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There has been speculation for some time about the possibility that new technologies would bring about the end of books in their conventional format, bookshops' daily bread. Leaving aside whether there is any basis to such speculation, less than a month ago the world's largest online book shop Amazon launched a device designed to read books electronically: the Kindle, which (referring to Apple's music player) has already been described as the 'iPod of books'.

Product of three years' work and, so far, available for sale only in the United States with a price tag of $399 (€270), the Kindle has storage space for more than two hundred books. Users can choose from a catalogue of 90,000 downloadable titles from the Amazon website.

The Kindle's main innovation lies in the fact that it has its own built-in Internet connection, meaning users do not need a computer to use it. The connection charge is covered by Amazon, while Kindle owners pay for the cost of the books, which are considerably cheaper than their paper versions (bestsellers, for example, cost $10, less than €7).

This feature is seen as a step forward, compared with other similar devices such as the Sony Reader, which has not been a great success as yet. The Kindle's wireless connection is based on EVDO, a technology that is not widely used outside the US. Some feel that this could limit Amazon's international sales potential.