Gadgets Blog » Amazon

I’d like to first of all wish everyone a happy Mother’s Day for yesterday. Prior to the holiday itself, I’d been writing several gift guides for some nifty gadgets that could be great for the special occasion. And although it’s a day late, today’s Gadget of the Week would have made an excellent addition to the listed ideas. The Amazon Kindle, however, is a great gift not just for Mom, but for anyone, including yourself! While the much-hyped iPad stands to potentially intrude on Amazon’s share of the e-reader market, a recent update to the main Kindle software looks to jump-start hopes of an improved Kindle in the next year.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Kindle and the idea of electronic readers in the first place, here’s a crash course. Released by Internet distributor Amazon, the Kindle is tuned into the website for distribution of a wide variety of books. These files, which range in price but are generally less expensive than their physical counterparts, are then downloaded to the internal hard drive. The second generation of the Kindle then added some great new features, including 3G wireless Internet access as well as a fantastic Wikipedia integration, giving any Kindle user access to the online encyclopedia.