Just about every Internet user out there knows what Amazon is: just about the world's biggest and most successful e-commerce website/service. However, the people from Amazon weren't happy with just this status, and for this reason they've also decided to take things to a whole new level, launching back in the second half of 2007 their Kindle portable eBook reader, a device which might actually completely change the way in which the world perceives this particular concept.



The first major advantage of the Kindle, compared with pretty much any other reader out there, is the wireless connectivity. Practically, by including an EVDO module into their reader, Amazon has opened the gate for users to purchase books (or other types of content) directly from their website and regardless of location (well, as long as there's an active EVDO network in the respective area, of course). This seamless integration of the portable device and the online service is a marketing model that proved its success over time, the best example being that of Apple's iPod + iTunes combo.



Apart from the wireless connectivity, the Kindle pretty much resembles all of the similar products available on the market. The device has been equipped with a 6-inch E-Ink electronic paper display, which delivers a 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 4-level gray scale. Moreover, it sports a 256 MB internal flash memory (out of which 180 MB are available for user content), but this relatively small amount can always be expanded via an SD card slot (memory cards with capacities of up to 4 GB are supported).



The Kindle is powered by a rechargeable battery, which provides one day of normal functioning life (including wirelessly connecting to the Amazon store) or up to a whopping 1 week of operating life when the wireless module has been switched off. The recharge time is also quite short, namely just around 2 hours.



The portable eBook reader from Amazon supports a fairly wide range of formats, including here Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively and HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion. And since it supports MP3s, it also includes a 3.5 mm audio jack for connecting a pair of earphones, as well as a rear-mounted mono speaker.



The Amazon Kindle is not exactly a very cheap device, as it sells for around 360 US dollars, but it's so popular that one has to pre-order it, with the delivery times being relatively long, compared to most other products.