Amazon Enters Gadget Market with Kindle, an eBook Device

[wongulous]

Some of us don't read books for pleasure. Yet some do.

I myself read them only when I have to, for work or school, and mostly non-fic, or when they're extraordinarily bizarre, funny, or useful. (Even then, most are diagrammatical or picture-based, so moot.)

My partner on the other hand, reads for pleasure and business. Pleasure he reads about 1-2 paperbacks a week in sci-fi, fantasy, drama, thriller, and other fiction, some tech seg and industry stuff. These books he buys for pleasure-reading alone can cost as low as $3-10 used (or at Half Price Books) or up to $12-15 new, and some he reads are in the $20-30 range even. If he got the Kindle, he'd be saving an average of half of the cost per book (possibly more because we don't know how many of their 'classic' and older books are going to be at the $1.99 rate), plus he'd be able to read more. Even at a savings of $8/week, he would have reached his ROI for the Kindle in less than a year... this isn't even counting the enrichment in his life from being able to view all of his eye-straining PDFs on it, or for that matter blogs and newspapers and magazines instantly, the ability to find out-of-print books, lug around all sorts of books to choose on a whim, and even limited communication via the device's email. It'd be awesome for him.

For me, not so much. Though I'd accept it as a gift and use it. A book here, a manual there, and maybe if the internet and email stay sort of useful (curious how this will make sense with no subscription for the EVDO and no WiFi). I think the E Ink screens are pretty. But I wouldn't pay more than $150 for a device like this.

I bet you'll even be able to shop at Amazon through this thing... heck, even being able to read Amazon's reviews anywhere that I get EVDO coverage would be awesome (compared to almost all phones' ****** browsers or exorbitant Blackberry/PDA internet pricing).

 

[gifford]

this is what i want please

sorry, tis a quick bodge!

I may have changed my mind in regard to Apple using E-ink, although it is a slow technology and graphically inept, it might be just what apple need to differentiate the iBook from iPhone/iPod.

PS: I cannot believe there are people on this forum with such little foresight. This technology is going to be huge, and was obvious 20 years ago IMO. I can only imagine that there are quite a few people on here that work in the print industry, you might find Microsoft a suitable new employer.

 

[nukiduz]

I don't understand this electronic book reader thing. I think the common book is a perfect format and very easy to carry on. What if Kindle can hold up to 200 books? I don't need that. I rarely need to be in front of more than three books and, while it may not be comfortable to carry them, I can compare them side by side or write down notes on them.

I understand that the idea could be tempting and I like the way it uses EVDO with no contract commitments but I think this technology is not better than a book.

 

[fregedegpo]

First of all... ugly, really really ugly.

Second of all... at 500 smackers you would have to be really really stupid to buy this. It's as large as a discman, just bring the real CD with you.

I can see this having a very small market, infinitesimal actually: some folks that need to cart many CDs around at all times might like this, but they might prefer to just have a laptop with them.

Sux.

It's 2001 all over again...

No, you are wrong, because people don't read books the way they listen to music. It's not something you can just have playing in the background like an album. To read a book needs much more concentration and nobody is going to sample one book, then another. They just will have no need of this... contraption.

And, sorry, man, this thing truly is ugly. I never would have said that about the iPod.

How many people read more than two books at a time now, who aren't students? (how many people read one? Seriously, I think the answer would surprise you.)

 

[Vanilla]

I just want to respond to the numerous exhortations for using iPhone, iTouch, laptop computers etc.

This from the Amazon site: "We designed Kindle to provide an exceptional reading experience. Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, reading Kindle’s screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper—and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen."

The clarity and stability of the screen display that E-ink provides is exceptional and will make reading considerably more relaxing than reading from an iPhone, iTouch, Laptop screen for any length of time.

Notwithstanding the above I personally don't believe Kindle is quite there yet as my earlier posting detailed, but I am somewhat exasperated at people picking on the one element that is actually really well thought out.

Vanilla

 

[queshy]

This project will be most likely abandoned...sort of like the Foleo. Sony's already gotten into this market and hasn't been very successful.

