It seems like ages ago when we first
laid our eyes on the retro hotness that is the Amazon "Kindle" device, but now it has finally made its way into the hands of a few select publishers, and the first comments sound remarkably positive. From
Publishers Weekly:
Quote:
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According to publishers who have seen the player, the reader is a step up from the Sony Reader which was introduced last year. The screen quality is reportedly as sharp as Sony, but the Amazon device has better functionality, and, as should be expected from the e-tailer, a first rate e-commerce option. Amazon is expected to release the reader this spring, although the exact timing may depend on how fast it can develop a critical mass of titles. Two years ago, Amazon acquired Mobipocket—the company’s cross-platform e-book reader is designed to run on all PCs, handheld devices and mobile phones—and it is using that company to supply titles for the player. Price is expected to be above $400.
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There are a few interesting bits to point out: First, the Kindle will indeed have some kind of online functionality for direct e-book purchase (the word is EV-DO cellular data). Second, the expected release date is this spring, which is, uh, now. Third, the Kindle will use the Mobipocket reader software, which is not a surprise given that Amazon still needs a way to justify their acquisition of Mobipocket in 2005. And forth, the price mentioned is way above
what we expected.
Now it's time for Sony to step up and show us what's up their sleeve. Didn't Howard Stringer
mention a new Reader with wireless capabilities? Then, of course, the real question is, do we need any more features for an e-book reader?
[via
TeleRead]
Related: E-Book Reader Matrix,
Leaked FCC specs