Kindle DX: more bigger better?

Yesterday, Amazon introduced the Kindle DX. I have not yet purchased a Kindle, but I've had my eye on it for a while now. I own a lot of books and I really like the idea of making my entire library more portable. Having moved into a new apartment recently, I cannot say that I will miss carrying the boxes of books up and down flights of stairs. However, both the new Kindle and the Amazon Kindle store are not yet where I need them to be yet for me to justify a purchase. Amazon is adding thousands of books everyday, however, so that time may be coming soon.

According to yesterday's announcement, there is a lot to love about the new Kindle DX. It has a bigger screen, more storage, more functionality for reading pdfs natively and an accelerometer to allow you to switch from portrait to landscape. It has more, more, more! But, at the same time, it is the same old Kindle attached to the same old store. Although among yesterday's announcements was the introduction of textbooks for the Kindle, the availability of academic monographs in the humanities is minimal. It is difficult to get a history book that is written for an academic audience. This makes sense for Amazon, because the market is small. Unfortunately, it makes the Kindle less useful to me and to others interested in the Humanities. I have a feeling that this will be remedied very quickly however, as Amazon is partnering with higher educational institutions.

Then there's the price. $489! For me this is a lot to spend, but I would probably not only make that back on book purchases but on the reduced cost and effort of my next move. Seriously! It was an awful experience! What do you think?