---
title: "Waiting for the Sony Book Reader? Forget About It! Amazon Launches Kindle"
description: "Remember that Sony Book Reader that was supposed to be all the rage and never actually appeared in the Canadian market? Well, forget about it. Amazon launched Kindle, a wireless, portable reading..."
url: https://somisguided.com/2007/11/21/waiting-for-the-sony-book-reader-forget-about-it-amazon-launches-kindle/
date: 2007-11-21
modified: 2007-11-21
author: "Monique"
type: post
lang: en
---

# Waiting for the Sony Book Reader? Forget About It! Amazon Launches Kindle

![](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/digital/fiona/dp/product-descr-book._V4948744_.jpg)

Remember that Sony Book Reader that was supposed to be all the rage and never actually appeared in the Canadian market?

Well, forget about it.

Amazon launched (http://amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA/ref=amb_link_5873612_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=0DXDMQXQ5DRZ5HR4F6HT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=329252801&pf_rd_i=507846), a wireless, portable reading device with access to 90,000 titles.

Hmmm, is this how publishers’ Search Inside the Book files are now being used? I bet it is.

**Kindle looks ugly but sounds lovely.**

* wireless, no internet needed, it uses cell phone networks

* no monthly plan, no software to install, nothing but go

* electronic paper

* can receive emails from you of Word documents and pictures for “easy on-the-go viewing”

* 10 ounces

**What’s wrong with it? **

* Did I mention ugly?

* How about that it only holds 200 titles and is $400 USD.

* 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 4-level gray scale. GRAY! Can we have some colour please. Why is that so hard?

(http://amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA/ref=amb_link_5873612_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=0DXDMQXQ5DRZ5HR4F6HT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=329252801&pf_rd_i=507846) It’s rather soothing, slow-mo.

UPDATE:

John Gruber of (http://daringfireball.net/2007/11/dum) is mentioned by Paschal in the comments of this post. It’s a good post on why Kindle will/should fail. Here are a couple of quotes that resonate with me.

Quote: What it comes down to is that when you purchase books in Kindle’s e-book format, they’re wrapped in DRM and are in a format that no other software can read. There are no provisions for sharing books even with other Kindle owners, let alone with everyone.

And,

Quote: So the Kindle proposition is this: You pay for downloadable books that can’t be printed, can’t be shared, and can’t be displayed on any device other than Amazon’s own $400 reader , and whether they’re readable at all in the future is solely at Amazon’s discretion. That’s no way to build a library.

Totally agree.