That "WhisperNet" wireless service Amazon has developed with (silent partner) Sprint/Nextel for the Kindle e-book has rivals panting.
WhisperNet enables "anytime, anywhere" ordering and instant downloads of books, magazines, newspapers and blogs from the Kindle store onto the sharp-screened portable, with purchases charged to an Amazon account. (Wireless network access fees are worked into device and download costs.)
"At least four or five" potential e-book makers and marketers are testing the delivery of content via Verizon and AT&T wireless networks, said execs at the CTIA gathering.
We're certain of at least two:
- Sony has said it will add wireless connectivity to next-generation versions of its Reader Digital Books.
- And News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch says his company is investing in a mobile screen tablet designed for reading newspapers with a subscription or per-copy-fee structure.
"People are used to reading everything on the 'Net for free, and that's going to have to change," vowed the publisher.
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