Kindle DX Textbook Review

[xanuheax]

i have the small kindle 4.. do you know if it will be alright for college books?

[drecksyutube]

so you can open every PDF file on the kindle?

[mejdam]

@drecksyutube yes, as long as its not DRMed

[rlinfinity]

@mejdam Does it work with random PDFs off the net? ... Off the record

[growingneeds]

I'm going to go your way, buddy. 2 years down the road, I am still looking to read electronic versions of texts with minimum glare on the eyes. The iPad won. Just goes to show that people don't read.

[TacticalFLAW]

Just ordered a kindle today. Hope it will allow me to transfer PDFs to it easily. I hate carrying all those CCNA books and those calculus textbooks. Hopefully, the kindle will help my back too!

[Frost1758]

Check out my kindle ebook review:

squidoo.com/bestselling-kidle-­ebooks

[HannibalRapeVictim]

Rofl! Love the sixteen shades of grey comment! Thanks for the review!

[jablkovastrudla]

I'd love to buy a dx, because kindle 3 is too small to read pdf documents and magazines, but this dx is sooo damn expensive :((((((

[wolfson109]

I'm seriously considering buying myself a kindle but I'm not sure whether to get the kindle 3 or the DX. I spend a lot of time reading scientific papers and textbooks for my studies so I guess the DX would be better for those as they're usually in pdf with some complex formatting which may not convert well. My question is, is the DX harder to live with than the standard model due to its size? And actually how annoying is it trying to read pdf's on the standard kindle?

[strano1]

@wolfson109 I'm seriously trying to figure out the same thing. I'm an anthropology student and i'm constantly writing research papers and reading pdf journal documents. I'm not sure which one would best suit my needs. I'm also considering the new Sony, as those look nice with the touch screen. Can someone give us some suggestions?

[wolfson109]

@strano1 tbh I'm probably gonna go with the standard model, it's a lot more portable and about 1/3rd of the price.

[hirotan0001]

@strano1 I'm also considering Kindle as an option, but I would stay away from Sony or Sharp, anything from Japan. They are too busy trying to control their copyrights that you will probably have trouble putting your pdf into those machines.

[lwsdrummer]

hey, cool review. one point though (you may have already discovered this) but zooming for pdf is supported I am 95% sure but it's not found in the menu you looked for it in. on my K2 you press the "Aa" button to access zoom ratio for the pdf. I am pretty sure it's the same for dx.

I hope this is correct and helps you out. later.

[djkinney]

So much technical knowledge, and you still make an unwatchable video that looks like shit with a shit camera. Can't even focus on the buttons, huh? Thanks for your input.

[DarkMerchant2222]

do texxtbooks expire on the kindle? many publishers online versions give you limited time.

[wolfson109]

@DarkMerchant2222 He hasn't actually purchased the textbooks, he's used the pdf versions from the cd roms at the back of the books. So no, they will not expire.

[Frozenmonkey2]

hm ebook technologie has some advantage...

1. Trees dont getting powned for paper

2. You dont need books anymore to carrying arround. One Ebook reader is enough to read lots of books on it

...Problem is......

You need power and if information getting printed on electronic paper in the future. We could have problems to get those information if something happend that the mankind gets powned.........

[wolfson109]

@Frozenmonkey2 There's also the whole issue of toxic substances used to make the kindle eg lithium for the battery, which I think cancels out the whole "trees dont getting powned" argument.

[itsmeeeeeeeeeee]

My problem is that the books I want to read are all photography books and it is important to me to be able to see the photos in colour. For that I think ipad is the only option I have.

[systematic91]

asd

[FultonCounty404]

"There Are Seven Ways to Die in Atlanta..."

FULTON COUNTY 404 amazon ebook

In Theaters SUMMER 2011

[didz1982]

"breathtaking"...

lol

[123456iambelial]

About your MS books on your Kindle DX, do you get a problem on the messages that is in a box. For example, the MS press 70-680 page 6 the Quick Check box, when I put it on my Kindle DX there is nothing in the box, but if I view it on my PC there is no problem. Any ideas? (If you don't have the 70-680 book, you can check the preview on Amazon)

Thanks

[boblazar2001]

Please, I have some doubts. It seems a good reading device, but I am afraid to be an "amazon hostage". It can read PDFs non DRM or free PDFs whithout conversion? I am interested in read scientific articles available for download at the pubmed. Thank you for this video. It is very in formative.

[Kekoman]

@boblazar2001 yep.. you can use any pdf file without conversion. :)

[gazazello]

Excellent job, man! This is the best review of Kindle that have ever seen!

