Amazon’s Kindle 2 began shipping to eager U.S. technophiles earlier this week, and while few consumers have actually received the device as of yet, the anticipation is reaching ridiculous levels. According to an article on Computerworld – which appears to have been researched solely by perusing online forums – many Kindle 2 customers have begun posting copies of their Amazon shipping notices online, as a sort of badge of honour.
“Oh joy, joy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” a customer from Texas using the name Elsi wrote in a Kindle forum on the MobileRead community site.
“Add my voice to the collective cheer, to all who [are] about to get a Kindle 2. Enjoy!” wrote another user going by the name Joobies in the same forum. The thread began on Sunday, when a user named Lilly posted a copy of her Kindle 2 shipment notice from Amazon.
Elsi, Joobies and several other commenters on the forum compared notes on how much they paid for shipping and the exact day that they hope to receive the reader. Others promised to share their reactions once they activated the device.
As the Computerworld piece goes on to note, a few consumers actually had received the devices Tuesday, including somebody identified as tvBilly, who “misses the rubber on the back of the Kindle 1″ but finds the Kindle 2’s new charger “the best thing since sliced bread.” Another user, named Frank of Doom, writes:
“I was clever enough to have mine delivered to my office. It’s sooooooo pretty! First impression is very positive, I love how the page buttons tilt in when pressed instead of out, feels much more solid. Not sure I’m going to get much work done today.”
For those of use who live in Canada and are not even allowed to buy a Kindle 2, I have started a Petition which I hope to fill with lots of signatures and give to Amazon to show them that they have a lot of customers in Canada who would buy a Kindle 2 if they made it available. I also think it is completely unfair that we are forbidden to even buy it and use our computer for downloads. Maybe this petition will ateast get us some answers. Pleaseee sign it at:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/kindle2canada/
Thank you
Peggy
I’m happy to keep the Kindle OUT OF CANADA if it turns mere mortals into raving lunatics!
I have to take exception to my dear friend Thad’s posting. I want a Kindle! I want to press a button and have something happen and have that sexy ape thrill attached to the reading of books! Of course it won’t replace my lost attention span, but then, nothing will. And alas ritalin only makes everything faster, not better.
I like the idea of receiving newspapers in this format, but I wonder about wanting a book and then having it so quickly. Isn’t longing for and anticipating a book part of its appeal?
But surely you can read newspapers easily on your computer..the perfect form factor…no need to read them on an oil rig (http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/monologues/1bezos.html). I agree with you: does one ever need a book within the next 60 seconds? If so, what other emotional problems might be at the core of this problem?
For the Canadians with the petition, you should be petitioning your Rogers and Bells because that is the major hurdle for content delivery. The other underlying problem is the rights clearance in Canada to distribute the content. Then you have other CanCon laws that may need to be addressed. It isn’t Amazon that is stalling the process: like the iPhone, it is Canada and the very regulated and noncompetitive Canadian communications industries that are that are stalling the deals.