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Amazon Unveils Wireless Kindle E-Book Reader
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Amazon also integrates a dictionary for easy reference. And for more encyclopedic knowledge, the built-in browser lets you access Wikipedia.
Amazon sources the Kindle's four-color grayscale electronic-ink display fromE Ink. The display lacks a backlight, which helps conserve battery life (an optional clip-on front light is sold as an accessory); Bezos says the display is readable in bright sunlight (a claim that I couldn't test today in rainy New York City).
The display measures 6 inches across the diagonal. According to Charlie Tritschler, Amazon's director of Kindle development, 6 inches "is the sweet spot for the portability of the device." The screen is designed to be easy on the eyes, Tritschler continues; "it's one of the reasons we chose a reflective [screen] technology."
The Kindle has 256MB of memory total, of which 180MB is user-accessible.
You can also store more books on an SD Card. The device's SD Card reader can hold MP3s, audio books, and additional Kindle books. Books typically require 500KB to 700KB of space.
Amazon sources the device from an OEM in China.
In this early peek at the reader, it appears that Amazon has done its homework in coming up with features that promote usability as well as a design that people will enjoy handling.
The last page read automatically becomes a bookmark--the place you access when you return to that title, for example. And a bar for moving to the next page runs the length of the right-hand side of the display. Amazon researched how people read, and noticed that people change posture and position.
You use the device's select wheel--located at the bottom of the display--to highlight a passage or make an annotation. You can then e-mail a highlight to a friend, or access your notes--they're stored as text files--via the device's USB connection.
Amazon claims the Kindle has a long battery life: The device can last "a couple of days" with the wireless connection on all the time, or up to a week without the wireless, says Tritschler.
Every Kindle also comes with a customizable e-mail address. You can e-mail Microsoft Word documents, GIFs, and JPEGS to the Kindle, for example.
Shopping With Kindle
