Review: Amazon's Kindle

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

I'm waiting for a call from someone...so I figure I will get this blog in order and start getting some value out of it.

Best way to do that is to share some of my consumer product reviews. I'm a bonafide consumer in the finest sense of the word...I buy and buy and buy. One thing I recently bought was the Amazon Kindle.

At first I hesitated to buy the device, seeing as it's severely overpriced, however I had some spare cash laying around and decided to give it a spin. For the record, I don't read much - maybe one book a year currently, but that's going to change in the near future as I intend to get my library back that I once had, using the Kindle as the catalyst.

I have hard books - a whole box full, the majority from the same author. The problem I currently face is the fact that I just don't feel right carrying my books where ever I go. Also some have started the edge yellowing and I can imagine what they'll look like in 10 years. I want to make it clear - I'm not one of those who buys a new book every week. I might buy one or three books a year, because it seems these days everyone is throwing a book out there and it's hard to really find one that works without sitting in a Barnes & Noble for three hours - which I wasn't inclined to do.

So you might be saying, "Then why'd you bother??" I bothered for the convenience. The ease of access to books, free samples, etc. might just compel me to read more books. Plus, if I only bought 15 full price books, the device had already paid for itself. Also, the ability to get new books directly via the device without even needing a computer was rather appealing for me. I've been using the device for over a day straight, and I've got a lot to say.

First, the negatives.

• Appearance/Style/Design: The Sony E-Reader is WAY more attractive than the Kindle. But then, Sony is always well known for having good looking devices; reliability is of course another matter. But Amazon really needs to streamline this badboy a bit.
• Screen: The resolution is fine, but I would like the ability to increase the contrast. Sometimes it just doesn't look right, somewhat fuzzy. I'm just a stickler for high contrast when dealing with black and white. The lack of color doesn't bother me too much except when browsing the Amazon store (book covers). What DOES bother me is the lack of touchscreen. I know it's a symptom of the screen type needed for e-ink, but if this had a touch screen, it would increase its value exponentially.
• Ergonomics and Comfort: I can hold the device fairly comfortably. In fact I hate holding it inside the case for some reason. Then again I've been a Star Trek watcher for years, and watching them hold the PADD, it's the same way with the Kindle. Thumb in the dead center below the screen - right on top of the logo, fingers spread out on the back rubber. The corner does not poke into my hand to where it's painful.
• Functions and Control: These are going to be nitpicks for some people, but I have to break it down. First, why is there no clock on the bottom bar? There's tons of real estate on the bar that could easily accomodate a clock, alas one is not to be seen (at least not from what I can see). If it's buried in another area, to me that is insufficient; it should be showing at all times so I can keep track while I'm reading. Second, and others have mentioned this, the lack of foldering is just appalling. Finally, you can't rename books to something more your liking - since some book titles are longer than the visible field on your book list, it's hard to distinguish books in a series if the series is named all the same with a small different subname. For example, Terry Brooks' Voyage series all starts with "Voyage of the Jerle Shannara" and then a word. In my list I can't tell which is which - very annoying. Also, you can sort by certain things, but you can't group. At least grouping or stacking options would have sufficed in lieu of foldering. Sample docs are bulkied in with books (which shouldn't happen) and I can't really organize what I've got.
• General Device Issues: The device's price, while it can pay for itself after 15 full price hardcovers, is still too high in my opinion. I would rather pay $200 for the device than its current price point, just because it is limited in some ways. Personal opinion. Also, if a book just came out, you're getting a deal. If it's an older one where there is a paperbook or used available for $5-6, you might not realize a savings on that book. Just something to keep in mind, as I don't feel that the Kindle prices adjust properly with the book's true price. It's really designed for early adopters/purchasers. On a smaller note, there is a minor delay for things to happen on screen after you press buttons. The processor must be the bare minimum allowable for the form factor. Great for battery life, terrible for processing and screen refresh speed.

Nitpicks yes...but they add up quickly.

Now for the good stuff:

• The Amazon Store is quick and easy to search and find things. It's also convenient to be able to search for a book that someone just told you about, find it and download a sample, and if you enjoy it, buy the full book, all within a few minutes. Also, the amount of books available is amazing; even obscure books like "Investing in India for Dummies" and unexpected ones like "If I Did It" have Kindle editions. Some books that were expected were not to be found - like Terry Brooks' Landover series.
• The screen does have a very good resolution to it. Text is very easy to read and not stressful on the eyes.
• Playing music while reading; Some might not like this, but I do. There's nothing like listening to the likes of David Benoit, Joe Sample, Brian Culbertson, Rick Braun, Boney James, Kirk Whalum, etc...while reading a good book!
• The built in storage is quite sufficient for all but the most frequent reader. I've got a number of books on my Kindle and I've barely cracked my space allocation.
• The cool factor. I showed it to a guy at work who was curious about the Kindle, and he was like me: price turned him off, but after seeing it in action he's seriously considering getting one.
• Battery life was quite good, even when playing music constantly. The key is to turn the wireless off if you're not browsing the store.

