As stated numerous times, I am a shameless gadget whore and until recently (i.e. marriage and looming fatherhood) a longtime early adopter. But I can proudly say that I was never once-not even for a second (Okay, maybe ONE second) seduced by the LCD screen of the eBook concept, the announcement of which long preceded my newfound life of relative austerity and late adoption.

Amazon debuted the much-ballyhooed Kindle eBook reader two days ago. And despite the poor reviews, the site shows that the item is currently sold out (sold out in under 6 hours, according to Engadget) and due back in stock in just over a week.
Assuming Amazon customers represent a broad spectrum of people, the reviews aren’t looking good so far: average rating 2.5 stars. That’s based on over 470 reviews too. If you’re like me and won’t click on the “Read more” link for anything with less than 3.5 stars, this spells trouble for the Kindle-and perhaps for the eBook platform in general. Yes, I know: it’s the first iteration. From reviews I’ve seen, as with PMPs and DAPs that are shackled with DRM restrictions, the eBook appears to be sporting similar bound feet. For now, Johannes, you can go back to (deep) sleep. Your legacy lives on.