E-books are nothing new, however, a wireless reading device is something that we should look at. Amazon.com released Kindle last November and it was sold out in less than 6 hours. Now, Kindle is back and is available to everyone in the States.

As a technologist, I was excited by the device's capabilities: uses low power e-ink/e-paper technology that allows you to read in all lighting conditions (Sony's portable reader uses that as well); purchases and downloads new books wirelessly, not via Wi-Fi but via an included re-branded Sprint cellular network; the ability to receive magazine, newspaper and blog subscriptions; access to an embedded dictionary, and Wikipedia (online) while you're reading.

I was tempted to get the Kindle, but as a designer, I was appalled by its design. It's just plain ugly. I wouldn't want it to be in my hand at all times. I don't like the look of the slanty edges, the design of the keypads, it looks clunky.

I always believe the physicality of books makes them unique. For me, the holding of a book, flipping of the pages, and touching of the bindings are as important as the content of the pages. E-books may not have the physicality in themselves, but the digital readers are the physical form that holds them all, and the physicality of an e-book is somehow manifested through the reading device. And therefore the design of the digital reader does matter.