Amazon Kindle 2The Amazon Kindle 2, the updated version of the wireless reading device by Amazon.com, is an exceptional little piece of electronics. The idea to be able to store and read a virtually unlimited number of books in such a small, lightweight device is a wicked idea, especially if you are constantly on the go and are reading multiple books simultaneously. Although a wonderful idea, are the numerous problems worth the risk, and do they ultimately outweigh any benefits offered by the reader? Or is eBook world domination the real goal Amazon has for the Kindle?

I do not own a Kindle or have direct experience handling one, but every indication on the web is that the device is nothing short of phenomenal. It seems Amazon not only hit a home run, but a grand slam in designing the updated device. It is not only small and lightweight – the screen quality is unmatched, allowing for viewing the device at just about any angle without any impairment whatsoever.

In addition to the finely tuned reading experience, the Kindle is also capable of storing a near infinite number of ebooks even though as of this writing there are only approximately 250k offered at Amazon’s Kindle Store. Being able to store your entire book collection in such a small device and take all that reading material with you when mobile is just plain sick!

So here I sit, talking fondly of this ingenious device yet there is obviously something discomforting – something irking me about the reader. If the Kindle is so highly praised then what are its problems?

The largest problem with the Kindle is the books purchased through the Kindle Store are all wrapped in Digital Rights Management (DRM). Unlike the very first iPod Apple released, which was more than capable of playing unencumbered MP3 files, the Kindle is not all that capable of displaying books purchased elsewhere or in formats the Kindle does not understand.

If you want ebooks for the Kindle you have to purchase them through Amazon. There is no magical “ripping” tool automating the process of turning your book collection in to ones and zeros for viewing on the device. eBooks purchased elsewhere, and in other formats, are either not viewable on the device because the Kindle either does not support the format or the support for the format is less than stellar. Is Amazon purposely crippling formats other than theirs?

Since all books purchased through Amazon are ripe with DRM, what happens if Amazon goes out of business? Will consumers be in a situation where their ebook purchases cease to be readable because the Kindle can not validate whether the viewer is a legal owner of the file, akin to Microsoft shuttering its PlaysForSure DRM servers?

Unlike physical goods, the Kindle does not allow you to share ebooks with your friends and family. The entire idea of loaning books is thrown out of the window, thanks to the wonders of DRM. Do you really think Amazon wants to allow consumers to email ebooks to their friends and family, potentially forsaking additional revenue through ebook sales?

All the complaints of Apple being the only music sales game in town have nothing on Amazon and the Kindle. The proprietary format used by the Kindle assures Amazon of sales, especially with the device being the only real offering of its type around. Although there are competing products, none are anywhere in the league of the Amazon Kindle coupled with the Kindle Store and the number of books currently available.

My last issue centers around the ability for publishers to disable eBook’s on a whim. Immediately after the Kindle 2 launch the “text to speech” feature became a point of contention between Amazon and the Author’s Guild. After a series of complaints by the publishing industry, Amazon issued an update to the Kindle software allowing for remote disabling of books by the company. This means that when a publisher complains about the text-to-speech feature on a particular ebook they can ask Amazon to disable that specific functionality.

Hopefully the newfound pressure by a number of groups will force Amazon to rethink their stance. What if a publisher ultimately ends up disabling this feature on a device purchased by a blind person?

Who wants to allow Amazon to remotely control whether or not a book is readable or not? Call me stupid, but this one “feature” negates every single positive feature the device has to offer.

The Kindle needs to be an open device, using non-DRM encumbered ebooks with an open API and based on a non-proprietary file format. I will not say the Kindle will be rendered completely obsolete as a result of a lack of openness. But rest assured a competitor will emerge who uses open to their advantage and the Kindle’s demise. It is fate.

Even through all my complaints about the Kindle, I do have to point out that I do not get have a negative impression of Amazon as a company. While they surely love the idea of controlling the eBook market through their Kindle, I am not convinced they intend to do evil things. This is not to say that at some unknown point in the future they will do an about face and start acting like the recording industry.

I love the idea of the Kindle but I truly despise the execution of that idea. Having an eBook reader like the Kindle would be a blessing, especially when traveling.

Unfortunately at this juncture I find the market too volatile to enter. Give it another year or two and maybe the landscape will change. Until then, I will continue to sit and watch the space closely, drooling all over my paper hardbacks while reading the newest John Grisham or Stephen King.