[JuxtaposedMemories]

The Aa button is at the bottom right hand next to the space bar. This button enables you to zoom, change font size, change text per line, and text to speech.

[JuxtaposedMemories]

To zoom in, there's a button toward the bottom, right next to the space bar on the right side. It looks like Aa. This changes the font size, as well as zooms in on whatever you're reading. It also changes settings for words per line, screen rotation, and text to speech.

[whiskydog777]

oh no its Virginia Woolf arrrrrrgh! im afraid of her

[Bakahashiyo]

@mejdam, I read a lot of Manga, so at first the KIndle appealed to me. But then I saw the price and I don't think I can justify buying it. How long do you think it will be before the price drops? For the price of a Kindle I could buy like 15 Mangas. Sure they take up a bit of space, but once I'm done I can sell them and buy new one's.

[dimasugl]

I am going to use device for reading hard pdf - scanned journals (all pages are pictures, no ocr). The size of such pdf is about 100Mb. Can Kindle DX operate with sich hard files, how it's comfortable?

Can you a try one such pdf?

[awells88]

If only I had $370 to spare...

[123456iambelial]

I thought the Kindle DX would suck a lot, but I bought it anyways thinking if I did not like it, I would just return it.

So far I was wrong, I am reading my Cisco Press book and Sybex books as I type this and so far they are very readable. I really don't like the landscape view, I still like the portrait mode.

Also, thumbs up for Cisco stuff.

[artwel123]

ooooo we get the idea...

[lindseythelush]

The only problem that you would have with opening the discs that come with your textbook is that when you actually break the seal on the disk, you completely destroy the resale value of your textbook!

[rubyherring]

Thank you very much for this review. Like you, I'm reading mostly textbooks (chemistry/medicine) in pdf format and I am thus looking for a reader with a large display.

I will wait for the Asus DR 900, tho, as it will be a lot cheaper than the kindle dx (hopefully).

[fiercex]

if u had no idea of the book's format, that sounds like a lot of working flipping through several hundred pages just to find what you need...also legends and figure text seems like they would be pretty uncomfortable to read...let's not even go to science journals, where the text is already super tiny to begin with

[micthiesen]

Thanks for the review =)

[lungresin]

I brought my kindle on my deployment to afghanistan. It was better than taking a giant bag of books. I even went on patrol with it a few times.

[aman11022]

hi,

does the Kindle can show/read Arabic or other languages?

thanks

[bintitabby]

Could you elaborate on how to load the textbook CD to Kindle?

[jim1621]

thank you i was looking to see if i can put my own text books on the Kindle dx before i chose a e reader because i want to take a single device to school so i wont carry so many books. i was going to get a nook but the bigger size screen on the dx is way better for reading text books thanks a lot man

[officialbloodymayhem]

Wow thank you for the video. I was debating getting a kindle dx for my technical books. This video sealed the deal.

[shippermd]

Great video thanks! I'm also saving to get the DX for my first Kindle/e-reader device. Since making this vid are ya still likin' it?

[unparadise]

Great review! Can you scroll vertically in landscape view when you are reading a PDF book?

[gillimaster]

thanks dude. i just finished getting an IT degree/certs. This would've been nice to have instead of having to haul around 4 to 5 800 page books lol. now im working on getting an engineering degree and your review pretty much convinced me to buy one. also, is there a search/find function to search for a string within a book? this would be a great companion if so

[fkeopfkeop]

Does the kindle dx enable you to view the text in columns?

[Norrin82]

Uhmm I have like 20 books I read and reread on regular basis and constantly buying new ones and it's become a drag to be constantly be printing them out plus my eyes hurt from the PC...so this seems like a good option. But my books are all pdf is that ok for kindle?

[4yourEntertainment1]

Why would u really need 20+ books at one time? You only read or at a time, with the same amount of money, I could buy like 45 books. Also, for the same price, I could subscribe to 25 magazines. Hat doesent seem worth it to me, but you seem like a pretty good guy.

[mejdam]

i can see your point, must people cant justify the purchase of a kindle. You need to be an avid reader averaging about 5 books monthly.

[xxLextalionesxx]

What about people who need a lot of books for reference? This might be a great product for someone who is into role playing games, or other hobbis that require a lot ofr refernce materials.

[sulthus]

@mejdam Actually e-books are typically cheaper, so in about 2 years (ifyou read enought books...I do anyway) it will pay its self off, not to mention the free books...

[geekgirl45]

@mejdam I've been reading reviews for large ebook readers for a long time. As a screenwriter, it's almost imperative I own one because I'm drowning paper from all the scripts I must read. Supposedly this one is now supporting PDF, and it looks great. Thanks for the post of this text book.

