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On March 3, 2009, Amazon.com launched an application entitled Kindle for iPhone in the [[App Store]] for [[iPhone]] and [[iPod Touch]] owners to read Kindle content. Through a technology termed "Whispersync," customers can keep their place across Kindle hardware devices and other mobile devices.<ref name="iphonehome">[http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000301301 Kindle for iPhone home page]</ref><ref name="allthingsd">[http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090303/that-was-fast-kindle-meet-the-iphone/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker "That Was Fast: Kindle, Meet the iPhone."] by Peter Kafka, AllThingsD Media Memo</ref>
On March 3, 2009, Amazon.com launched an application entitled Kindle for iPhone in the [[App Store]] for [[iPhone]] and [[iPod Touch]] owners to read Kindle content. Through a technology termed "Whispersync," customers can keep their place across Kindle hardware devices and other mobile devices.<ref name="iphonehome">[http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000301301 Kindle for iPhone home page]</ref><ref name="allthingsd">[http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090303/that-was-fast-kindle-meet-the-iphone/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker "That Was Fast: Kindle, Meet the iPhone."] by Peter Kafka, AllThingsD Media Memo</ref>


Amazon announced the [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015TCML0?tag=literaryawa06-20&ie=UTF8 Kindle DX] on May 6, 2009. This device has a larger screen than its predecessors and supports PDF files natively. It is marketed as more suitable for displaying [[newspaper]] and [[textbook]] content.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/technology/companies/04reader.html?_r=1|title=Looking to Big-Screen E-Readers to Help Save the Daily Press|publisher=New York Times|author=Brad Stone|date=May 3, 2009}}</ref>
Amazon announced the [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015TCML0 Kindle DX] on May 6, 2009. This device has a larger screen than its predecessors and supports PDF files natively. It is marketed as more suitable for displaying [[newspaper]] and [[textbook]] content.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/technology/companies/04reader.html?_r=1|title=Looking to Big-Screen E-Readers to Help Save the Daily Press|publisher=New York Times|author=Brad Stone|date=May 3, 2009}}</ref>


==Kindle 1==
==Kindle 1==
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On May 6, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle DX. The system has a 9.7-inch display and can display 16 shades of grey, with a 1200x824 pixel resolution. It can also display PDF files natively. The device will retail for $489.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/06/live-from-amazons-kindle-event-in-nyc/#continued|title=Live from amazon Kindle event in NYC|publisher=Engadget|accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> It is the first Kindle model with an [[accelerometer]], automatically rotating pages between landscape and portrait orientations if the device is turned on its side.
On May 6, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle DX. The system has a 9.7-inch display and can display 16 shades of grey, with a 1200x824 pixel resolution. It can also display PDF files natively. The device will retail for $489.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/06/live-from-amazons-kindle-event-in-nyc/#continued|title=Live from amazon Kindle event in NYC|publisher=Engadget|accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> It is the first Kindle model with an [[accelerometer]], automatically rotating pages between landscape and portrait orientations if the device is turned on its side.
Product tag line is "Wireless reading just got bigger", in reference to its size (about 60% bigger screen than traditional Kindle 1 and 2).


==Content==
==Content==
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{{commonscat}}
{{commonscat}}
{{commonscat|Amazon Kindle 2}}
{{commonscat|Amazon Kindle 2}}
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA?tag=literaryawa06-20&ie=UTF8 Official Kindle] and [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI?tag=literaryawa06-20&ie=UTF8 Official Kindle 2] product pages
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA?tag=0&ie=UTF8 Official Kindle] and [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI?tag=0&ie=UTF8 Official Kindle 2] product pages
* [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/133141011?tag=0&ie=UTF8 Official Kindle Store]
* [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/133141011?tag=0&ie=UTF8 Official Kindle Store]
* [https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200203720 Source code to GPL portions of Kindle]
* [https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200203720 Source code to GPL portions of Kindle]

