On 11/26/07, Murli Nagasundaram <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Another take on Kindle. This reviewer likes it, and discusses why.
It's refreshing to read this article. I have to admit, I was *very* surprised to see such negative reactions on this list. No, it definitely *isn't* perfect, but it represents so many user-centric design innovations that it's hard not to love. In the context of some recent discussions about the life cycle of technology (basic functionality > features > experience), the Kindle seems to represent a jump straight from functionality to experience. Everything about this device (okay, except for the retro design and DRM) is focused on the *experience* of reading. I don't have time to go through each feature and point that out, but the article Murli posted certainly does a great job of that. But I think in many ways Kindle goes one better than just replicating or taking into account the experience of reading. It actually *extends* the experience, in that it makes things that readers may like to do *easier than they are now.* The example that sticks out most in my mind is the hookup to Wikipedia. I read a lot of history and historical fiction, and these genres rely heavily on context. So, for example, if I'm reading something in a regular book that takes place during the 1918 influenza epidemic, I might just acknowledge that fact and move on rather than going through the effort of opening my computer or pulling out an encyclopedia to get more information about it. That's a serious interruption in flow. But if an encyclopedia is *right there* (meaning not in the computer or taking up a whole bookshelf), it doesn't significantly interrupt my flow to go read about that event in depth. Smarmy comments about Wikipedia and accuracy aside, in that situation I just experienced a much richer version of "reading" than had I done so using a regular book. So is there a *fourth* stage in the lifecycle of technology, where the experience is not only accounted for but actually extended? To me, Kindle makes it seem that there might be... Alright... gotta get back to billing! - Fred ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
