The Amazon Kindle DX, launched in June 2009, is the newest generation of ebook reading device based on electronic ink. The technical specifications of this device is available here. It serves well as a PDF reader for medical journals.
Why is it good?
1. Electronic ink is very comfortable for the eyes (just like reading newspaper) compared to the backlitted computer screen.
2. Able to support native PDF documents without the need to reformat/reflow the article.
3. Screen is large enough for displaying standard PDF articles offered by most publishers. Magnification available in landscape mode.
4. Surprisingly fast page refreshing.
5. Very slim and relatively portable.
6. Long battery life - up to 2 weeks according to Amazon.
7. Large storage capacity (4Gb).
8. Save paper, save trees and conserve the environment.
Size comparison with Baliga
NEJM
JAMA
American Heart Journal
Cardiology Clinics
SMJ - Pictures
Graphs
SMJ - Tables
What can be improved on?
1. Lack of Wifi support and wireless service via inbuilt EVDO modem and whispernet only provide U.S coverage.
2. No magnification in potrait mode.
3. No bundled software to do automated PDF cropping i.e white borders (containing only page number) in some PDF can be cropped further to maximise reading space.
4. Lacking in support for .chm format - numerous medical ebooks are published .chm.
5. Few/no medical textbooks published in Amazon Kindle store.
6. No colour.
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A very helpful guide for a medical student thinking about buying the Kindle DX; thanks!
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