Revision as of 12:59, 7 May 2009

Amazon Kindle
The Kindle 2
ManufacturerAmazon.com
TypeCandybar E-book reader
Release dateFirst Generation: November 19, 2007; Second Generation: February 9, 2009
Operating systemLinux-2.6.10 based
CPUFreescale 532 MHz, ARM-11
Storage2 GB internal memory (1.4 GB user-accessible)
Display6" diagonal,
3.6"(W) × 4.8"(H),
600×800 pixels or 0.48 megapixels,
167 ppi density,
16-level grayscale
Electronic paper
InputUSB 2.0 port (micro-B connector),
3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, built-in speaker,
AC power adapter jack
ConnectivityAmazon Whispernet using EVDO/CDMA AnyDATA wireless modem
Power3.7V, 1530mAh lithium polymer, BA1001 model
Dimensions8.0" × 5.3" × 0.36" (203 x 135 x 9.14 mm)
Mass289 g (10.2 oz)

Amazon Kindle is a software and hardware platform for reading electronic books (e-books), developed by Amazon.com subsidiary Lab126. Three hardware devices, known as "Kindle", "Kindle 2," and "Kindle DX" support this platform, as does an iPhone application called "Kindle for iPhone." The first device was released in the United States on November 19, 2007.[1]

The Kindle hardware devices use an electronic paper display and download content over Amazon Whispernet using the Sprint EVDO network. Kindle hardware devices can be used without a computer, and Whispernet is accessible without any fee.[2] These devices also provide free internet access to Wikipedia.[3]

On March 3, 2009, Amazon.com launched an application entitled Kindle for iPhone in the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch owners to read Kindle content. Through a technology termed "Whispersync," customers can keep their place across Kindle hardware devices and other mobile devices.[4][5]

Amazon announced the Kindle DX on May 6, 2009. This device has a larger screen than its predecessors and supports PDF files natively. It is marketed as more suitable for displaying newspaper and textbook content.[6]

Kindle 1

The Kindle 1

Upon the initial launch of the Kindle, Amazon's Kindle Store had more than 88,000 digital titles available for download, with the number of titles steadily increasing.[7][8] Amazon's first offering of Kindle sold out in five and a half hours[9] and the device remained out of stock until late April 2008.[10]

The Kindle device featuring a 6-inch display retailed for $399; Amazon subsequently lowered the price to $359. Amazon does not sell the Kindle outside the United States as Whispernet only works in the U.S.[11] Plans for a launch in the UK and other European countries are being delayed by problems with signing up suitable Wi-Fi operators.[12]

The internal memory of the Amazon Kindle 1 can hold approximately 200 non-illustrated titles, and the memory is expandable with an SD memory card.[11]

A reviewer from CNET expressed concern with the presentation of the device despite its ergonomic appeal.[13]

Kindle 2

On February 9, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle 2 also featuring 6-inch display, which became available for purchase on February 23, 2009 for the price of $359. The Kindle 2 features improved battery life, 20 percent faster page-refreshing, a text-to-speech option to read the text aloud, [14] and overall thickness reduced from 0.8 to 0.36 inches (9.1 millimetres).[15] The Kindle 2 has 2 GB of internal memory of which 1.4 GB is user-accessible. Amazon estimates that the Kindle 2 will hold about 1500 books. Unlike the original Kindle, Kindle 2 does not have a slot for SD memory cards.[16] To promote the new Kindle, author Stephen King has made his new novella entitled UR available exclusively through Kindle.[17]

According to an early review by website iFixIt, the new Kindle 2 features a Freescale 532 MHz, ARM-11 90 nm processor, 2GB moviNAND main memory, and 3.7 V 1530 mAh lithium polymer battery.[18]

Kindle DX

On May 6, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle DX. The system has a 9.7-inch display and can display 16 shades of grey, with a 1200x824 pixel resolution. It can also display PDF files natively. The device will retail for $489.[19] It is the first Kindle model with an accelerometer, automatically rotating pages between landscape and portrait orientations if the device is turned on its side.

Content

Users can download content from Amazon in the proprietary Kindle format (AZW), or load unprotected Mobipocket (PRC, MOBI) or plain text (TXT) content. Amazon offers an email-based service that will convert HTML, DOC, PDF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP documents to AZW.[20] It also supports audio in the form of MP3s and Audible 2, 3, and 4 audiobooks, which must be transferred to the Kindle over USB, or (on the original Kindle) on an SD card. Kindle Terms of Use forbid transferring e-books to another user or a different type of device.[21]

Users can select reading material through the Kindle or through a computer at the Amazon Kindle store, and can download content through the Kindle Store. New releases and New York Times bestsellers are offered for approximately $10. Classics such as Bleak House sell for around $1.99. The first chapters of many books are offered as a free sample. Many titles, often classics now in the public domain, are offered for free. Subscriptions to newspapers cost between $5.99 and $14.99 per month, magazines between $1.25 and $3.49 per month, and blogs for $0.99-$1.99 per month.[22] Users can send documents to a conversion service which will send a Kindle-formatted file to the device directly for $0.10 or to a personal email account for free.

