Amazon's Kindle

[AC]

Another very interesting gadget, especially for the literate. $399 is the drawback...now the plusses:

[LIST]

Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
More than 90,000 books available, including more than 95 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
Holds over 200 titles.
Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

This really looks like a well thought out product for those who are avid readers.

[JFK]

I thought it sounded like a great idea, esp. since I find it really hard to read hardcovers in bed (hard to lie on one's back and hold up the darned book, esp. when tired). However, I'm going to wait for mark II, as I often do with consumer products.

[joyofspin]

How does it compare to the sony one?

[Lewis]

Sony has a similar product that I played with last week
http://www.fabioruini.eu/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/2456_r.jpg
http://www.techgadgets.in/images/sony-prs-505-digital-book-reader.jpg
And it was way cool.

But this is pretty cool too...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/anothercar/NikonD10213.jpg

Oh wow
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/anothercar/NikonD10214.jpg

[SpinBob]

I've been reading books on my Palm for a while and I love it. The Kindle may just be the thing to put a fork in newsprint, but hopefully you'll still get your paper delivered to you on your Kindle. Maybe it will even, dare I say it, re-Kindle newpaper reading.

[AC]

The chip built in for downloading works like a cell phone inasmuch as you can download any book anywhere, unrestricted by wi-fi. The usage is built into the $399. You pay 10 bucks a title.

Definitely on my "to covet" list for 08. Much more valuable than an IPhone for personal educational entertainment. Since Amazon is also in the book business, this is a winner.

[SpinBob]

We should make a push to get these kinds of devices into our nation's classrooms. Just think how great it would be for students to have the most up-to-date textbooks and only have to carry a 10 ounce device, rather than a 50 pound backpack.

[Lewis]

In the classrooms they would pay for themselves. I recently learned what my childrens books cost, or rather, what they charge for them. Its crazy.

I think a book on download for the sony is 1.99?

[SpinBob]

Ebooks on e-reader and e-books run about $6 for those out in paperback and about $10-$15 for hard cover. If you sign up for the email newsletter, you get 10%-20% off each month.

[NJspin]

AH.. here we give them the text or the option to have the CD for home. Texts stay in the classroom and mnay of the books are online with a multitude of links for axillary work. Keep the backpacks in the lockers please! We should make a push to get these kinds of devices into our nation's classrooms. Just think how great it would be for students to have the most up-to-date textbooks and only have to carry a 10 ounce device, rather than a 50 pound backpack.