This article is not a regular “funny, Smilespedia style” kind of article. But we’re doing our best.

Years ago I’ve thought the computers will someday take over the role of books, but I didn’t realize that this day is so close. I mean, let’s face it, books have their advantages. First of all, they exist, we have millions and millions of them already printed. What should we do, throw them away? Invest thousands of dollars just to find something else?

Next, they come if a format that can stand over time. A book can get wet, dirty, can get all the dust you can send it’s way, it will have the same informations for many centuries. Something happens to technology, the data holders we used 30 years ago can no longer be read by our devices. Let’s think about the “a:” floppy .. in a few years it will go extinct.

Books are also .. easy to read. I can read them while in bed, with my feet above my hear, leaning on the wall. Or I can read them on the toilet seat (but I do not). Can I hold a computer in any of these positions?

Also, usually computers give us bad eyes, even with the latest low-radiation monitors, I still get a headache after a while.

Recently, Amazon launched a device called “Kindle – no computer, no cables, no syncing” and sold every last item in what looked like a “Gold rush” for 400$ each. What is so special about it?

What do you mean “no computer”? Isn’t it a computer itself? Yes it is, but unlike what you would expect from it, you don’t need a computer to copy the books from. It get’s the books from a wireless network. That’s where the “no cables” part comes from. Of course, you need to buy the books.

Wait, aren’t wireless networks annoying? All those hot-spots, connecting, disconnecting .. it seems Amazon is on some deals with the cell-phone networks and they use the EVDO protocol .. meaning if your cell-phone works in an area, you’ve have a highspeed connection to the books server. And to wikipedia. That’s about it, you cannot surf the web with this device. It’s just an electronic, very portable and beautiful library – or is it a bookshop? A bookshop.

Here is the issue explained at amazon.com:

• Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
• Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
• Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
• Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
• More than 100,000 books available, including more than 90 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
• New York Times® Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
• Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
• Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
• Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
• More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
• Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
• Holds over 200 titles.
• Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
• Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
• No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
• Includes free wireless access to the planet’s most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
• Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.
• Included in the box: Kindle wireless reader, Book cover, Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable

This device is already more popular then expected and I think all the major IT companies will launch a similar product very soon. All for the best. I’ll have one, but I’ll never give up my books.