Hot off the press: a quick post to say that Amazon just launched Kindle, a book / magazine / newspaper reader that uses e-ink technology, just like the Sony Reader. Following the launch of movie and DRM-free MP3 downloads, Amazon is aggressively pursuing digital distribution opportunities.
What’s interesting though is that it has wireless capability, not through wi-fi hotspots but through the Sprint EVDO wireless data network. There is no subscription necessary to download content so the deal with Sprint must be about revenue sharing. Mmm… I guess international roaming is not an option then.
At $399 it may be on the expensive side but Amazon is probably only interested in getting the product in the hands of early adopters at this stage.
Categories: innovation · newspaper
Tagged: Amazon, EVDO, Kindle, reader, Sony, sprint
Came across this short photo gallery on the Guardian that shows how the iPod evolved over time. What will the iPod look like in 2013?
Mobile phones and MP3 players are probably the most fascinating examples of the pace of technological innovation. The pace may not be that different from that of Moore’s law, which was invariably demonstrated when the computing power of microprocessors doubled every 18 months or so. But just like what the advertising emphasized, it was “(Intel) inside”. Nowadays everyone makes sure that innovation is clearly visible on the outside.
Talking of the Guardian, they launched their US edition – Guardian America – at the end of October. A bold international expansion move at a time when most newspapers are either shrinking or reinventing themselves as multimedia content conglomerates (like the New York Times company).
It is still to early to see if this formal launch helped increase their US reach (currently around 2M monthly visits), but we should revisit this in a few months when audience data becomes available.
Categories: apple · guardian · ipod · media · newspaper
Tagged: apple, guardian, guardian UK, ipod, media, newspaper