The biggest turn offs are:

• The form factor - too bulky compared to its closest competitors;
• The price for the device, higher than competitors;
• The lack of touchscreen capability;
• Interface/processor speed, not good at multitasking;
• Lack of foldering/grouping/stacking options to make it easier to organize your library;
• Not every book is Kindle'd. You would think that an author would want every book they published to be Kindle'd if they allowed at least one to be, but sadly this is not the case.

Some of those are personal nitpicks, as I said, but there are so many...

In summary: Do I recommend it for the reader who doesn't read a lot of books? Maybe...but not at its current price point. Right now it's for early adopters for sure. Anyone who is a book veteran and spends their hours at Barnes and Noble should just keep on doing it. However this could open up doors of potential if they do it right. Schoolbooks, more widespread Kindling of books, faster processor performance, and a better web experience would help to justify the price tag.

Buying That First Home: Consumer Credit

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

Seventeen people showed at least a passing interest in my previous entry. Maybe I'll get more viewers on this entry, which interestingly enough is directly piggybacked to the first.

Financing had some issues at the last minute. My broker contacted me and asked me about a collection account that shows on my credit report. I'd noticed it and disputed it on all three bureaus; the only one that didn't delete it is Equifax. I didn't pay it much mind, but apparently the banks don't like to see collection accounts in my situation.

What really bugs me about it is that, out of 25 accounts, it's the only true derogatory...and it's not even mine! Want to know what's worse? My credit score has actually gone up since it added itself to my credit! You can imagine how really ticked I was to be informed that it's the only problem the bank has - so a guy who has 25 paid or positive statused accounts and one collection that shows on only one bureau, is automatically a credit risk. Yeah, okay...I know it's the credit crunch that has them nervous about such things, but still. It's not like it's ING Bank or anything.

So, I informed the broker that said account was not mine and had been successfully disputed with two of the three. I then went and faxed a dispute to Equifax to get them to take it off - I'm sure it'll be successful.

The moral of the story kids, is this. Oh, and so you know, I used to work at a credit bureau, if you're curious...

• Keep an eye on your credit, even if you're not actively looking for a home. Things will just add themselves to your report without your knowledge, companies that won't ever contact you about the debt. Get a credit screen service - I suggest TrueCredit since you can pull your report unlimited times during the subscription.
• If you're going FHA, make sure your report is as clean as it can be.
• If you filed bankruptcy in the past, you can still get an FHA loan. Just make sure that, if it was Chapter 7, it's been at least 2 years since the discharge date. If it was Chapter 13, make sure it was at least 3 years since the filing date.
• Try not to open new credit accounts in the 6 months preceding your search for financing. It's just unnecessary explaining - the only exception to that would be if you had applied to a large credit limit card for the purpose of balance transfer - assuming it will actually decrease your monthly debt and not increase it.
• Work on maximizing your debt-to-income, according to your monthly pay. Minimize your actual monthly expenses as much as possible. Monthly expenses considered are credit-based; that is, existing mortgage payments, credit card payments, loans, and credit lines. If you don't have any existing debts - car paid off, no credit cards/credit cards paid off, no outstanding loans, etc., you should be in good shape. Just make sure to keep it that way.
• if you have stored assets - 401k, CDs, etc., offer them to the financing agent. They can use those to help approve the loan by substantiating the amount of money you have on tap.
• The little known factoid: FHA lenders can consider the amount you pay per month in rent. If your rent payment exceeds the potential future mortgage payment, that can be used to get approved. Usually this is used as a last resort to getting approved. But at least you know that isn't ignored.
• And now, a free credit scoring tidbit for you: Did you know that closing credit cards can actually hurt your credit score? it's true. The length of time credit accounts have been opened is a strong factor when calculating the score, but so is the amount of "usable credit" on credit cards. if you have three credit cards open for a total of $5,000, and nothing owed on them, that results in a higher score than 20 credit cards with 18 of them closed for a total of $5,000.

UPDATE: My fax to Equifax was successful, as they have removed the erroneous debt...I figured they would, Transunion did. I contacted my broker and let him know to re-run credit as soon as he gets a chance. I'm one step closer to the goal.