[oceanplexian]

@mejdam depends, just 1 textbook alone can cost more than the kindle

[Darkray16]

@4yourEntertainment1 I go through a book every week or two during my commute. so I can make up for the cost of a kindle DX in one year.

[shippermd]

@4yourEntertainment1 yeah and hope you have lots of room and bookshelves for all those books and magazines and have fun whenever you may have to move all of them! :)

[Keyboarder7]

@4yourEntertainment1 interesting point but its great for school regardless.

[HolyMasamune]

@4yourEntertainment1 Some people, like me, need to read 2 or more books at once, just for looking up for more explanations on some contexts. Most of advanced programming or maths textbooks do not give detailed explanations. So, you're gonna need to carry more than a book, which is a hassle. With kindle dx, the problem's solved. The thing that I don't really like is the lack of TOC.

[realisticHomeboy]

@4yourEntertainment1 What is practical is that you need to carry nothing else than your kindle (or whatever alternative product, I am not trying to advertise it), no thick books and you can have news papers and magazines at the same time in the kindle.

If you are a student you also do use a lot of books at the same time. I know my backpack was very heavy and bulgy when I went to college. Sometimes you do need to have several books layed out in front of you, but other times a kindle would do.

[AwwC00L]

@4yourEntertainment1 ok say you want a book its $25 ok well you can go on kindel and get it for $5

[Rayzkevin]

@4yourEntertainment1

you save money if you pirate the the books. Especially if you go to college and have to buy 5 books per semester

[D0ug91]

@4yourEntertainment1 Dude, the much cheaper small kindle is way more useful than this one. That is if you're a novel reader. That being said, this one is great for textbooks (if you're a uni student, this thing pays for itself in a single semester).

[lxvonion]

ur books are soooo new dude~

[SonsoftheProphets]

How come the background of the pages in your books are more white than the pages in the Kindle?

Can you make the kindle pages more white?

[mejdam]

Sorry you cant, to be honest you cant really customize a Kindle. :( its still easy on the eyes though :)

[LadyDiWolfe]

@mejdam Yeah, that certainly looks easy on the eyes. BTW, wasn't there once a research on this issue? If I recall it right, bright white pages with black text are actually worse to read than light coloured pages with black text. :)

[AsianKidsPro]

@mejdam I don't know if you know the reason but it is because there is a gray sheet and ink. there are mangets that make the text

[nesler]

E-ink screens are slightly dark. Kinda similar to the slight coloration that old gameboy screens had (but less severe). That can't be adjusted.

[xielanx1]

Honestly, who the hell is gonna read books off an ipad. You got internet and facebook, plus all those apps. The ipad is for toying with. If you want to read without distractions the kindle is your best bet

[mejdam]

couldnt agree with you more, not to mention the blacklight is going to hurt your eyes

[CassettePlaya1]

@mejdam But the backlight does allow you to read in the dark and pdfs with colour..i.e. magazines formal or informal ones.

[CheersProduction]

@mejdam hate the lies! the ipad is bad for reading as I was distracted but the blacklighting doesn't hurt your eyes. On my nook color I can read for hours. And iPad more like 2 minutes

[SonsoftheProphets]

@xielanx1

lol

[AsianKidsPro]

@xielanx1 I have a nook color and I think that is better then the kindle

[8aetroya8]

iPad should destroy this thing. Perhaps the battery life and dull screen is supposedly easier on the eyes? to me it seems like i'd go blind using any version of the Kindle lol.

The iPad in conjunction with publisher/author input should be able to tweak the iPad viewing in many ways to offer a superior overall digital media experience.

[charichard09]

@8aetroya8 the IPad does not support PDF, e-ink, costs 500 dollars for 16GB without 3G, around 650 with, to access that 3G you need a 30 dollar unlimited monthly subscription fee to at&t, it does not support flash, does not support mutlitasking (running instant messaging or twitter while simultaneously browsing the web), has no USB input, and is only the first version, bound to be found with many issues and demands from consumers that Apple will likely fix with an IPad 2.0 or something next year

[404911]

its does have a usb input

[tantedang]

No color?

[upcycle]

i wish the kindle page background was more white.

[lahancodon]

Same question as biffodio. Tks for the review.

[NepalmyPride]

thanks for the video, mate. I badly want this dx reader. I have so many pdf files on my computer which I want to read but I can't concentrate enough on the monitor due to eye strain or power issue.

does is come with warranty? if so how long?

