Amazon Unveils Kindle E-Book Reader
By Jennifer LeClaire
November 19, 2007 9:50AM
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Amazon's new Kindle e-book reader is a perpetually connected Internet device that comes automatically configured to connect to Amazon's Kindle Store through Sprint's EVDO network. The Kindle has built-in access to The New Oxford American Dictionary and seamless access to Wikipedia and its collection of over two million articles.
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On Monday, Amazon released an electronic device the company hopes will leapfrog over previous attempts at e-readers and become a key step on the path to Book 2.0. The device is called Amazon Kindle.
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos said the company has been working on Kindle for more than three years with the top design objective being that Kindle would disappear in the consumer's hands so people can simply enjoy reading.
"We also wanted to go beyond the physical book," Bezos said. "Kindle is wireless Relevant Products/Services, so whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book and have it in less than 60 seconds. No computer is needed -- you do your shopping directly from the device."
Book 2.0 Revolution?
Newsweek's Senior Editor and Columnist Steven Levy, the first journalist to get his hands on the Kindle, described Book 2.0 as shorthand for a revolution -- one that many believe is already in progress -- that will change the way readers read, writers write, and publishers publish. As the leading online bookseller, Amazon is strategically positioned to move things forward. And Bezos seems to be taking the challenge seriously.
Kindle's features include paperback-size dimensions, being able to change font size into an instant large-type edition, and the ability to hold several shelves' worth of books, plus hundreds more on a memory card and a limitless amount in virtual library stacks maintained by Amazon. The device is not just for books: Users can subscribe to newspapers and magazines as well.
The Kindle Store currently offers more than 90,000 books, as well as hundreds of newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Customers can search, browse, buy, and download from this wide selection wirelessly from the Kindle. The same Amazon shopping experience customers are accustomed to is offered in the Kindle Store, including customer reviews, personalized recommendations, and 1-Click purchasing. Additionally, Kindle customers can download and read the first chapter of most Kindle books for free.
Always-On Book
"This is very much an integrated product that's definitely different than anything they've ever done before," said Mike Goodman, an analyst at Yankee Group. "Amazon is an e-tailer that sells other people's products. They are moving into Apple's territory."
The Kindle is a perpetually connected Internet device that Newsweek describes as the first "always-on" book. The device comes automatically configured to connect to the Kindle Store through Sprint's EVDO network, which means users do not need to be near a Wi-Fi hotspot to gain access. And there is no monthly wireless fee.
Kindle has built-in access to The New Oxford American Dictionary, which contains over 250,000 entries and definitions, so readers can look up the definitions of words as they read. Kindle customers also have seamless access to Wikipedia and its collection of over two million articles.
Still, Goodman said he is not convinced that the e-book's time has come. "If Amazon wants users to adopt e-books, then they have to give me a reason to do so," he said. "It's a fundamental shift from the reader's perspective; you are not leveraging any existing behavior."