KEY POINTS:
It's the end-of-the-book story again. Amazon has launched its Kindle electronic book reader, amid corporate hopes that it will become the "iPod of e-readers".
Strange, isn't it, how everyone now aspires to create the "next iPod"?
The Kindle is a neat gadget that is the size of a paperback book, weighs 288g and doesn't beep. Its display gives a good approximation of the clarity of print on a 15cm screen.
Of course it relies on battery power, but Amazon claims you can get up to 30 hours of reading before having to plug it in for a two-hour recharge.
It can hold up to 200 books. In sleep mode, the device displays tasteful images of ancient texts, early printing presses and classic authors such as Emily Dickinson and Jane Austen.
Yawn. So far, it doesn't sound much different from the Sony eReader and a host of similar devices, all of which were billed in their time as print-killers.
But the Amazon hype-machine claims that the Kindle has a magical new ingredient, namely ubiquitous wireless connectivity via a system called Whispernet. This is based on the EVDO broadband service now offered by US mobile networks, allowing it to work anywhere, not just wi-fi hotspots. And it doesn't need a PC to act as its mothership.
The cost of the wireless connectivity is bundled in the price tag of US$399 ($510). This is what moves Amazon's boss, Jeff Bezos, to declare that Kindle "isn't a device, it's a service".
So what can Kindle users do with their new service? Well, buy any one of 90,000 books in electronic format for US$9.99 a throw - from Amazon, of course. "Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute," says the website.
Users also get free access to Wikipedia and can read the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and magazines such as Time.
It looks like a pretty neat device. Amazon sold out the initial stock in the first day, so it may be on to something.
There are, of course, the usual objections - you can't give a book that you've read on your Kindle to someone else.
But by bundling persistent broadband connectivity into the package, Amazon has raised the bar for the competition.
After years of unfulfilled promises, the e-reader business has just become interesting. The only snag is that it's available only in the United States.
- Observer
