Wish List for the Amazon Kindle

Guess what’s been on my mind? Yup, the Amazon Kindle. How’d you guess?

While it’s enlightening to praise and debate, I know it has quite a few improvements to make before it rocks the market. Sure, it has more promise than it’s competitors, but if it doesn’t maintain its lead, than I’ll be a sad panda.

Here’s my wish list of what Amazon needs to do to improve the Kindle for v2 and beyond:

• Improve it’s ergonomics (hardware) and usability (software). This is probably its most well-known criticism. Hopefully they’ll follow the principles of KISS.

• Continue getting more content. That means getting more publishers to release their books in e-book format. Probably not an easy task, but if anyone has the clout to do it, it’s Amazon.

• Allow more formats to be readable. They don’t necessarily have to be writable for now, just readable. Like PDF, PPT, and XLS file formats. (To their credit, they already support TXT, HTML, and DOC.)

• Allow readers a way to somehow “transfer” their existing books into the Kindle. I’m not sure how this could be done, as it leaves many openings for abuse. But I’d love to digitize my current library into the Kindle without having to buy all of those books again. Ugh.

• Add a touch screen interface. Touch screen UIs are nice and generally easy-to-use (if done right). They could add significantly to the usability of the Kindle—again, if done right.

• Offer a color screen. At least, as an option for some people. I’m sure this is on their internal wish list already.

• Offer a backlit screen. This could also be an option, as some people may feel its current state is better on the eyes.

• Offer multiple versions. They could differ in size, storage space, and maybe even color and outer material (imagine a leather-bound Kindle! Hmm!). If/when the Kindle catches on with younger consumers, the market for personalization accessories could be sizable too.

• Strengthen its body. Books have to survive quite a rough rumble and tumble. It would be cool if the Kindle could survive that kind of physical stress too. Perhaps this could merely be another version.

Go go Kindle go!

Author: Mike Lee

An idealistic realist, humanistic technologist & constant student. View all posts by Mike Lee