Amazon Kindle

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Today Amazon released the very first "real" eBook - "Kindle". It is a device that enables you to read books, newspapers, blogs etc. no matter where you are.

There are two interesting features:

One is that the display is not like a normal computer display - it is using epaper, and as such uses passive screen refresh. This means that instead continually updating the screen, it only updates the screen when you change from one page to another. The advantage is a very long battery life. You can read about 40,000 pages before the batteries needs to be recharged.

The downside is that this device is not yet capable of rapid changes - like with video. And it is, for now, only capable of black and white (it is said that epaper will be capable of color display within the next 2-3 years).

The other great feature is that you don't need a computer - at all. Kindle works via high-speed data network (like your mobile phone), and connects directly to Amazon's "kindle shop". Forget about synching, and managing your library on your computer.

Full feature list (from Amazon)

• Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
• Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
• Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you're in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
• Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
• More than 88,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
• New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
• Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
• Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
• Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times.
• More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post.
• Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
• Holds over 200 titles.
• Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
• Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
• No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
• Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
• Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

Of course, not everything is great - the most annoying thing is that it is only available in Scandinavia (where I live)

(via Amazon Kindle)