Great, Contemplative Review of the new Kindle DX

Amazon Kindle DX: The Solution to a problem that doesn't exist

Some Excerpts from the Full Article:
Simply, the Kindle DX is far from being an optimal format for a magazine. Not only does the Kindle DX’s monochrome screen sap all the life away from the art department of every publication, but it also removes the “two-page” magazine feel: A picture or design element that spans two pages, which is presented more often than you think in glossies. By only viewing a magazine one page at a time, you’re reading a stunted publication — even if the PDF support makes it easy to get a magazine on the device in the first place.

But it simply isn’t quite there as a substitute for the real thing. Is anyone complaining about how hard it is to get the news? Or how heavy a newspaper is? Is anyone complaining about anything but the price of textbooks?

But it in no way makes me any more likely to ditch my habitual reading of NYTimes.com each morning, or my subscription to GQ, or the occasional newsstand purchase I may make. And as a student, I simply couldn’t see fronting that kind of cash for a device whose features significantly overlap with a required laptop, which allows me to read my course readings and news and write a paper about it.

It’s hard not to like the Kindle, mainly because it aims to revolutionize a task anyone reading this article is fond of: reading. But until Amazon reproduces that experience in a more complete fashion and makes reading as inexpensive a habit as it currently is, it will remain out of reach for most consumers and out of touch with most publishers.

Amazon Kindle - dependent on the printed word?

Printing is ubiquitous even in the era of Web 2.0 and digital everything.

As new technologies are developed to replace print, they constantly seek to replicate print. For example this description of the Kindle:
A Paper-like Screen
Utilizing a new high-resolution display technology called electronic paper, Kindle provides a crisp black-and-white screen that resembles the appearance and readability of printed paper. The screen works using ink, just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. It reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other electronic displays.

This line is particularly interesting: The screen works using ink, just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. Does this mean, in order for the Kindle to work, the item you are selecting to read on your Kindle must first exist as a printed word?

I met a Printing/Paper/Marketing veteran at a conference this past March. As we discussed the role of print in the future he suggested "Print will become like a fine wine or cigar, only the most special things, the stuff you want to revere and hold onto will be printed." I think I agree. In the era of "anyone can publish anything online" when you receive something printed it instantly feels more special, and you have more trust in it's content. Digital technologies strive to replicate print, but print delivers.

At AGC, we continuously monitor new technologies and emerging trends. As we evaluate these new 'options', we seek to understand how they relate to you and your business and how they relate to AGC. We then adapt our services and products accordingly to best serve the needs of our clients and the demands of your marketing strategy or agenda.