Amazon Kindle: Just another e-book reader?

Amazon.com announced the launch of their new product Amazon Kindle, an e-book reader designed to transform the way people consume and produce book-form publications. Though the book has evolved partially into the digital realm, most forms of e-books are smaller, less cumbersome and time-consuming reads. Though novels and extensive works are available, it seems the book is a product that cannot be replaced so easily, unlike other medium such as music and video. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com elaborates on the subject saying:

“Music and video have been digital for a long time, and short-form reading has been digitized, beginning with the early Web. But long-form reading really hasn’t.”

The question begging to be asked is, ‘Are people ready to add yet another device to their already stuffed briefcases and bags?’ Most people today have a slew of devices they are required to lug around – cell phones, laptops, mp3 players – so why one more?

After all, this is the book we’re talking about. “If you’re going to do something like this, you have to be as good as the book in a lot of respects,” says Bezos. “But we also have to look for things that ordinary books can’t do.” Bounding to a whiteboard in the conference room, he ticks off a number of attributes that a book-reading device—yet another computer-powered gadget in an ever more crowded backpack full of them—must have.

Though e-book readers are nothing new and have little spread within the literary consumer market, Kindle does have a few tricks up their sleeve. By taking lessons from newer technologies such as the Apple iPhone, Kindle is tapping into the market through WiFi and massive storage space.

The Kindle’s real breakthrough springs from a feature that its predecessors never offered: wireless connectivity, via a system called Whispernet. (It’s based on the EVDO broadband service offered by cell-phone carriers, allowing it to work anywhere, not just Wi-Fi hotspots.) As a result, says Bezos, “This isn’t a device, it’s a service.”

Even so, WiFi is on the verge of becoming a standard ‘fixture’ in electronic devices. Is it so important for readers? What market of people are willing to add this device to their inventory – or, better said, is this technology catering to the gadgetless (such as my grandmother), which means that it will soon be obsolete once other providers (like Apple and the iPhone) allow access to this type of material easily through their proprietary service?

While looking at the photos and specs, my initial thought was, “man that’s big.” Granted, it’s about as thick as a pencil, but for an electronic device, it took me back to the days of the Apple Newton (image from www.engadget.com):

Unfortunately, as cool as the Newton was in those days, it wasn’t something you could just chuck into your bag and go, it required space, which is why the PDA took on an entirely different evolutionary track. So, I guess my point is, why re-invent the wheel? Why not push those already promoting the products (and doing a wonderful job at it) to sign on to what you foresee the device accomplishing?

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