Alright, Amazon. I'm sold on the new Kindle. Now can you deliver?

When the first Kindle was launched, I admiringly took a look at the features it offered and considered some ways it could be improved. Others had some of the same ideas.  Although the next-generation Kindle that Amazon announced today doesn't implement all of the suggestions, it improved in two ways that convinced me that I could really use this device to become more productive.

2007 suggestion:

Enable audio and ability to listen in car. This would kill my need to buy a traditional book again, and would be well worth the cost. In fact, I'd pay three times as much for each book if the audio version were included, in spite of the difficulties above. Then I could listen to books on my commute and read and reference books elsewhere. I'd even repurchase the books I'd already bought just so I could listen and/or read on my own terms, in my own time.

Kindle v2 improvements

Read-to-Me Feature - Now Kindle can read to you. With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you. You can switch back and forth between reading and listening, and your spot is automatically saved. Pages automatically turn while the content is being read, so you can listen hands-free. You can choose from both male and female voices which can be sped up or slowed down to suit your preference. Anything you can read on Kindle, Kindle can read to you, including books, newspapers, magazines, blogs and even personal documents. In the middle of a great book or article but have to jump in the car? Simply turn on Text-to-Speech and listen on the go.

Audiobooks - With Kindle, you are able to download and enjoy more than 50,000 audio titles from Audible.com, including bestselling audio books, radio programs, audio newspapers, and magazines. Due to their file size, audiobooks are downloaded to your PC over your existing Internet connection and then transferred to Kindle using the included USB 2.0 cable. Listen via Kindle's speaker or plug in your headphones for private listening.

I should mention that a couple of my 2007 criticisms were off the mark. For instance, owners would be able to access their entire library online, so if they lost or destroyed their Kindle, their library wouldn't be at risk.

Although I still recognize the social nature of discovery and therefore believe in the utility of temporary book sharing (peer-to-peer and library-to-user)  the practical side of me says that publishers will never agree to it as long as they fear poaching, which is always. However, their Whispersync technology may eventually prove me wrong.

All said, even with a $356 price point, the Kindle may be the must-have device of 2009. Hopefully Amazon will be able to overcome the manufacturing difficulties that plagued the launch of their first device. - Cam Beck

Comments

[Joe]

nope, I don't buy it. I mean I love the idea, but I can't get over the price tag. It's too expensive for anyone but hard-core techies. I know Amazon couldn't keep the original in stock, but I suspect that had more to do with the production issues than the demand. It's never going to enter mainstream until you see a more affordable version. I'd say $99 - $150 is just about right for this type of product. Remember, it took Apple releasing the mini/nano before the iPod really started to find it's way into the average consumer's pocket. Until Amazon can manufacture it for a more reasonable price point it's going to be a luxury item.

[Cam Beck]

Thanks for your input, Joe.

I think there are two ideal audiences for this device. The techies, as you mentioned, and the heavy readers.

I'm both, so this would pay for itself in no time. I'm running out of space to store all my books, so it's either upgrade my house, kick one of my kids out of their rooms, or buy the Kindle.

Of the three options, the Kindle is most attractive. :)

[Ann Handley]

I have a different objection: I just can't get past the idea of the... well, BOOK. I love holding, experiencing, feeling, reading, smelling a good old-fashioned book. I love collecting them, seeing them accumulate on my shelf, referencing them, cracking them open again and re-reading them.

Dear Diary: Am I hopelessly old-skool, or should I just shaddup already and give it a try?

[Cam Beck]

Ann - I'll bet a lot of people feel the same way you do, and I'd NEVER be one to tell you that you need to "shaddap already," because, as you know, I like it better when you're conversing. :)

I think Amazon did a couple of smart things (besides what I've mentioned above and previously). First, they used a display technology that APPEARS very book-like. This should overcome that particular sensory objection in some.

Second, the battery life is long enough that voracious readers like yourself can get through a few books before recharging.

Third, they enable bookmarking and note-taking and allow you to export those to your computer. That's a lot harder to do with a real book, so this represents an actual improvement for people like you and me.

Fourth, the in-line word lookup feature is genius -- especially for those of us who aren't masters of the crossword puzzle. When you come across a word you don't know in a book, if you don't have the ability to look it up right then, if you can't figure it out from the context, you often forget about it. Since I read a lot of history books and original source material, this can be very handy for me.

I don't think it will ever improve on the smell of a book, but given the other value it adds, I think I can live without it. :)

Besides, who knows? 10-20 years from now, maybe tomorrows leaders will get all nostalgic for the plastic smell of their Kindle! :)