For a device that only uses power when it updates it's screen, I thought it would last for days.

As for the comments above: I'll choose a small, convenient device that can (in theory) contain hundreds or thousands of books anytime over a single paperback. And how difficult is it to release a waterproof version for reading in the bathtub?

Prediction: ebook is going to be BIG (hope this remark still shows up in Google in 2012)

eBook needs to be self powered in order to be practical. Whether using fuel cel, solar power, kinetic energy, or something. Otherwise, we have to wait for the next millenium for this technology to happen and by then it would be compact and damage proof. Today's eBook is like the steam power of yesterday.

Unfortunately, just as people laughed about the video iPod- saying who would pay for the tv show they watched last night- this is a distribution platform- and the keyboard is key to being able to search, order, possibly write- connecting you to the net. It's sort of like an iPod Touch with a much bigger screen- Amazon is working it's way into the home. Don't ignore this- newspapers should start to be very nervous.The Sony reader has a much better battery life thanks to its paper like screen- but- again- we need an open standard. Apple is probably closest with it iPhone/Touch products- but they need to expand to a large screen- and add books to the iTunes store- and they will have a home run. Remember- the iPod wasn't the first MP3 player either- don't count Apple out.

For travelers that still read traditional newspapers, this thing could be interesting, since you can subscribe to a newspaper and have it "delivered" to your Kindle every morning.

The format looks a bit clunky, and power consumption could be better, but ver1 and all that. Admittedly, if you turn off the "anything now? anything now?" always on wireless, they say a charge will last a week.

the constant wireless access isn't wi-fi, it's EVDO, and you don't pay any sort of subscription for it - it's a freely provided service. Makes it a piece of cake to order a book whenever it strikes you to get one, or to check their Wikipedia access, or look at a blog. This thing has potential... just can't wait for someone to hack it so you can access any web pages with it :)

I like some of the comments on here "i don't understand the demand for this", "i'm not sure epaper is the future", "Um yeah, someone wake me when people actually want digital eBook readers."

Haven't we heard very similar comments about cars, computers, walkmans, dvd players, digital cameras and numerous other devices that end up being incredibly useful?

Wake up, scotty321, because *I* want an ebook reader. I have 100s of PDF documents on my computer that I would like to take with me where ever I go and be able to reason them on a device that is about the same size as a paperback book.

docz, lets see if you can throw your laptop or desktop computer into a corner and then write on it in the bathtub, bend it etc. and it cost less than 2 bucks plus an extra 50c for a pencil. I'm describing a notebook, in case you didn't realise.

This amazon ebook reader isn't a paperback book, so obviously you can't do that all you wish, nor is your computer a pencil and notebook so you can't do all the above to your computer either. So no, I don't get your point.

Come on people, I thought we'd got past the "no one will want one" stage of human development. It's pretty obvious to all but the biggest Luddite that millions of people will want a device like this, not necessarily THIS device but one like it. I want one, for starters, and I'll either get this one or the Sony.

Welcome to the 21st century people!

paper is so 13th Century! As an avid newspaper reader who HATES having to deal with the massive amounts of paper after reading them (and YES I do recycle) this new e-book is a dramatic step in the right direction. The (free!) wireless abilities of this reader is the BIG news and while it's form factor may not be perfect, the idea is spot on. I would think the newspapers will eagerly EMBRACE this technology to decrease their costs/subscriber via less paper, ink and delivery costs...BRING THIS ON!

Idea is nice, features for v.1.0 are ok, but the look... it's ugly! Once coner thicker than the other, strange angular corners... They should really ask Apple to make it look nice! Then it could be iPod for book reading.

This is a good idea provided that the viewer doesn't cost too much, the ebook are in an open format and finally most importantly it must be as easy to read as a book. That is why I don't use ebooks yet for something other than a reference or containing code. It is much harder to read on a computer screen than via paperback.

this device is ugly. furthermore... it is ridiculous it doesn't support PDF and even more ridiculous you are charged 10¢ (per item) to even put YOUR OWN files on it. charging a $1 fee per RSS feed or blog is pretty absurd too.

the eBook i could see taking off at some point ... but this nickel and diming to death certainly isn't the way to get it popular.

remember there was no iTunes music store when the iPod was released.

As well as books (novels) they are touting newspapers and magazines, the display is not color. DOA. I agree we will eventually go down this road, but until it gives as rich an experience as paper it's a non starter.

I read about it at Amazon, and viewed their video. I am a big fan of e-book readers. I bought a Nuvomedia Rocket e-Book when they first came out. I'm currently using both a REB1100 (later version of the paperback-sized Rocket, B/W screen) and ETI's replacement for the large-screen REB1200 (color screen).

Despite the wireless capabilities of the Kindle and its very nice e-paper screen, I can't see ditching what I've got now and spending $400 for the Kindle. I can currently convert HTML, text, and Word files into non-DRM files readable by either of my readers -- and I don't have to pay for the privilege. I can even use available tools to convert non-DRM PDFs into text for further conversion into my readers' formats.

Admittedly, there's a paucity of best-sellers available for my readers, but then I don't read much that's on the best-seller list. What I do buy is generally less expensive than the $10 Amazon plans to charge (although I do give them credit for getting publishers to get it through their thick heads that no one wants to pay hardcover prices for a download).

What will it take to sell me a Kindle? Drop the price under $150, drop the DRM completely, add Wi-Fi (to let me connect to Amazon for purchases and to my own computer for personal downloads), and give me the tools to convert my own text -- including e-books I've already purchased from Baen, Fictionwise, etc. -- into the Kindle's format.