The Amazon Kindle

When I say “bookshop” do you think of an Aussie store or an American website? For many people the term is now synonymous with www.amazon.com, an innovative online bookstore. As part of their marketing, they introduced their own ebook reader in 2007. The Kindle, was released in Australia just a month ago.

I’m sure nothing can replace the feel and pleasure of a good printed book, but the Kindle is a much nicer device to use than, say, a laptop computer. It uses a “digital ink” display which does not have its own light source. It works well in bright sunshine. Because of this low power technology, the battery lasts for days. The device is about the same size as a paperback.

It has a very clever approach to downloading books. No computer is required, and no cables. Out of the box, it finds and uses the 3G mobile phone network... but the user is not required to set up an account. All of this is organised by Amazon: the cost is buried in the price of each book.

You can sit on a beach reading a novel, and if you want to buy the sequel, you just use the menu to connect to the Amazon Kindle store. Search for the book you want, agree to the price going on your credit card and the book downloads immediately. The NIV Bible took me about forty seconds to obtain. Books range from a few dollars (for “free” out of copyright books) to more normal prices. New book “specials” are around $10.

The reading experience is quite pleasant. Bookmarks are automatic, and you can add notes and mark spots. There are various other features including a quite impressive “read to me” computer based text-to-voice option.

This certainly does not spell the end of the printed book... but it does provide a viable alternative for those would rather carry a library and a bookshop with them.