Forum Moderators: phranque
Online retailer Amazon.com Inc plans to introduce its highly anticipated electronic book device at a New York event Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing two people familiar with the company's plans.
WSJ Reports Amazon To Launch E-Book Reader [uk.reuters.com]
Let me paraphrase it: The Wall Street Journal said CNET said Amazon may have a project called "Kindle" that's an ebook reader.
Now you don't have to waste time clicking the link.
According to a very annoyed Rafat Ali at Paid Content, it's a machine called Kindle and it cost $400. It is
is a 10.3 ounces device, with dimensions of a paperback, with a tapering of its width that emulates the bulge toward a book’s binding, the story says.Kindle’s six-inch screen uses the display technology from E-Ink, which mimes the clarity of a printed book.
-- It can hold as many as 200 books on the device (with more on the memory card), gets as many as 30 hours of reading on a charge, and recharges in two hours.
-- Also, it has wireless connectivity, via a system called Whispernet, which is based on the EVDO broadband service offered Sprint, (NYSE: S) allowing it to work anywhere, not just Wi-Fi hotspots.
-- The device can function independent of the PC: you can use it to go to the store, browse for books, check out your personalized recommendations, and read reader reviews and post new ones, tapping out the words on a thumb-friendly keyboard, the story says.
-- About 88,000 digital books will be on sale at the Kindle store on launch. The new books are priced generally around $9.99.
-- Besides books, you can subscribe to newspapers (the Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, (NYSE: WPO) Le Monde) and magazines (The Atlantic). You can also subscribe to selected blogs, which cost either 99 cents or $1.99 a month per blog.
-- It also allows you to look up things in Wikipedia, search via Google (NSDQ: GOOG) or follow links from blogs and other Web pages.
Ali's comments are interesting.
[paidcontent.org...]
It's a little, limited computer/cellphone deal. I don't think it will work. Maybe Apple will pick up on it and make Amazon's network useable, but I don't think Amazon can sell hardware like this.
Now, if it had a phone in it... Hello, Google?
I can see it now, "Indie Authors" -- self publishing and bypassing the AMAZON marketing channel to get their work to the masses -- oh, yeah -- they've already done it -- it's called the world wide web.
You can't curl up with a "book device" and fall asleep reading unless the device is shockproof --- or it will get damaged as you doze off and it slips from you hand and hits the floor... zzzzzzzzzzz.
I haven't seen where this product offers speech options, a voice of your choosing to read the book to you. I suppose that technology still needs to be improved.
It will be interesting to see how many of these units are sold over this holiday season, and beyond?
selling to save a few trees
but, burn more lumps of coal, and put more dead batteries in the landfill.
i suppose the books will have digital rights management on them, so no more lending a book after you're finished with it.
also, no more leaving one in the bathroom, while a different one is in the living room.
but, you can still use highlighter to your heart's content, as long as you don't scroll the screen :)
How many zero's do these whiz bangs have in their salaries again?
Lord love a duck.
