Amazon's official word on US Kindle 2 / Google magazines

Official word on the U.S. Kindle 2 - Chip Brown of SmarTrend writes

' ...Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle Director Russell Baker confirmed [at the Open Mobile Summit] that the company will no longer sell the Sprint Nextel-powered kindle..., according to a FierceWireless article.
  The company will continue to support the Sprint-powered devices already in service but is looking to focus its efforts on its GSM-based Kindle e-reader that uses the AT&T (NYSE:T) network, which can be used internationally.  Baker said that Amazon decided it was too confusing to sell one that works internationally and another that doesn't. '

This has been clear for a few weeks but it's good that Amazon has finally made a statement about it - especially about the continued support.

  Refurbished U.S. Kindle units continue to be sold, however, and might be preferred choices for some who live in areas that have good Sprint wireless access but no AT&T reception.

GOOGLE BROWSING OF MAGAZINES


This feature (older issues and sample ones, from what I saw) now has its own page.  This is not a Kindle item but I thought some might be interested.

Article on Amazon's "customer focused" operation
It begins:

' Though it's far from giving the store away, Amazon has responded to the recession by keeping prices low and keeping up its good deals on shipping.  Revenue soared 16% for the first half of the year, and the company shredded third-quarter expectations with earnings surging by 69% '

Kindle and Sprint/AT&T coverage / A borrowed Nook? UPDATE

UPDATE 11/6/09 - Original posting 11/3/09.
I have time to do only minimal reading when I get a connection, but I did get on just now and saw a new article re the Nook's problems with more details. I had not read about the more recent meetings between B&N and Spring, which I think is difficult for B&N while trying to release this product. It's from The Examiner. (San Francisco).  The newer information described this:

' Court documents state that Spring Design shared its design for its upcoming Alex ereader with a Barnes and Noble consultant on February 17 of this year, five days after both companies signed a non-disclosure agreement. On March 20, representatives from Spring Design met with the head of Barnes and Noble’s software development department, Ravi Gopalakrishnan. During the meeting, Mr. Gopalakrishnan allegedly stated that Barnes and Noble wanted a product that would compete with Amazon’s Kindle.

Spring Design alleges that a series of meetings between the two companies were then held in April and May, with several Barnes and Noble executives in attendance. During one of the meetings, representatives from Spring Design allegedly gave a product demonstration and showed a Powerpoint video of its Alex ereader to B&N.com president William Lynch and B&N CFO Kevin Frain. Spring Design alleges that Mr. Frain warned the company to avoid partnering with Amazon for content, due to the concern that Amazon would steal Spring Design’s idea for its ereader.

Spring Design alleges that Barnes and Noble made contact in July, requesting a summary of Spring Design’s product development. Barnes and Noble then held a meeting with Spring Design’s CEO on October 1 in order to discuss the possibility of revenue sharing for the Alex in the university textbook market. In its court filing, Spring Design alleges that Barnes and Noble “made no mention during that meeting or any other meeting with Spring that it was actually in the process of developing a device with many of the product features contained in the Spring design.” '

---

I'm still on vacation, this time near Petra in Jordan and won't be back at the main computer for another week and there's not much time to get on, even if I can.  BUT I got on tonight and did some reading.

1. A PC World article proclaimed the current Sony Touch Edition superior to the Kindle without knowing that the Kindle has free 24-hr web access to sites everywhere, for U.S. residents, though it is far better to access mainly-text sites, since it is slow otherwise, and the writer assumed one can buy books only from Amazon, which regular readers of this blog know is completely untrue.  A Gizmodo reviewer who actually has used the Kindle and the Sony has good detail in his write-up, which I included a link to within an earlier blog entry.

  International customers now get Wikipedia free 24/7, which no other e-reader is offering, very useful for students or people who like to look up info.

2. Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader won't exist as an actual useable product until December, and yet some writers consider it preferable to the Kindle, without ever seeing how it functions -- the attraction is based almost entirely on its looks, with a color LCD screen (battery drainer) for browsing books (or ads) below the b&w e-ink reading screen, although the fact that it will read ePub direct is a big plus.  The Kindle requires a conversion for that.

  Library rentals may be possible, but there is conflicting information from B&N on that. Loans to friends for 2 weeks will be a feature though some publishers have resisted this.

  It definitely will not have free 24/7 web access for U.S. residents (and Japan, Hong Kong, Mexico) as the Kindle does (worth at least $30/mo.).   Nor will it read books, articles, documents, etc., to you (though some would prefer it didn't).

  In the meantime, a company is suing Barnes & Noble for what it considers theft of the color LCD feature, as they showed it to B&N last January and B&N signed a non-disclosure agreement on that.

3. Getting to the first subject of the title, some have worried that our Kindle 2's and DX's will be negatively affected by the AT&T contract but assurances have been given to some customers that Sprint converage will continue for these domestic models.   Some comments to forums and to this blog in some of the entries indicate that if AT&T access isn't available in your area it will try to get another connection for you.

A US resident currently in Germany found she could use her web browser there.  We don't know if that was intended since wireless rates are higher there.

Others in the U.S. report that AT&T may not be available in their area while Sprint is, and vice versa.  When I get back I'll be looking into this.  In the meantime, here's one interesting thread with a lot of different experiences reported.

Kindle 2's UK launch announcement said to be next week

Bookseller.com says today that "authoritative sources" report that Amazon will announce next week the arrival of the Kindle 2 to the UK, finally.

' One source told The Bookseller: "The key things they needed to tie up have been tied up.  The rumours I've heard are all saying next week."  The source confirmed that publishers had signed non disclosure agreements so would not be able to comment on the record.  But added: "I've heard it from multiple reliable sources.  I think they want to avoid the general kerfuffle of Frankfurt."

Qualcomm has been working on a wireless solution in the U.K. for the Kindle 2.

The article SEEMS to have an error though, in saying that Qualcomm provides the whispernet service for Amazon in the U.S. -- it's Sprint that does.  While the two companies have worked together on some projects and Sprint will support Qualcomm's "Brew" platform, they're separate companies and Sprint is the Whispernet provider in the U.S.  Qualcomm created the CDMA methodology by which Sprint operates and provides the service for Amazon here in the U.S.

After seeing how UK e-reader-interested people are on many Kindle forums and getting the Kindle the harder way (through numerous workarounds and not being able to use wireless with them but wanting the Kindle's other notable [study] features), the device will have an eager market.