Amazon Pitches a Wireless iPod for Books - Bits - Technology - New York Times Blog

 

Amazon Pitches a Wireless iPod for Books

By Saul Hansell

Tags: amazon, e books

Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and chief executive, introduces its new e-book, called Kindle (Mark Lennihan /Associated Press)

Amazon.com introduced its electronic book reader today at a packed event in New York. Unlike other products in this area, Amazon’s $399 Kindle is designed to be used without ever connecting to a computer.

Instead it has a wireless Internet connection that lets users browse Amazon’s online store on the device and download a book in less than a minute.Amazon is trying to do for books what Apple has done for music. It has linked its device tightly to its own online bookstore, just as the iTunes music store is tied into the iPod. Amazon has 90,000 titles for sale at launch, including books from all major publishers.

Best sellers and new releases will cost $9.99. That represents a substantial savings off of Amazon’s already discounted prices. Amazon is currently selling hardcover bestsellers for roughly $13 to $20 and trade paperbacks for $8 to $11.

The Kindle will also download and display newspapers, magazines and blogs. But in an era when most Internet content is offered free with advertising, Amazon has decided to charge monthly fees for these publications. The company says the fees will cover the cost of transmitting the information over the wireless network. Kindle users do not need to pay separately for a wireless data service.

Amazon Pitches a Wireless iPod for Books - Bits - Technology - New York Times Blog

Voltei!

Sei não... pode ser que pegue devido ao TAMANHO da AMAZON, mas device por device sou muito mais o "pergaminho digital" que se coloca no bolso. Claro que esse "pergaminho digital vai ter que ser trabalhado também para que se transforme num device cômodo para a leitura.

Mas esse lançamento do Kindle agora, nas vésperas do Natal deve fazer um sucesso por lá. Pena que para nós, a coisa não vá funcionar em toda a sua plenitude, até por conta de que não vejo como isso vá ser transmitido pelas redes wireless aqui. Só se forem utilizar as redes das operadoras de telefonia celular, e, nesse caso, não acredito que a Amazon vá se meter a "will cover the cost of transmitting the information over the wireless network" cá na terra de Vera Cruz!

Em outras palavras, como no caso do Iphone, do Itunes Store, cá ficamos nós "chupando dedo" de novo!!!

Dói ser "early adopter" por cá...

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