 

[RedTomato]

Let me make an announcement:

I read *many* books on my cell phone

At the moment, the amount of books I have on my cellphone would weigh more than 10kg on the shelf.

The complete works of Zelanzy, Asimov, Gibson, Stephenson, Iain Banks, Aryn Rand, Heinlein, many greek classics, several reference works, and in future, the complete Oxford English Dictionary.

My phone, a HTC TyTn, weighs about 200gram and fits in my pocket. No contest. I read books on it on the tube, in the bath, while traveling, and in bed.

It's a thrill to read some 1970s science fiction describing a far flung future where people read stuff on personal readers, and then realise you're reading it on exactly the same kind of electronic personal reader as described in the story

My phone isn't perfect as a book reader, but technology will improve. It has bluetooth, wifi, internet explorer, which makes it easy to find and download books.

As for this 'Kindle' reader, yes it's ugly. But the real killer for me is this:

Owners sending files they already own to their Kindle will incur a ten cent charge.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7101392.stm

WHAT? FOAD! No way in hell am I paying 10c per file to send my own file from my own computer to my own e-reader! This is the kiss of death. Goodbye.

 

[Sound Evolution]

Sorry.... I like the idea and the design. I see it is hard to believe for Apple fans that an other company then Apple did come with some good invention. Ugly or not, I like the idea and I think Amazon will sell a lot. Paper is history....

With kind regards,
Bas

 

[redrabbit]

...or you can do it for free with the USB cable...

 

[Unspeaked]

First of all, 99% of your post is entirely subjective, and of course you're free to express your opinion, but if you want people to take you seriously, please backup statements like "eReaders are stupid, plain and simple" with plain and simple facts. Thanks!

...

Now here's a bright kid who thinks outside the Ive designed box and has the right idea!

I agree with 100% of your post, plain and simple...

 

[hh83917]

Actually I think the Kindle is a great idea, despite it's steep price. They have to charge people monthly fees (.99 cents/month) on blogs because they have to pay Sprint for the EVDO service. Also, it's not for everyone, the man (Jeff Bezos) did said it's aiming for heavy readers, specifically "book worm" type users.

An interview with Techcrunch:
"Q: Who do you see buying this device?
Bezos: Heavy readers. Anyone who keeps three or four books open at the same time. It is heavy to carry all of those books around. People who are really busy. The traveler is another constituency. it id designed to be usable by someone who does not even want the complexity of using a computer. It is closer to being an appliance."

This e-ink thing is new, but I really like the idea that makes reading much more comfortable on this anti-glare and non-flickering screen. Staring on a LCD monitor for few hours and you'll get eye strains and headaches, at least for me.

Also, if you have actually used a Sony ebook (2nd version), you'll notice that the screen is very disturbing when you flip through pages. When you click the Next button, you'll see the texts on the e-ink screen flip and twirl while it processes the next screen, which makes me dizzy after a while. I'm hoping that the Kindle uses better e-ink technology which refreshes the screen in a better way, at least the demo videos did look promising.

It depends on how you like to read and how crazy are you into books. It'll appeal to some boom mongers but maybe others still like to smells the paper while flipping through novels, I don't know. But, ya, depends on how crazy you are into books...

PS: I think if you want to save some bucks, pull out your old TI calculator from college and throw some plain text files in there and it might look the same, just an idea...

 

[plumbingandtech]

Jeff Bezos is a lot richer than you are.

So.


On topic. Once the 3rd party SDK comes around I look forward to ebooks on my iphone which will kick butt over this thing, espically if the publishing industry adopts PDFs like they did aac when the itunes store started out.

 

[vga4life]

Umm... How do you archive the books you've purchased to free up space to download new books?

You can just delete them and re-download them later if you need them again. Amazon keeps track of what you've bought & you can re-download books you've already bought. Yes, that means if you lose your Kindle, you don't lose your purchased books, even if you haven't backed them up. (Unlike with the iTunes music store. *cough*)

Alternatively, you can just plug it into your computer and copy off the files - the Kindle shows up as a USB flash drive.

 

[Unspeaked]

The iPod answered the question: "What device can people use to access all their music whenever they want, organize that music, purchase more music from a store, and play different file types all with the ease expected of a device of the future?"

