Live from the Amazon Kindle launch event

Anyone reading yesterday knows today's the day the Amazon Kindle finally launches, and we're live from their big (little) launch event in New York. There are maybe a hundred fifty seats (and people are still filing in), so we'll be getting started here in just a few.

Just the usual pre-event mingling. Surprising this place hasn't filled up any faster. All the event handlers have very austere looks on their faces, as though they're cramming for a really difficult exam, or launching an e-book reader.

We got the first picture of the Kindle! There she is. That angle up towards the left is really severe, this thing is far from flat. Announcer: "We're getting started in just a few minutes..." More after the break.

The cool jazz is killing us here, man. Let's get going!

9:41AM ET - Jeff Bezos! He's discussing the history of text... every thousand years there's a paradigm shift in reading. "We forget that this is a technology... but books are a technology. And the process for making them is a very sophisticated technology." "... The printing press has gotten a lot more sophisticated since Gutenberg's time... Gutenberg would still recognize a modern day book."

9:46 - "The interesting question to think about is why are books the last bastion of analog? They've stubbornly resisted digitization. ... the key feature to a book is that it disappears as we read it. We don't think about the ink or the paper or the glue or the stitching, all those things go away. What remains is the author's world, the author's words..."

9:47 - He's talking about his childhood experiences -- he was a book nerd and apparently was all totally into teletype. You go, Jeff. "Can you improve on something as highly evolved and well suited to its task as a book? If you're going to build a purpose-built reading device it has to get out of the way so you can enjoy your reading." "We knew we could never out-book the book."

9:50 - "You can't duplicate a real book store online..." He's explaining that you have to play to your medium. Customer reviews, recommendations -- things you can do on Amazon that you can't do in a physical store. "We can't out-book the book, but could use this new medium to go beyond... I'm proud after 3 years of development to announce the Amazon Kindle.

9:51 - "We studied how people hold books." He's talking about the traditional device experience -- install software, shop from the PC, use a USB cable to sync contents. "But we didn't think that was a very good solution, so we decided there would be NO PC. No software to install. ... The store is on the device, and the content is wirelessly and seamlessly delivered to the device. Now, if you're going to deliver content wirelessly, you have to use a wireless solution." He's going over the difficulties of using WiFi. Yes, we know Jeff, we heard the thing was using EV-DO.

9:55 - "We didn't like this solution either. So instead we chose EV-DO cellular. ... as soon as I tell you we're using EV-DO that should cause a second set of concerns, a whole new thing to worry about. Everybody knows that using these wireless cell networks there's a data plan, a contract, a monthly bill. But we didn't like that, either. So we built Amazon Whispernet. It's built on top of Sprint's EV-DO network. There's no data plan, no contract, no bill. We pay for all of that behind the scenes so you can just read. What are you going to read?"

9:57 - "We have 90,000 books that you can buy right from the device and have wirelessly delivered. And these are books people want to read, including 101 of the 112 NYT bestsellers. NYT bestsellers and new releases are just $9.99, and are delivered in just a minute. Why not include newspapers? Newspapers are delivered automatically while you sleep; and these are newspapers you've heard of, WSJ, NYT, Washington Post, and local newspapers too."

9:59 - "Time, Fortune, even blogs. Over 300 of your favorite blogs are available. Subscribe to the blogs you want and they're updated continuously throughout the day. ...HuffPost, The Onion..." Every Kindle has an email address, attach your personal docs, email them to the device, and they're wirelessly delivered to the device. Word docs, JPEGs, "It's a pretty cool feature. There's a resident dictionary on this device." He's discussing dictionaries and using the built-in dict, which is supposed to be pretty easy.

10:02 - "If you were to print Wikipedia you'd need two miles of shelves. You can access Wikipedia from this device, so you have not only a dictionary but the world's greatest encyclopedia. What do you get? The most advanced EV-DO in the world, the most advanced display tech in the world, no commitment, no contract, no service payments, and I'm excited to tell you it's on sale right now for $399." Uh oh, it's video time. "We decided to give Kindles for a few weeks to some of the toughest customers we can imagine..." Clip time.

