Comments on: The Future of E-Reading: The Amazon Kindle

By: Malcolm

Malcolm — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:05:39 +0000

We (Lonely Planet) have definitely got an eye on the digital future of delivering guidebook information, beyond the traditional physical book. Although we haven’t taken the step to support Kindle yet, that’s largely because there are still several competing platforms and standards for e-book readers. However, if you have mobile web-browsing technology you might like to take a look at our mobile site, especially the ‘What’s around me?” application:

http://m.lonelyplanet.com/

And for a year now we’ve been offering a Pick&Mix service, where you can buy individual chapters from any of our guides, which allows a high degree of tailoring the information you want and pay for, to match your personal itinerary. The chapters are sent as PDFs which can be printed out or read on any device with PDF capabilities, like a laptop or smartphone:

http://shop.lonelyplanet.com – and click on Pick&Mix or ‘Buy by Chapter’

cheers,

Malcolm
Lonely Planet

By: GI Korea

GI Korea — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:48:19 +0000

The Kindle only works now on the Sprint wireless in the US. There has been talk that next generation Kindle will have Whispernet on foreign wireless networks. However books can still be downloaded outside the US via a USB cable. Comment sent via Kindle.

By: CalmSeas

CalmSeas — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:45:08 +0000

What generation is it?

Looks kind of bulky, but since I read more than I should…and books are expensive, this looks to be a viable option.

By: James

James — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:06:16 +0000

Does it work in Korea, the whispernet, downloading, wireless stuff, etc?

By: JohnB

JohnB — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:23:48 +0000

They may have updated since the last time I checked, but when it was first released there was no support for Asian languages on the Kindle, making it a poor choice for polyglot readers.

There are a dozen rival products on the market using the same e-ink screens with various other features. The Kindle is pretty locked into proprietary formats. Why should you need to email your field manuals to them simply to convert the file?

By: George Burke

George Burke — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:00:59 +0000

E-reading can be handled by the kindle and other devices, but what about the future of "p-reading" (p = physical). We've still got plenty of people looking to read paperbacks and hardcovers because they either can't afford an e-device or love the feel of a book. These books are getting increasingly expensive (average NY Times Bestseller is $22, all the way up to $39 per book) so people have begun to look for other book distribution alternatives to lower their costs.

This is where netflix-like book rental companies, such as Bookswim, enter — http://www.bookswim.com. No due dates, no late fees, and free shipping both ways is a good alternative to expensive book purchasing, and a good transition before ebooks really start to fly.

-George Burke

Founder, BookSwim.com