Amazon Kindle 2 and ASUS Eee PC 1000HE – two machines to keep
This past week UPS delivered both machines, first the Eee PC and then two days later the Kindle 2. Both are extremely well designed.
The 1000HE has been stellar in its initial paces. It is a netbook, weighs a bit over 3 lbs, and has a very usable keyboard and screen. The default operating system is Windows XP Home. I have temporarily replaced this with Windows 7 Ultimate beta build 7000. I am both pleased and surprised by how well the combination of the 1000HE and W7 perform, beyond my expectations. I had some trouble getting W7 to install working drivers for the built-in Bluetooth capability. Perseverance won the day and now every hardware device works under W7. I was also surprised that W7’s Aero interface works on this lightweight a machine with a low-end video chip. Battery life is between 6 and 9 hours depending upon what applications are in use. As you would expect, playing audio runs the battery down faster than surfing the web.
I now intend to take this machine, as configured, with me when I leave the office, replacing my MacBook Pro. BTW, the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE cost $374 at Amazon.com
The Kindle 2 is also a surprise. I did not like the original Kindle and returned it to Amazon within a week or two (see Amazon’s Kindle a device I wanted to love). It was more like a proto-type than a usable reader. The Kindle 2 changes my opinion. It is a well-designed, functional text reader and audio device. The wireless integration with Amazon.com makes this device like having a bookstore in your hand. Surprisingly, it works very well with Audible books, unlike my BlackBerry. Its text-to-speech feature is also a winner.
The form factor is a big improvement over the original Kindle. The screen is easy to read. The buttons are well laid out and quickly become “intuitive”, by which I mean you remember which button to push without thinking about it.
If you buy the Kindle for yourself, it arrives setup for you with your Amazon.com account. This means you can instantly shop the Amazon Kindle bookstore and spend money. It is money well spent. If it you receive it as a gift, and it makes a nice gift, the donee needs to go through setup.
A Kindle 2 negative is that the rechargeable battery is not user replaceable. When it needs to be changed the device must be sent back to Amazon.
[Update: 2009-03-14] Battery life is poor if the wireless is turned on and there is no quick way I know of to turn on/off the wireless. I have to click the Menu button, navigate to the Turn Wireless On/Off menu item, press the joy stick and then click the Menu button again. This is poor design. A keyboard shortcut would be welcomed.