Amazon Kindle–Helping Books Evolve

Technology has changed the way we do things. Emails are sent more often than letters; people visit movie theaters more often than drama theatres; text messages replace short phone calls. Even books have tried to make the change, with audio books, e-books, and services such as Book Glutton. But when it comes down to it, physical books are still the most preferred way to read. The Amazon Kindle aims to change that.

The Amazon Kindle, which has been on the drawing board for several years now, is finally ready to go. Essentially, the Kindle is a handheld e-book reader. Users purchase books and read them on the Kindle, and can also pay to access their favorite blogs on it. But at $400, $10 per book, and $1 per blog, is the Kindle really worth it?

Considering that most people don’t mind carrying a book or two around, and staring at a digital screen too long is a surefire way to get a headache, there are probably few people who really need it. Yes, with the Kindle you can carry fifty books with you at once if you’d like, but who reads fifty books at once? In addition to that, it’s UI has gotten less than positive reviews and, technically, one can get a good PDA or phone that can hold readable content, has better uses (and, most likely, a better interface) for a comparable price.

Not to mention, the Kindle is not the first gadget of its type. The Sony Reader may have fewer features, but it’s cheaper, you don’t have to pay for media you already get free (such as blogs), and it can actually open PDFs. But people still want the Kindle. My book crazy, non tech-savvy mom is one of them. But until it’s dropped in price and worked a few bugs out, Amazon can keep it. Learn more about the Kindle at amazon.com.

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