Apart from the nice looking e-ink display and the apprently correct design (though not awesome, the keyboard is really tacky) what really is genius in Amazon’s Kindle resides in this discreet excerpt from Amazon’s sale pitch:

Unlike WiFi, you don’t have to find a hotspot. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so you will never see a monthly wireless bill for shopping the Kindle Store. There is no wireless setup—you are ready to shop, purchase and read right out of the box.

That’s what I call something huge in term of user experience: no sync via a PC, no WiFi hot-spot hunting, no subscription fee, no subscription at all! It’s a naturally connected device.

By simply wiping the wireless access issue out, Amazon understood that a brilliant user experience does not come only from a combination of features and design, but from disruptive business practice too.

Kindle is a breakthrough.