Can Amazon revolutionize the ebook market? Speaking as someone who really doesn’t like reading prose on my computer screen, I’m really intrigued by their new e-reader they’ve finally released. Kindle, as they’re calling it, sounds pretty impressive, taking some cues from the recent iPod Touch/iPhone releases with the ability to directly connect to Amazon’s digital book store via Sprint’s wireless network, allowing folks to download new reading material on the go. It really does sound like heaven for any frequent flyer tired of their constantly expanding paperback library. What is really impressive is Amazon’s deals with various newspapers, magazines or other periodicals tallowing people to get the latest issue via subscription. Very cool!
Notably, Kindle does not require a PC for synchronization or any software to be installed. “Instead of shopping from your PC, you shop directly from the device. The store is on the device, and then the content is wirelessly and seamlessly delivered to the device,” Bezos explained.
Amazon’s new “Kindle Store” now stocks more than 90,000 titles, “including 101 of 112 current New York Times Best Sellers and new releases, which are $9.99, unless marked otherwise,” according to a release from the company.
Kindle connects to its specialized Amazon store via an EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) cellular network through “Amazon Whispernet,” built atop Sprint’s EV-DO network. No data plan or monthly bill is required. “We pay for all of that behind the scenes so that you can just read,” Bezos said, adding that he estimated that it would take “less than a minute” to download a book.
