Take a look at this example of a Special Offer that arrives via WiFi on the Kindle. It only appears when the Kindle is “sleeping” and never interrupts the reading experience. A small banner also appears in the footer of the “Home” menu that’s typically a smaller version of the same offer.
I used to receive offers featuring women doing yoga, women washing their hair with Dove shampoo, and deep discounts on chocolates from someplace in Boston. I just started receiving announcements about “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” movie. As a guy I have to admit that the Kindle was downright unmanly for the first few weeks. Now I seem to be receiving more generic Amazon offers.
I don’t mind.
Since I purchased a Kindle a few weeks ago, I’ve started reading again. My wife found an amazing custom designed leather cover for my Kindle, and I can’t put the thing down. The Kindle brilliantly achieves the following:
- Provides a solid reading experience at a reasonable cost
- Creates a new category of display advertising with a growing install base
- Directs readers to interesting book ideas but protects choice
- Makes the purchase transaction seamless and almost invisible
My only complaint is its handling of PDF files. At first I was thrilled to email journal articles to my Kindle address with the idea of reading them later. But the Kindle renders PDFs like an image…and my Kindle Touch really wasn’t designed for images. Maybe it’s better on the Kindle Fire.
Mobile isn’t about distance. It’s about the subtle changes it creates in your day-to-day habits and routine. I have fond memories of wandering the stacks at independent booksellers (now gone) in Cambridge, and I viewed the Kindle as a threat. The reality is that the Kindle takes that exploratory experience and puts it in your hands…even if you live in the ‘burbs now.
I’ve just learned that I can save 50% on pancakes somewhere in Boston. Hmmm…I wonder what Amazon is going to do with my attention next. For now I don’t care…too many interesting things to read.