The Amazon Kindle and the Rise of E-Readers

The Amazon Kindle has been a huge success in the Us and is now available in other territories thanks to their new worldwide wireless service for the device. While its first version was a little unwieldy and had some usability issues, the second generation Kindle was a leap forward in terms of ease of use, battery life and design.

The Amazon Kindle is currently available as superb prices for everyone to enjoy thanks to various seasonal offers and discounts that consumers can take advantage of. Although, the Kindle device is far from the only e-reader on the market, The other big name in ebook readers right now is Sony, who are offering various sizes of their famous e-reader device, which is a marvellous device for the dedicated reader.

Another way the ebook revolution is gathering pace is with the rise in apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch being created containing books and so on. A fantastic example of the iPod Touch and iPhone being utilized as an e- reader comes in the widely available fiction of Michael Stackpole, known around the world as a prolific novelist and author of many Star Wars novels. There are a number of stories and collections available from the app store that are brilliant to read and great to sync to your devices - load up iTunes and check them out!

The electronic readers market was initially kicked off to a new level by the Kindle though, and it remains the biggest selling and most popular example of these devices. The iPhone and iPod Touch are becoming known as readers too, but it will always be the Kindle that people associate with ebooks for a good long while yet. You can easily find discount Amazon Kindles online, and discover the burgeoning world of digital publishing.

Andrew writes for countless pop culture and collectibles sites as well as being known around the world as a music journalist. The amazon kindle is a great introduction to the e-book market, and you can easily find discount Amazon Kindles available online!

The Kindle, EReaders and eBooks at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show 2010

edit The Kindle is the latest technological innovation gaining solid ground with consumers, and is going to be the center of a lot of action at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year (2010) as a variety of manufacturers try their best to knock The Kindle's crown askew. eReaders have passed the risky, fadish, introductory stage and have attained the highly desirable status of being an electronic device that most people know of and would own.

If you're not familiar with the name, The Kindle is a electronic device that allows an individual to download stories, known as eBooks, and read them electronically. It has a wide variety of nifty functions. The advantages of an eReader far outweigh the print book for a number of reasons.

Its sleek, slim design is just over 1/3 of an inch thick, which is as thin as many magazines.
At 10.2 ounces, it is lighter than a paperback and can hold up to 1500 eBooks.
The device itself can download the typical book in less than 60 seconds with no PC required. This feature is enabled by the 3G wireless network and the cost is incorporated into the price of the download so the reader will have no annual contracts, no monthly fees and no hunting for wifi (wireless internet) hotspots.

One of the unique features of an eReader is that the pages appear on the device as if you were reading from an actual print article or book. For those technophobes, who are reluctant to purchase such a device, that means that you will experience no glare, even in bright sunlight or other undesirable negatives associated with using technical devices. It has a long battery life and one can read for days without recharging.

Other selling points of the Kindle is the text-to-voice feature, it can read to you while you drive, or sunbathe.
Another great feature is that Kindle owner can download the first few chapters of a book before they decide to purchase.
Over 360,000 eBooks available, including 101 of the 112 books from the New York Times Best Sellers list, the reader will be sure to find what they are looking for. Most of these eBooks are available for just $9.99 and most books are available through the device at a lower price than actual print. Environmentalists will be excited that the Kindle saves trees and is thus eco-friendly.

A large number of new variations of eReader's will be demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show, including one with two screens, and others with 'easy on the eye' features to accommodate those with eyesight special needs. The Kindle has the advantage of being an extremely well thought out device before it first appeared, leaving very little room for innovations to knock them out of the market place. Evolution rather than innovation is the name of the game. The Kindle is King for now, but the Las Vegas show will be a chance for other eReaders to put their best foot forward too.

I'm an enthusiastic futurist, a history buff, a book lover and Kindle eReaders are the perfect connection to all three. They're becoming one of those items that are so useful that I can't live without them. . Want to become an author, get published on Kindle, or buy a discount Kindle? For info about the best little eReader in town, click here now; The Kindle Review [http://thekindlereviewonline.com/]

Kindle Vs Nook - An Honest Comparison of the Top E-Readers

This Kindle vs. Nook comparison boils down to five main questions that you need to ask yourself before making a purchase.

