The Amazon Kindle - Doing One Thing Really Well

There’s a lot of interest in electronic devices which fulfil a number of different functions these days. Mobile phones which incorporate cameras, web browsers, play music and function as satellite navigation devices are excellent examples of such “fusion” gadgets.

Possibly the best example of all would be the iPod. It’s a music player, phone, web browser and has a huge variety of “Apps” which can range from games to hotel recommendations. It even has a Kindle app which allows users to read Kindle books on their iPod.

The Kindle reader itself could be considered to be a multi-functional device. Apart from its main function as an e-book reader, it can be used as an internet browser. Admittedly, the functionality is somewhat limited, primarily due to its display which is monochrome and not suited to displaying video due to a relatively slow refresh rate.

On the other side of the coin, it is the Kindle’s e-ink technology display which makes it so much more pleasant to read on than either a computer screen or the iPod. As a result of the fact that the display is not back-lit, it generates considerably less eye strain in use when compared to a standard LCD type of monitor.

Another benefit of e-ink technology displays is the fact that they only draw power when the screen is being refreshed. This means that e-book readers can go for long spells on a single battery charge. It’s the ideal scenario for a portable battery operated device. Roughly speaking, e-book readers can perform several thousand “page turns” inbetween charges. For the average reader, that will equate to anything between four and six weeks of use.

So, the thing that makes e-book readers so very good for reading books on – the e-Ink display – is currently a limitation on their ability to perform other tasks, such as web browsing or video display. In the future, color e-Ink displays will almost certainly become available, with a more rapid refresh rate. Hardware devices like the Kindle will then become better video players and web browsers.

For the moment, considering the fact that e-book readers are the hot, "must have" gadget right now, it does appear that there is very much a place for specialist devices which do only one job. Just so long as, like the Amazon Kindle, they do that one job very well.