The device comes with electronic editions of its owner's manual and the New Oxford American Dictionary. The Kindle also contains several free experimental features, including a basic Web browser.[23] Users can also play music from MP3 files in random order in the background. Operating system updates are received wirelessly and installed automatically.

File formats

The first Amazon Kindle supports unprotected Mobipocket books (MOBI, PRC), plain text files (TXT), and Amazon's proprietary, DRM-restricted format (AZW). It does not fully support Portable Document Format (PDF), but Amazon provides "experimental" conversion to the native AZW format.[24] Amazon will also convert Microsoft Word files and structured HTML files through the same email based mechanism. Users may also convert PDF files to supported formats using third-party software.

Initially Kindle 1 only supported the ISO 8859-1 (Latin 1) character set for its content and unicode characters and non-western characters were not supported. The firmware update of February 2009 supports additional character sets including ISO 8859-16.

Kindle 2 supports the Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC, PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP (through conversion) formats. Amazon claims that not all PDF's may format correctly.[25]

Using the experimental web browser, it is possible to download books directly on the Kindle (MOBI, PRC, TXT). Hyperlinks in a Mobipocket file can be used to download e-books[26] but cannot be used to reference books stored in the Kindle's memory. The Kindle charges monthly for RSS subscription to select blogs, even though users may use the experimental web browser to navigate to and read blogs or any other web pages free of charge.[27]

Annotations

The user can bookmark, highlight, and look up content. Pages can be dog-eared for reference and notes can be added to relevant content. While a book is open on the display, menu options allow users to search for synonyms and definitions from the built-in dictionary. The device also remembers the last page read for each book. Pages can be saved as a "clipping", or a text file containing the text of the currently displayed page. All clippings are appended to a single file, which can be downloaded over a USB cable.[28]

Digital Text Platform

The text can also be displayed in larger sizes

Concurrently with the Kindle device, Amazon launched the Digital Text Platform, a system for authors to self-publish directly to the Kindle. Currently in open beta, the platform was promoted to established authors by e-mail.[29] Authors can upload documents in several formats for delivery via Whispernet and charge between US$0.99 and $200 per download.[29] The authors receive 35% of revenues based on their list price, regardless of discounts by Amazon.[30]

Criticism

Amongst users of the Kindle 2, the most frequent criticism concerns the light text/poor contrast as compared to the original Kindle.[31] Some users have complained that the lighter text has caused eye strain or mild headaches after reading for long periods of time. [32] Some Kindle 2 users have become so disgruntled with the lighter text/poor contrast of the second generation device, that they have "downgraded" to the Kindle 1.[33] In early April 2009, a Kindle 2 user wrote an open letter to Amazon and provided "experimental fonts" on his website to demonstrate how a bolder font could improve readability. [34]

Another claim is that the price point of the device is too high to be practical in a bad economy[35]--especially given that by design the Kindle is closed to the kind of expansion and customization available to many other consumer electronic devices in the same price range.[36][37]

Additionally there is concern based on the specific hardware choices made for the device.[38] For example, the Kindle 2 had removed the memory expansion slot which was part of the original Kindle. This not only affects the potential number of e-books which can be stored on the device, it also removes potential capabilities to import e-books onto the device via memory card. Another hardware decision which has been questioned is the non-availability of WiFi functionality on the Kindle. Instead the device relies on Sprint's Whispernet service[39], which, critics argue does provide a large amount of geographical coverage, but also drives the price of the device up considerably.[40] It also limits the device's functionality outside the US.[11] The Kindle 2 was also criticized for its high retail price of US$359, compared to the $185.49 it allegedly costs to manufacture.[41]

