It’s not news that eBook readers were big sellers this holiday season. Apparently, though, they were even bigger than everyone expected.
Our own Jessica reported the nook had some serious download issues on Christmas Day; apparently all 60,000 or so nooks connecting simultaneously was a bit much for Barnes and Noble.
They are in good company, though, as Sony also saw their Reader Store crash on December 25th. Apparently there were quite a few Pocket, Touch, and Daily Editions of the Sony Reader all hungry for new content!
Amazon did not appear to have any problems, though they have had a head start on ebooks by a few years. More good news from Amazon was that the Kindle was their most popular electronic gift this season (along with GPS units and iPod Touches).
Best news of all: The Kindle is Amazon’s most gifted item OF ALL TIME. And on Christmas day Kindle books outsold paper books! Wow! Just to repeat that, more Kindles have been given as gifts than any other item in Amazon’s history. More than iPods, more than netbooks, more than GPS units!
Did you get a Sony Reader, nook or Kindle this holiday season? Share your new eBook excitement below!
via The Gadgeteer, via Teleread
I’ve been using the Kindle app on my iPod Touch for several months now and decided to take the plunge and get myself a K2 for Christmas. I really like the form factor and build quality of the Kindle. The stainless steel on the back is a particularly nice touch. The ability to get books without a wifi hotspot is also super convenient. I’m not overwhelmed with the e-ink screen but it’s fine although lacking in a contrast a bit. I spend so much time reading off of my laptop or my iPod, I guess I either don’t get eyestrain from it or I don’t notice it if I do. I read at night in bed after my wife has gone to sleep so I wish the Kindle had some kind of built in backlight option. As it stands right now I think I’m probably going to return it within my thirty day window. I like the device quite a bit but for the price it’s quite an extravagance that doesn’t justify it’s price tag with it’s user experience.