Amazon kindles e-book device market

IN a bid to kick-start the e-book market, online retailer Amazon.com has launched a wireless reader device with “electronic paper” features for downloading books, blogs, newspapers and magazines.

Called the Amazon Kindle, the device has a high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like paper – even in bright sunlight – and is priced at US$399 (A$452).

“Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands – to get out of the way – so you can enjoy your reading,” Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos said.

“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,” Mr Bezos said.

“No computer is needed – you do your shopping directly from the device.”
Kindle is lighter and thinner than a typical paperback and fits in one hand. Its built-in memory stores more than 200 titles, and hundreds more can be stored with an optional SD memory card.

The Amazon wireless delivery model in the US uses the mobile phone network, and books can be downloaded in less than a minute, while newspapers and blogs are delivered automatically to subscribers.

Amazon pays for the wireless connectivity bills for Kindle, so there are no monthly wireless fees, data plans, or service commitments for customers.

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FT charges for content, sort of

THE famed London masthead, the Financial Times, has announced a groundbreaking new system for charging users for accessing content, finding a middle ground between a subscription service and free content.

As part of a broad relaunch of the Financial Times Internet arm – FT.com – the company will expand the amount of content it offers free, but then to charge the user a subscription rate after a predetermined number of page views.

The new model will enable blogs, news aggregators and other websites to access FT.com content and link to it more freely. It replaces the current restrictions on access to business stories and premium content.

Users will be able to view a total of 30 FT articles per month – including news, columns, analysis and video content – after which they will be asked to pay a subscription. A “light touch” registration process kicks in after viewing five articles.

“Our new access model means FT.com is open for business in a new way,” said FT.com publisher and managing editor Ien Cheng.

“Other publishers have been caught in a stark choice between free versus paid. We are now offering a third way, in which you only pay if you want more than 30 articles per month.”

The figure of 30 page views was not random, but rather based on detailed analysis of FT.com user patterns, Mr Cheng said.

The changes come into effect in the middle of October.

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