Amazon launched Kindle, its version of the electronic book reader yesterday in a fancy NY setup that reminds us of the recent Apple Keynote where the iPhone was launched. Jeff Bezos seems to have done a good job explaining the features of the Kindle, if the blogosphere is some indication. It may lack the glamor of a Steve Jobs keynote but that is an entirely different conversation.

In the first day of the launch, there were some very strong,polarized opinions on the future of the Kindle. Some thought it was cool because of the seamless Amazon service and the sprint EVODO connection that it was bundled with. Some thought it looked like the next generation etch-a-sketch.

Some authors and publishers wanted to be in it and some say ‘no way Jose’ (or is it Jezos? J Bezos? Jeff Bezos? Get it? … ).

Regardless, I think the Kindle is the start of the digitization era for the last bastion of analog technology - books and print media. I like how the EVODO service was bundled into the device but donot like how you would have to pay to read blogs that you would otherwise get on the Internet for free.

All in all, from the reviews and press notes, I think the Kindle scored well in terms of screen readability and seamless uploads through the Sprint EVODO connection. It lost a few marks on User interface design and may lose big time on trying to make people pay for free content.

Most of all, I think it will create a market long forgotten till the Sony e-reader came out - the digital reader segment. Hopefully, this will push the iPhone and other portable devices into creating a better reader experience. To Kindle and beyond !