Looks like the Amazon Kindle DX is being set up to be a competitor/complementor of the Tablet PC in universities. Engadget is reporting that the Amazon Kindle DX is set to debut with a 9.7″ display, with PDF support and with the ability to add annotations and notes, making it an excellent device for students in universities–something that Microsoft has been trying to position Tablet PCs as too.
Can both devices co-exist? You bet. However, if the two devices are in the same or similar price range, you can imagine that one is going to have to give way to the other. That’s only a guess.
To begin with Amazon is going to run five pilot programs to evaluate the value of the Kindle DX in academic settings. I imagine that this is partly being done to demonstrate to the text book publishers what value there is in supporting these devices.
Hopefully Microsoft and the Tablet PC OEMs are paying attention to this development. There’s no doubt that a software-based eReader application on a Tablet PC can mimic much of what a Kindle could offer, but think about it in terms of weight and thinness. There’s no Tablet that can compete with the Kindle here.
I’m quite interested to see how the Kindle DX is positioned.
I was waiting until ebook readers had inking ability.. if it has that. Mainly want one to take notes during meetings.
This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed