Amazon Kindle and iPod Touch DVDs

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2S5YCKCJJ64W8:m1KUZNR4TVZSMM

Today it is out, and I've ordered one for my wife. I read everything posted online about it, including what Amazon itself has to say, and I like what I see, mostly. I'll post a thorough review once I've got one in my hands. Still more ugly than cute. I'll have a better perspective once I can hold one.

It is not yet clear how much web connectivity it will have. I know it will take you to Wikipedia and Amazon itself. I don't know, for example, if I'll be able to read this blog from it though. If it is a generic web browser that can access any web page then it'll be a hit. I suspect they have fixed links and don't let you browse the internet mainly because it is using a cell phone data service that is paid for in part by the cost of the e-books you buy. Spend time browsing the web and not buying anything and the data access bill will climb past the subscription Amazon pays.

I found some cheap software at my local Staples store to allow copying DVDs to my iPod Touch. Not quite ready to recommend it, as it took more than 5 hours to transcode one 2-hour DVD movie. I can't help but think this software is poorly coded if it takes longer to transcode than it actually takes to watch a movie. I'll try it on a faster PC tonight, and if I can get better performance from it I'll review it here. It DID succeed in converting a DVD to a video file I could sync to my iPod Touch. Slowly.

4D