After ten years, are e-books really starting to take hold? The New York Times story suggests sales are on the rise. Earlier stories agree. Why? The beauty of the format is the convenience.  Now, we just need more readers.

        

The blog The Kindle published an overview of several Jeff Bezos 2007 interviews. Switch promises to do the same for 2008 interviews.

My favorite quote, “The book is so highly evolved that it disappears when you’re reading - all that remains is the author’s world. This became our top design objective for the Kindle.”

What is your favorite quote about the Kindle?

        

SmartMoney discussed the role of the Kindle to the Amazon bottom line. Future products are asked about but Jeff Bezos is cryptic except that we can forget color.

SM: What new features might we expect from the Kindle? Color? Animation? When I tried to read the newspaper on my Kindle, I couldn't easily jump to the business section.

Bezos: Color or animation isn't likely. E Ink [the type of technology Kindle employs] display doesn't support color in a commercial way. Plus, the rapid screen updates required for animation create eyestrain. The Kindle is more like a printed page — easier on your eyes. We will do on-air updates. Perhaps we'll create better user interface to improve what you're talking about for a newspaper.

No word on the student version.

        

        

Have you ever wanted to discuss the Kindle all day long ?  Did you know that you can share your joy on one of the most active Kindle discussion sites:  KindleBoards?

Today, KB sent out the following Press Release as a nice reminder to register and interact with others:

KindleBoards.com has emerged as a leading online resource for Kindle, Amazon's wireless reading device. Drawing over 7,000 visitors daily, the free site is a lively hub of Kindle discussions, user tips, accessory reviews, and book discussions for Kindle owners.

Bellingham, WA. November 26, 2008 -- KindleBoards.com has emerged as a leading online resource for Kindle, Amazon's wireless reading device. The site provides a discussion forum for Kindle owners and for people who have interest in or questions about Kindle.

Features of the site include Kindle news, user tips, accessory pictures and reviews, answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), book reviews, and discussion about Amazon's downloadable books, blogs, newspapers, and magazines.

Kindle users have embraced the site and participate actively in its discussion forums. In November 2008, KindleBoards attracted over 500,000 page views. The site draws 7,000 unique visitors daily.

"With over 20,000 posts on a wide range of Kindle-related topics, we are thrilled that people have engaged so enthusiastically in the KindleBoards forums," says site owner Harvey Chute. "Our members are a fascinating, diverse, and articulate group, sharing a common passion in books, reading, and Kindle."

A popular KindleBoards feature is the FAQ board. Moderated by Leslie H. Nicoll, co-author of The Amazon Kindle FAQ, the KindleBoards FAQ answers the most common questions posed by Kindle users. Its clear explanations are augmented with helpful graphics and screenshots. "The FAQ is designed to be useful for both new and experienced Kindlers," Nicoll noted. "And beyond the FAQ, we have many active members who go out of their way to help other Kindle owners - by answering questions, offering tips, and sharing their Kindle experiences."

KindleBoards features an advanced search function, enabling visitors to readily locate discussions of interest. Users can include images and videos in their forum posts. An active team of moderators engages in site discussions, and hosts Kindle-related events in the forums.

The KindleBoards "Link-Maker" function facilitates the posting of clickable book covers in user posts. The resulting discussion threads are populated with colorful icons representing the books being discussed. Those icons may be clicked by readers to immediately access and download books in Amazon's Kindle Store.

"Our objective is to be a friendly, competent, and lively gathering place for all things Kindle," Chute said. "We welcome all Kindle enthusiasts - from new and prospective Kindle owners, to others who may have enjoyed their Kindles for a while and are looking to make the most of the experience."

Established in November 2007, KindleBoards (http://www.kindleboards.com) is an independent, free resource for Kindle enthusiasts.

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After a year of reading e-books on the Kindle , I started to wonder how often I was downloading books.  Here is a screen shot.



Not bad. How often do you download?

        

This site launched over one year ago.  I stopped writing in January because of distractions with other products, however, my interest in the Kindle continued throughout the year as I read everything on my 2 devices. One device traveled the east coast with a daughter as she read her high school summer readings on the Kindle. The other day I saw other people were commenting and asking about the Kindle and Kindle 2.0 on this site.  Therefore, I decided to share the reading trend on the site. Why not?



Thank you.

        

2009 is shaping up to be a great year for the Amazon Kindle. After Oprah told the world about the wonders of the Kindle and sales skyrocketed as people have been waiting patiently for the device.  However version 2.0 is just around the corner. One year and three days ago, I asked about 2.0 features. Now we know that leaked pictures suggest a longer and thinner device and today's news from top technology sites is that the version 2.0 is expected the first quarter of 2009.

This is fantastic news for Amazon because other competitive e-readers are just around the corner. Hopefully the student reader and color screened readers are also shipping in 2009.

        

Imagine a 7 hour car drive saved by the Kindle, and you are picturing yesterday's adventure. While my daughters traded back and forth on the driving task, I kept my focus on several textbooks previously downloaded on the Kindle. Interestingly, none of the places we stopped had electric jacks and so I was greatly pleased that my reader kept its charge.

 What is the longest travel adventure you have taken and still had a charge on your trusty Kindle?

        

Matt Shatz, vice president for Random House's digital operations, stated "e-book sales have increased by triple digit percentages in 2008, thanks in part to Amazon.com's Kindle reader."

As an avid reader, the kindle has simplified reading and previewing texts. The growth is definitely not a surprise.