More On The Amazon Kindle

By now, everyone on the planet has heard of the Amazon Kindle eReader. But, because of the high price, fewer have actually dug into one, or explored the features of the latest version. That's all going to change thanks to Amazon's $139 price for the Wi-Fi only version ($189 for the Wi-Fi+3G). Add in a bevy of improved attributes and this is one smokin' eReader.

The previous generation was already light and portable. The latest version is even more so. Amazon has reduced the border width around the 6" screen and made the Kindle weigh in at a featherweight 8.7 ounces. Compare that to the Nook's 11.6 ounces or the iPad's 1.5 lbs.

That screen offers 50% better contrast from the prior model, already very good thanks to its new Pearl E-Ink technology. Reading in all light conditions is also no problem. True, most people won't have the happy opportunity to read a lot on the beach or a cruise ship. But add in outdoor parks and benches in the city during lunch, on campus, and elsewhere, and the occasions do add up.

One of the most attractive features for avid readers is, of course, the over 700,000 titles available from Amazon in Kindle format with new ones being added all the time. Naturally, that number is inflated by the large percentage that are of interest to only a few, but it does include almost all the best sellers. Over 550,000 of that huge array are under $10. One can also read many popular newspapers and magazines, like the New York Times and Time magazine.

The Whisper Sync application and the improved features make reading them all the more pleasurable. Whisper Sync keeps all your Kindle purchases available on every Kindle-app-capable device - your Mac or PC, an iPad, and the Kindle reader itself. And, every book you open is magically 'tracked' so that if you are in a certain location in Chapter 5 on one device and stop reading, you can start right there on the same device or another. That works even if you are actively reading several different books, too.

The Kindle sips power so intelligently you'll only rarely recharge, even if you use it every day. Once a month is good for most people, if they keep the Wi-Fi turned off. That's very handy for those who read a lot of books and often. And, with 4 GB of storage it will hold about 3,500 books simultaneously.

It may seem unfortunate that the storage can't be expanded, but even few avid readers have personal libraries as large as that. By the time most have filled it up, they'll be ready to trade up to a newer version, which undoubtedly will hold more.

The reading experience will be delightful, too, thanks to very well thought out Page Back and Forward Buttons (the latter, used more often, is larger, for example), as well as a well-placed Home, Power (a multiple function slider), and others. Turning those pages on the new version is often faster than your fingers can operate a physical paperback, too. Nice.

There is a primitive browser onboard, useful for quick look ups on the web. Not something that will give Apple any sleepless nights, especially with the strictly black and white screen, but usable. The text-to-speech feature will be useful for some and sounds reasonably natural. It also displays PDFs (adequately) and houses a pleasant, if not spectacular, MP3 player.

All in all, at this price point - and with much improved features (over ones that were already quite good) - the Amazon Kindle is going to sell well for some time to come, tablet computers or no tablets.