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Kindle 2 versus Kindle DX

gciampa

Active Member
Hey folks,

looking at the threads related to the Kindle, seems there are pro and cons associated witht he Kindle line; Question for those folks that have used both the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX:

Does the Kindle 2 provide enough screen real-estate to view approach plates in an single pilot IMC environment?

Of course, BIGGER is always better, but, is the Kindle 2 just as satisfying for the mission? :)

Thanks
 
Kindle 2 vs Kindle DX.

The Kindle 2 is not useful in my opinion for approach plates as they are just not usable on it. The DX is the way to go and you will not be disappointed. It rocks for plates.
 
Sony 900..

I called flightguide yesterday because I saw on their website that they offer the flightguide as an e book for the Kindle and the sony 505 and prs 600. Also, you can purchase the government approach plates that will be integrated with the flight guide. A new feature coming out is that this version will also have AVGAS prices embedded with the airport.

Anyway, she said that there were some problems with the way the kindle navigated, and the sony was better. Also, sometimes the kindle will go into a screen saver mode, a bad event in the final aproach segment. She suggested waiting for the new sony touch screen reader PRS 900 coming out next month. It will have a more or less full approach plate size. Maybe someone who knows more about the subject could enlighten us some more.
 
I am holding out for the Nook from Barns and Noble. Looks like it will a great platform for approach plates. PDF search function and book marks
 
Amazon has just announced native PDF support for the Kindle 2, which is good, and the stuff we have at www.pdfplates.com work on it. Hugh is correct, though, that the screen is much smaller, and older eyes may not be too satisfied with it. There are some pics here of PDFPlates on the Kindle2.

http://twitpic.com/qwb3p

and

http://twitpic.com/qwb9o

As for the screen saver issues, the new firmware released today changes the timeout to 20 minutes, and there are hacks you can find to set that wherever you like. I have my DX set to 60 minutes.

The Kindle's navigation isn't as good as the sony. But one advantage the K2 might have over the DX is that it has dedicated number keys, you don't have to hold down the shift key. For what it is worth, Amazon does have a generous return policy so you can try for a little while.

Seems like everyone is coming out with an eInk based reader these days. There are so many choices, and by first quarter of next year there will be even more.

Feel free to drop me a line, admin<at>pdfplates.com with any questions.
 
thanks.....all good information, the twit pictures of the K2 in landscape mode appear to be readable/usable.

I will have to see about laying my hands on one for a test;

I went by B&N a fews ago, before the Nook was available, too many choices, not enough money. :)
 
Well, they claim native pdf support so we'll see. They don't have one yet in my local B&N so I haven't tried it. Hoping for table of contents support but some things I read on their forums were not promising.

That is a big thing missing from the Kindle so one would expect they would try to one up Amazon. My expectation is that they will work at least as well, just on a smaller screen. What I am finding from so many users is that as we get up in age the small screens just don't cut it.
 
No Nook for me

I have a DX and IMHO it is hands down easier to read than the Nook's small screen. I played with a Nook at BN for a while and didn't find it particularly easy to read or navigate. Didn't play with the PDF's though.
Overall, I really am happy with my Kindle DX for approach charts and wx maps.
 
I did get to try the Nook, but not with PDFPlates. The screen was very small, and I also crashed the device once (not sure how). I received a Pirep from one of the users of the website - he didn't like it very much. The device didn't handle the large files well and the text was too small to make it usable. No ability to zoom or place user bookmarks. While it is second hand info, it doesn't sound like a good platform for approach plates. Too bad, because the price is right.

2010 should bring lots of new eReaders, though.
 
Kindle DX

I just got a DX for Christmas for the purpose of displaying government plates for IFR flying. Without question, it's beautifully suited to the task, and PDFplates.com makes it easy.

Personally, I wasn't interested in any system that required scrolling to view a complete chart. Rather than trying to scroll during an apporach, I think it's better to just go to the NACO website and print off the plates you think you'll need for a given flight and do it the old-fashioned way.

The Kindle DX does a great job of displaying full-size plates, but in the interest of full disclosure, I have a minor complaint that users should be aware of: after 20 minutes, a "screen saver" kicks in and switches the display to a nice black and white image of a famous author. Restoring the apporach plate takes some waiting and some button pushing, and unless you can fly an approach in your sleep, you'll likely have to go missed if the screen saver kicks in within the outer marker and you need another glance at the plate. A best practice is just to make sure to click a button or two before being cleared for the approach to ensure the plate will be visible for the entire procedure.

Ideally, the unit would just maintain the approach plate image even if the unit goes to sleep. To me, this is the ultimate in EFB fault tolerance, and I believe several DX users have requested that the screen saver be eliminated for this purpose. Be aware that hacks were available to disable the screensaver in earlier DX firmware versions, but none is availabe for the latest firmware. In general, hacking a Kindle can create compatibility issues when new firmware updates become available from Amazon.
 
Comment on reliability/usability.
I use an IPOD touch, and and IPAQ mobile windows based machine. THe IPAQ was the cats whiskers when I bought it.

My IPOD has never crashed in the past year. It can play video from Youtube. PDFs and Word documents are viewable and magnifiable via docs to go. Downloading and updating pograms and content is painless. Memory availability so far seems endless.

My IPAQ crashes constantly. It cannot play youtube video. It has been replaced once. I dont bother with PDFs due to slow video.

I found the IPAQ to be most useful for picking up my schedule information from google and transfering it via active sync to my desktop. Downloading and updating all content is painful and limited due to memory utilization issues.
Worse, the X never really closes programs, so unless you go into settings, to specifically stop programs, after a while, it slows to a crawl.

I suspect the Apple pad, when and if it becomes available, to be the choice...
 
Nook - Doesn't search

Jeff,

I am also interested in figuring out what works best. My local Barnes and Noble had a Nook on display that I played with for awhile. I tried the search functions and it works within a single pdf but not to search through multiple PDF's, i.e. Searching for a gps approach for KTKI is not going to work. The salesman tried to get it to search through the few pdf's he had loaded and it would only search the books he had on it, not the user added pdf's.

I am holding out for Apple. :D I can't see using the DX unless someone can tell me how they easily and quickly get to the approach they are looking for.
 
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