Although I am not a big reading fan, I like the Amazon’s electronic book reader Kindle 2 when I just saw its introductory video, and I believe it will continue to become a great hit to many reading-oriented people. With its reader-friendly design, it allows highlight and add note aside, just like leaving pencil markings when you read an actual book. It also provides unlimited wireless access, which means readers can search for books and read online anytime at anywhere. My favorite Kindle’s feature is its text-speech service and also the non-reflective display technology called ‘electronic paper’, so I will unlikely to encounter the situation where I have to adjust my book position to avoid reflection of lights.
One thing that caught my eye when I read the article about Amazon’s success is that Steve Jobs once predicted Kindle would fail because “people don’t read anymore.” I believe that because of Kindle, people can break through the physical barriers of carrying or reading a book (such as carrying a heavy book around or unable to leave a pencil marks on the book) and they would read more in length and quantity. If I could read my university textbooks in Kindle2, I would definitely buy one as I do not have to worry to look for cheaper textbooks or to preserve it in a good condition so that I can resell them at a not-too-low price. My backbone would not be tired from carrying books and walking around campus the whole day. Plus, I could immediately find solutions to some unknown words or concepts through built-in dictionary and direct access to Wikipedia, and I would not have to wait till later to solve them on a computer.
Comparing to Kindle 1, Kindle2 now has picture display,upgraded Oxford dictionary and allows both words and pdf file. In a reading perspective, it seems to become a better reading-oriented tool comparing to some other electronic readers such as Sony PRS-505, which allows audio and memory stick insert, and Fujitsu ebook, which has full color display.
