Hw #10: Digitalization; the future

For this assignment I decided I'd rather look into what may be the next big fad as opposed to researching the current ones I already know so much about.

Its called the Kindle.

The first version of the Kindle was released in the United States on November 19, 2007.
According to Wikipedia the Kindle is a software and hardware platform developed by Amazon.com subsidiary Lab126 for reading e-books and other digital media. You can download any and multiple books on the Kindle that weighs next to nothing and is easy to store in you bag. Three hardware devices, known as "Kindle", "Kindle 2," and "Kindle DX" support this platform, as does an iPhone application called "Kindle for iPhone".

For a preview of the Kindle, there are video advertisements on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_85647731_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=0F7VT5NMQBWN17AGB9DW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=493724391&pf_rd_i=507846

The Kindle's official site is also on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015T963C/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=4470344697&ref=pd_sl_a6eh7sgtv_e

In the New York Times, the article gives a little bio on the Kindle and the phenomena of electronic book readers:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/k/kindle/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=Kindle&st=cse

Another New York Times article by David Pogue shines a light on the Kindle's lead against the competition thanks to its wireless connection and amazing incorporation of pages in a book. Its almost exactly like reading the book, same font and length, except on a thin and light screen.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/technology/personaltech/24pogue.html?_r=1

My favorite article is also from the New York Times by Sara Nelson, she reffers to the uprising of the kindel's popularity as being "In this honeymoon period of Kindle" since not a lot of people have them yet. What iPods are to music lovers, the kindle is to readers and she highlights this in her article. She discusses what the Kindle means to the publishing world and how there are many wiriters and journalists who aren't so fond of the idea of people no longger reading paper versions of literature but instead dedicating more time to keepig their heads in a screeen. Like Kurt Anderson said in this Article “Do you lose all kinds of wonderful things about seeing the physical book?”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/fashion/26kindle.html?fta=y

These articles were so interesting since I had vaugely heard of the Kindle but never looked into what they actually were or how they worked. I've got a glimps of one once in person, from afar, replacing where a newspaper may have been in a buisness mans hand on the bus. For so long I've heard the complaints of electronics taking place of people reading books and papers, and now it seems manufactorers have come to a high tech compromise.
I wonder how humanity will change if every person is not only loaded with a cell phone, iPod and camera everywhere they go, but perhaps a kindle too. Will there be any reason for people to talke to each other anymore???