The Amazon Kindle — Should bloggers take notice?

Amazon is releasing a new electronic book reader: the Amazon Kindle. Similar to the Sony Portable Reader (which I own) the Kindle offers the same low battery consumption, very sharp black on semi-white background and a host of other features similar to the Sony Portable Reader. Matter of fact, under the covers I suspect the two devices are identical — at least they look that way based on the pictures I’ve seen. But should bloggers even care about this device?

The kicker about the Kindle — it’s an RSS reader too

The big difference between the two devices is that the Kindle has a small integrated keyboard and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos claims it is an RSS reader. Based on what little I know about the device (I saw a short segment on Good Morning America on ABC — ugh) users can wirelessly subscribe to an RSS feed, sync, and then read the latest posts anywhere they want regardless of Internet access. With that type of disconnected mobility, bloggers can only imagine how large their audiences could grow. Sitting in front of a computer to read a blog is one thing, being able to carry that blog around similar to a newspaper or regular book is a whole different thing. But is blog mobility enough to make you buy such a device?

Excited About the Possibilities with Serious Reservations

I’ve owned my Sony Portable Reader since July 2007 (I know, it’s not the Kindle but it’s close enough). I was extremely excited about being able to carry around a mountain of books in one small package with what was reviewed as being a beautiful display. Unfortunately, after playing around with the device for about a week, it’s back in it’s box collecting dust on my desk. Why is that?

Screen flicker: The display is “nice” but it’s not as great as early reviews claimed. The flicker you get when you flip to a new page quickly becomes annoying — enough so that you don’t want to turn the page.

Limited book selection: While Sony does offer a large selection of books from their electronic book service, the selection is still limited but Amazon could solve that problem — maybe. Remember, Amazon merely resells books, they have little control over the form in which those books get published so their entire book library won’t suddenly be available in electronic format.

No savings with an eBook: The price of an electronic book is simply insane. Once you remove the manufacturing, distribution, and storage costs, you’ve removed the majority of the expenses associated with a book. Unfortunately, the eBook consumer doesn’t see the savings that are obviously there. Jeff Bezos during his Good Morning America appearance did elude to lower cost for eBooks from Amazon, however, he failed to give specifics.

No way to share eBooks: I do collect some books but most books I’ve purchased I know I’ll never read again. In those cases, I usually list them on BookMooch.com or give them to family and friends to enjoy. Unfortunately, eBooks don’t appear to allow the same type of sharing. Anyone that wants to read an eBook has to buy their own copy, which can make reading eBooks an expensive way to consume the written word.

Nice idea, but it just won’t make it

Don’t get me wrong, I love the possibilities of eBooks and the Sony Portable Reader and more so for the Amazon Kindle. A portable RSS reader has incredible potential. Unfortunately, potential is all it will ever be. I just don’t see these devices catching on beyond the typical niche tech audience. None of the device’s features are compelling enough to make the average consumer hand over $199 to $399 for a device that is merely an empty electronic container. Without the books, it’s useless and very few people will spend that much money just to read blogs.