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If you're a keen reader you'll no doubt be keen on the Kindle. This electronic book
-- or ebook -- reader from Amazon.com is finally available to Australians and promises to deliver
any book you choose from a vast online library, within 60 seconds. And the slim profile and
light weight makes it easy to carry with you and dip into a book any time you like.
The Kindle -- now at version two -- uses a 3G wireless connection to the Amazon online
store to buy books and download them directly to the device for a flat fee with no additional
cost for the wireless transfer.
While that's pretty impressive, the drawback of this system is that you can only purchase
books from Amazon.com and Australia doesn't have access to Amazon's full ebook range,
due to regional restrictions by publishers -- who assign rights to ebooks on a country
by country basis.
However, Amazon says that more than two hundred and eighty thousand ebook titles are available,
along with international newspapers and magazines. Outside of America, users pay two dollars
more per book, with best sellers costing about twelve dollars and older titles less than
half that.
The device uses electronic ink to display crisp, clear text on a six-inch monochrome
screen that's impressively easy to read even in full sunlight, with little reflection.
But the screen isn't backlit, so while it's as easy to read as a printed page, it suffers
similarly in low-light conditions.
Unfortunately, the screen isn't touch-sensitive either. Navigation buttons on both sides and
a small five-way joystick let you page through a book or go to any part, though this can
feel a bit sluggish at times. It takes a bit of getting used to, especially for anyone
used to the sort of multi-touch control that's becoming more common on smartphones and laptops.
Likewise for the tiny little buttons on the built-in keypad, used for searching and typing
notes.
Electronic bookmarks, text clippings and note taking on the device increases its versatility
and you can also transfer your own personal documents onto the Kindle for later reading.
The Kindle itself can only be purchased online directly from Amazon.com via a special page
for Australian buyers and it's priced at two hundred and fifty-nine dollars, U.S. Unlike
the American version, which ships with a mains power adapter, the Australian version only
comes with a USB cable for charging from a PC, and surprisingly, you can't use it with
USB-AC adapters like the one that comes with the iPhone - we already tried that.
Verdict To sum up, the Kindle is notable for its relatively
low price and easy-to-use direct wireless access to the Amazon.com online bookstore,
but being limited to Amazon is a restriction that its competitors don't suffer from.
It has focused attention on ebooks, which are finally starting to take off after several
slow years, and that's a good thing, but whether it can succeed against stiff competition from
multipurpose devices like full-colour touchscreen smartphones remains to be seen.
We're giving it three stars.