Amazon is expected to start selling their eBook reader, the Kindle, today for $399. It looks like it may be a strong contender against Sony's Reader. One of the neatest features is that it allows you to purchase and download books, newspapers, magazines, and blog feeds through EV-DO and Wi-Fi connections.
Newsweek has a great article telling more about the Kindle. CNet also has a shorter news story. I'm sure more news will be announced about it later today.
Here are some of the specs:
- 30 hours of use per charge
- Weighs 10.3 ounces
- Holds 200 books
- Purchase books via EV-DO through Whispernet - more details to come on price, if any
In order to lure me into the eBook market, this would have to have the ability to display native PDF files (no annoying conversion process like on the Sony Reader) with sufficient resolution and color-scale to make them readable. (My guess is a 1024x768 display with 16-greyscale colors should suffice.) Being able to save all of my articles from academic journals on a device like this would be invaluable. Being able to buy electronic versions of casebooks and other text books would be icing on the cake and save my back a lot of wear and tear carrying books from home to campus. It remains to be seen how Amazon handles Digital Rights Management (DRM) issues.
I can see tremendous potential for Amazon's idea to allow the device to download books without a PC. One of the most annoying things with the iPod is having to interface with iTunes to get new music, videos, and audiobooks. It means if I don't have a laptop with me when I travel, I'm stuck with what I bring. The iPhone and iPod Touch are steps in the right direction allowing you to purchase and download music directly onto the devices. I think Amazon's reader is even more innovative. Imagine some of the ideas that could spring from this:
- Amazon is already out of the gate with magazine and newspaper subscriptions that automatically download to the device.
- Having JSTOR, Lexis/Nexis, and WestLaw in the palm of your hand. I could see Google and/or Amazon coming up with services to allow people to freely explore legal cases and academic articles and download them onto the reader for later review.
- Hyperlinks between books -- particularly valuable for reference and text books. Linking books (both new and old) to one another could tap into some previously unexplored ways to combine knowledge and ideas.
- Being able to travel to a city and download language and travel guides enroute and/or after arriving.
The ideas are endless and may eventually do for books what blogs and websites have done done for print media. It harkens for a whole new evolution in books. Let's hope this lives up to its potential. It looks like some steps in a very positive direction.
(HT jkOnTheRun and GottaBeMobile)
No comments:
Post a Comment