The Amazon Kindle was announced today and to me, the most important news isn't the E-ink support or the fact that you can store 200+ books on the device.  It's the use of Sprint's EV-DO network as a utility that you don't have to pay for (directly).  Whether or not the Kindle will be successful, it's a fantastic example of a standalone device with a backing service, available from just about anywhere.  I love the idea of the cellular networks "renting" out their services to devices like this without requiring a separate $49/mo data plan.  I'm sure Sprint gets a cut of the books sold since they provide the transport - and they're likely to be cash flow positive in the process.  Win-Win for everyone if the device is even mildly successful.

The model is actually in pretty stark contrast to Apple's iPhone which requires a Wi-Fi hotspot to purchase and download songs.  That thing has a cellular radio and a very expensive data plan, and it can't even connect to its own music store.  Crazy.  I really do think that 5-10 years from now, we'll all look back at the Kindle as the first device that made the "network in the sky" obvious.  It's just so futuristic ;)

So far, I'm really liking what I'm seeing with the Kindle.  The price is still way too high (as was the price of the original iPod) but the promise of a 10 ounce device that can store 200+ books is really... well, promising.  I likely won't jump on this bandwagon until the DRM scheme is ironed out though - the last thing I want to do is spend a bunch of money on "books" that are tied to one device.  One cool thing they're doing is associating the purchases with your Amazon ID which means you can re-download any book if you lose or upgrade the device.

Digital books are the future.  Just like I've cleared my home of all CDs and gone 100% digital, I can't wait to do the same thing with books.  It's the side of me that just hates having "stuff" everywhere.  When given the option between a physical artifact or a bunch of bytes, I almost always choose bytes.  But until Amazon promises that the books I buy from them can be read on my PC, Mac, or a device like the iPhone or Sony Reader, I'm not sure it's worth it to invest in the Kindle.  Make this one a no-brainer; I want to *own* the books just like I do now with paper.

By the way, I totally predicted this release back in July and as usual, I have to point that out :)  "The hardware will be much more appealing to book worms - possibly with digital pages that actually flip - and the fonts and rendering technology will be wondrous.  The dedicated device will be connected to the net for instant download (via an iTunes-like store, probably provided by Amazon.com and B&N) of new books, magazines, newspapers, and other types of content."

I've been saying for years that this is the next step for Amazon.  They were beaten to digital music, but books are their domain to own.

Read more -> Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device: Kindle Store