I don't think people have a hard time reading a book or newspaper.

Besides, Apple didn't charge people to listen to their music while using the iPod, and the iPod had more functionality back then than this eReader does now.

This device answers the question, "How do I carry around a bunch of my stuff to read if I don't want to lug my books from class to class, or take a bunch on vacation, or have easy access to all my magazines subscriptions, or quick access to an international newspaper I otherwise have to have the luxury of living in a major city or get, or prevents me from having a giant stack of newsprint newspapers at the end of the week that I have to recycle (or worse, trash)?" I think that's a pretty good question.

Also, I think several people - as has been noted numerous times in this thread - dislike newspapers, their format and reading them. You get ink all over your fingers, you have to fold things over and back again, they're not really conducive to communiting on a bus or train, etc.

And what is Amazon charing people for that Apple didn't? Are you complaining that people can't read their existing books on here? That's a very weak argument. It's good for far more than just existing collections (as I've pointed out with magazines and newspapers), but in any case, I'd be willing to bet a good number of iPod owners have ONLY ever listened to music they purchased digitally on the device or their computers - a lot of older folks don't even know how to import their existing CDs, and even if they do, the vast majority of the iTunes libraries are from the iTMS.

Umm... How do you archive the books you've purchased to free up space to download new books?

Maybe the answer is you delete it? Because, you know, Amazon keeps a record of what you bought and allows for immediate, easy, no-hassle redownloading, so you can just grab it again if you'd like it back?

I think you need to realize that the proof you need is in the polls, plain and simple. You don't seem to see the things right in front of your eyes.

Wow, if nearly a quarter of Apple users are interesed in a device from Amazon that overlaps slightly with the iPods they already own, then this thing is destined to be a success!

That's what you're saying, right? That I should look at the poll at the top of this page and draw conclusions? Because if 1 in 4 Mac-biased consumers is interested in this thing, then I can only image what the genral population will thing; it's a runaway hit! And also, as has been said:

let me get this straight. you're saying a poll on a site that is frequented by devoted apple fans is a useful representation of how well this product will do? if that's the case, then the ipod would have never sold a copy

That's the right idea...

No, you are wrong, because people don't read books the way they listen to music. It's not something you can just have playing in the background like an album. To read a book needs much more concentration and nobody is going to sample one book, then another. They just will have no need of this... contraption.

And, sorry, man, this thing truly is ugly. I never would have said that about the iPod.

How many people read more than two books at a time now, who aren't students? (how many people read one? Seriously, I think the answer would surprise you.)

Oh, thanks for clearing that up.

We can close this thread now because fregedegpo has explained to us how they like to read stuff, and apparently this isn't going to work for them.

I think it's only natural to assume that the rest of the world has the same reading habits, aesthetic ideals and such as them; it's a shame Amazon didn't consult directly with them earier and just scrap the project before wasting all this time making the prototype, announcing the thing, putting it up for sale etc.

 

[fastbite]

As other are saying;
Books on iPhone please -- and regardless, how many books can you read at once?

 

[redrabbit]

As other are saying;
Books on iPhone please -- and regardless, how many books can you read at once?

If by books, you also mean research papers, personal notes, news stories, and magazine stories? A lot. And I have to if I want to pass my classes with a decent grade

 

[John Musbach]

Newsweek provides an early scoop for a device coming from Amazon called "Kindle". The $399 device attempts to deliver a complete eBook solution, unlike existing products, and is described as "the iPod of reading".

Indeed, the feature set is impressive, with EVDO and WiFi connectivity allowing customers to browse, purchase, and download from a library of over 88,000 digital books at launch. Aside from digital book content, you may also subscribe to newspapers and select blogs. The device also incorporates web browsing, email, and the ability to read Word and PDF documents. Other features as said to include:

- Has a keyboard
- 30 hour battery life
- 2 hour recharge time
- 10.3 ounces
- 4.9 inches x 7.5 inches x 0.7 inches, 800x600 pixel (from early spec sheet)
- SD Slot for storage (from early specs)
- USB 2.0 (from early specs)
- Uses E Ink technology
- Adjustable Font size
- Can hold over 200 books
- Can search books for phrase or name
- 3.5 stereo headphone jack

Amazon has reportedly been taking cues from Apple's iPod launch, planning on using similar videotaped celebrity testimonials at launch.

