The L.A. Times test-drives e-readers on video

 

L.A. Times staffers David Sarno and Michelle Maltais test-drive various e-readers to show you how they look in action, including the Kindle, the Kindle DX, Sony's eReader and more. Sadly, they haven't yet gotten their hands on the Barnes & Noble Nook. But if you're comparison shopping, they give good demo. Yet it should be noted that the Kindle isn't nearly that snazzy out of the box -- someone (Michelle?) has customized it with a cute purple skin.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Comments

[Brandon]

Nice Kindle plug. (Couldn't get your hands on a Nook, I see. Or an iRex.) In a brief 3:30 video you spent 2:20 discussing Kindle. Interesting.

I trust you're also working on a piece discussing Amazon's predatory pricing of eBooks (selling for less than cost to control the market) and their aggressive opposition to e-fairness provisions and refusal to collect or remit sales tax in states where they have a physical presence (distribution centers).

If you care about the future of books and basic economic justice, you'll hammer away at this story:

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2990&emailView=1

New York and several other states have passed laws forcing Amazon to pay their fair share, eliminating this blatant competitive advantage over brick-and-mortar stores, especially independent booksellers who pay their taxes. It's an outrage, and nobody seems to be talking about it.

[Matthew]

A few months ago Nicholson Baker did a review of the Kindle in "The New Yorker." It's a largely disappointing review -- though the Kindle itself is a largely disappointing device, akin to 8-track cassette tapes -- but he does mention that you can download an app for the iPhone that hosts Kindle material.