Kindle is basically an e-book with added features that is releasing the 2.0 version.
See these links for details on the product:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA/ref=amb_link_6369712_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1PCKM9N9YHWK752BHHGN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=469085531&pf_rd_i=507846
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindle
I think this is a great technology. I thought of the idea a few year ago when I saw that newspapers were available online but people still enjoyed reading their print copy. Why not combine the 2 as 1 and let the reader bring their tablet-like computer that has just downloaded the newspaper for that day on the train with them as they travel to work. Well now it exists through Kindle and it is sold out on Amazon.
I just have one question: when will it start to play movies? To my knowledge it is user-friendly in downloading books and newspapers, etc. But when will it be an easily integrated system such as Barnes & Noble that has distinct sections: books, magazines, and movies.
I have no doubt that in time the kindle and other e-books will offer similar features such as itunes. But why should I buy the product now and have to upgrade to a new one in a few years because the company of the product could not create it all at once?
Technology is ever-evolving and I feel like this kindle version is when digital cameras came on the market. People that had 3.0 mega pixels had a great product!! Now the standard is around 8.0 and people with 3 megapixels cannot compare. I would just like to know when the 8.0 mega pixel Kindle version comes out and I will purchase the product then. Or…will I still not be satisfied at that point?
The new Kindle 2.0 is expected to be released on February 24th and for this occasion, Stephen King has recently announced his collaboration with Amazon for special stories “Kindle exclusive”.
ReplyDeleteOn one side, I am fascinated by this tech gadget, by its advanced function such as the potentiality to store 1500 books, the new “text to speech” capability and the incorporated dictionary function. But on the other side, I wonder if Kindle (or any other similar e-book) will ever replace paper books? It’s an incredible and powerful invention, but I don’t think so.
There are indeed some advantages in the educational field. Children for example won’t need anymore to pack their backpacks going to school and could instead easily upload their textbooks in the Kindle, but then again how underline or write notes…
For the leisure time I see also some limits…It’s not a very portable gadget. For example, it is difficult to read on a back lighted screen on the beach or outside under the sun, or even in a freezing temperature. It’s like reading the newspaper online…but paper it’s always more practical
The price, over 300$ is definitely still to high, but even if it will decrease I see another limit in the technology, which is always changing meaning that I most likely will have in hand something always obsolete. What if I want to download to the original Kindle few years later a book, what would happen…How it will be supported?
Finally, there is also a more “physical” aspect; the pleasure of collecting and showing your own library of books that you have read and enjoyed, stacking them on the shelves, which then become part of your house.