Yes, we've heard this before, especially when Sony came out with a digital ready a couple of years ago, but Amazon has a little more at stake, and, so they say, have taken 3 years to develop the Kindle. More importantly, what caught my attention was the Kindle sold out the day of release, and they reportedly had more units than Sony released.
Could this be the start of a true, digital media presentation? A week ago, I would have said 'no', but after the hype, the reviews (significantly), and the sell out, it might be finally turning this way.
In education, what rammifications are there for us? The option to have texts in digital format may greatly help schools save money, keep inventory for students (how many $80 science texts come back bashed up each year) and save student's backs as they pack up for home each night. Post secondary institutions will have to offer digital versions of texts to their students at a discounted cost; it's only a matter of time.
What was needed was a good, efficient, usable, user-friendly digital reader on the market to kick-start this movement. No, I do not think the hard copy textbook or novel will ever go away, at least in my lifetime, but this does open up an interesting option.
You can read more about the Kindle from Amazon, a review on Cnet, a review from PCWorld, a comparison of the Kindle and Sony's reader, and a lengthy article from Newsweek. Popular Mechanics also has a review with video.
2 comments:
I'm coming in a year late - BUT, I tried to order the Kindle online and guess what - they don't ship to Canada. The question is - does it even work in Canada? It's a great idea and one that I think has potential in the classroom, for people in administration who read lots and for central office to support district wide. Just - how do we get one???
Turns out the Kindle is only really functional in the US, and not everywhere in the US. Kindle gets material from a Sprint-based network called 'Whispernet' but can update via computer USB connection. In the US, within Sprint's Whispernet's area , access to Kindle products never needs a computer connection. Because of Canada's laggard 3G rollout, wireless coverage, even beyond Sprint, is not up to snuff.
Some have tried to obtain a Kindle outside the US under the promise that a USB connection would suffice to get the material, but it seems Sprint and Kindle have some restrictive agreements that do not allow non-US based users from purchasing. Turns out it's not a shipping issue, but a contractual issue.
Hopefully, as 3G access grows in Canada, Kindle will enter the market through a different agreement with a Canadian provider. Once again, the Canadian WiFi and 3G lack of infrastructure has hindered Canadian consumers. Rogers release of the 3G iPhone brings us hope that the Canadian infrastructure may improve, but we are well behind much of the 'have' countries.
Search Google for more info, and watch the Kindle site (and here) for release info.
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