Next up for E-Book Readers – Social Networking and Online Sharing - Wired

Everyone is familiar with new technology devices such as iPod Touch, Cell Phones, and Laptops. Everyone is familiar with social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. One new technology that is starting to grow in popularity is E-Book readers like Amazon's "Kindle" or Sony's "Reader". These devices are relatively small, lightweight, and are relatively easy to carry around. One thing that you wouldn't expect from a device that you can buy books from is the power to access social networking sites that people are familiar with. Will the developers say "this power can be used to discuss about books and news", the answer, probably "yes". Will that power be used for social networking just on the basis of book reviews and news, the answer, most likely "no". According to Wired.com and Forrester Research analyst, Sarah Rotman Epps, "Buying and reading books is an inherently social process and the lack of robust sharing capabilities on the (Amazon) Kindle is an obvious weakness that competitors will address,". Knowing this, many companies are currently in development of this type of social networking bridge. In my honest opinion, if you really have to be connected to these sites constantly from cell phone, to computer, and now to Kindle, your perspective on the try functions of devices become shadowed. Plus, the more portable you make the devices that run this type of software, the less options you will have in order to protect yourself online. For example, I cannot block a user on Facebook from my iPhone, but I can on my computer. Obviously, the phone is advanced enough to support the full web site through the internet browser application, but MySpace will always bring me to the mobile version and bug me about their less-protected application. How fun.

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