Will Kindle Popularize the eBook?

The much talked about Amazon Kindle eBook reader is finally here! The 10.3 ounce is about the size of a paperback book and doesn’t even require a PC to download content. It connects to the Web via Amazon’s ” Whispernet,” a free high-speed cellular wireless network (Sprint EVDO).

Books cost $10 with the first chapter of most books previewed for free. Subscriptions to newspapers ($6 to $15 a month), magazines ($1.25 to $3.49), and blogs (at least $1 a month) are available as well, but since most of this content is available free online this is a harder sell than the books. Kindle uses an electronic paper screen that uses minimal power, since the display is readable with the power off, theis results in long battery life. Will this be the device that brings eBooks to the masses, at close to $400 and $10 per book, not likely.