (talk) 03:52, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Editing wikipedia on the Kindle 2?

I have asked this question before concerning the first Kindle. Does the second one have the ability to edit Wikipedia, however unpleasant as it may be? This would be useful information for the article. gh5046 (talk) 23:31, 27 February 2009 (UTC) The Kindle 2 does have the ability to edit Wikipedia; however, as far as I can tell, you can't edit while logged in. I recently edited Treasure Island (disambiguation) with my Kindle (and then as a logged in user on my computer). The edit by 8.18.145.239 in the history is the Kindle edit. Mario777Zelda (talk) 00:17, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

Storage (memory) capacity

According to Amazon's Kindle 2 page: "Storage: 2GB internal (approximately 1.4GB available for user content)."

According to Wikipedia's page (in the sidebar): "64 MB RAM, 256 MB (180 MB available) internal storage, SD expansion slot. Complete back up archive of all purchased material archived on Amazon Cloud."

Was this for the original Kindle? Can that be noted or can this info be updated?

I see no mention of an SD expansion slot in the Getting Started Guide or in the full User's Guide. Again I suspect that this information is old and from the original Kindle.

I realize that the information is correct in the main body of the article, but the side bar should also be clear for people who are using this page to get a quick reference. How will we differentiate between these two versions' technical details without confusing people coming for a quick reference? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fogus (talk • contribs) 23:15, 28 February 2009 (UTC)