Well, it’s not an Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) product but you might call it an iPod for books: Joseph Weisenthal from our sister site PaidContent was at the launch of Kindle, a digital book reader from Amazon. The details: It costs $399, weighs 10.3 ounces device, with dimensions of a paperback and a six-inch screen. Kindle can hold as many as 200 books with 30 hours of reading on a charge. About 88,000 digital books will be on sale at the Kindle store on launch, with new books are priced generally around $9.99. It can also access the Internet via wireless, and one can subscribe to blogs at either 99 cents or $1.99 a month per blog. The bottom line:

“Although Amazon’s been working on this for awhile, this is very much a first-generation product. It’s not going to revolutionize the industry overnight, though it sounds like Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) is going to take this business seriously and continue to invest in it. It seems safe to guess that in a couple years, the top-of-the-line Kindle will be a much-improved product. The concept is definitely sound. (Jeff) Bezos’ speech had most of the audience pretty enthusiastic about the device—the problem is the gap between the description and the device itself. With some improvements to the display and a more intuitive navigation system, it could become an attractive product, even at the price.”

Our coverage:
—@ Kindle Launch: Amazon’s Book Reader Unveiled
—@ Kindle Launch: Understanding the Business Model; Still Some Unanswered Questions
—First Look: Amazon’s Kindle Reader: The Gap Between Description and The Device

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