KINDLE: A Great Reading Gadget

Amazon Kindle is a software and hardware platform developed by Amazon.com (subsidiary Lab126) for the rendering and displaying of e-books and other digital media. Three hardware devices, known as "Kindle," "Kindle 2," and "Kindle DX" support this platform. Kindle software applications exist for Windows, iPhone OS, BlackBerry and Mac OS X. Amazon's first hardware device, the Kindle First Generation, was only released in the United States on November 19, 2007. The Kindle hardware device uses an E Ink brand electronic paper display that features 16 shades of gray. It downloads content over Amazon's Whispernet using the Sprint EVDO in the USA. Newer Kindle 2 devices use AT&T's network that provides international wireless access.  The Kindle hardware device is used without a computer connection, and Amazon Whispernet is accessible without any monthly fee or wireless subscription. All Kindle models provide free access to the Internet in the U.S. over cellular networks.

On March 3, 2009, Amazon.com launched an application called Kindle for iPhone in the iTunes App Store, allowing iPhone and iPod Touch owners to read Kindle content on those devices. Through a technology called "Whispersync," customers can connect reading progress, bookmarks, and other information across Kindle hardware devices and other mobile devices. Amazon announced the Kindle DX on May 6, 2009. This device has a larger screen than its predecessors and supports simple PDF files. It also is the thinnest Kindle to date and offers an accelerometer, which enables the user to seamlessly rotate pages between landscape and portrait orientations when the Kindle DX is turned on its side. It is marketed as more suitable for displaying newspaper and textbook content. Amazon released the Kindle for PC free of charge, allowing users to read Kindle books on a Windows PC. Amazon also released a version for the Macintosh. Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindle