Kindle - First Reactions...
The Kindle arrived today and I've spent a few hours playing with it. Here are some preliminary reactions....
1) I'd classify this as a knowledge device. It is meant to facilitate the consumption of knowledge in a consumer vice conversational format. Folks that complain that it doesn't have an email client or other interactive features are missing the point.
2) I like the fact that when I search I get results on my device (great if you are storing a lot of books/articles), on wikipedia, the onboard dictionary, and the web. In addition, I can trigger that same search term on the Amazon Kindle store.
3) The device interface is very usable. It certainly isn't an iPhone, nor will it ever be if it is going to meet the power requirements necessary to make this a useful device. The next page and previous page buttons are much more intuitive than those on the Sony eReader (which I also own). The menu system works....no manuals required. The only thing I will have to look up is how to lock the device when I put it in my bag so I don't bump the next page button by accident. There is one critical design flaw in that the OFF button is on the back of the device which is rendered inaccessible when the device is in its nice faux leather binder.
4) The Kindle store rocks. This is a dangerous device for an impulse buyer like me. I can purchase a book directly on the device or via the web and it will be on my device waiting for me next time I pull it out. No more waiting for the brown truck...this device facilitates instant gratification. Being able to download a preview of the book is a killer feature. I've read two sample chapters tonight and it is like being able to open the book in a bookstore before making a purchase. One book resonated with me, the other didn't. I also like being able to access Amazon reviews in real-time.
5) Newspaper implementation is fantastic. It is probably my favorite feature thus far. It will be great to wake up to the Mercury News, Investor's Business Daily, and the New York Times (Wall Street Journal and Washington Post come the old fashion way to the office, but I can see subscribing to the WSJ as well). Working through a paper in sequential order (you can jump around if you want) just works well for me. It is closely aligned with how I would typically consume the paper. Sure, I read lots of newspaper stories online already, but I don't "read" the paper online. The Kindle is different in a way that is hard to explain here, but definitely different in a very good way.
6) It is unlikely I will ever use the blog subscription feature. Sorry Amazon, the price points just don't work for me. RSS feeds stay on the iPhone for now. I may purchase one blog to test, but I can't see myself spending the money.
7) My publishing attempt was successful. I am now a published author in the Kindle store. I bought one of my own articles to test and it worked perfectly. This device will be perfect for premium content offerings in lots of niche markets. If you have content that is valuable and your target market has adopted the Kindle I think the revenue potential is very real.
I don't need to be sold on the need for a device like this. It works for me and I am definitely in the target market, having already bought a Sony eReader before. The Kindle easily dominates the Sony eReader with its integration with my Amazon account and the ability to push content to the device. I think this is a game changer for Amazon. If they can integrate PDF file conversion into the service, get rid of DRM, and solve the huge "ugly" problem they are facing, I think we will see a persistent increase in the adoption rate of this device.
The Kindle Meme
Amazon is generating lots of buzz with the release of their Kindle ebook platform today. Many of the people I follow on Twitter made some sort of announcement regarding the order that they placed and mine is on the way.
I think Kindle is significant for several reasons:
1) No reliance on tethering to a computer - I am a Sony eReader owner and as a Mac user I hate the fact that the store is only available via PC. Kindle puts the store on the device, which follows on the trend Apple initiated with the iTunes store on the Apple iPhone and the iPod Touch.
2) The barrier for electronic publishing has been lowered - Tonight I put two works of mine on the Amazon Kindle marketplace. Both are available for free on this site, but I was overly enthusiastic and wanted to test the system. The process was very easy, perhaps too easy. In addition, I could set micropayments of $0.49 for my content. The implications for companies like the TRC could be very interesting if this device becomes mainstream. My next challenge is getting my RSS feeds on there.
3) Electronic delivery of newspapers - One metric I apply for success of new technologies is whether they deliver on the promise of science fiction. The Kindle does so in that I will have the NY Times on my device every morning no matter where I am or where I wake up (unless I am outside the Sprint network coverage I guess). That is stuff of science fiction. Yes, I can already do this on several devices, but the Kindle model just seems to be more "magical".
4) Integrated Wikipedia and on-board dictionary - nice touch.
A few areas for improvement:
1) Give me the option to get content via WiFi. If I am in Amman, Jordan, why not let me browse the store over my NetGear WiFi router I travel with. The U.S. only content delivery system will need to be expanded.
2) Price point on blogs needs to go down ASAP. These should be micropayments of $.10 or less a month or offer a flat unlimited blog access charge of $10.00/month. For now, I'll read RSS feeds on my iPhone.
3) Provide web browsing - Apparently a browser is present in the experimental folder, but I need it as an integrated part of the device if RSS feeds are going to have any value. I love Instapundit, but it is primarily a link blog and has no value if I can't follow the link and read the original story.
4) Give Sony eReader customers amnesty and give me a free copy of all the books I've bought on that platform. That would drive a real nail in the coffin of the current market leader for eBooks and generate great publicity.
5) Sustain the business model. Keep things cheap, or go even cheaper. The money you save on physical delivery should be applied to keeping the books heavily discounted.
6) Sell bundles. If I want to buy a real book and it is also on Kindle, give me a copy on Kindle to get started and expire it when you get delivery confirmation that my physical copy has arrived (this is actually my friend Eric's idea, but I like it!)
7) Make the device less ugly.
8) Integrate this with my iPhone (yeah right).
9) Get rid of the DRM.
10) Let me send it PDF files! (update: you can send it PDF files via email. Works like a charm!)
Lesson learned...don't judge a book by its Internet cover
I first heard of Jason Calacanis on the TWIT podcast (#57) about a year ago. I wasn't impressed with his performance and his negative reputation was reinforced as I observed how regularly he served as a whipping boy on sites like ValleyWag, etc. I heard him on TWIT again a few weeks ago and a few things he said really resonated with me, so I decided to check out his podcast. It has easily become one of my favorites and is certainly one of the most informative podcasts I listen to. He conducts great interviews with some of Silicon Valley's most interesting people. He is always well prepared, well spoken, and is certainly well informed.
If you are interested in the "behind the scenes" view of Silicon Valley, Web 2.0, and Internet entrepreneurship, I highly recommend you check out a few episodes of his show. Ignore the Internet echo and let Jason speak in his own voice and you might be pleasantly surprised.
From Casinos to Counterterrorism
Interesting article on intel technologies in Las Vegas, including NORA....
A 43-year-old technology visionary and high-school dropout, Jonas soon realized that his system could also identify employees colluding with gamblers, say, by discovering that they share a home address. He calls his program NORA -- for Non-Obvious Relationship Awareness.
Every time a player registers for a loyalty card or a hotel room, Jonas explained from his lab near the Strip, the player's name, address and other data are sent to NORA. Also in the casinos' NORA database is information about employees and vendors. Link--->
Where iTunes runs into trouble
Let's say I want to buy the new "She Wants Revenge" album, so I decide to do a comparison between iTunes and the Amazon MP3 store. On iTunes the tracks are only available in DRM form at a cost of $7.99 for the album, which is a great value for a 13 tracks. On Amazon, I can get the same 13 tracks for $8.99 in a higher bit rate and no DRM.
I hate DRM enough that $1.00 premium is worth it to me for the higher quality and no DRM. Given I like to access my music collection from multiple computers, I've already maxed out my 5 authorized systems on iTunes. That means if I buy the album from Apple, I've got to listen to it on the five machines that have been authorized. If I am heading out the door with my MacBook, I can't bring this album as it isn't authorized on my iTunes account.
This is a no brainer for me and as a shareholder of Apple, I hope they accelerate the iTunes Plus program so that I can continue to give them my business. Tonight, my $8.99 goes to Amazon.
