Supernatural Agency: Online business tales

I just watched the demo video on Amazon of their new portable eBook reader Kindle that they launched this morning. Unfortunately I think this device is about three years too late to make a big splash. It seems well-designed with well thought-out software, EVDO access courtesy of Amazon (only to Amazon and a bunch of online media) and lots of available books, most at $9.99.

There’s just one problem and it’s a big one: I don’t know anyone who wants add another device to their kit in addition to the obligatory laptop and smartphone. I’m personally dreaming of the day when one iPhone type of device covers me for most of my access needs. As a writer, I’ve been using Google docs more and more, Gmail for email, and wireless for everything else. I can read online without eyestrain and I’m not a kid anymore- screens, including the little ones, are just so much better.

The other counterintuitive aspect of Kindle is that it is a limited device, proprietary to Amazon’s business model. Though it has a querty keyboard, it’s monochromatic and it doesn’t look like you can edit docs with it (you can email your docs to it and Amazon, for a “small fee” will convert them into their format). I don’t want a limited device, I want one that uses a browser. That’s the standard for mobility these days. They could have built this as an online application, offered it for free and made the money selling books.

With Apple (and no doubt others) rumored to start offering solid state sub-compact notebooks early in 2008, what relevance will this device have? The browser is where the action is and this doesn’t have one…