Amazon takes aim at the humble book

Derrick

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Amazon.com has launched an electronic book reader which allows users to download an e-book in less than a minute.

The battery-powered device can hold up to 200 books and weighs 283g which is about the same as a standard paperback and it uses a high-speed mobile phone network rather than WiFi.

According to The Daily Mail the screen is not back-lit but uses electronic ink to mimic paper which Amazons says makes it look and read like real paper.

Eye fatigue is a common problem associated with reading vast amount of text on a screen so hopefully Amazon have found a viable solution otherwise there is very little chance that avid book readers will be won over.

At around 5 pounds (ZAR 70) for a download for new book releases the e-books are not significantly cheaper than the paper copy. What is perhaps a real winner is that monthly subscriptions to magazines, blogs and newspapers will be available at a monthly fee.

The device is currently not available in the UK or SA but it retails for around 195 pounds (ZAR 2741) in the US.

Personally I think it is a cute gimmick but as a huge fan of the humble book I cannot see the long term appeal of The Kindle.

For a picture of The Kindle go to: http://mybroadband.co.za/photos/showphoto.php?photo=1746&cat=500
 
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