Thumb keyboard EVDO 30 hour battery life 2 hour recharge time 10.3 ounces 4.9 inches x 7.5 inches x 0.7 inches, 800×600 pixel SD Slot for storage (from early specs) USB 2.0 (from early specs) Uses E Ink technology (high contrast display – needs no backlighting) Adjustable Font size Can hold over 200 books Can search books for phrase or name 3.5 stereo headphone jack
Even with all of that it looks to us like it is going to be a really hard to justify this thing. Why? Because most of this functionality already exists in a product already out in the marketplace called the iPod touch. The iPhone features add even more to this. The books metaphors aren’t enough to switch us. The E-ink technology is the only redeeming technology and it looks to be something exciting for people outdoors or with little access to power. Overall though, we aren’t looking for another device to add to the man-purse.
When you compare the hardware, its not even close. The iPod is thinner and about 1/3 the area but with more than 2/3rds of the screen – and more importantly it is something you can put in your pocket. The screen is really easy to read (although the Kindle has a low voltage high contrast screen that will stay legible longer). The Kindle’s ability to resize fonts won’t impress anyone who has pinched and panned on an iPod. More importantly, the iPhone allows you to do many other functions – without carrying ten devices around with you. While the Kindle is going to have an underpowered browser, the iPhone has a full Webkit Safari. When you start getting into Youtube and Photos and Email it isn’t even fair. Its like putting together the best high schoolers from around the nation and playing them against the New England Patriots. The iPod comes in at less than the Kindle with much more RAM at $299, the iPhone and 16gb iPod match the Kindle’s $399 pricetag. Jeff Bezos sums it up best: “This isn’t a device, it’s a service.” Update: Forbes is thinking the same thing