Your iPhone may be a Gphone
If this analyst is right, I am willing to bet the iPhone will be Gphone enabled:
But Richard Doherty, research director at The Envisioneering Group, says Google is driving toward getting device makers to produce basic handsets equipped with a "Gbutton" that takes users right to a Google texting screen. The goal: Get GPhone texters in the habit of querying its vast databases for directions, phone numbers, movie times or restaurant tips and woo advertisers to sponsor GPhone-delivered answers, Doherty says. Link--->
This makes a lot of sense for both parties and creates yet another potential revenue stream for the iPhone as the software approach will likely involve revenue sharing, just like a Google toolbar does. Given the integration with YouTube already present on the iPhone, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Google phone software get coveted icon placement on the iPhone as well.
Another TEW web site - East Bay TEW
Another node in the network....
East Bay TEW site looks great!
Is a joint venture between Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and the City of Oakland.
The group serves as the region’s hub for gathering, analyzing and disseminating information which may pertain to terrorist threats. The group uses an “enrichment” system marked by the imperative to immediately pass information it receives to all relevant constituents, liaisons and contacts so that all view and add to it based upon experiences with involved subjects, methods of operations, and events described in the disseminations. In this way, critical and also seemingly innocuous information can be added to in order to create clearer pictures of potential threats.
Online Backup with Amazon S3
A few months ago I had two RAID NAS storage devices fail on me within two days of each other. These two devices comprised 100% of my backup capability, which got me thinking about some off-site alternatives for some of my data. After a lot of research, I decided to go with Amazon's S3 service which provides reliable and very cheap online storage and JungleDisk (which gives me a nice interface to S3 with custom encryption of files before they are uploaded to Amazon).
After a few months of use, I must say that I am very impressed. The Amazon storage is costing me about $1.00 per month and the lifetime license for JungleDisk is $25.00.
I am not uploading things like pictures or music yet, but I just may do an annual load of our photo library just to be safe. If you are looking for a cheap and reliable offsite backup, it is worth taking a look at this combined solution.
DHS Spams Itself
I am subscribed to this list and must admit I was more amused than annoyed given the entertainment value of the posts.
Here’s the story: DHS provides a daily summary of news items for its mailing list subscribers, which includes people with security and disaster response roles, vendors and news media. But its mailing list was misconfigured today. Anyone who hit "reply all" reached everyone one the list, triggering some 200 emails -- and counting. The temptation to reach out was too much. It quickly became a big networking party. (Although as time went on, frustration mounted prompting more and more people to send emails to everyone on the list asking everyone to stop sending emails to everyone on the list.)
Many used it as a opportunity to say hello, where they were writing from, inquire about jobs, show support for their team, "Go Hogs," there may have been some matchmaking, and one even mentioned that his firm sold anti-spam products.
Wrote one:
I don’t think everyone realizes that yet, but what a nice way for all of us to get to know one another!
Some of the responses
-- I like long walks on the beach and a nice chardonnay with my roasted duck.
-- Or even a nice chianti with that roasted duck - it is autumn!
-- Look at this as a business development opportunity. (To that end, one chimed: does anyone need homeland security consulting?)
-- Howdy from Tampa, a sunny place for shady people.
-- I’m a Sagittarius ...
-- I like scuba diving ...
SysAdmin’s advice: Today’s lesson… Folks!
Always place large distro lists in the BCC field.
Reply or reply to all is a non issue.And, finally, wrote one person:
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
what does that mean?
Update: Are there any security issues raised by this? Some of the responses are from the world over. One list subscriber, who said he was writing from Iran, broadcast this query: "why are so many messages today?" This prompted another person to write: Open source really does mean open source!!!!! For those of you that have responded to this email from an official computer with your snazzy little signature at the bottom, especially those that have every piece of contact information listed, including those of you that have disclosed sensitive phone numbers and classified email addresses have knowingly provided this information to people all over the world. Full Story