I’ve been a proud owner of the Kindle DX for about 6 months and the iPad 3G since it’s launch date (see Fish’s review of the iPad here).   Both of these platforms are excellent examples of the advances we can make in usability and interface design when we focus devices on a narrow set of tasks.  We’ve labelled this trend “purpose built design” and these two devices are excellent examples of what we can accomplish in interfaces and usability when we limit the functionality of a device.

Bottom line up front:  If you are just looking for a book reader, you should consider the Kindle or the Kindle DX.  The Kindle has significantly greater battery life (if you turn off the 3G radio when it is not needed) than the iPad; I charge mine about once every 10 days.   The Kindle’s very narrow focus on being an excellent reading interface makes it very simple to use.  Page forward, page back, menu and home buttons get you 90% of what you need.  A built in dictionary helps you look up words and at least on the DX pdfs are easy to read and display. The e-ink technology and no back lighting eliminates eye strain and allows the device to be read easy in direct sunlight.  More importantly, most airlines with which I fly do not make you turn it off on taxiing.  On that note – turning it off does absolutely nothing as the device displays random cover art – take heed airlines – stop asking people to turn off Kindles.  I take novels, my dissertation research papers, client research and my non-fiction research.  While Amazon is trying to extend the functionality of their ereader into general purpose use like interacting with social networking sites, it simply wasn’t meant to do this and the interface is clumsy.  The strength of the interface is its purpose built focus on reading, but this focus limits its abilities to be useful as anything but a reading platform.  3G operation is “free” with no monthly charge for downloading books and you can shop on your computer or the Kindle and get books downloaded to your Kindle in about a minute.

If you want a general purpose media consumption device including movies, books, music, browsing and light computing (word processing), then the iPad wins hands down.  The battery life is enough to last a standard business day and is therefore enough for most domestic or short international flights.  The interface is intuitive and easy to use and the relationship with Netflix rocks.  For light usage, note taking, etc the iPad is a great alternative to a lightweight notebook.  By downloading the Kindle reading application, you can have access to the large library of Kindle books though the device is more power hungry than the Kindle.  3G coverage will cost you $30/month for unlimited usage which is a steal compared to laptop 3G data plans, but is nevertheless expensive compared to Kindle’s free coverage for book downloads.   Airlines will no doubt make you turn your iPad off during takeoffs and landings.  Because the iPad has less of a laser focus on a single interaction like reading, the user interface is a bit more difficult than that of the Kindle.  That said, the folks at Apple are world class at interface design and the touchscreen and limited functionality of the iPad relative to a computer mean that the interface is more intuitive than the typical keyboard and mouse setup.  iPhone users will be up and running in seconds.

If you are only looking for a way to transport books and get easy access to them, get a Kindle.  If you want a computer replacement, or a general purpose media consumption system then choose the iPad.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 10th, 2010 at 8:00 am and is filed under Device Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.