Amazon Kindle Turns One

After more than 250,000 units sold, it seems that at the very least, the Amazon Kindle has found a loyal audience. CNN reports that on the device’s first birthday, its texts account for 10 percent of Amazon’s book sales despite the fact that only 200,000 titles are available in digital form, representing just a fraction of what’s out there in print.

The device remains sold out on the company’s Web site. Some analysts think that Jeff Bezos‘ pedigree is helping. “You can’t discount the prominence of having Amazon behind this,” says Paul Reynolds, technology editor at Consumer Reports, in the article. “Jeff Bezos is respected for what he’s done with Amazon, and if he feels this is a future product in media, people are willing to trust him.”

There was also that whole Oprah thing, and the fact that it’s the only eBook reader that lets you make wireless purchases. Want a new book or newspaper subscription? Pay for it and download it right onto the device, without having to mess with computer synchronization. Analysts expect an upgraded Kindle, possibly with sleeker lines and more memory, to come in early 2009.

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