Since its release in November 2007, Amazon's Kindle has taken a stronghold in the highly competitive eBook Reader marketplace with its continued evolution. Amazon has addressed many of the complaints of earlier models, such as the weight, slow page turning and awkward navigation buttons to make the Kindle standout as the e-Reader to beat.

The third-generation Kindle - The Kindle DX, is distinctly larger than previous Kindles with its 9.7" diagonal E Ink display, making it suitable for viewing a broader range of reading material such as newspapers and magazines. Although the display is now bigger, the Kindle has an even thinner profile than its earlier iterations, being just over 1/3 of an inch thick.

On paper, the Kindle DX looks impressively feature packed, but can it replace the good old book? Read on to find out.

Features of the Kindle DX
Slim profile - Only 1/3 thickLarge 9.7" high contrast E Ink Pearl DisplayFree 3G Wireless access in over 100 countriesStores up to 3,500 BooksAuto Rotating DisplayPDF Reader built-in5-Way ControllerRead to me, text to speech featureEnhanced reading functions

Hands on

The Kindle DX feels somewhat heavier than the Kindle 2, but due to its very slim profile, it remains comfortable to hold with two hands. It can be held with only one hand, but it's more comfortable to hold with two hands, however.

The new E-Ink pearl display is very impressive. The large screen means you get much more text per page than previous Kindle's, resulting in less page turns. The effects of the acclaimed 50% better contrast are evident. The text on screen looks crisp, dark and clear, making reading a pleasant experience. In comparison to the original Kindle DX, blacks look distinctly more solid.

The dark grey graphite border results in less eye strain than having the white border of the original Kindle DX, as your eyes are better focused on the display.

Navigation

In terms of navigation, it's very similar to the Kindle 2 except all the navigation keys are now on the right and the keyboard is smaller.

The previous/next page buttons are no longer on the left side. Having page controls on only one side is something I don't like as it makes accessing these buttons a little awkward when you are turning pages in the landscape mode.

Using the keyword is a bit awkward as the keys are small and spaced wide apart. Ergonomically the keyboard isn't well designed as you cannot reach the keys with your thumbs when holding the Kindle by the sides. I would have preferred the keyboard to be divided into two sections for better accessibility.

Page turns seem quicker than the original DX, but it's still a bit more sluggish than with an LCD based eBook reader due to the slow refresh rate of the e-Ink screen. In comparison with turning a page of a regular book, the speed is very similar though.

Auto Rotating Display

The auto rotating display feature is great. You can read material such as newspapers, maps and magazines more comfortably by turning the Kindle horizontally. One issue though is that you only need to rotate the screen about 45 degrees for the screen rotation to be triggered, so if you like to lie back and read, you may need to lock the orientation via the menu to prevent any unwanted screen rotation occurring.

Storage

The Kindle DX can hold up to 3,500 books/documents so it's well equipped to store many people's book collection.

There is no memory card reader, so if you use up the 3GB+ space then you cannot expand the memory. This is something I would have liked included, as certain documents can eat up a lot of storage space.

Web Browser

The web browser is a nice feature especially as the wireless access is free. It only provides basic browsing though, so don't expect to be browsing flash or a java based sites as they aren't supported.

Battery Life

The battery life is very satisfactory. After one charge it lasts about three weeks with Wi-Fi off. With Wi-Fi turned on, usage is reduced to about one week.

Final Thoughts

The Kindle DX is slim, lightweight and has a good quality large display making it easy on the eye whilst reading even in sunlight. It does have its design faults though however; most notably, the keyboard is awkward to use and the lack of page turning buttons on both sides.

Overall, if you're looking for a large screen eBook Reader for book reading then the Kindle DX is a fantastic choice, but for other purposes such as viewing PDF documents, surfing the net or taking notes, its limitations hold it back.

For more information on the Kindle DX visit Best eBook Reader

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I'd assume that most of you guys know what a Kindle DX is already. But for those of you who don't, this is an electronic device that allows you to read PDF books, file documents, daily newspapers, magazines, and blogs. It has a 9.7 inch display and is 1/3 of an inch thick. With 3.3 GB storage, it could save up to 3,000 different books. The Kindle Wi-Fi feature allows you to browse the Kindle Store with over 275,000 book selections. You could also access Wikipedia, the most comprehensive online encyclopedia. But here is some common DX accessories that you owners would want to have:

A Kindle DX cover is top priority over all accessories. You need a cover that is very light-weighted, durable, highly protective of your Kindle, and is stylish. Yes, style should not be disregarded. Covers can have so many different color and textures. Try using leather for that professional look, wool for comfort or go with plastic since it is water-proof.

Headphones are also a must for any Kindle. With the Kindle's text-to-speech function, you can let your it read for you. Go for collapsible or in-ear headphones for minimal clutter.

The Kindle DX's batteries could last up to a week without charging. But if you are on a long trip away from home, be sure to bring a two-in-one charger. Dual-purpose chargers have a DC car charger adapter and an AC wall charger adapter. This way low battery won't be a trouble.

An anti-glare screen protector would also be a useful accessory. When you are outdoors, you will have maximum readability without the annoying glare from sunlight. Not only it lets you clearly read, it could also protect your Kindle from scratches.

Last on the list is a clip-on reading light. At times the ceiling light won't be sufficient for reading or there is no study table in sight. Just use a clip-on reading light for your Kindle and you are good to go.

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Have you heard about the new "Kindle to Chrome" app? If you are like me, you would much rather read just about anything on your Kindle instead of on your computer. However, much of the regular articles and other content that you find on the web may not be as available for you on the Kindle as books and other items are.

That is where the new Kindle to Chrome extension comes in. It allows you to send just about any web page straight to your Kindle to read later!

Personally, I use Firefox as my primary browser. However, I do have Chrome installed, so I am able to copy and paste any url to Chrome that I want to read.

The setup seems fairly straightforward - simply add the extension to Chrome (just Google Kindle to Chrome within your Chrome browser to find it), then set up the Kindle options within the "manage my extensions" screen in your browser. You will need to go to your Manage My Kindle page in Amazon and get the e-mail address for your Kindle (did you know you had one?!) and add it to the options within the extension.

If you have a Kindle 3, you can use your "free.kindle.com" address. If not, make sure you use your "kindle.com" address instead. You can change that in a drop down menu within the app's settings.

Once it is all set up, there will be a little orange check box next to your address bar in the top right side of your browser. Just click on that when you find a story you want to read, and it will go straight to your Kindle!

It will not work on every website, and it does strip out pictures, so you will get only text. Also, keep in mind that Kindle for Chrome is a new app, so it does have a few bugs right now, including the fact that it does not seem to be functioning properly on a Mac. However, it does appear that the developer is working to get those bugs fixed and has been answering questions on the page for the application.

So, if you want to quickly send several articles to your Kindle to read later, the Kindle for Chrome app is a great option. There are a few other services similar to this out there as well, such as Instapaper, which I use, that you might want to check out, but Kindle for Chrome seems to be at least as simple as Instapaper for those of you who like the option of an app built into your browser!

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