Netbooks, eBooks Now and in the Future

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Kindle 2 has text entry and and a basic web browser for text centric sites and wireless connectivity via Sprints data network. So you could use it to post blog entries and enter comments on other websites.

The cost and value of wireless connectivity is one of the key differences. If you have internet connected wifi at the home and office and places like libraries and coffee shops then getting a wifi enabled e-book or netbook would be sufficient for many purposes.

Kindle Tip #16 – Kindle Text Entry Shortcuts
You can use these shortcuts when entering Text –

Alt-6 for question mark ?
Alt-7 for comma ,
Alt-8 for colon :
Alt-9 for quotation marks “
Alt-0 for single quotation marks ‘

The web access if free and the battery lasts for days. At this link are ten reasons to buy it and ten reasons not to buy it.

Here is the CNET review of the Kindle 2

Netbooks are getting battery life in the 5-11 hour range. They have full color screens. Most netbooks have wifi and bluetooth and wimax capable versions are coming. There are ways to connect netbooks to a mobile phone that is data enabled but the data access plans for mobile phones are not cheap.

There are netbooks that cost $99.

Fujitsu has a color display e-book but it costs $1000 and it has bluetooth and wifi and a 40 hour battery life per charge.

Wimax is starting to be rolled out. The current subscription costs are about $20/month -$50/month.

Download speeds from 768 kilobits per second to 6 megabits per second: $20 to $50 a month, depending on speed, plus $5 a month for WiMAX modem. Later this year, Clearwire plans to offer Internet home phone service for $25 a month, plus $15 for a phone adapter.
Mobile Internet access: Downloads at 4 mbps: $30 to $50 a month, depending on how much data you use, plus $50 for mobile WiMAX modem.

Home Internet access [Portland]: Comcast, Qwest and Verizon offer home Internet access at download speeds from 1 mbps to 100 mbps, for $30 to $145 a month, depending on speed. Mobile Internet access: Cricket Wireless, Sprint, Verizon and AT&T offer wireless Internet cards for laptops. Access typically costs $40 to $60 a month, plus $30 or more for a wireless card. Downloads are typically around 1 mbps.

Wimax is being deployed to more and more cities, but prices are currently about $30/month

High speed 4G mobile data service is also coming but it is also at a fairly high monthly cost.

There is a rumored Apple Netbook with a iPhone like touchscreen in the third quarter of 2009.