Considering the dominance of the Kindle, it’s easy to forget just what a recent addition it is to the e-book reader scene. The very first e-book reader – Franklin’s eBookman – was released in 1999, over a decade ago. The Sony PRS launched in 2006. It wasn’t until November 2007 that we saw the launch of the original Kindle. The updated Kindle 2.0 was released in February of 2009 and the DX followed in June of the same year.

However, Amazon’s competition has been busy. Sony has released their Daily Edition reader. Barnes and Noble launched their Nook and even the new Apple iPad is widely felt to be a threat to the Kindle. Various different e-book readers are now available and, needless to say, the newer ones incorporate features which are currently not included in the current version of the Kindle – touch screen functionality, color screen etc.

So how will Amazon respond? Up to now, with the exception of a few firmware updates, Amazon’s primary response to growing competition has been to reduce the ticket price of the Kindle 2.0 from its $ 359 launch price to $ 259. However, there are rumours that a new version of the Kindle is in the pipeline. Which begs the question – what should Amazon do to update the Kindle?

One explanation for the success of the Kindle is that it provides a superb user experience. It’s very easy to operate using only one hand, the controls are very good and the display is excellent across a wide range of different lighting conditions. It would almost be a shame if Amazon were to follow the example of the Sony Daily Edition and introduce a touch screen. If your main intention is simply to read books then this probably isn’t a massive improvement. If anything, it detracts from the ease of one handed operation. It also requires a slightly more reflective screen which will under perform in certain lighting.

The introduction of color would definitely be a good thing but, were this to be done in the manner of Barnes and Noble’s Nook reader, it would be fairly pointless. The Nook features colour navigation only – the actual reader is still monochrome. This is not, in itself, a bad thing. After all – as far as reading books goes, black text on a white background is a familiar arrangement to most readers.

What Amazon may well wish to do, and what they have done very well up to now, is to provide a superior user experience. Rather than focus on hardware gimmicks, Amazon may decide to go for options which will be genuinely useful to their customers. For example, quicker page turns with reduced screen flicker and prolonged battery life may be enhancements which end users would find beneficial. Likewise, increased choice of  Kindle books, faster downloads and the ability to share e-books might be more important to users than hardware mods.

Amazon has secured the market leadership position as a result of their ability to satisfy customer needs. Unsurprisingly they understand what people who read books actually want. The end result is that the Kindle is now their best selling product and, to date, they have not just led the market but practically defined it. The next generation of the Kindle will demonstrate exactly how the market will develop in future. In all probabilitiy, it seems highly likely that Amazon will continue to take the lead in the e-book reader market, rather than following their competitors.

The Kindle 2, widely viewed as an improvement to an already excellent product, was released in February 2009 and was another big hit with the buying public. In May of 2009 Amazon confirmed that its new, bigeer Kindle DX model would be released and began accepting pre-orders.

All in all, by the middle of 2009 the Kindle was the must have gadget and was often referred to as the “iPod of books”. In parallel with hardware development, Amazon continued to make greater numbers of book titles available in its Kindle store. By early June of 2009 there were over 300,000 Kindle titles available and the collection was growing by, on average, 500 titles per day.

Great business for Amazon and a huge encouragement for repeat custom. Sure, you can get books for your kindle elsewhere – but these might require translation, and why bother when the Kindle store has so many titles that you can download using 3G wireless connectivity in less than sixty seconds?

It’s also good news for all those third party manufacturers of Kindle accessories – a rapidly growing market. Originally Amazon shipped a cover with the Kindle, but this practice stopped when the Kindle 2 was released. Customers who have just spent $359 for their Kindle 2 or $489 for their DX probably have a reasonable discretionary spend budget and won’t think anything about spending another $20 – $40 on a cover to protect and customise their new toy. As with any portable device, it’s likely to have a few bumps and scrapes in normal use – so it makes sense to protect it as best you can?

Aside from the practical considerations, it seems that some Kindle owners are quite prepared to pay over $100 for a nice leather cover – which will not only provide some degree of protection but will also make their high tech Kindle look more like a traditional book. As the Kindle is a fairly high ticket item most owners, will have some disposable income so it probably isn’t a huge surprise that they’re ready to pay for a few extras to customise it.

Kindle owners can also choose from a wide variety of other accessories – clip on lights, metal reading stands and additional power chargers are currently popular. As the popularity of the Kindle continues to grow, and as further new models are introduced, it seems likely that more and more independent suppliers will benefit from Amazon’s innovation.

I don’t think that’s so really uncommon, otherwise traditional print books wouldn’t sell so well, but it does mean that I can spend quite a bit of money on books. Apart from the monetary aspects, my collection of books quickly becomes untidy and space consuming. Every now and again I sort through the pile and, putting the reference books and my other favourites aside, have a bit of a clear out. Usually the books go to friends or charity shops.

I recently got rid of over fifty volumes in advance of moving house. It wasn’t until I saw them, boxed up and ready to go, that I realised I was looking at a spend of somewhere between $500 and $1000 which had built up in just under a year.

Now, whilst the Amazon Kindle is a fairly pricey item in itself, the downloadable e-books from the Kindle store are usually quite a bit cheaper than the printed equivalent. After all, the publisher will have no printing and distribution costs and there will be no postal charges for Amazon. Even with a saving of just a few dollars per book, quite achievable it seems, anyone who reads on a regular basis would pretty quickly recoup the cost of the device and then start saving money over time.

The potential benefits aren’t just financial. The Kindle 2 has a storage capacity for around 1500 e-books whereas the Kindle DX, which will start shipping on June 10 2009, can store 3500. That’s a fair amount of books – and it needs a lot of physical storage space that will no longer be taken up in your house or office.

Some users have suggested that the Kindle is a green, eco-friendly, device – based upon the fact that it will save on the usage of paper. It’s easy to see the logic, but obviously some consideration needs to be given to the materials used in production and also the manner in which the device will be disposed of when it reaches the end of its useful life.

The actual benefits achieved will vary from user to user and will probably depend chiefly on how many books are bought per annum. However, for keen readers, it does seem as if the Kindle can offer a number of different advantages which should justify the initial purchase price.

The Amazon Kindle is a user-friendly and portable ebook reader. It has the capability of downloading blogs, books, newspapers, and magazines. Traditionally, heavy-duty reading meant turning thick pages of paper but nowadays, electronic reading is very different. It is not only portable but can also carry your entire library of books and is connected constantly to your bookshop through wireless network.

The Kindle does not require a personal computer to download its media. Furthermore, syncing is smart and automatic. This electronic book reader is equipped with internet capability through 3G technology on which the Amazon Whispernet service is rendered. This feature is part of the reader so users don’t have to concern themselves with the wireless service plan, contract, or bills thereafter.

The Amazon Whispernet wireless service is a one-of-a-kind delivery system which enables users to obtain any e-book on its library within a minute. This electronic book reader is currently not available outside of US but this is only a matter of time before it is also available to those outside. US users can download and sample the beginning pages of books for free before deciding whether to purchase the book or not.

In terms of appearance, this portable reader is as impressive as its capabilities. This black-and-white screen could easily be mistaken for some fine-grade printed paper. The high-tech virtual ink is intended to be just like real ink-on-paper in terms of appearance and readability so much so that there is no backlighting at all. Therefore, it would not be difficult to read in bright sunlight and the screen never heats up so you don’t have to limit how long you should be reading on that account.