Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Will Kindle become THE e-book platform?

Last evening [19 Nov 07] Charlie Rose interviewed Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos. The main topic of the evening was the release of Kindle: Amazon's new wireless reading device.

A number of electronic book platforms have been tried, but this is the first to combine electronic paper display with cell phone connectivity. The initial batch of Kindles has sold out quickly, but like game consoles, more are being made as quickly as possible.

The topic of libraries was mentioned briefly during the interview. Reminiscences of childhood public library use were fondly recalled. But, the word research was not mentioned in that context. Bezos mentioned that he likes to have access to lots of information. Does his research staff send his search results to his Kindle?

In the long evolution of the medium for the written word from ostracons and clay tablets, thru papyrus, parchment and paper, will Kindle be the next stage?