November 19, 2007 6:37 PM
Amazon Launches E-Book Reader, Kindle
Announced sometime in September, the new Amazon E-Book Reader, Kindle is finally out and bears a costly price of $400 at Amazon. But of course, the price is a measly sum compared to what you're going to get with the Kindle in terms of power and functionality.
Amazon describes its innovative E-Book device as a:
"Revolutionary Portable Reader Lets Customers Wirelessly Download Books in Less Than a Minute and Automatically Receive Newspapers, Magazines and Blogs, no PC Required, No Hunting for Wi-Fi Hot Spots."
That seems pretty powerful and nifty indeed.
But how do you get to download E-Books if you won't connect to the internet with the Kindle? Get it directly from Amazon E-Bookstore of course. Amazon was ingenious enough to make the Kindle work like your regular mobile phone that lets you connect to the internet wirelessly. But the Kindle instead of relying on mobile data networks, PC connection or wireless networks, uses its own proprietary wireless delivery system, Whispernet, a high-speed data network (EVDO) similar to what cell phones used.
To encourage users to download E-Books from the Amazon store, wireless bills incurred during download transactions are shouldered by Amazon. This allows users to download books, magazines, newspapers and blogs. But of course, individual downloads are charged per item.
Now, who would want to read all day long using an electronic device that would surely harm one's eyesight? Fortunately for all you bookworms, the Kindle uses a high-resolution display technology called electronic paper that provides a sharp black and white screen that is as easy to read as printed paper. I know this may sound absurd, but the Kindle actually uses an ink just like your printed books and newspapers but Kindle displays this electronically. Hence, the Kindle eliminates eye-strain and glare common to all electronic devices.
Other features of the Amazon Kindle include:
-Holds Hundreds of Books in 10.3 Ounces -Built-In Dictionary and Wikipedia -Long Battery Life -Search -Annotation and Bookmarks -Ergonomic design -Adjustable text size -And many more
Looks like Amazon may have hit the mark this time. The long wait seems all worth it indeed. Ignoring the fact this will certainly plummet E-book sales over at Amazon, the kindle if it manages to gain a good ground may actually pave the road to the demise of the printed book. Or do you really think it could?
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