The Amazon Kindle

Amazon announced recently (November 20, 2007) they have launced a new product - the Kindle - that is a wireless portable reading device, used for e-books available for purchase on the Amazon website.

It seems to have sold well, particularly in the first few days it was available, but I'm not sure what the reaction has been overall. I like the idea, but I'm still not sure I'm completely sold on the value vs. cost. It seems a bit pricey, particularly when you start purchasing 'content', when you can still get cheap paperbacks and magazines. Of course, I'm sure that advances will continue to be made, and eventually it will make sense for many people to own a similar device.

UPDATE 2/10/09

The Amazon Kindle 2 has just been released, and it is slimmer, sleeker, and memoryer (has more memory!) than ever! It is also cheaper, with an initial release price of $359. The thing looks amazing, compared to the older model that looked a bit clunky, although from the photos it almost looks like it might feel too thin, and could snap in half at any moment!

I still haven't entirely embraced the idea of the electronic reading device, but they do seem to have made some improvements for people who do enjoy the technology, and I still do see it being the wave of the future. I'm just not quite sure if we are there yet!

 The Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device is on sale!  Amazon has temporarily reduced the price to $299.  At this price, it is definitely worth considering if you are looking for a high quality electronic reading device.

 There are rumors of a new Kindle in developmentthat will add touch screen capability to the existing structure.  I guess a current ebook reader that has touch screen capability is the iRex digital reader.  It sells for $859, so you would think there is a good market available if you could produce a product for a significantly less price. 

I guess part of the Amazon plan is to design something useful for college students to store textbooks and other materials on, so they could take it from class to class.  This seems like an excellent use, considering you can add notes and bookmarks and easily return to something as you are participating in a class discussion.  We'll see if the rumors turn out to be true!