Other criticisms which have been raised involve not only the hardware, but the economic/business model behind Amazon's entire implementation and distribution of e-books.[42][43] Amazon recently introduced a software application allowing Kindle books to be read on an iPhone (or iPod Touch).[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Amazon Grows A Startup In Cupertino". Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  2. ^ What is the Amazon Whispernet wireless feature and how does it work?, Amazon.com
  3. ^ "Product Promotional Video".
  4. ^ Kindle for iPhone home page
  5. ^ "That Was Fast: Kindle, Meet the iPhone." by Peter Kafka, AllThingsD Media Memo
  6. ^ Brad Stone (May 3, 2009), Looking to Big-Screen E-Readers to Help Save the Daily Press, New York Times
  7. ^ Electronic Device Stirs Unease at BookExpo - NYTimes.com
  8. ^ Steven Levy (2007-11-26). "The Future of Reading". Newsweek. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  9. ^ Nilay Patel (2007-11-21). "Kindle sells out in 5.5 hours". Engadget. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  10. ^ Charlie Sorrel (2008-04-21). "Amazon's Kindle Back In Stock". Gadget Lab. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  11. ^ a b c "Amazon Kindle FAQ". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  12. ^ No UK Kindle launch before Xmas
  13. ^ David Carnoy (2007-11-20). John P. Falcone (ed.). "Amazon Kindle, CNET editors' review". CNET.
  14. ^ "Kindle 2". Amazon. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  15. ^ "Amazon press event: Kindle 2 announced". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  16. ^ "Kindle 2 Frequently Asked Questions". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  17. ^ "UR, Exclusively on Amazon's Kindle". Stephen King. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  18. ^ "Kindle 2 First Look". iFixit.com. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  19. ^ "Live from amazon Kindle event in NYC". Engadget. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  20. ^ "Reading Personal Documents on your Kindle". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  21. ^ "Amazon Kindle: License Agreement and Terms of Use". Amazon. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
  22. ^ Thomas Ricker (2007-11-19). "Amazon Kindle available now on Amazon". Engadget. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  23. ^ "Accessing Basic Web". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  24. ^ Amazon (2007). "Amazon.com: Help > Digital Content > Amazon Kindle Support > How to Use Your Kindle > Reading Personal Documents on Your Kindle". Amazon. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
  25. ^ Amazon (2009). "Amazon.com: Kindle 2: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation): Kindle Store". Amazon. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
  26. ^ Feedbooks. "Kindle Download Guide". Retrieved 2008-02-07.
  27. ^ Joel Johnson (2007-11-19). "15 Things I Just Learned About the Amazon Kindle". Boing Boing. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  28. ^ "Kindle user guide" (PDF). Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  29. ^ a b Rick Aristotle Munarriz (2007-11-27). "Why Kindle Will Change the World". Motley Fool. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  30. ^ "Amazon DTP Support:Terms & Conditions". Retrieved 2007-12-07.
  31. ^ Priya Ganapati, Wired: Gadget Lab, (04-13-2009), "Kindle 2's Fuzzy Fonts Have Users Seeing Red" http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/04/kindle-2-displa.html
  32. ^ David Carnoy, CNET News, (03-09-2009), "Kindle 2 flaw: Lighter text causing headaches?" http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10191483-1.html
  33. ^ Ian Paul, PC World, (4-14-2009), "Users Lament Kindle 2 'Upgrades'" http://www.pcworld.com/article/163089/users_lament_kindle_2_upgrades.html
  34. ^ https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home
  35. ^ "CHARGED: Kindle, Why So Expensive?". Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  36. ^ "CNET: Buzz Out Loud Lounge: Kindle 2's closed system and MS wants its money back". Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  37. ^ "ZDNET: Community Incorporated - Joe Brockmeier - Amazon, open the Kindle before Apple eats your lunch!". Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  38. ^ "ZDNET: Tech Broiler - Jason Perlow - Kindle Economics". Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  39. ^ "ZDNET: Between the Lines - Larry Dignan - Amazon's Kindle 2: 5 burning questions". Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  40. ^ "ZDNET: Tech Broiler - Jason Perlow - Kindle Economics 2: Why Amazon should not be Apple, and Jeff Bezos is not Steve Jobs". Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  41. ^ Slattery, Brennon (2009-04-22). "Amazon's $359 Kindle 2 Costs $185.49 to Build". PC World. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
  42. ^ "The Business Insider: Silicon Alley Insider - Dan Frommer - Bad News For The Kindle: iPhone 3G + Apps (AAPL, AMZN)". Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  43. ^ "ZDNET: Tech Broiler - Jason Perlow - Kindle Economics". Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  44. ^ "ZDNET: Tech Broiler - Jason Perlow - Kindlenomics Zero: When e-Texts have no entry cost". Retrieved 2009-03-06.
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