And, maybe some things you didn’t know about the Kindle.

[Image Credit: Boy Genius Report]

The above picture is the Kindle and the reported Kindle 2 prototype.

I got the Amazon Kindle a few months ago. So, I have a few comments and thoughts on the device and the future of eBooks. I have used it at home and during by travels as well. First, let me summarize the positives and negatives:

What I Like

> The number one thing about the Kindle for me is that it is backed by Amazon, and Amazon is amassing a ton to A-list books supported by the Kindle. It does not matter how cool the reader is if the book selection is bad.
> You can cary tons of books with you (it also has SD slot, so you can up the memory the same way you add memory to your digital camera)
> You can adjust font size (ever get a book with annoyingly small font? I hate that. Not a problem with the Kindle)
> Plays audiobooks - Amazon owns Audible now, and Kindle plays Audible audio books
> Wireless downloading of books - this is very cool - and the wireless connectivity comes from a mobile phone network - so it works in areas with mobile coverage
> Plays MP3s (only in random order, but it is a start)
> Surfs the web from almost anywhere (ok for reading sites/ blogs) Use the “mobile” (as in, designed for mobile phones) versions of sites for the Kindle and it will work better.
> All books that you downloaded are saved on Amazon for future download if you upgrade Kindle or lose your old Kindle, etc…
> Form factor: The form factor beats books hands-down. It is light and flat and you can turn pages with one hand. This is a big noticeable difference for me.
> Annotate: You can “bend” the page corner to save a page, highlight, and annotate in text throughout books. (all searchable across books)
> Search across all your books on the Kindle, dictionary, Wikipedia, and the Web.
> Support for PDF. I like how I can send an email with PDF or Text attachments and they will show up on the Kindle. Or you can just upload them into the Kindle through the USB connection, or drop them directly on the SD card.
> Wall Street Journal: I like that you can subscribe to periodicals and they will show up on the device wirelessly when they are published. This is pretty cool.

Opportunities for Improvement
> Design: The weird thing is that just making it black would add a few points of attractiveness AND would make the text pop more.
(Maybe it costs a lot more to create a black plastic casing?)
> More Design: The placement of the buttons make it difficult to NOT turn pages.
> Design: Did I mention design?
> Allow the user to select a font, not just the size of the font
> Charge from the USB connection
> Allow you to purchase anything from the Amazon store. (It is locked in to only allow you to find Kindle supported books and periodicals.)
> Create a social network integrated with Shelfari.com where you can share what you are reading
> Better MP3 Support
> Wifi Connectivity, so the download speed is fast enough to download MP3s and audiobooks (right now, you have to load them to the Kindle from your computer, only)
> Price: Needs to be cheaper

I understand design and technical limitations. Below are limitations that may be difficult to tackle:
> Magazine/ Newspaper reading: We are all used to the larger form-factor of the magazine, The Kindle’s form factor is optimized for book reading, and does not fit for magazines as well.
> Color/ Images: This is not a big deal for reading most books, the Kindle will show basic black and white images decently. But, you will not have beautiful color images- it is optimized (eInk) for text.

There are a few things that are different in the world of eBooks to think about:

> You can’t put the books out on a bookshelf to discuss and lend - this is something that could perhaps be remedied with a social network feature.
> You can’t have authors sign a copy. I am not a big fan of having books signed, but on that rare occasion when I would want a signed book, the eBook version of course can’t allow this.
> Books are a lot more disposable and replaceable than ebooks.
> You don’t have to re-charge a book.
> Price: Again, the price is high. For avid readers, the price point is starting to make more sense, though, considering ebooks are cheaper at Amazon.

How has it impacted my reading?

It is easier to hold and easier to read than a standard book. It actually stays flat, is easy to hold, and creates clear, solid text that is easy to read. It actually makes reading more enjoyable and I read faster when I am reading on it.

Designing the Future of eBooks

The thing to remember when deigning eBooks is that the reading experience is the main thing, but there are actually other secondary things around books that need to be thought through.

5 Design Areas

I would sub-divide the design around 5 areas, and get really good at all 5:

1) The reading experience: Kindle is making good progress here. How doses the text look? Is it easy to turn pages when I want to? How enjoyable is it to read?
2) The annotating experience: This one is difficult, but you need to be able to easily annotate, so maybe some additional thinking to make this as easy as possible.
3) The social experience: Think about all the ways people use books in social ways, like: “trophies”/ conversation pieces, book signing, book sharing.
4) The platform (includes connectivity and content): The Kindle is ahead here. How will people obtain content? How easy will it be and will it support all the things I want to read?
5) The physical experience: How do people want to carry it, hold it, transport it? How can it be deigned to look appealing?

The market that may be really compelling with a larger physical design and better annotations - for the academic market. I believe I read some speculations that Amazon may target that market. This is of course assuming, they can get contracts set up with the publishers.

Overall I think that this is a great first version and future versions will get a lot more compelling. As the price drops, if you are a reader, you may want to check it out, also. I am glad Amazon is creating this product and taking the risk this early in the evolution of ebooks.