Amazon recently introduced what may be a real gadget breakthrough for electronic books. The Amazon Kindle electronic book was introduced on December 6, 2007. At first, we had our doubts about the ability for this electronic book to succeed where others have not. But after taking a good look at it, it just might be one of the most well thought-out gadgets to be introduced in 2007.

To start, the Kindle weighs just 10.3 ounces and is slightly smaller and lighter than a typical paperback book. It holds about 200 complete books in memory and can hold more with an additional SD memory card. Amazon claims that it currently offers over 90,000 books, each of which can be downloaded with a wireless connection to the Amazon Kindle store. Most current releases sell for $9.99, which is far less than a hardcover book. Older books and some classics sell for as low as $1.99.

The Kindle has a very clear and easy-to-read screen that looks very similar to actual printed pages. The 167 DPI screen uses a chemical imaging technology called E Ink. The display is amazingly easy on the eyes.

Books are selected and downloaded using a wireless connection to an Internet-based system called Amazon Whispernet. Amazon claims that you can download any book in less than a minute. You can also subscribe to popular business publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The New York Times, Time and Atlantic Monthly. The costs for these publications are very reasonable, and are a great convenience if you travel a lot. In fact, a frequent traveler will probably appreciate the Kindle more than most because of the ability to keep up with all of their reading without having to lug books, newspapers and magazines on every trip.

The wireless Internet connection is also a nice feature, but its use is limited because it breaks most web pages into numerous small pages, which can be annoying to read.

Amazon claims that you can get up to 30 hours on a single charge, which means that is is possible to do an around-the-world trip and still have battery life to spare. A full charge takes two hours.

The only downside issues that we see are the lack of ability to cruise the Interent like a standard browser. The price may also seem a little steep, but if you travel a lot, the Kindle pays for itself quickly. When I used to travel regularly on business from the USA to Japan and Hong Kong, I always brought 5 books to read on each trip. At today’s prices for books, that ads up quickly.

For more information, see the Kindle at: