Heavy backpacks filled with bulky textbooks and newspapers may soon be a thing of the past with the new venture from Amazon.com, Kindle. Kindle is a portable device featuring a high-resolution screen and wireless connectivity that allows users to download thousands of books, newspapers, magazines and blogs instantly. Think of it as an iPod for books.
Like the iPod, Kindle has a lot of room. According to Amazon.com, the product can store more than 200 titles. It’s also sleek, weighing in at just more than 10 ounces, and it charges in two hours, with its battery life lasting for about a week with WiFi off.
All of this appeals to Denver, Colo., junior Ava Dinges. “I think it’s amazing. I think everything is going to electric, and it’s about time textbooks catch up,” Dinges says. “It’ll be an adjustment, but eventually people will wonder how we ever carried around books. It will also save a lot of resources because we’re not printing as much.”
Prices are also comparable to iTunes, with most popular books available for $9.99 and monthly newspaper subscriptions ranging from $9.99 to $13.99. A monthly magazine subscription for Kindle is usually only a few dollars.
While the content prices are within reason, getting Kindle will set you back $399, and the product is so popular that it’s currently on back order.
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