Amazon Unveils Slimmer, iPod-like Kindle 2

Although Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wants it to “disappear,” the just released Kindle 2 e-book reader is drawing quite a bit of attention for its Apple-like design.

Among the new features drawing comparison with the iPod and iPhone are Amazon’s decision to adopt an aluminum back and a sleeker size – 25 percent thinner than the iPhone, reports said.

Although Amazon Monday mentioned only that the new version of its e-reader “will also sync with a range of mobile devices in the future,” the iPhone could be among those devices.

A potential Kindle-iPhone link would put pressure on existing e-book readers, such as Lexcycle’s Stanza and the eReader from Fictionwise.

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Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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imajoebob
Sorry, but it’s going to take a lot more than this to replace books. Books on tape have replaced a very small percent of actual book sales. It’s a format and form factor that hasn’t been improved on in centuries. Printing and binding processes have changed, but not the basic word on paper. The electronic screen cannot duplicate either the facility or, more importantly, the tactile sensation of a book.
It’s not an improvement that will replace the book. it will take an enormous imaginative leap to create a whole new paradigm.
Besides, they’ll DRM the handing-off of used e-books to death.
Stuart
You might be interested in reading: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/02/the-once-and-future-e-book.ars
I’d have no problem reading on a device, we all read countless amounts of texts on screens anyway. However; as improved as the new Kindle looks, it still doesn’t seem quiet disappear. It still has a real keyboard which kinda takes away from the disappearingness (sure that’s a word).
I imagine something similar but more with the iPhone like virtual keyboard etc. It’s a minor point, but aesthetically I’d feel less like I was reading from a device and be able to just read.
aussiem8
imajoebob – mp3′s met with similar skepticism early on which allowed a certain computer company to put their foot well and truly in the door…
I do most of my reading in a horizontal position and I hate having to contort my hands and arms for long periods to hold the pages right. Backlit screen will also keep the Mrs from nagging in bed…
http://www.coffeerama.com coffee
the Kindle’s main selling point for me is it’s text-to-speech feature