Amazon has released its much-anticipated Kindle, a $399 electronic book reader that features a persistent high-speed network connection using Sprint's 3G EVDO cellular network. Amazon is offering over 90,000 books for sale for use with the Kindle, with New York Times best-selling titles and new releases generally priced at $9.99. Short stories and classics cost $2 or less; a seemingly small number of books cost more than $10 in a quick browse through the library.

I'll be getting an Amazon Kindle for Christmas from my husband. I admit, I suffer from early-adopter gadget geek syndrome, but I have been looking for an ebook reader. My AT&T Tilt or Dell Axim x51v and Mobipocket ebook reader just aren't enough for me. I did a little research before I made my decision.

The Kindle breaks away from previous electronic book readers by providing a large number of titles and a continuous network connection. The most closely comparable device prior to the Kindle is the Sony Reader, a second generation of which shipped recently with a street price of around $300.

Comparing the Amazon Kindle to the Sony Reader 

• The Kindle is 7.5 by 5.3 by 0.7 inches and weighs 10 ounces. The Reader is 6.9 by 4.9 by 0.3 inches and weighs 8 ounces. Similar.
• The Kindle and the Sony Reader use the same E Ink technology, providing an extremely bright, low-glare display that can be read in direct sunlight and at varying angles. (No backlight on either)
• The displays on the Kindle and Sony Reader are grayscale (4 shades of gray for the Kindle versus 8 shades for the Sony Reader), so books with complex illustrations or which require color won't work well or at all. Both devices have 6-inch diagonally measured screens that display 800-by-600 pixels at about 160 pixels per inch (ppi).
• The Kindle features a Secure Digital (SD) expansion slot and a USB port. The Sony Reader has both, along with support for Sony's proprietary Memory Stick.
• The Kindles does NOT require a computer (at all). The Sony Reader does. However, if you do want to load personal content or audio files, the Kindle mounts as a USB drive, and you can manually back up content or copy over new items in formats Kindle supports. (The Kindle is therefore the first electronic book reader that works with Unix, Linux, and variants.) This is a NICE feature!
• "The Kindle is ugly" Is the Sony Reader THAT much better? Seems to me, I remember many saying the Zune was ugly too. An ugly keyboard is better than no keyboard. (Yes, I have a 30 and 80 GB Zune)

Differences between the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader

• Library- The Kindle has over 90,000 titles. The Sony Reader's online bookstore reportedly contains 20,000 titles. Price for new releases is only $9.99 on Kindle. I can save a fortune. The unit will pay for itself!
• Periodicals -  Amazon offers magazines and newspapers (for a price). The New York Times costs $13.99 per month; the Wall Street Journal $9.99 per month. Sony offers no periodicals. Nice.
• Music - The Kindle doesn't have a music store but it can play back unprotected MP3 files and Audible (.aa) files synced via USB. The Sony Reader can play unprotected MP3 and AAC format files. Didn't I mention I have a Zune, lol?
• Blogs- Kindle's content offerings include the unique option to pay to subscribe to blogs that are otherwise free. Sony offers no such option. I follow too many blogs to use this!
• Web browser- Kindle has a basic browser, best suited for text.(apparently it's there to show Wikipedia articles, but can access any Web page). There is no charge for browsing the Web on the Kindle. The Sony Reader has no browser. I'm not really going to be using this to browse the web!
• Document Support-  The Kindle can view files that start out in - but must be converted from - Word, JPEG, GIF, BMP, and PNG formats, but notably not PDF. The Sony Reader can display Word documents saved in RTF format, along with plain text files and PDF files.
• Re-download Policies- If you lose your Kindle or it breaks, you can simply re-download the library of stuff you purchased to a new one; Amazon's Unbox video store has a similar policy. Sony's policy is unclear.
• Network- The Kindle relies on Sprint's EVDO network to access online content. The Sony Reader must be synced via USB to load new content.
• Access- The Kindle ships with high-speed network access and without a subscription fee or a recurring fee of any kind. The cost of network use and data delivery is built into the price of each item you purchase or subscribe to. Sony must be purchased via computer.
• Blogs and periodicals are delivered continuously as new items or issues are published over what Amazon calls "Whispernet," a continuous push network for content you subscribe to. When you purchase a book, it's immediately downloaded. Sony reader not available

Some Kindle Limitations

• While each Kindle has an email address, you have to a pay a 10-cent conversion fee for each document in one of several supported formats that you send to the address; formats include Word, HTML, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP. The fee is clearly to cover network delivery costs. You can email documents to a special address and receive converted files back to a non-Kindle address at no cost, and then copy those files over USB at no cost. (Audio files need to be copied instead of emailed, and don't require conversion.)
• The Kindle can't read or convert PDF files. Not a major issue for me.
• Mobipocket books already owned may not be available to read on Kindle (DRM). Amazon owns Mobipocket. They need to "fix" that. of not.....shhh....Can you say hack?
• The Kindle lacks a well-developed Web browser, even though it has email and a keyboard. Though this seems a significant omission, the Kindle is really designed to be an ebook reader with a few extras, not a multi-purpose device, despite its cost and its cellular connection. Amazon could choose to make the browser better, but they could also choose to charge for Web access if so.
• $399 for an ebook reader? Many are complaining the price is too high. For a gadget lover, this isn't a biggie.

So, there you go...some plus' and minus' for the device. It fits for me, and I think future versions/upgrades show promise (much like the Zune). I'll post my thoughts and impressions on the Kindle after Christmas! (Perhaps sooner if the box arrives and I can play with it a few hours before returning it to the package and handing it over to my husband to be wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree....sigh)

With Amazon's marketing power and customer reach behind this device, with a full-time network connection, and with so many titles available at such low cost at launch, it's possible Kindle will light the fire that Amazon hopes, and finally get a mass audience of ebook readers.

Some Kindle Links

• Kindle Product Page
• Kindle User's Guide
• Amazon to Debut E-Book Reader at The Wall Street Journal
• The Future of Reading at Newsweek
• Kindle Coverage at Engadget
• Video: Charlie Rose Interview with CEO Jeff Bezos about the Kindle November 19, 2007
• Radio Podcast: OnPoint with Tom Ashbrook guest host discussion on the Kindle and digital books November 20, 2007
• jkOnTheRun looks at the Amazon Kindle (first look, 20+ minute video)

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