Amazon is rumored to be coming out with a 7 inch tablet later this fall that’ll run a completely custom version of Google’s Android operating system. Said tablet will primarily be used as an electronic book reader, but it’ll also play movies, music, and even browse the web. The best part is, it’s supposed to come in at just $250. That’s half the price of the best selling tablet on the market, Apple’s iPad. One of the things that could make Amazon’s new Kindle even more juicy is a service that gives users access to a vast library of books for a flat monthly fee, similar to how Netflix works for music or Spotify works for music. Sources tell The Wall Street Journal that Amazon just so happens to be working on such a service, though it’s in the early stages of planning. We honestly have no idea when it’ll launch, nor how much they’ll want to charge you every month, but we’re seriously thrilled at the potential of being able to read any book we want, anywhere, anytime.
Who benefits the most from this? Authors who are losing money due to electronic book piracy. You can download a 500+ page newly released title in the same amount of time it takes to grab the latest single that’s topping the charts. While that song will take just a few minutes to consume, the book will provide you with quite a few hours of entertainment. And whereas a single can be had for just $0.99 in iTunes, a book in the Kindle format often runs around $10 and that figure has been climbing ever since Apple introduced iBooks.
The thing is though, what exactly is wrong with your local library? Do you really want to read a book on a device where Twitter, Facebook, and the internet is just a tap away? Sounds horrible if you ask us.