Dedicated eBook readers, however, have not yet seen a commercial success, with early attempts by Sony to create a market for the devices. Apple has been rumored to be working on a similarly sized tablet, though not intended specifically to be an eBook reader, there appears to be much cross-over functionality (web, email) between the devices.

Final specs and official announcement is expected later on Monday.

Update2: Official announcement and product page:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.h...ag=weeno&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325

Article Link

As cool as this is I personally would be much happier with just being able to download pdf's of the books...

 

[megfilmworks]

IMHO until the true electronic book (with programmable pages, a cover, and a feel that is book like instead of plastic) is developed, I, and I think many others, will stick to real books and our computers.

 

[citi]

this is what i want please

sorry, tis a quick bodge!

I may have changed my mind in regard to Apple using E-ink, although it is a slow technology and graphically inept, it might be just what apple need to differentiate the iBook from iPhone/iPod.

PS: I cannot believe there are people on this forum with such little foresight. This technology is going to be huge, and was obvious 20 years ago IMO. I can only imagine that there are quite a few people on here that work in the print industry, you might find Microsoft a suitable new employer.

LOL, I don't need to see the book "pages" to know I am reading a book.

It's the book reader for people with low self esteem.

 

[celavato]

Based on the early description of the Amazon service, I think it's a potentially compelling solution. Wireless everywhere, downloadable books and web. Service charge remains an unknown.

Apple set the bar for 1.0 gadgets very, very, very high with iPhone. Can Amazon do the same with this 1.0 device? Maybe, but Amazon does not have Apple's hardware heritage. One problem I immediately noticed -- it's fairly thick at 0.7 inches.

Here's my prediction -- third party development begins for iPhone in February 2008. By June 2008, iPhone will have a world-class eBook reader. Maybe Apple will eventually get into the game as well. If iPhone/Touch with its terrific screen eventually has an eBook reader, why carry an additional device?

 

[dicklacara]

I rode the Cal Train for 2 hours a day. When I did this route I read novels, technical books or caught up on what I need to do before I get into work. This is a nitch product.

...isn't it a biche to try to spell niche?

 

[EagerDragon]

You can say what you want about this device, good or bad, but the fact remains that:

1) It's getting a whole lot of interest in the forum, the type usually reserved for a new Apple release.

and

2) It's on the cover of Newsweek, so unlike a lot of the iPod/iPhone competitors that get debated about around here, it's already got some crossover potential with the mainstream consumer.

IMHO, the only reason why this is getting a lot of attention is that it is MondaY, no good news to discuss, we are bored, and the good folks at MacRumors decided to post it to us. Otherwise this would not have raised a single blip in the radar.

 

[redrabbit]

Would I be able to foreign language doc's/pdf files on this? I am studying two languages right now and this would be amazing for throwing all my language notes on and reading them.

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

LOL! THIS is a pretty simple idea.
Watch the video!

 

[gifford]

LOL, I don't need to see the book "pages" to know I am reading a book.

It's the book reader for people with low self esteem.

Thats what narrow minded people said about the desktop...
You dont 'need' to see pages of a book, you dont 'need' folders, but without the UI analogy you may as well use DOS or basic UNIX.

I have over emphasized the book visuals, im sure someone, including myself could create a much more pleasant looking 'book' effect give an hour or so.
A real world analogy helps with familiarity, and as many of this devices potential users are non book reading, non geeks, a company would be pretty thick not to use it IMO (technology forbidding, eink would currently have technical difficulties).
Bookmarks would fit into this analogy well. The book 'leaves' could also be used to skip multiple pages in one jump by simply touching the 'sides' of the book.

The page curl is to depict a multitouch gesture to turn a page. I'm not suggesting a gigantic page curl should reside on every page blocking your view!

The book pages of the first graphic, can be used to graphically view how many pages are left. In this view you would thumb(browse) through multiple pages with gestures, then tap a page to view(second image).

Preceding this step would be similar to the iphone album browser, but with books.