1. How much money do you want to spend?

The Amazon Kindle 3G costs - $139.00 - $379.00

The Barnes & Noble Nook Costs - $149.00 - $199.00

2. How large do you want your screen to be?

Kinde has a few options for you to choose from:

6 Inches (Price - $139.00)

6 (3G model) comes with free 3G + WiFi (Price - $189.00)

9.7 inches (DX Model) comes with free 3G and works globally (Price - $379.00)

Nook

Both versions of the Barnes & Noble Nook have a 6' diagonal display screen size

3. What's your screen preference? Backlit or e-ink?

Kindle

With the Kindle you can read anywhere including outside in full sunlight because it has a high contrast e-ink screen which is awesome.

Nook

The Nook also has an e-ink screen.

4. Do you want to have access to 3G wireless networks when using your e-reader?

Kindle

With the $139.00 model you can download Kindle books in seconds and also browse the web wherever you can get a WiFi signal using the Kindle browser.

The Kindle 3G model offers free 3G + WiFi and the Kindle Dx also offers free 3G plus it works globally.

Nook

The $149.99 model doesn't offer 3G Wireless but it does give you the ability to access WiFi at any AT&T hotspot plus you can also access WiFi for free at any Barnes & Noble location.

The $199.00 model does offer 3G Wireless through AT&T and you can also access WiFi everywhere else including AT&T hotspots plus Barnes and Noble locations.

5. Do you want to be able to access your books or data on other wireless devices.

Kindle

With the Kindle you can read your books anywhere and even access them on other devices like iphone, ipad, mac, pc, android phone or blackberry. It also has whispersync technology that syncs your place across devices so you never forget where you left off. Your books are also backed up online with your Kindle account so you never have to worry about losing your data.

Nook

The Nook offers the same functionality and lets you share your books on other devices like the ipad, iphone, mac, pc and android phone. At this time the Nook doesn't offer any synchronized last page read technology like Kindle but on the Nook website it says 'coming soon' so that could change any day...

Cool features comparison:

Text To Speech Reader

Kindle - Yes

Nook - No

Twitter & Facebook Integration (enables you to quickly share passages with friends online)

Kindle - Yes

Nook - No

Storage Capacity

Kindle - Holds up to 3,500 books

Nook - Holds up to 1,500 books

Battery Life

Kindle - Lasts up to one month with wireless turned off

Nook - Lasts up to 10 days with wireless turned off

Free books

Kindle offers over 1.8 million out of copyright pre 1923 books for you to download so if you're in the mood for reading a classic book during your day at the beach this is cool

Nook offers more than 500,000 free ebooks.

Low book prices

Kindle - Many books start at $9.99 or less including best sellers

Nook - Same.

To buy your e-reader on sale visit [http://www.bestereaderforsale.com].

Best E-Readers Compared - The Kindle 2 and 3 From the Amazon Stable

How does the Kindle 3 stack up against my questions?

In my previous article I articulated a number of questions to guide my search for an E-Reader. My initial thoughts were influenced by my personal need which was to have a device to be able to read my favourite books on long-haul trips of up to 10 or 12 hours. After identifying what I considered were baseline guidelines I decided to look further for an E-Reader that might double as a work-related item. With my strategy in mind this is what I discovered on the internet.

The Kindle 3

I read or rather saw the kindle probably about a year ago whilst browsing thought Amazon. My initial reaction was hmmm what can I use that for? I never gave another thought to it until I arrived in Waikiki last month and happened upon the Apple Mac shop on Kalakaua Ave. It was there that I saw the iPad and had a play on it; I was impressed to say the least but I didn't buy one. I am an apple fan but only of the devices and not the prices. With this in mind, I checked out the kindle 3 and see if meets my personal needs. Incidentally, I was actually writing about the Kindle 2 and then the Kindle 3 pops up.

Is it lighter than a 500 page hardcover book and Is it smaller than A4 (11.7"x 8.3") so that it slips into my on-board luggage?

The Kindle 3 is a step up from the original Kindle and is a mere 0.335" thick (thin), 4.8" wide and 7.5" high and weighs in at a measly 8.5 ounces. It is sleek and slim and much smaller than an A4 piece of paper.

