Comments on: Could iPhone smoke the Kindle?

Do I need to pay $365 for the Kindle, a dedicated e-reader, when iPhone could give me books and so much more?

[jabberwolf]

Different products completely?
Have you ever held a kindle and read from it?

It's very simple, very black and white, easy on the eyes.
The iphone is nice for movies and pictures, but not for text reading... not at length anyway.
The kindle is not flashy and it's LED print is soft, sharp, with good contrast. It's not bright and wont burn holes into your cornea as does a screen when reading for hours.

Maybe this explains why people dont like reading from monitors.

Whatever application they have, it will not be a Kindle.
Also - I forgot the Kindle can last over a day in use not just hours like the iphone.
Battery: 30 hours, charges in 2 hours.

[Gadget_girl28]

The kindle price was set for a certain market.
Half of the people talking about the kindle here, were not included in that market. Don't cry about it. If you can't afford it, you can't afford.

You can jump on the band wagon in a year when the drop the price and you can finally understand what we are talking about.

I can't afford an astin martin, but I think its still worth the price tag.

[zgreenwell]

I read ebooks on my motorola Q9c and I enjoy it. Some people might find their iphone just as enjoyable as they would a kindle, even though the kindle is better designed for reading books. For me, I carry around my cell phone everywhere. That would not be true with a device like the kindle which is only for books.

[chlimouj]

Could iPhone smoke the Space Shuttle?

Sorry, but it's ridiculous to even discuss the iPhone and the Kindle in the same article. The screen is what makes the Kindle a viable product. It's not the first e-book reader to ever be invented... the rest fell into oblivion because they couldn't provide enough necessary benefits to convince someone to deal with staring at a backlit screen. Unless the iPhone wants to abandon multimedia OR Apple invented a fast-motion full-color version of e-ink technology (but really, when was the last time Apple ever invented anything more useful than their click-wheel?), this is all nothing but a wet-dream for Applephiles.

BTW- Does Microsoft still own the patent on the click-wheel? What ever happened with that?

[mrdparry]

As owner of both iPhone and Kindle, I spend far more time on the latter. But I prefer reading over talking or texting. For a prototype (it is very much a first generation device), the Kindle is more impressive in its realization, thoughnot its design aesthetics, than the first iPod.

[nelsonescorcio]

No, no, no.
Please do not compare what is NOT comparable.
KIndle is an e-book device. That is it.
The iphone is a low end smartphone - a cute one. But that´'s it.

I have an e-book reader (not a Kindle, but a Bookeen Cybook - I'm european). When I bought it, I wanted an e-book reader. Nothing less. Nothing more.
If I wanted a top end smartphone, I'd buy a Nokia N95.
And if I want a good looking gadget phone, I'd by an iphone.

I simply do not believe you can seriously read anything more than a few pages in a device the kind iphone is.

[Arbalest05]

I've never heard of anyone giving up their paperback book at knife-point on the train home from work.

[benjaminstraight]

Yes, it can.

[Mr.MikeCS]

From what I read, basically if you want a device that specifies on the improvemnts of e-reading and really nothing us... then get the Kindle. If you want more than just "better e-reading" than go with the iPhone...period.

[antsin3d]

LCD displays pretty much such for reading e-books. I couldn't imagine trying to use the I-Phone's average display for such a thing. Digital ink technology is far more usable, and lower power use.

[varase]

I've read hundreds of books on my Nokia Symbian phones and Palms and Mobipocket is gong to develop their reader app for the iPhone, and eReader claims to be looking into it (they already have a Mac reader).

What we don't need is Apple jumping into the game and adding yet another DRMed file format.

I would love it if the IPhone had a reader for those file formats - that and tethering are the final two nails which would bring me into the iPhone fold.

[geneven]

This is a pretty dumb comment. Will Apple pay for a network connection for everyone who owns an i-phone? No, in fact, you have to pay a montly fee to use the i-phone. Will Apple offer books at a significant discount? No.

The Kindle may eventually drop in price, but the iPhone isn't any kind of competition for it.