Here are a few of these videos that stood out to me:

Who Needs a Kindle?

(Not Exactly Work Friendly)

This video from Cracked.com is hilarious.  This guy professes to having lugged around piles of books and back issues of the Readers Digest until the Kindle came around.

Hot for Kindle: Tech Know Episode 1

(Rated R)

From the online show “Tech Know”, this comedic sketch about a Kindle crazed actor.  He ends up burning a pile of books on a crowded city road proclaiming the benefits of the Kindle.

Amazon Kindle 2 Review

Here is an honest no bull review of the Amazon Kindle 2.  I chose this because he really researched the Kindle, and the video quality is great.

You can find used Kindle 1’s all over the internet.  Sites such as Ebay are offering them commonly. Another place you can get them is directly through Amazon.  Sellers are able to post that they have a Kindle 1 available for sale.  Once you purchase it the seller is notified to ship it out.

Nice, Easy, and Safe.

Click here to see what Amazon has in stock

Sure, buying electronics and everything else online is becoming more and more popular. However, many people still enjoy the tactile feel of shopping at a brick and mortar store where they can be more hands on.  This is one of the strongest reluctances people have about buying a Kindle.

Well Amazon has identified this issue and have worked hard to make amends.  Amazon has setup a sort of forum where current Kindle users can say something like, “Hey, I have Kindle, want to check it out?”, or “I love my Kindle and want to spread the word”.

I thought this was a really cool idea. So check it out, the link is below. Have fun!

Kindle Users: See a Kindle in Your City

While I admit, the Kindle is not the cure all for the newspaper business, it does provide an alternative and viable way to read a newspaper.  The Amazon Kindle currently offers subscriptions for 37 newspapers around the world.  Most being from the larger cities in the United States, however some come from Nations and Cities abroad.

Let’s take a look at what Newspapers the Kindle offers that aren’t printed in English.  There are 5 papers not printed in English, however I included the Shanghai Daily in this list because of the foreign nature of it.

Le Monde

Le Monde is the de facto newspaper of France, therefore written in the French language.  This newspaper has been in circulation since 1944 and continues to have success in France.  Though circulation has been dropping since 2002, they have seen increased use of their online content.

Frankfurter Allgemeine

The Frankfurter Allgemeine is the most popular newspaper in circulation in Germany.  They have over 1 million daily readers and have a large following outside of Germany.  Founded in 1949.  The newspaper is printed in German.

Shanghai Daily

The Shanghai Daily comes from China is, for the most part, business oriented.  The newspapers is sent to your Kindle in English.  This is one of only 2 newspapers in China printed in English and caters to English speaking travelers and Chinese residents who wish to learn / study English as a second language.

Les Echos

Les Echos is the premier financial publication of France, printed in French.  It is the first daily publication in France and was founded in 1908.  This, like all newspapers for the Kindle, come with a 14 day free trial.

Handelsblatt

Handelsblatt is the leading financial publication in Germany. Founded in 1946 and printed in German, the Handelsblatt has become known for its critical reporting.  This newspaper is printed every trading day, Monday through Friday.

Corriere Della Sera

The Corriere Della Sera is most famous and important newspaper in Italy.  Founded in 1876 and still printed in Milan.  This newspaper covers all aspects of Italian life.  Offering sections on culture, opinion, sport, business, events, entertainment, and current trends.

I recently read a couple articles that offered yet another benefit of owning the Amazon Kindle Reader. The benefit being that by using a Kindle, you are dramatically cutting down on the amount of paper that is used for print that you consume.

One of these articles are from the blog, “Just Another Mobile Monday“. You can view the article by using the link below.

• Going Green with Kindle Reader!

Another interesting article I found goes as far to take into consideration the amount of water used to process the paper for publications, and even the chlorine that we use to bleach that paper.

• Hub Pages Article – “Is Amazon’s New Kindle Green?”

“A whole lot of water is also used to make a book. “To make one single 8″ by 11″ sheet of paper using chlorine chemistry requires more than 13 ounces of water for every single…sheet. So that means more than a good sized can of Coke is needed for every sheet that you use for copying.” (Source: Archie J. Beaton, Executive Director – CEO, Chlorine Free Products Association.) Wow.“ – HubPages

The Green Geek almost immediately realized the potential environmental savings that could be brought about by the use of E-Readers like the Amazon Kindle.

• Amazon’s “Kindle” is the Next Step Towards a Paperless Culture

The Green Printer Online Blog illustrates another point about using an electronic device versus printed material.

• Amazon’s Kindle Signals Paper-Less Books and … eWaste?

“Kindle is only one of many products that could end up in China’s most impoverished communities in toxic, e-waste dumps and rivers…“ – Green Printer Online

Here is a video illustrating the negative effects of e-waste

Additional Resources

• A very long and in-depth Harvard report on paper and printing

Every now and then a new device comes out that asks us to change our perspective of how we see our world with technology in it. The Amazon Kindle is certainly one of these devices. Forcing us to reexamine our perception on how a book should or could be read.

Ideas like this are always great examples of thinking out of the box. Here are a few similar examples of technologies that asked us to change the way we see technology in our lives:

• Apple 2GS
• World Wide Web
• Windows 95
• Pagers and Cell Phones
• CD Players
• Laptop Computers
• iPod
• Web 2.0

Few of these ideas were initially meet with initial consumer and investor optimism. Also after initial release many changes were made to these technologies to become more suitable for consumers. However, when people began to understand the benefit of them and how these technologies could actually improve their lives, (as all the great technologies promise to do so), the demand began to grow exponentially as did the usefulness for these technologies.

I believe that the Kindle Reader is an excellent example of a technology that asks us to rethink the way we read books, and all other written medium for that matter.

These are the types of products that are brought to us by thinking out of the box. Companies are taking large risks to bring us innovation, however, they realize that to bring quality new technologies to market that these risks must be taken.

Here are some articles that further expand on the reasons that the Amazon Kindle is truly a Revolutionary, Innovative, and Multi-Capable device:

Revolutionary

Opinion: Why the Amazon’s Kindle is Revolutionary

Innovative

10 Lessons on Innovation from Amazon’s Kindle

Multi-Capable

Amazon Kindle Does Email and More

Among the hype, the Kindle sold out just 5 hours after its debut on November 5, 2007. In fact, many people received this message when attempting to purchase one.

"Due to heavy customer demand, Kindle is temporarily sold out. Because we ship Kindles on a first-come, first-served basis, please ORDER NOW to reserve your place in line. Your Kindle will not arrive by December 25th."

I now see that the Kindle is selling on eBay for around $500 in some cases, supply and demand caused.

Therefore, many people have yet to lay there eyes on one, or even view some decent pictures of it. A blog post on the Apple Insider fixes all this. Check it out, these are some great pictures of the Kindle being taken out of the box piece by piece.

Click Here to View Pictures of the Amazon Kindle being Undressed