10:05 - "It's so simple you could be a moron and it works." Um, thanks video clip guy. It's got two switches: on / off, and radio on / off. It's got a USB port on the bottom, as well as a 3.5mm jack. Yeah, more and more video, recap of the same stuff we've already heard from Bezos this AM, but just said by other people, primarily authors.

10:14 - Ok, this video has gone on about 10 minutes too long. Demo time! You can change the font size. The side-selector appears to be LCD-based, not e-ink based. Notes and annotations are saved to the cloud, "so you can never lose anything."

10:21 - There's a cancel this order feature that allows you to reverse a just-purchased book in case you grabbed it accidentally. It automatically bookmarks your last page read (like most e-book readers). "We archive your books in the cloud. If you ever lose a book, you can just redownload it again, it doesn't cost anything. If you want to clear out space on your Kindle knowing they're secure on the server, and in 60 seconds you can get it back again. But the most important thing about Kindle, is that it does indeed disappear so that you can enter the author's world. Thank you." Applause, and we're done!

[Chris @ Nov 19th 2007 9:32AM]

Cool device, I like the connectivity (I wasn't expecting that).

But let's see. I read about 12-14 books a year. I might actually purchase 3-5 of those. That is $125 in the worst case scenario. I just can't justify spending $400 on a reader when I would still have to pay for all 12-14 of the books and spend about the same.

Does anyone else like the feel and smell of actual paper?

[Bobs @ Nov 19th 2007 9:45AM]

In my highschool, they made us read for 15 minutes before second period, and in the rundown state that the school was in, we had very old books from the 80s and 90s, those smelled the best

[dazepro @ Nov 19th 2007 9:55AM]

See I was going to buy this thing until I found out it was $400 and that the books are going to have DRM on them. I have to give Amazon credit from coming as far as they did, hell they were a company that just sold books, and now they are developing their own hardware. I would be proud!

[SteveJ @ Nov 19th 2007 9:55AM]

And how do you lend an ebook to a friend? Give them the Kindle?

[Michael Emmons @ Nov 19th 2007 10:18AM]

I think I could get used to reading e-books vs paper books, but certainly not on this device. I don't mind the up-front cost so much as the cost per book. $10 for each book? $10? Really?? Despite the fact that there is no printing, paper, ink, graphics design or delivery costs compared to printed books? Most paper-back books are $7.99 so I don't understand why I am paying a premium for an electronic one.

Also, I would like to put this device up for the "Ugliest Device of the Year" award.

[Bob Sintas @ Nov 19th 2007 10:56AM]

I love how people are complaining about having to pay $10 for each Kindle Book, but so many people fail to read that it says: "New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise." If you look to see the prices, you can obviously see that Kindle Books are priced as low as $.01.

[Chris @ Nov 19th 2007 11:21AM]

@Bob

Did you even look at the books that are $0.01? I'll save you the trouble...

-Chemoton Theory: Theory of Living Systems
-Kinetics of Catalytic Reactions--Solutions Manual
-Confectionery Packaging Equipment
Exciting stuff there...

The book I am currently reading is No Way to Treat A First Lady - By Christopher Buckley - 2002

Kindle price - $7.96
Amazon partner price - $1.25 + $3.99 shipping

Of course - I got it for free, and when I am done with it, I can give it to a friend.

[Bob Sintas @ Nov 19th 2007 11:31AM]

@Crhis

Notice I said "as low as". There are books that are $.40, $2.00, $4.00, etc.

Also, you quoted a "used" price for the book. No thanks... I don't want to read someone else's book they read while reading in the bathroom. I could just go on to say, "well I can get it at the library for free, so why buy it at all?"

[Bob Sintas @ Nov 19th 2007 11:38AM]

@Chris,

I forgot to mention, I was mainly targeting Michael's comment. I do completely agree with you and I personally wouldn't buy a product unless it was less than $50-$75.

