The Kindle

I have a Kindle and I wouldn't worry much about the DRM. Although it's true that the books you buy from Amazon will likely be locked, the device does not in anyway require that Amazon be your only source for books. You can send essentially anything to it, either by transferring it from your computer via USB or using their (fee-based) email conversion service. This latter service will convert most ebook formats and automatically download it to your Kindle via 3G. They also offer a free conversion service, but you'll have to transfer the resulting document via USB.

Personally, I use Calibre as an ebook manager and it automatically converts pretty much anything I can throw at it into a format compatible with the Kindle and then automatically downloads it to the device. With all of the classic books available from Project Gutenberg, as well as various other book sources, I've yet to purchase anything from Amazon directly.

If anyone is waffling over buying one, I can only heartily recommend it. I was dubious at first, but I'd say the experience is even better then an actual book (that wonderful book smell aside). The display really is fairly amazing. Plus, with the global wireless, you can access Wikipedia for free from almost anywhere in the world. In some countries, you can even get full, free web access (a nice feature on my recent trip back home to SF). With the 3g feature disabled, the bloody thing also seems to have near infinite battery life. I read for at least an hour or more a day and I haven't changed the thing in well over a month. It's a great device.

I love my Kindle! I travel a ton for work here in the US and it is great not to be carrying books in my bag. I used my Kindle on my recent trip to London and it was great. However, I did not access the internet while I was there.

Does anything think the iPad will replace the kindle? The iPad hasn't been released in the UK yet but has anyone in the US got to play with one yet? 

I just bought a Kindle 2 in the US to use in the UK (I ordered it in February before I flew down to South America and had it delivered to my friend in NJ, so I've only actually been using it since I got back from Chile a week ago) - it worked out to be $100 cheaper to get it while I was in the US instead of paying the postage to have it shipped to the UK.

So far, I really like it, although it seemed to freeze on me a couple of times this afternoon - I couldn't get any buttons to work and it wouldn't turn off or go on standby... I had to plug it into my computer to get it to do anything at all (I hope this isn't going to be a regular occurrence!)... I haven't ordered anything through the Kindle store yet though, I've just been uploading stuff that I already have on my laptop. What I've been trying to figure out is whether or not I will be charged if I try to browse webpages other than Wiki on there or if I'll only be charged for actually downloading content to the Kindle (so far I haven't been able to find a definite answer online).

Does anything think the iPad will replace the kindle? The iPad hasn't been released in the UK yet but has anyone in the US got to play with one yet? 

I absolutely do not think the iPad will replace the Kindle. They're completely different devices for completely different purposes. Although it's true that the iPad can read books, it'll be just like reading books on your desktop, laptop, or a netbook. In other words, you'll likely get the same eystrain problems that most people get, staring at an LCD for hours on end whilst reading.

The entire reason for the Kindle to exist is the e-Ink display, which really does feel just like reading a newspaper. You can stay up all night reading the thing, under a perfectly warm and comforting incandescent light, and the overall feel of it will be much closer to a book than a computer.

Also, although the iPad battery life is fairly amazing for a device of its sort, it has nothing on the Kindle. With the 3g feature disabled, I can probably get 50 hours or more of use of it. The iPad won't even survive an entire flight to the West Coast.