[xielanx1]

Its a great product. I actually own the DX and had it for about 5 months now... Its really a pleasure to read from and very convenient. You can adjust the letter size for it to best suite your eyes, find words in the dictionary, etc. I actually found that I read faster off the DX than from paperback books

[NepalmyPride]

thanks for your review, i m still saving money for it, LOL

[blackamygdala]

Thx. Very informative. Can the automatic screen rotation be switched off? Would help when in supine position...

[biffodio]

Is there a way to make notations within PDF docs? I can't study without highlighters and those sticky, multi-colored page markers.

[MrKarlalfred88]

The Kindle swindle.! DRM restricted. That means that they want to kick my ass hard just because I am buying the books. They may delete my books without alerting me. That sucks. I am not that easily tricked. the contrast isn't very impressive if you compare to other e-book devices. The kindle can't read many formats. that is also not so good. my conclusion is that the kindle is overhyped. buy a better e-book reader. ;) Great review!

[FatassNinja250]

I am a techie who reads certification books too. Getting my Kindle (regular one) this week. It is going to make reading those books easier without dealing with the bulk of the printed copy. Most already come with an included ebook in PDF form anyway.

[CamiloSanchez1979]

oh well if you have to read all those many big ass books it does make sense having a kindle

[eledun]

nº 18.000

[DejectedPanda]

This is the future! The future of our world!

[vsenderov]

can you print out of this thing (via network printer in your lan)?

[mejdam]

@vsenderov Nope

[vsenderov]

shoot :(

[gura]

is there a colored reader?

[cashdaddy123]

Wondering if you can change the Picture Virginia Woolf? If so how?

[phototristan]

The screensaver pictures are random and change periodically automatically. There are several different authors built in however I don't know of a way to put your own picture there.

[tipoomaster]

I'm a bit confused here, maybe someone can help me out. Which versions of the Kindle can use wireless in Canada? Only the International version? Or did they change something so that every kindle can now use wireless outside of the States?

[tipoomaster]

@tipoomaster P.s maxim on a Kindle = win, lmao!

[mejdam]

@tipoomaster only international version, At the time i made this review there was no international version.

[tipoomaster]

Too bad, I was looking to buy a used Kindle 1 on Ebay. So i wouldn't even be able to access the bookstore in Canada, without connecting it to my PC?

[phototristan]

The Kindle DX cannot be used in other countries (only USA). The Kindle (2) Global version can be used Internationally.

[tipoomaster]

I wonder if there is an international DX coming out soon.

[phototristan]

Yes, I believe it has been state to come out in 2010.

[superbu1]

@tipoomaster It's out now!

[tipoomaster]

Yup. About time.

[xdeiri]

stupid, where is colors ? and that 4G sucks

[mejdam]

4G? lol nice. im sure the kindle doesnt run on clearwires wimax.

[yor1001]

How does it compare to your old sony prs 505 reader? I was thinking of getting a prs (cost) but am thinking to hold out to see where the market is going and hoping for value depreciation.

[mejdam]

Just like Smarty704 (Below) said. I would waiting for Barnes and Nobles ebook reader to come out. This will certainly get Amazon to lower their price and hope Sony does the same.

[Smarty704]

Can't wait for the nook, it si gonna be hot

[fetymann]

Unboxing vids are a waste of time PERIOD! Unless the box is really hard to open, like MS Office '07 boxes :P

[bluemukaki]

You should clarify that the books only look this similar on kindle and in print if you use the pdf, the actual kindle books have different pagination.

[Raffaa1000]

can you put your own documents on this? and i hope they create a simple word pad for something like this, notepad perhaps, then i would definitely buy.

[jonathanlippevideos]

Thanks for making the video. I wanted to see how PDFs look on the Kindle - and i saw what i needed to see. What's hilarious is I'm doing it for the same exact Cisco certifications and for the same reason - of not having all of those books - plus its lighter to hold up a kindle (i'm assuming) than to hold up those textbooks for hours (if youre not at a table) (i have a favorite reading chair).

[normalman37]

droooool.

[firysnow]

Very helpful review thanks!

[mejdam]

you are welcome, thanks for viewing

[nuchikim]

The screen on the kindle still has lower contrast than paper

[someonedanya]

Amazing thing!;) Love it

Looks better than new Sony's 900 e reader coming in December with only 7 inch screen!;)

[mejdam]

yes it is, currently reading Dan Brown - Lost Symbol. LOVE MY KINDLE!!! lol

[tipoomaster]

Kindle 2 vs Kindle DX for a new University student: what would you guys advise?

[mejdam]

Kindle DX if you plan to get textbooks

[tipoomaster]

How come? Can the DX view textbooks and the K2 cant, or are you just saying that because of the screen size?

