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'Revolution' in reading as the electronic Kindle arrives
Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Correspondent07.10.09
Amazon has launched an electronic book in Britain in a bid to "revolutionise" the way people read.
The Kindle, which has a six-inch screen and is just .036 inches thick, will allow users to download 250,000 books and a selection of newspapers from around the world.
Up to 1,500 books can be stored on the internal drive, and new books can be downloaded without the need for a computer via an internal 3G network card. It was announced today that the device - which is available in the US but not Europe - will be sold in Britain from 19 October.
The Kindle will be available from Amazon's US site, which means UK-based consumers will initially have to pay extra import duties on the £175 gadget, bringing its total cost to about £200.
James Holland, of gadget website Electric Pig, questioned whether British consumers were ready to ditch their books. "This won't be a mass market device, just as the other electronic books already available in the UK aren't," he said. "For that to happen I think the technology needs to move on to colour screens. This is really just for the early adopters, or those who travel an awful lot."
Reader views (1)
I have been using a Kindle since they first came out and now have a Kindle II (larger body/screen and more internal memory for larger storage space for books (about reference book sized), although the smaller book sized version is still available). It is every bit as good as advertised. Not for everyone, still it is easy to read, easy to carry and practical. The comment about it not having colour is a non-issue, I would suggest. How many people are used to reading colour print with their books, newspapers and even magazines?
- Rogan, Irving