[Chris @ Nov 19th 2007 11:45AM]

@Bob -

Well I am not one of those people who feels the need to spread a half a roll of toilet paper on the can in an otherwise clean bathroom before taking care of business. I don't have some fear that a used book is going to carry some communicable disease.

And yes, your library point is well taken, libraries are great! But I personally prefer to own the books so I can decide the disposition of the book when I am done. (bookmooch.com) Libraries are strictly for research for me.

Another advantage to the prosaic paper book, I can jam it in my laptop bag during my commute with worrying that my keys or pens will mark up or scratch the screen, or that a button will get stuck, or that some of the electronics will get smushed.

But, in the end, it is all about user preference. I feel like I am a pretty typical reader with a typical income, and I cannot remotely justify the expense. If you can afford to reduce the burden of carrying $400, then more power to ya.

[Chris @ Nov 19th 2007 11:49AM]

@Bob -

Didn't see your last comment before I posted... understood =]

[Vu Nguyen @ Nov 19th 2007 4:16PM]

Dude, reading 15 minutes a day is useless in HS, I went to a HS too that made us read for 15 minutes, which also meant do as much homework as you can. The device looks good, but again the price is way to high, why not just get an IPHONE.

[EngadgetFanBoi @ Nov 19th 2007 9:35AM]

I hope they offer a contract of some sort with all-you-can-eat book service for a subsidized price.

[Todd @ Nov 19th 2007 10:14AM]

For the interested, here is a direct link to the complete listing of available Kindle books/media (about 91,000 total):

http://amazon.com/ref=kinw_ddp/b?node=154606011

[EngadgetFanBoi @ Nov 19th 2007 10:19AM]

The looks and form factor of the device can and will change over time, but the basic idea behind this product is sound. The biggest problem is the whopping $399 price tag.

People would be glad to never have to lug around heavy books with them + with the green movement that is going on right now, people will be delighted to save some trees.

The next model should have a much larger memory, support textbooks, have a "find" service so you can search the books in real time for a word of phrase, and be much cheaper.

[Todd @ Nov 19th 2007 10:21AM]

I should add that it appears quite a few books are a lot more than $9.99. In particular, the books in the "Computers/Internet" section seem to be $20 - $30. Normally I'd expect these less popular, low run books to be more expensive in a physical store, but for online distribution I'd expect them to be cheaper!

Kinda makes you miss the guaranteed flat pricing that Jobs managed to bring to music and videos.

[William Mize @ Nov 19th 2007 9:39AM]

Amazon doesn't make that many mis-steps, but boy this is SO gonna be one of them. Until someone comes up with a sub-$200, Non-DRM'd, open source reader, most people will stick with either a) REAL books or b) their current ebook solution.

- Bill, a mystery writer

[insertAlias @ Nov 19th 2007 10:05AM]

Most people don't know/care what DRM is, or what open source means. (Just look at the market share of iPod/iTunes/AAC music.) Most people probably wouldn't know that ebooks exist unless someone who did told them. But I do think that you're right about the sub-$200 price being a requirement for these things to catch on.

[Bob @ Nov 19th 2007 10:36AM]

The price for it will drop -- it has to ( competition is going to heat up soon ) + This is not really an ipod like device ( in any angle ) which will be able to stave off any competition . Its wireless service is pretty neat , but paying 10 bucks for books you otherwise cheaper in stores , not happening

[joewhat @ Nov 19th 2007 10:38AM]

I agree, but for another reason: I believe if somebody buys an E-Book reader he will have already some sort of Computer and Internet Connection; this EV-DO thing maybe nice if you are in an area that has this service available, but what if you live in a country with a different standard (Europe)? How if you are on holiday and there isnt the whispernet available, but wi-fi is available even on some more remote islands of Indonesia.

In my opinion WiFi would have been a smarter course...

