Amazon Kindle technology is perhaps the greatest revolution in e-reading. It has drastically changed the way we read. It has enabled users to shop for, download, browse, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and other digital media.
Kindle- as the name implies- has truly lighted a fire.
Branding consultant Michael Cronan who named the product must not have dreamed this success. Kindle First Generation, priced at USD 399 each, sold out in five and a half hours. After that people have to wait for 5 months to get their Kindles.
Little History
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| Kindle First Generation |
Kindle: First generation
This device measured 6 inches corner to corner with 4-level grayscale display. It came with 250 MB of internal memory expandable via an SD card slot.
It couldn't be sold outside the United States for lack of suitable wireless network operators.
It was an "Instant Hit." Released and sold out on November 19, 2007.
Kindle: Second generation
Released in United States on February 23, 2009. It was slimmer and priced at $359. On July 8, 2009, Amazon reduced the price to $299 and on October 7, 2009 to $259.
It came with 2 GB of internal memory out of which you can access only 1.4 GB. No expandable memory slot. It can hold about 1500 non-illustrated books.
Main features- a text-to-speech option to read the text aloud.
Kindle: International
It was released in October 2009. It came with "Pearl E-ink" technology, a higher contrast screen and was available to 100 countries. It used standard GSM and 3G GSM mobile technology.
On June 21, 2010, Barnes & Noble lowered the price of its Nook, so Amazon lowered Kindle price to $189.
On June 21, 2010, Barnes & Noble lowered the price of its Nook, so Amazon lowered Kindle price to $189.
Kindle: DX
It came with a price of $489 and a larger screen and supported simple PDF files. It was also the thinnest and landscape - portrait orientations enabled.
Kindle DX Graphite
It came with a price of $379. The name comes from its "graphite" case color.
Kindle: Third generation
Kindle Keyboard
It is referred by reviewers, customers and press companies as the "K3" or the "Kindle 3." Priced at US$139 / GB£111, it came with 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity and a larger 1,750 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery. The Kindle Keyboard was received very well among reviewer and customers.
An ad-supported version, the "Kindle with Special Offers" was introduced on May 3, 2011 with a lower price point of $114 and then $99.
Kindle: Fourth generation
Kindle Touch
On September 28, 2011; it was available with Wi-Fi ($99 ad-supported, $139 no ads) or Wi-Fi/3G connectivity ($149 ad-supported, $189 no ads). You can connect to the Amazon Kindle Store Via 3G, download ebooks and periodicals, and access Wikipedia.
Kindle Fire
This Android-based tablet with a color touch screen came to the market on September 28, 2011. It was priced at $199 and the same price continues as on date. It has a 7-inch IPS display, no E Ink display. It has 8GB of internal storage(no SD card slot) and a projected battery life of up to eight hours.
Impact on Environment
It is estimated that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species everyday due to rainforest deforestation. It amounts to 50,000 species a year. It is also known that 80% of the world's known biodiversity could be found in tropical rainforests. Forests support biodiversity, providing habitat for wildlife and medicinal conservation.
On an estimate we cut down 3 billion to 6 billion trees per year clearing 60,000 square kilometers. On a rough average, 24 trees are cut to produce a ton of printing and writing paper. Now a paperless office will not do, we need to think of paperless homes.
So, what if we read our books in a Kindle?
Give your child a Kindle
"We haven't inherited the earth from our ancestors, we have merely borrowed it from our children!" Ancient Proverb
Let's start with a paperless and book-less home and let's start with our own home. Let's start with giving our child a Kindle.
