Amazon Kindle Does It All -- Almost

Source: Amazon.com

Amazon's (AMZN) Kindle electronic book reader is in great demand. At least that's what it says on Amazon.com. It's been "temporarily out of stock" almost from the moment it was released.

Amazon won't tell me exactly how many it has sold to date.

The Kindle ($400) is the second electronic-paper display book reader to hit the market. Sony's(SNE) Reader ($300) was introduced in 2006.

The big difference between the two, aside from the Kindle including a protective cover, is connectivity. On the Sony, you download electronic books to a computer and then transfer them to the Reader.

Kindle Buyers Should Wait for the Sequel

The Kindle is completely wireless. You connect to the Amazon's Kindle Store free via Kindle's built-in Whispernet EVDO wireless data network receiver. EVDO is the medium-speed data service usually linked to GSM cellphone systems (T-Mobile, a unit of Deutsche Telekom(DT), or AT&T(T) in the U.S.). It's available nearly everywhere on the planet. If you're out of wireless coverage you can download books to your PC and transfer via USB cable to your Kindle.

The device is lighter and thinner than a typical paperback. It weighs only 10.3 ounces. It can hold more than 200 titles (even more with an optional SD memory card). The internal battery takes two hours to fully recharge -- and each charge should suffice for two days of reading.