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What is an Amazon Kindle?

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An Amazon Kindle is a hand-held, electronic reading device, which we call an “e-reader.” The
e-reader houses its own wireless network (wi-fi) device allowing the user to instantly download a book of choice from an Internet bookstore without having to go to a physical bookstore. Downloads can be done anywhere there is a wi-fi connection available.

On an e-reader you are able to download entire books, and often up to 1,000 books, magazines and other documents, onto this electronic device that can fit in your purse, briefcase, or diaper bag.

According to the Chicago Tribune as of 2010, sales of e-readers are expected to double, bringing the total purchased to 10 million.

How did the Amazon Kindle get its name?

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word “Kindle” as a verb meaning: 1: to start (a fire) burning; light; 2a: to stir up; arouse <kindle interest>; b: to bring into being; start, and 3: to cause to glow; illuminate.
        
According to Andrew Sullivan's The Atlantic column and answerbag.com, the Kindle was named by a San Francisco graphic designer, Michael Cronan. According to his wife and partner, Karen Hibma, Cronan wanted to find a name that fit with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' vision for the e-reader. Bezos believed that it would ignite a revolution in the industry. In his interview with Sullivan, Cronan said, Jeff wanted to talk about the future of reading but in a small, not braggidocio way, we didn't want it to be 'techie' or trite and we wanted it to be memorable and meaningful in many ways of expression." Cronin goes on to give examples of how the term would hopefully come to be used as an interchangeable term with books and e-readers. For example, he went so far as to give an example of use of the term "kindle" such as: "I love curling up with my Kindle to read a new book" or "when I'm stuck at the airport or online, I can Kindle my newspaper, favorite blogs, or half a dozen books I'm reading." Sullivan, like answerbag.com, goes on to quote Hibma who says, "I verified that it had deep roots in literature," adds Hibma. "From Voltaire: 'The instruction we find in books is like fire. We fetch it from our neighbours, kindle it at home, communicate it to others and it becomes the property of all.'"

What is the History of the Amazon Kindle?

Amazon released the Amazon Kindle, the first hand-held electronic reader, on November 19, 2007.  The original Kindle concept was to create a portable device that would hold thousands of books.  Amazon launched this new technology at a cost of $400, and the Kindle sold out in 4-5 hours and remained out of stock until April 21, 2008.  Media and consumer response was overwhelmingly positive.  According to K. Solo of ezinearticles.com, “Through this e-book device, individuals can begin reading in a completely new way”.

By May 2008, Amazon had sold an estimated 30,000 units of the First Generation Kindle, bringing total sales to approximately 198,000 units since its launch in April. The Kindle operated on a Whispernet connection (Sprint Ev-DO) that allowed users to connect to the Internet without using a computer or paying for Internet connection service.  However, wireless access was limited to the U.S., which cut into global sales and usage. 

 Between May and August 2008, Amazon sold approximately 50,000 more First Generation Kindles.  At the same time, other companies wanted a share of this e-reader market and began to break into the scene.  The competition incited Amazon to continue to expand its hold on the e-reader publishing world. In 2008, Amazon acquired the online booksellers Shelfari and Abebooks as part of its plan to build the world’ largest collection of books that could be downloaded by its Kindle.

The Kindle’s popularity continued to work its way into different facets of culture. In October 2008, Harvard Medical School (HMS) implemented Kindle support for all their 20,000 educational resources at HMS. Popular Mechanics magazine awarded the Amazon Kindle with its 2008 Popular Mechanics’ Breakthrough Award.  Penguin Books reported a huge spike in e-book sales that it attributed to the growth in sales of e-readers.

In late October 2008, Oprah Winfrey announced that the Kindle was her favorite gadget.  Oprah recommended the Kindle because she wanted to help stimulate people's interest in reading books. She also threw in a $50 off stimulus coupon to help her viewers buy a Kindle. Her recommendation caused the “Oprah effect” on her viewers--skyrocketing sales.  By November 1, 2008, the Kindle was out of stock again, becoming unavailable for the 2008 Christmas shopping season.
         
Amazon has continued to revise and upgrade the Kindle into three subsequent versions that are described in our versions section.

What versions of the Amazon Kindle are currently available?

Kindle First Generation:

The Kindle First Generation (Kindle 1), the initial Kindle release, was released in November 2007.  The Kindle 1 sold out in approximately five and a half hours and remained out of stock for five months until late April 2008.