The rationale behind the first two questions is that I want to pack or rather slip the device into my carry-on luggage to read while on long-haul flights. The Kindle 2 was slimmer than the iPhone and the Kindle 3 is smaller than the Kindle 2 so it meets both criteria. The Kindle 2 has a 6" diagonal electronic paper display (and so does the Kindle 3), measures 8"x 5.3" x 0.36" and weighs a measly 10.2 ounces.

Can I read it in the dark and in the direct sunlight on the beach in Waikiki or Turtle Bay?

Both the kindle 2 and Kindle 3 come with 16 levels of gray scale which means you can read it in full sunlight. The kindle 3 is equipped with an E-Link screen that provides a sheet of paper reading experience and is designed to eliminate glare. This means that the device can be read in sunlight and inside without worrying about light. I wonder if this means I don't need a light to read in the dark?

Does the battery power last at least 5 hours?

I am impressed with the battery power of the kindle 2. On a single charge with wireless on you have 4 days of reading; with wireless off you have up to two weeks of reading time. Obviously, wireless usage chews up your battery power. The kindle 3 battery life is very impressive; it boasts a battery life of a month on a single charge with Wi-Fi turned off. With Wi-Fi enabled it lasts 3 weeks which is still impressive.

Something else that caught my attention about the kindle 2 battery pack is that it is not removable which means you cannot replace it yourself. You need to send it into Amazon for replacement at a cost of $60. At this stage I don't know what the life span of the battery is.

How long does it take to charge and Can I charge the device up on the plane via USB?

It is nice to know that the Kindle 2 fully charges in approximately 4 hours and has a USB 2.0 port (cable supplied) so it can be charged up from a laptop and from the USB connection on the plane. It can also be charge via the kindle power adapter (which is handy if you don't have your PC or laptop with you). The kindle 3 can be fully charged in 4.5 hours and like the kindle 2 via USB cable.

What is the storage capacity?

The Kindle 2 has 2GB internal capacity which renders down to approximately 1.4GB of user space. How many books is that? Apparently up to 1500 books. The kindle 3 has an impressive 4GB of internal memory of which 3GB is available to the user; this equates to 3,500 books. Not bad at all - although I would hate to drop the device into water!

What types of formats does the device support?

As it turns out the kindle 2 and 3 supports the following formats: Kindle (AZW), TXT audible enhanced (AAX), MP3, unprotected MOBI and PRC. However, DOC, HTML, PDF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP files need to be converted by Amazon before they will work on the Kindle 2. Now that's a hassle but I bet if we take a look around Youtube we will find someone who has already done this, then we won't need to pay Amazon for that service.

Can I purchase my e-books from any provider with this e-reader?

The kindle stable has an impressive 700,000 books; add to that the 1,000,000 books that Amazon has available for users to read for free. As far as I can tell - the Kindle can only access books from the Amazon store (I need to check that out thoroughly)

What accessories come with the device?

You get a power adapter, USB 2.0 cable and a rechargeable battery for both the Kindle 2 and 3. The cover is sold separately

How much does the device cost?

For the kindle 2 the prices are $259 (permits downloads with the US) and $279 (the international version which allows for content downloads in over 100 countries). The Kindle 3 is $139 which in my opinion is a great price! (I can spend more than that on books is a single shot)

Good to know

Amazon keeps a back up of your books so that if you accidentally erase a book from your device you can download it again at no cost to you
Enhanced PDF reader with a facility for dictionary lookup, notes and highlights
both 3G and Wireless available
Car charger accessory available for just under $10

I have always loved reading from when I can remember as a very young boy. The only thing that has changed since then is my choice of book or rather genre of book; and more recently how I can maintain my habit while I travel from country to country. On-board luggage is weight restricted and on-board movies are sometimes lacking in good content; for me the obvious choice is a good book. If you enjoy reading like I do then the e-Readers and eBooks for iPads are a viable option. I am on the hunt for an e-Reader to see if it will fill the spot. And the Kindle 2 and 3 look very slick!

What the Future Means for E-Readers

On this blog we will track down the latest Amazon Kindle news. We will keep you up to date with whats hot in the bestsellers section, including books, ebooks and blogs... and we will also bring you great Kindle3 tips and tricks along with reviews for the latest KindleDX accessories.

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