Jeff Bezos has just announced Amazon.com’s newest device known as the Kindle. The Kindle is a portable device that allows a user to download books, newspapers, blogs, magazines, and other publications wirelessly.
The device weighs roughly 10.3 ounces (less than an average book weight). The device has letters and symbols written in different alphabets according to Erick Schonfeld. And the Amazon.com Kindle is essentially an iPod for books. This device is especially useful for those who spend lots of time traveling on planes, trains, and automobiles.
“We’ve been working on Kindle for more than three years. Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands — to get out of the way — so you can enjoy your reading,” stated Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. “We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Kindle is wireless, 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. We’re excited to make Kindle available today.”
The screen of the Kindle needs a light source, similar to an actual book. This may be an advantage for the length of the battery life. The more a device lights up, the faster the battery dies.
There is a scroll wheel that allows the user to scroll up and down the right side of a page. But to move on to the next page or previous page, the user must hit the Next Page or Previous Page buttons. There is also a keyboard that allows users to search within the Amazon.com store.
Other web features of the Kindle include Ask Kindle NowNow, Basic Web, and Play Music. Ask Kindle NowNow is similar to search engine ChaCha in the sense that a guide will answer search queries. Coincidentally, Jeff Bezos is an investor in ChaCha.
The Kindle also has Wikipedia and The New Oxford American Dictionary built-in. Fonts can be adjusted in 6 different sizes. Gizmodo has tons of pictures of the new device. Using the wireless connection on the Kindle is free, but reading TechCrunch, GigaOM, Scoblelizer, and PaidContent is not.
“Mike’s blog is one of 300 web pubs that Amazon is selling via its new e-book; other pay-for-play pubs include Rafat Ali’s Paidcontent (99 cents per month), Om Malik’s GigaOm ($1.99) and Robert Scoble’s Scobelizer ($1.99). Amazon wouldn’t tell us how much of the putative revenue the bloggers get, but we guesstimate it’s in the 35% to 50% range…” according to Alley Insider.
The Kindle is available for purchase at http://amazon.com/kindle for $399. It will be interesting to see how this new device drives the retail and publication world. The Kindle offers convenience and accessibility to information and is backed by Amazon.com’s strong e-commerce brand.