The Kindle 1 features a six-inch diagonal display with a four-level grayscale in the screen. The device is approximately 7.5 inches long and approximately 5.3 inches wide, weighing approximately 10.3 ounces.  The Kindle 1 has 250 MB of internal memory and holds nearly 200 non-illustrated titles.  The internal memory of the Kindle 1 is expandable with the addition of an SB memory card.
         
Amazon.com originally sold the Kindle First Generation for $399 (U.S.), but lowered the selling price to $359.  The Kindle 1’s wireless connection only worked within the United States; therefore, problems with wireless networks overseas delayed its launch in the United Kingdom and Europe. The Kindle 1 is still available for purchase as a used (not new) device on Amazon.com and through other online sellers.

Kindle 2:

The Kindle 2, the second Kindle release, was announced on February 9, 2009 and was available for purchase on February 23, 2009. 
         
The Kindle 2 has a six-inch diagonal display with a sixteen-level grayscale in its screen.  It is approximately 8 inches long and approximately 5.3 inches wide, weighing approximately 10.2 ounces.  The Kindle 2 has 2 GB of internal memory and holds approximately 1,500 non-illustrated books.  Unlike the Kindle First Generation, there is no slot for an additional SD memory card on the Kindle 2. 
         
The Kindle 2 was originally sold at $279, but Amazon lowered the price to $259. To help promote the Kindle 2, Stephen King offered his novella UR exclusively through the Amazon Kindle.  
         
The Kindle 2 differs from the Kindle 1 in that it boasts improved battery life, has twenty percent faster page refreshing, provides a text-to-speech option so the user may hear text read aloud, and has a thickness reduction from .8 to .36 inches.  The Kindle 2 uses Sprint as its mobile network.
         
The Kindle 2, as of October 22, 2009, was replaced by the Kindle 2 International Version. 

Kindle 2 International Version:
         
The Kindle 2 International Version, a variation on the Kindle 2, was announced on October 7, 2009 and was available for purchase in over one hundred countries on October 19, 2009. 
         
The Kindle 2 International Version is identical to the standard Kindle 2, but the Kindle 2 International Version utilizes a different mobile network for accessibility in countries outside of the U.S.  The Kindle 2 used Sprint as its mobile network, while the Kindle 2 International Version uses AT&T as its mobile network.
         
The Kindle 2 International Version is still available for purchase.  

Kindle DX:

The Kindle DX, the thinnest Kindle version, was announced on May 6, 2009 and was available for purchase on June 10, 2009. 
         
The Kindle DX has a 9.7 inch diagonal display with a sixteen level grayscale in its screen.  It is approximately 10.4 inches long and 7.2 inches wide, weighing approximately 18.9 ounces.  The Kindle DX has 4GB of internal memory and holds approximately 3,500 non-illustrated books.  Similarly to the Kindle 2, there is no slot for an additional SD memory card on the Kindle DX.          

The Kindle DX sells for $489. As of February 28, 2009, Amazon has not lowered the price of the Kindle DX.
         
The Kindle DX differs from the Kindle 2 and the Kindle 1 in that the DX offers an accelerometer, which enables the user to seamlessly rotate pages between landscape and portrait orientations when theKindle DX is turned on its side.  This feature is similar to the feature found in iPhones. 

The Kindle DX is the thinnest Kindle to date at little over a third of an inch thick--comparable to the size of a pencil. The battery life on the Kindle DX provides one week of use if online, and two weeks of use if offline.  The Kindle DX also supports PDF files and has built-in stereo speakers.  The Kindle DX offers 1XRTT wireless technology, a backup wireless network, should its primary wireless network fail. 
         
The Kindle DX is currently available for purchase.            

Kindle DX International Version:
           
The Kindle DX International Version, a variation on the Kindle DX release, was available for purchase on January 19, 2010.  The Kindle DX International Version is identical to the Kindle DX, but it provides a working wireless network to countries outside of the U.S. 

WATCH VIDEOS comparing Kindle 1 and later versions

Are there other types of e-readers? If so, how does the Amazon Kindle compare?

There are several brands of e-readers and the Amazon Kindle is currently the best seller (Chicago Tribune). More new versions of e-readers are expected soon as well. The most commonly known in the United States, other than the Amazon Kindle, are the Sony Reader and the Barnes & Noble Nook.
         