[mejdam]

just because its bigger. Plus just in case you find a pdf version online. You'll need the DX to view pdfs

[tipoomaster]

If the K2 cant view PDF's that pretty much rules it out for textbooks then, right?

[wihenao]

with that keyboard one would guess it is possible to write notes on the books... well, maybe somebody else made a better review.

[xrisnothing]

I'm thinking about purchasing the DX mainly to read programming books, which include MS Press books and other certification guides. Has the DX been comfortable for you with regard to the MS Press books in pdf format?

[mejdam]

i love their PDF support. Its best to read pdfs in landscape though because as i said you cant zoom in on PDFs.

[trojan675]

do you know if NYTs has picture support

[mejdam]

Check my other youtube video Kindle DX - PDF Only Review. In the end at 8mins50secs i show what the NYT looks like on the DX

watch?v=Slu9WpNnFp8

[trojan675]

thanks for that : D

[datakek]

Great review. Are you able to annotate or highlight some text?

[mejdam]

you cant on pdfs, kindle treats pdf like pictures so you cant select text.

[cptnsmelly]

Can you put any pdf file on a kindle? I have some pdf ebooks on my mac and I want to get one of these and transfer the books to it. What happens if the ebooks have colour in them? Are there many university text books available?

Please get back to me!

Thanks!

[8AxeProductions8]

If an eBook has colour, then it will appear in B&W on the Kindle. Try searching the Kindle store for uni textbooks. PDF-Kindle transfers incur a small charge (I think)

[xielanx1]

excellent video. thanks for putting this up

[masked0crusader]

*displays Jennifer Love Hewitt*....."nothing like 16 shades of gray" LOL

[mejdam]

thanks lol

[parth2468]

dude idk about zooming but im like 90% sure that you can make txt larger or smaller great review!

[mejdam]

you cant zoom on pdfs, you can zoom on regular mobi or amazon kindle (azw) formats

[masked0crusader]

amazing review. question, does it support pretty much any PDF file format? because that's one of the major reasons i want to buy it. i have A LOT of books about physics in PDF format, and i read them either through a PC or iphone.

[mejdam]

how about you email me the pdf and i'll make a quick video on it

[masked0crusader]

cool, sure (if it's not too troubling for you). message me your email, and i'll email you 2 PDF files. thanks!

[vanostraniii]

Nice review. Thanks.

[mejdam]

thank you

[blacksun19]

I have a DX on the way too! My aunt will bring it here in Greece! When you connect it, is it recognized as an external storage usb device, so you can drag n drop the pdf files you want?

Thnx in advance

[mejdam]

You are correct, as soon as you connect kindle to computer it recognizes as an external Drive.

[blacksun19]

Thnx for the quick response ! So it is not like an ipod that you put mp3s in it - but you can't actually get them from it (changed names ID3 tags / or parted to many files due to iTunes). So if you buy a book you could give it to anyone although illegal? Or it has a kindle license or something! Thanks again! Really

[mejdam]

as i understand kindle books are protected so only your kindle can read it. If any of you have a Kindle DX email me so we can try that out.

[blacksun19]

I will have it in about five days if noone replies ;) Thanks

[mejdam]

have you received your kindle yet?

[blueberries4everyone]

Thanks for this review! I especially liked how you compared the same pages on a kindle and in a book! I have a DX on the way! Do you know if you are able to connect a kindle to a mac to do file transfers?

[mejdam]

i dont know about macs sorry

[eha1990]

I definitely enjoyed your review. B the way, I'm studying for the new CCNA exam too. What kind of case are you using for you iPhone? I have been searching for someone to do a review of the Kindle's PDF abilities so thanks for posting your review. I hope that the PDF zoom feature will be addressed in a software update for the KIndle DX.

[fooby]

Thanks, I'm very interested in this. I've read about some problems with certain PDFs not displaying correctly in landscape mode, or pages going "out of phase" in landscape mode as you page ahead. Have you had any problems like that? Please give an update with any issues positive or negative that you notice as you use it more. Thanks!

[mejdam]

a video on issues.

[Bashir38]

You zoom in by changing the font size. Thanks for the review.

[fooby]

I don't own one (yet?), but I think you can't change the font size of PDFs. Only the Kindle file format books have that option. The only way to get some zoom with PDFs is rotating into landscape mode, which should then show all of the top half of the page in the Kindle screen. (Note the use of "should". I have seen some counter examples in other reviews, but no real explanations or solutions.)

[mejdam]

You are correct you can't zoom in on pdfs.