Why think twice about buying the Kindle DX?

Now that I can read Kindle books on my iPhone, I tend to leave my Kindle (first generation) at home these days.  Since the portability of the Kindle itself no longer is a factor, the Kindle DX with it big screen looks very attractive.  

However, the large display also means a heftier price - $489.00.  Hmm... it doesn't look like I'll be getting one soon.  (As a side reference, pay another $510 more, you can get a refurbished first generation MacBook Air.)

If you're looking to buy the Kindle, you might want to consider the DX.  Although I have never actually used a second generation Kindle, from my usage with my Kindle, I'd say if you are intending to use the Kindle for reading newspapers, textbooks, computer books, or cookbooks, you may want to think twice.  

The critical factor it the refresh rate.  If you are planning to buy it, definitely try to find someone that has it and see if the refresh rate is good for you.  I have been reading some computer books on the Kindle, and I'd prefer to computer books in print.  It's because with computer books, you find yourself flipping back and forth, and Kindle is cumbersome in that.  If you want to go back three pages, you have to press back three times, and there's a small waiting time for things to refresh and load that page.  

In my opinion, the Kindle, however, is great for "one way" books - books you read from one page to the next without having to flip back and forth.  Just last month, I finished Angels and Demons on my Kindle, and it's great.  It remembers where you leave off (no need for bookmarks) and, at the end, no extra book to take up space.  (Well, it also means I can't resell the book.)

 

To conclude this, if you are looking to buy the Kindle to read textbooks, computer books, or any other kinds of books that require you to flip back and forth, reference other chapters, or simply browse, please definitely check out the refresh rate of the Kindles to see if they're right for you.

What's on my Kindle so far?

In addition to a bunch of samples, here are the Kindle books I purchased so far:

• Presentation Zen
  
• The Back of the Napkin
  
• Inside Steve's Brain
  
• Wikinomics: Expanded Edition
  
• Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes
  
• Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good
  

And I haven't finished any of the books yet...

How to buy Kindle books when you’re overseas

If you’re overseas, you’ll have no wireless coverage for your Kindle, which means you can't purchase books straight from the Kindle. Fortunately, Kindle does offer the ability to download the books from your computer. (If they didn’t, I probably wouldn’t have bought it. One big reason I got the Kindle is so that I don’t have to purchase marked up English books here in Japan. The other big reason is that I don’t have to carry books when I go back to the States.)

Here’s how:

1. First buy the Kindle Edition of the book. If you’re in the States (more specifically, an area that has Kindle wireless coverage), the book would normally be sent to you wirelessly, but in this case, we have to download it to a computer and transfer it with the USB cable. 
   
   
2. After you purchased the book, go to “Your Account”. Under the “Where’s My Stuff?” section, you’ll find a link – “View Your Media Library”. Click on that.
   
   
3. You’ll be brought to your Media Library. You should now see the book you purchased. Click on it. 
   
   
4. You’ll now see a page for the book. On the right, you should find a “Download to Computer” link. Click on it, and you can download the book to your computer. 
   
   
   
   
5. Next, connect your powered-on Kindle to your computer via the USB cable. 
   
   
6. Kindle will pop up like a hard drive. Inside you’ll see a documents folder. Copy the book you downloaded  to that folder.
   
   
   
   
7. Remember to eject or disconnect the Kindle properly, and you’re done! Now it's time to head for Starbucks and enjoy the book!
   

You can’t download and transfer samples
In case you’re wondering, it seems like you can’t download samples. Samples do not show up in your media library, so I don’t think there’s a way to download them. If anyone knows how, please let me know =)