Based on the price of this one, I think we'll see the small Kindle go down in price soon. Because right now it doesn't make any sense to buy the small one.
I still wont' buy one, chances are they'll release a color version in a couple of months, thats the next obvious step
Based on the price of this one, I think we'll see the small Kindle go down in price soon. Because right now it doesn't make any sense to buy the small one.
I have a story that supports this. My Mom just bought the Kindle 2 last night for my Dad's birthday. I called her this morning and told her about this new one and she immediately canceled and ordered this one. The main reason - with a bigger screen he can boost the font size a little bit more and maybe not have to wear his reading glasses. This may not be a big deal for our generation, but it is for our parent's generation.
The problem here is that nobody can release a similar device and get adoption because they don't have the content. Similar to iTunes and the iPod. I'm pretty sure this is going to be a device monopoly.
The only people that could pull off a licensing deal would be Barnes and Noble or Borders and they don't seem to be in a position to do that. At least Apple has the Zune Store as competition (as much as it sucks). Amazon's going to have nothing. Sony can't compete on device technology alone without the ability to get content onto those devices easily.
If the release comes from Japan, it will start in Japan, with Japanese content. Tie-ups with B&N would be a good deal for both sides. The Japanese have talked about this for years. One of the first targets would be the newspaper publishers. They have the infrastructure to pull off a wireless distribution channel from the train stations. (curiously this didn't happen with Sony).
I still wont' buy one, chances are they'll release a color version in a couple of months, thats the next obvious step