Update: Erick is liveblogging the event.
The speculation over Amazon’s new ebook gadget, called the Kindle, ends on Monday afternoon during a special Amazon press conference in New York. Newsweek’s Steven Levy claims to have had the device for weeks and wrote a glowing seven page cover story review of the Kindle this weekend. He finds no fault with the device (every journalist who had the iPhone in their hands prior to launch thought that device was pretty perfect, too).
The Kindle isn’t the most elegant looking gadget ever created (in fact it looks like it came out of the 70’s), but it packs an impressive list of features and could finally bring ebooks mainstream. That’s something Sony couldn’t accomplish with its much more elegant Sony Reader.
The reason Sony failed? Perhaps because their device requires syncing with a computer to download content. That’s the Kindle’s killer feature - cellular and (probably) wireless internet access that will let users download content directly to the device from the Internet. And the cellular connectivity, which generally costs $60 or more per month, will be included with the device for free says a source close to the company.
Kindle users will also be able to browse the web, and Amazon is offering access to some blogs for a monthly subscription fee (some bloggers are wondering why Amazon is charging for this).
The Kindle will cost $100 more than the $300 it takes to get a Sony Reader. It uses the same screen technology - E Ink - as the Sony Reader. that means the display will be viewable in full sunlight and uses very little power.
Amazon isn’t supporting the industry’s open standard around eBooks. Instead they are using their own proprietary format from Mobipocket, a company they acquired in 2005.
More details will emerge tomorrow (and lots and lots of photos) during the press conference. Erick will be live blogging the event.
a great idea that definitely has a huge uphill battle. let me summarize:
1. i love my books and magazines. in print. i like to read them on the crapper and not worry about fecal particles all up in my gadgets.
2. i am not emotionally attached to this “thing”. it looks sharp and clunky and the buttons are like the Franklin Electronic Dictionaries. it doesnt look friendly or cuddly and it definitely looks like an engineer designed it. no offense, engineers. i love you and know youre super important, but leave designing to designers. why doesnt it FEEL like a book? it looks like a tool for people who have trouble speaking.
3. ironically, the amazon video shows the user in the airport. he will be required to turn it off on a flight. also, no backlighting might be great in the sun, but it will suck by my bed.
4. No color!! why go back to Gutenberg 1.0? color should be required today…especially on-screen!!especially when i have to go to the amazon store, in black and white, to download a black and white book or magazine or blog….as much as i want to love this concept, color and imagery rules. conceptually, i do not understand the thinking behind “the reading of the future” and then going back to square one with b/w screens and clunky UIs.
5. it should just be for reading. whats the deal with Word Docs?? Come on! who cares? does my issue of Time open Powerpoint? No! am i ok with this? yes!
6. its just another bag-filling gadget. ipods are a must, phones are a must. laptops arent a must, but are nice. this is excessive and people will feel the same way.
7. $399 to read 200 $9.99 books. That equals $2400 for 200 books. What’s the REAL advantage?? There is no real cost advantage. The classics are all $10-15. I see this as a hassle…potentially losing data, crashes, IT getting involved with my reading and running out of storage? i can read my favorite blogs IN COLOR on my laptop or iphone.
8. i am an early adopter and i cannot see getting into this. music is auditory. reading, however, is a physical experience that cannot be fully replicated electronically. a real page turner is not the same on screen.
9. i hate to be brutal, but i would not want to be near this device or be seen in public with anyone who owns one. i wouldnt give it to my grandmother because she would be terrified of it. also, she is dead and i would not want to give a gift like this to the deceased. it’s just not aesthetically pleasing.
10. the design team responsible for this is hiring a LOT of people. this means 1 of 2 things: 1. they are anticipating the revolution of world-changing ebook gadgets or 2. this project was such a cluster eff that the entire existing team quit before the crap hit the fan.
thanks for hearing my 3 cents.
to Trademark Registration…
YES!! aesthetics are VERY VERY important. people like things that look nice. they also like to own things that love them back. they also like things that are easy-to-use. apple does this over and over and over again. they just get it.
this is also why my ironing board is in a closet.
ask Buick if looks are important. they can tell you about the last 30 years of declining business making cars for my grandparents. then ask my grandparents if looks are important in their buick. oh wait. they are dead, just like the rest of buick’s demographic. (this is why they recently rebranded) it turns out that kids dont like to lose their virginities in the back seats of buicks. they like to go to funerals and jehovahs witness conventions in them. (wow. that was a childhood memory resurfacing)
one more comment then im done here. thanks for listening.
(computer voice)
beep boop boop beep beep boop boop i am KinDull. read me . read me. beep boop boop boop beepboobeeboo.
computer process “Beige/White outer skin.org” beep boop boop jane austen downloading beep boop please wait 20% off coupon uploading beep boop
would you like to read? please select yes/no. you have selected beep boop boop Yessss. uploading chapter 2 rendevous by the gardensiiiiiiide beep boop.
the product shot looks like it has been hanging out in the smoker’s lounge!
While “the iPod of …” has become a cliché to describe any product with a semblance of distilled design sensibilities emanating from Cupertino, there is one fundamental strategic reason why Kindle won’t be like the iPod: content. The iPod had it, Kindle doesn’t. Read why here:
“Why is the new Kindle eBook reader from Amazon and not Apple?”
http://counternotions.com/2007.....vs-iphone/
Still look like a book for me.
Wattpad has been doing this for years and it is simple to use. It costs me nothing.
This product will fail unless Amazon and Sony work harder to show people what eInk displays look like in person. It’s something impossible to render effectively on a computer display. It’s clear from a lot of the posts here that most people haven’t seen it.
Got it…..Love it!
I ordered the Kindle for my mother-in-law (not monster-in-law!) who has poor eyesight and loves to read. The big draw for me was the adjustable font size and the wireless connectivity to the Amazon store. We just got it (only took one day to deliver) and so far she’s loving it. It’s extremely simple to use for the non-tech savvy, weighs like a paperback and feels like a paperback when you’re holding it in its black leather case. The wireless service makes it damned easy to order books from anywhere without the need for a computer.
Ugly? I’m too happy with its functionality to be bothered by its looks. From a consumer perspective, it was worth every penny spent. My technologically impaired mother-in-law can finally read without a magnifying glass which is an amazing feat in itself.
Just wanted to respond to everyone who keeps saying you can read on a PDA or iPhone, as an advid reader, I read way to much to stare at such a small screen.
Also, for the person who mentioned the issue with airports. Yes, you can’t have an active EVO connection once you board the plane but like most smartphones you can turn that off. Many users are turning it off unless they need to download something.
Ha ha ha haaaaaaa!!!
Who the heck wants one of these ugly things?!
I want real books with actual pages when reading. I also want good industrial design combined with useful technology when appropriate; iPhones and Audi TTs all the way!! However, please don’t try to combine extremely poor industrial design with an unnecessary implementation of technology and try to sell it to me for $400!!! It is criminal!!!!!!!