Amazon unveils "the iPod of reading" Kindle

19 November 2007 8:48 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Amazon has chosen American current affairs print mag NewsWeek to provide the first look at the Amazon Kindle, the company's first eBook reader, and own-brand electronics of any kind, Electronista reports.

A lot of the info about this new gadget has been leaked already, but we now know for sure it will offer a 6-inch screen, and will run on the EV-DO network in the States, dubbed the "Whispernet".

Unlike rival readers (not that they have been that many) this EV-DO will be via Sprint's cellular network so will be an "always-on" connection, rather than leaving the user reliant on WLAN networks and hotspots. This will be free for owners, with no monthly contract.

This connectivity will mean users can hook up to the Amazon eBook store to buy books as well as subscribe to digital versions of the New York Times and other newspapers as well as magazines and RSS feeds.

Described as the thickness and size of slimmer paperbacks complete with keyboard, this will mean users can take notes, obviously search Amazon's online store, but also surf the wider web. It weighs around 10 ounces and can be read in bright sunlight.

Text and audiobooks are stored on built-in flash memory that holds about 200 titles and is expandable with an (unspecified) memory card. Battery life comes in at 30 hours as apparently the display only draws power when it is updating.

Operation looks easy with next and previous page buttons and a tiny scroll wheel and select button. The interface looks basic, but adequate, so it will be interesting to see if this device, which is going to receive a massive push from Amazon for Christmas, will finally bring eBooks into the mainstream.

The Kindle is available in the States now for $399, with around 90,000 books and titles ready to go costing from between $2 and $10. No word on a launch outside the States.