I haven’t commented yet on Amazon Kindle because I haven’t been able to see one yet, but at first glance it seems like a usability nightmare. Here are some of the reasons why. I’m still utterly confused by the keyboard buttons. Not to mention how the whole device is just so un-book-like.
Aside
Agree completely on the keyboard, although early reports have not had a lot of complaints except for “ugly”.
Why is repeating the book metaphor important?
Because the book has been around in its same form, its utter power and simplicity, legibility, portability, and durability since at least the 1500s. Amazon is a company that started in the book business and has done very well there. If they want to have a successful electronic “book” it needs to be like a book. If they want something new and different, a “reader” of some sort, it needs to be radically better than the thing we’re all used to.