Scientific evidence that the Kindle’s already won
Ok, I think I went like a whole week without posting anything about the Kindle. I break that silence with a stunning revelation - I now have scientific… SCIENTIFIC! evidence that the Kindle’s won the war and is just waiting for the world to catch up. I was perusing the most recent user reviews (yes… yes… that’s what my life has boiled down to, reading Amazon user reviews… leave me alone.) and came across this gem:
Kindle(verb) - to begin to burn, as combustible matter, a light, fire, or flame.
Amazon description of the Kindle: “Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.”
Kindle…real paper…
Burning books. Really. The best name you could come up with implies book burning, which by the way was practiced by Nazism, way to go Amazon, way to go.
As you can see Godwin’s Law is in effect and the anti-kindle group loses! It’s irrefutable. I mean, it’s a law… right? Sadly, Amazon has seemingly removed this proof from the the reviews - the permalink no longer goes anywhere.
In that same nerd session I came across this review which raises a very legitimate beef with Amazon - they should have or link to some kind of coverage map for the wireless. If they had that prominently displayed and easy to use, then I’d say caveat emptor but without easy access to the 411 these folks should be offered an immediate refund…
I bought a Kindle with high hopes. I live in Missoula, Montana, which is one of the largest cities in the state. It turns out that the wireless connectivity that the Kindle requires does NOT work in Montana. After several tech support calls they admitted that there is no coverage in Montana. There may also be no coverage in other states, such as Wyoming and Alaska. This means that the Service component of the device is useless, and that many, many people may be duped. I think this is bait and switch advertising, and I think Amazon owes people in Montana, as well as other non-coverage areas, an apology.
And the last review I’d like to highlight happens to be the most highly useful negative review. I don’t really have anything to say about the review but you gotta love that the reviewers name is “Alex P Keaton“! Sadly no “real name” badge there.
Oh, and the Kindle has dropped to number 2 on the bestseller list - it couldn’t manage to keep on top of a newly back in stock 4GB iPod Nano. Still an impressive feat for a device that’s sold out till after xmas.
Anyhow science, man. Science. I dropped it on you.
December 14th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
That is silly. Kindle does not require wireless to operate. In a place like Montana without Sprint coverage, Kindle is still no worse than Sony.
December 14th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
David, that’s true - but I suspect that wireless connectivity is a significant reason why people are buying the Kindle. It is definitely a major selling point and sure it’s possible to use it without WhisperNet but it is an important thing to know in advance, no?