The Amazon Kindle has more versions of the e-reader available, with Sony Reader presently having three, while Barnes & Noble is on its first version of the Nook. There is a distinction of some versions being single-use or multi-use devices. This year Apple announced the upcoming iPad-- the perfect example of a multi-use device; it can be used as an e-reader, but it also has many other functions including Internet browsing and personal files storage. Read a review of Kindle vs Apple iPad. Sony’s newest edition, the Sony Reader Daily Edition, is also an multi-use device. It allows the user to view photos, listen to music and store files on the device.
         
The Amazon Kindle was the first to have an online bookstore directly connected via a wireless link in the device with the ability to download books directly to the Kindle without having to use a personal computer. Sony recently updated their newest Reader addition, allowing the user to download directly to the device instead of requiring connection to a personal computer. Read a Kindle/Sony Reader review.
         
The Nook does have one bonus feature not available with the Kindle or Reader Editions. A user can actually ‘lend’ an e-book to other Nook owners, and to users of some Windows, Mac and iPhone e-reader applications; however, the loaned e-book expires after two weeks, and can only be shared one time.
         
The Nook screen is also a point of controversy because a user must display the e-book in the top portion of the screen, while the menu area displays on the bottom fourth of the screen in full color. This image can be quite distracting to the eye while reading, although it is nevertheless easy to navigate.
Read a "Kindle vs Nook" review.
 

Why would I want to use an e-reader instead of an actual book?

The pros and cons of owning an e-reader versus purchasing an actual book are very personal; however, here are some pros and cons that might be helpful in making your decision.

PROS:

• E-readers are smaller and weigh less than most books, so are easily transported. Especially given the fact that you have multiple books with you, as opposed to just one novel.
  
  
• You can download an e-book wherever you are (e.g. – in an airport before a flight and you just finished your last book and are needing a new one for the long flight home, or you are waiting for the new book in a series to come out and don’t have time to get to the store to get it, much less wait in line.)
  
  
• If you have several books you need to read, you can have them all in one thin, lightweight device to carry around with you. Great for teachers and students especially.
  
  
• The cost of an e-book is considerably less than a hard cover book. Also, there are thousands of free or low-priced e-books available to stock up your library.
  
  
• Users can bookmark, highlight, add notes, and even dog-ear pages, like a real book.
  
  
• While a book is open on the screen, menu options allow users to
  search for synonyms and definitions from the built-in dictionary. With a real book, a user must have a separate dictionary for reference while reading. (Right: dictionary feature)
  
  
• If you are searching for a specific newspaper or magazine article, you can find it through the Wifi function of your Kindle and download it in seconds.
  
  
• If you lose or damage your hardcopy books, you have to purchase the books again. With the Amazon Kindle, however, if your Kindle breaks or malfunctions, you do not have to re-purchase all of your books! Amazon saves your downloads through your Amazon.com account. All you have to do is download all of your e-book files to a new Kindle!
  
  
• Amazon.com offers hundreds of free downloadable book titles, including adult and children's classics.
  

CONS:

• The price could be considered a drawback; however, over time, you could save money by buying e-books versus hard-copy books, since e-books are much cheaper than actual books. But stay tuned! The publishing industry might adjust the prices, or even the timing of when they release an e-book title as compared to the hard cover book.
  
  
• While on a plane flight, you must turn off your e-reader device until you are at a cruising altitude. You can use it while permitted on flight; then you have to turn it off again when approaching landing--prime reading times when you can’t use your device.
  
  
• Once you’ve purchased an e-book on a particular device (i.e. a Sony Reader), you cannot convert your e-books if you buy a different device (i.e. Amazon Kindle).
  
  
• While the battery charge does hold for several days, even a week, you still have to remember to charge the e-reader. No electricity is required for to read a book, except for the light you need!
  
  
• If you like to hold and keep actual books on your shelves, the e-reader may not seem as satisfying to you as a physical collection of books.
  
  
• Only the Sony Readers are easily accessible to consumers in a wide variety of retail outlets. To buy the Amazon Kindle, you must purchase it from the Amazon online site (or another online outlet such as e-Bay; to buy the Barnes and Noble Nook, you have to buy it from a Barnes and Noble store.
  
  
• Some e-readers are known to glare in the sunlight.
  
  
• While it's great to have a built-in dictionary in the Kindle, only the English language is available; this may limit international readers from the comprehension level they desire.

For further information on the usage of e-books, the Book Industry Study Group is doing the first comprehensive survey of U.S. book consumers' behavior toward and preferences regarding e-books. So stay tuned!

 

Photo source: All photos from Amazon.com Product Gallery

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