[Ed Smith @ Nov 19th 2007 2:48PM]

This looks a lot more interesting once I took a look at the specs.

It allows you to use SD cards and will read quite a few different file formats so you can read all the non-DRMed content you want on it.

There's a lot more potential here but Amazon is not emphasizing the free ways to get books on this thing(for obvious reasons)

[SteveJ @ Nov 19th 2007 9:44AM]

What reason is there for all the crazy angles on that thing? It's pretty ugly too.

[Saint @ Nov 19th 2007 10:02AM]

Maybe the purpose is to feel a folded book :S

[Al @ Nov 19th 2007 10:37AM]

Real books have big advantages. You can share with other people, they don't need to be charged to use, they cope with rough treatment and if you drop it in the bath it's not the end of the world. This thing is way too expensive to make much of an impact and it's bloody ugly too!

[Ryan Smith @ Nov 19th 2007 9:53AM]

Did anyone ever think that books are still around because I can get one for $6 or less used, they don't take any batteries, they are completely portable, and they have a great display technology called ink on paper. Why would anyone pay $399 and $10 for books, are they insane?

[insertAlias @ Nov 19th 2007 10:14AM]

I like the idea of being able to take a large selection from my personal collection (maybe all of it, I don't know the about of storage on this) with me in one light, portable device.

Sometimes I find myself reading two books concurrently. Or I might take a long trip and need more than one book. This thing is smaller than two books.

I might want the newspaper that I like to be wirelessly delivered to me no matter where I am.

If I were still in college, I might want to have all my textbooks in one lightweight device (and they could be sold cheaper than the printed books.)

I also like the idea of buying books on the go. I'm bored, so instead of driving to the store, I can just buy a new book from where ever I am at.

Not to mention the environmental benefits of electronic media versus daily newspapers (if you're into the whole environmentally friendly thing.) If none of this interests you at all, then ebook readers aren't for you.

[Ireland @ Nov 19th 2007 10:23AM]

No one's insane yet, cause no one bough on yet. The only advantage I see here is being able to carry a lot of book in one package, but when one thinks about it, who does that except students? And we all know the book most students require will be the very ones that aren't available on the darn store.

[Saturn @ Nov 19th 2007 10:57PM]

@insertAlias

Yeah, the wonderful "environmental benefits of electronic media"...

These pictures show how good they are: http://www.chrisjordan.com/

How about a sustainable book factory, like "ecco" books line?

[Robert @ Nov 19th 2007 9:53AM]

Eh, let's see what the 2nd gen. of this device is like; might be worthwhile by then.

[bob e @ Nov 19th 2007 9:55AM]

I have been using a PC for so long I can no longer read paper books or magazines. It feels very unnatural to me... I stopped reading books and just read blogs and forums these days...

If this came with a browser I may get one... until then a new UMPC or Eee PC would be a better choice.

[Peter @ Apr 22nd 2008 1:32PM]

Non-DRM *and* locked to a carrier (only Sprint has 3G, right?)? It's already up on the Amazon site, and apparently, it doesn't have Wi-Fi either (as Engadget, among others, has mentioned was included, in the rumour mill).

$9.99 a book, wonder if they're resellable.
$10-$20 a month for the newspaper.
$2-$4 a copy for magazines.
$0.99 a month for blogs!

(from the site) Technical Details
Display: 6" diagonal E-Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 4-level gray scale
Size (in inches): 7.5" x 5.3" x 0.7"
Weight: 10.3 ounces
System requirements: None, because it doesn't require a computer

On the good side? They DO let you transfer your own files into it; docs, audio files. Email to your machine (great, now it can receive spam) or via a USB cable. *shake head* WhatEVER.

[hatu @ Nov 19th 2007 9:59AM]

No wifi support? Bummer! Cant be used outside the US then :(

[David @ Nov 19th 2007 11:21AM]

I was surprised about the lack of wifi - that seems like a real problem - and with no interface that I can see, when I travel outside the US I better have all my books pre-loaded. Anybody know about the power source? Add in an internal battery and this thing is -really- locked to one continent. AAA batteries I can carry (or buy) - a charger is tougher.

