Will Amazon re-"kindle" the joy of reading?

Amazon.com today introduced the Amazon "Kindle", a portable reader that wirelessly downloads books, blogs, magazines and newspapers to a high-resolution electronic paper display that "looks and reads like real paper", even in bright sunlight.

More than 90,000 books are now available in the Kindle Store, including 101 of 112 current New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases. Kindle is available starting at $399 (£194) at http://amazon.com/kindle.

"We've been working on Kindle for more than three years. Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands -- to get out of the way -- so you can enjoy your reading," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. "We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Kindle is wireless, so whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds. No computer is needed -- you do your shopping directly from the device. We're excited to make Kindle available today."

Books can be downloaded in less than a minute and magazines, newspapers, and blogs are delivered to subscribers automatically. Amazon pays for the wireless connectivity for Kindle so there are no monthly wireless bills, data plans, or service commitments for customers.

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