Hmm...can't imagine giving up the feel of the slick book cover in my hands, the colorful, creative artwork on both covers, scrutinizing the authors b&W photo on the back, the crisp feel of new pages, that 'new book' smell that's like nothing else.
Can't imagine not having the joy of actually turning pages and holding my breath to see if indeed the main character figured out 'whodunnit' and the following resounding smack and sigh of satisfaction on closing the book after the last page.
What about the amazing crackle of a newspaper? The snap and rustle of the oversized pages when shaking them to get them under control, the slick, cool circular adds tucked like secrets between the middle folds? The musty yet sharp smell of the paper and ink and even the inky residue left on my hands after devouring the ENTIRE sunday paper? Heady stuff!
CAN only too well imagine the nasty headache from trying to read too long on a little computer screen...
I think a reader will actually take away from the reading experience unless it's maybe a technical manual or something similar.
On a rainy day I'm gonna be expected to sit in front of a crackling fire buried under a fluffy, soft blanket and curl up with a good.... hand-held computer?!?! (Isn't that in essence what a reader is?)
Nah! This product will not for me or any of my reading circle buddies across the world. Nothing could ever replace the reading and FEELING an actual paper-and-ink BOOK whether hard or soft back for me and I imagine other voracious readers like me out there!
What's next, virtual gormet dinners?!??! No calories but also no pleasure?? Ha!

I totally uinderstand the apprehension but why not let the people decide if KINDLE will work or not.

Besides, this is one of the areas where I commend SPRINT in spending their good hard marketing dollars as this educational.

While “the iPod of …” has become a cliché to describe any product with a semblance of distilled design sensibilities emanating from Cupertino, there is one fundamental strategic reason why Kindle won’t be like the iPod: content. The iPod had it, Kindle doesn't. Read why here:

"Why is the new Kindle eBook reader from Amazon and not Apple?"
http://counternotions.com/2007/11/19/kindle-vs-iphone/

As a long-time and always satisfied Amazon buyer, and as a stock holder since it was at $3, I was looking forward to the Kindle. Now that I'm seen it, I'm a little disappointed. It's not the price--it's not for everyone; the ones that want something like it can afford $399. But I see at least two problems:

1. (I'm assuming, I've not seen otherwise) No images. Downloading a newspaper is neat, but without the images, why not just use your iPhone and link to the paper with Safari?

2. More importantly, how do you store this thing? It's too big to carry in your shirt pocket. Are we supposed to carry it by hand everywhere we go? If so, I can see it easily being forgotten and left behind in a public place. Are we supposed to take it into the public bathroom stalls at restaurants with us? A book I brought to the restaurant I leave behind on the table. A $399 very portable computer? I don't know about that. Too bulky to fit into most women's purses easily. Does every potential purchaser have to be of the backpack generation? If the idea is to only use it at home, it loses a lot of its allure.

For those who can't forsee giving up the look and feel of a hardcover, or even paperback book. I can remember the same thing being said about the transition from LP record albums to the smaller CDs. The artwork, some with several book-like pages, was going to be too difficult to part with. Not only did we part with it, but now even the tiny CD cover artwork is vanishing in an all-digital music delivery. The real success of a eBook reader will only come when the monopolistic hold on academic books is broken. Can you imagine a college student who wouldn't gladly plunk down $400 for a device that will hold all his textbooks for his entire college career? Not to mention for $10 a book. I think that's like one or two semesters of books at current prices. Now extend that to highschools.... Hello mainstream.

I just got this wonderful Kindle today. Fast to learn and I have already subscribed to one magazine and a newspaper.
I also bought two books--fast to receive by wireless!
I love the fact that I can store so many books and read them in however large print I want on a screen that is easy and restful on the eyes!
I will be RVing fulltime in the near future and now all my book friends will only take a small space of one paperback book!
Price--worth every buck! I just LOVE it!

One review said there are currently 100 of 112 current NY Times bestsellers available. To me, that means hardcover books. I'll happily spend $10 for the privilege of no longer having to wait until the book is in paperback. Cheaper would be better but I suspect much of that goes to the author/publisher.

On another review there was a picture of a Kindle showing the NY Times complete with front page photo (someone stated concern about no images).

It'll be easier to select books this way. For instance, it'll be nice to have a list of all the current NY Times best sellers right at my fingertips.

On trying to justify purchase, here are some bullet statements that are residing on my iMac desktop:

.  Wireless - No computer, No cables - < 1 minute book download
    .  Simply click, buy, and read. (even if you're in the airport or sitting in a park)
   
.  High resolution display - Sharp B&W screen called Electronic Paper
    .  Reflects like paper - No backlight - No PDA like glare - No eyestrain
    .  Lighter and thinner than a paperback

.  No monthly fees except for newspapers or magazines - Amazon pays for the wireless connectivity

.  Dictionary allows word lookup while reading, and allows free wireless access to Wikipedia

.  You can read the first chapter of any book for free before you decide to buy

I want one. I think it'll fly. I'm usually right about determining which electronic toys will make good. To me, this is a no-brainer.

Meh. This thing'll be a footnote, for several reasons.

1 - in an era of convergence, people's tolerance for another gadget to carry around will be even lower than latterly. And in an era of progressive miniaturisation, this think already looks big.

2 - content. Amazon really needed an attention grabber here, along the lines of a library of open copyright classics available free. Instead you have an expensive gadget, where all the content comes at what looks like a premium price. Meanwhile, the price points of actual, you know, books on Marketplace continues inexorably downwards. So, comparatively the price of their e-book offerings look more expensive by the week/month. They really needed some cheap back catalogue stuff, too.

3 - name. Kindle - what were they thinking? I know, they mean as in imagination. But it just conjures up images of bookburning, which isn't clever when you're marketing something to people to whom that's going to be particularly repugnant. All I can think is it expresses Amazon's unconscious attitude to physical books. "Enough with these warehouse hogging zero-margin things, already."

I feel the Kindle will be a successful product. I have been using PDA's for over a decade now and feel the Kindle is missing many great PDA features.

That being said though, it is a good thing that many PDA features are missing cause this is an Ebook reader and that is what I want in the end. Not a multipurpose device like a PDA since I already have zillions of them.

The most important aspect is that you can purchase and download books wirelessly from anywhere the carriers signal is available with no added shipping, downloading or carrier service charges.

I have posted more positive comments about the Kindle at www.technobrains.com