Review : Amazon Kindle

One of the latest revolutions in techno gadgets is the portable digital reader. In essence a small computer with a large screen which allows the reader to read digital novels.

Whilst there are many platforms for this technology including IPAD, the Sony reader and the kindle. It is the Kindle that has caught the publics imagination.

The IPAD catches the eye as APPLE’s march to brand dominance is imagined. It is the Amazon Kindle which boasts some of the best features as a dedicated e-book reader.

It boasts an impressive book page like screen viewable in even bright sunlight. Powered by the impressive sounding “Pearl E ink screen”. This means that the pages of the book look, well like the pages of a book. The text looks crisp yet the over bleed of ink can be made out. The shading gives the impression of a crisp real page.

Also, the battery has a long life of upto 1 month if the WIFI element has been disabled.

Ebooks can be downloaded directly from the Kindle store and each release of Kindle boasts an larger memory storage capacity. The first Kindle could hold around 200 titles, the Kindle 3 can hold around 1,500. So the advantages over carrying a paperback novel around are instantly apparent.

The Kindle has gone through several updates and a new version 4 is set to be released in Summer 2011. Each version has boasted a major improvement to the previous model. Including slimmer body and faster interface.

For the uninitiated, the main Kindle’s releases and main differences are listed below :

Kindle – released in Nov 2007.

Kindle 2 – released in Feb 2009- Faster interface and better E Ink screen display

Kindle 3 – released in July 2010 – Slimmer body, cheaper price, even faster interface, even better screen display, WIFI enabled.

Kindle 4 – TBA Summer 2011

For the tech minded, the Kindle 3 utilizes a “Freescale i. MX353” applications processor, “Freescale MC13892” power management chip, “Epson EINK” controller and Samsung DRAM and Flash.
Other hardware changes include a larger lithium polymer battery, AnyDATA DTP-600W 3G GSM modem and Atheros AR6102G 802.11bg WiFi chip.

In late January 2011, according to Amazon digital books were outselling their traditional printed books on its site, with an average of 115 Kindle editions being sold for every 100 paperback editions.

So whether you are in the market for a Kindle, another variety of e-book reader or not yet convinced this latest technological fad looks like it is here to stay, with the Amazon Kindle edging the way in e-book market dominence.