[Michael Chastain @ Nov 19th 2007 11:23AM]

Amazon operates internationally. I suspect deals with International carriers (and a reader with a GSM radio) will be forthcoming. Hardware modifications are easy--what is hard is securing International rights for the books.

[Thomas @ Nov 19th 2007 11:41AM]

@David

There is a USB port on the bottom so outside the US you can connect to a PC to download your content.

Just because it has an internal battery doesn't mean it's only compatible to be charged in the US. Most consumer electronics come with power adapters that support 100 to 240 volt input. My cell phone, laptop, and iPaq would be examples. I can plug them into the wall anywhere in the world as long as the plug is the same shape.

[phi @ Nov 19th 2007 9:56AM]

the books might be cheap, but the upfront cost is way too high.

[bertolett @ Nov 19th 2007 10:07AM]

it CANNOT overcome its looks.

this will be a laughingstock.

you can't drop a turd like this in the wake of the iPhone. i know 1/2 this board hates Apple but this is what you get from other designers.

[insertAlias @ Nov 19th 2007 10:18AM]

Wow. Just...wow.

[Mervyn Mabini @ Nov 19th 2007 2:10PM]

lol. i gotta i agree. WOW

[c.libre @ Nov 19th 2007 10:04AM]

I looked up at my bookshelf and picked a few titles to search for in the Kindle store. I couldn't find any matches except Ulysses, which I'm sure will be a hit with gadget enthusiasts and other first adopters. I don't think the Kindle is going to draw in serious readers until they can move the book beyond bestsellers and cut-rate editions of public domain books.

I don't think that I like the display font, and I wonder how well the Kindle handles typographically sophisticated texts.

[c.libre @ Nov 19th 2007 10:07AM]

Oops. "I don't think the Kindle is going to draw in serious readers until they can move the book beyond..." should be "I don't think the Kindle is going to draw in serious readers until they can move the book selection beyond..."

[Matt @ Nov 19th 2007 10:07AM]

So audiobooks are too expensive to download when they are paying the EVDO bill and they make you use your internet connection and move the file over USB, but you can't move your own content over USB?

LAME, LAME, LAME. I have spent hundreds on PDF computer books and I can't put them on here? The only way would be to buy them AGAIN? No thanks. Let me put my own content on and I'll buy it in a heartbeat.

[Jared @ Nov 19th 2007 10:13AM]

You can send an email to your kindle, they say it will convert docs, maybe it will convert pdfs also

[Mervyn Mabini @ Nov 19th 2007 2:15PM]

pdf to doc. doc to email. and your set

[Saint @ Nov 19th 2007 10:09AM]

For that price, I think it has to be multitouch

[Jared @ Nov 19th 2007 10:12AM]

Only time I could see myself using this is as a college student, it would be nice to have all your textbooks in less than 10 ounces

[Drew @ Nov 19th 2007 10:16AM]

I can't even imagine the early adopters wanting to pay $399 for this device! Say you pay $9.99 for your newspaper feed. So now you're paying $640 just for accessing newspapers on this. I didn't even include the books pricing here as you'd pay for those anyways, but no more budget titles.

Oh yeah, there will also probably be another version in a year! Rendering the device extremely obsolete and definitely not worth it.

[CommanderROR @ Nov 19th 2007 10:22AM]

According to the manual you can move content over USB...at least that is the way I understand it but perhaps I'll have to read it again..I just went over it briefly.
It can read unportected .mobi files in any case and that should mean easy conversion from .pfd

[mike @ Nov 19th 2007 10:17AM]

If they have computer books like Apress and Friends of Ed i would pay 1,000 for this device.

[Mark @ Nov 19th 2007 10:51AM]

How is this better than Sony's offering, which is both cheaper and a neater bit of gear (though to be honest, the interface on both of them sucks).