Towards the end of the year, when the Amazon management team get together to review the company’s performance in 2009, they will have some reason to feel content – but not smug. It’s been a great year for the internet retail giant – and a lot of the credit must go to the Amazon Kindle reader.

The Kindle 2 launched in February of 2009. It was widely regarded as a big step in the right direction. Amazon had clearly paid close attention to customer feedback concerning the original Kindle, launched in 2007. Wireless connectivity and the vast choice of Kindle books were retained and more rapid page changes, prolonged battery life and increased storage capacity were among the improvements which were introduced.

Best selling author, Stephen King wrote a special novella to mark the launch and the Kindle 2 rapidly became the “must have” gadget among a blaze of publicity.

Just a few months later, in June of 2009, Amazon launched the Kindle DX. This had a large display and was targeted at readers of newspapers, magazines and academic textbooks. Somewhat surprisingly perhaps, it was the conservative world of academic publishing that helped to gain the DX a lot of publicity.

The academic community was quick to realise the potential opportunities which the Kindle offered. Not only would it be very much faster to keep textbooks updated but interactive education – pop quizzes and tests for example – would be possible. Academic bodies would not only save money as a result of using electronic books, but they would be more environmentally friendly also – an important factor for such institutions who have both budgets and environmental targets to meet these days.

As well as cementing partnerships with a number of universities and colleges, Amazon benefited from a lot of publicity produced by political bodies such as the New Democratic Leadership Council and Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – both of whom held forth on the educational potential of e-book readers in general and the Amazon Kindle in particular.

However, as bright as things were looking for Amazon, there were signs that trouble was looming. Other manufacturers, having seen Amazon develop the e-book reader market, were now becoming aware of the massive potential of this nascent sector. An impressive list of competitors, including companies like Microsoft, Apple, Sony and Barnes and Noble, wanted their share – and they all had their own readers in development.

In a way, it’s a huge compliment to Amazon that almost every ebook reader in development which shows the slightest promise is immediately given the title of the “Kindle Killer”. The trouble is that, at the moment, in spite of all the development work by the competition, Amazon is still the only game in town. Sony’s Daily Edition reader and the Nook from Barnes and Noble have both had their release dates postponed. In fact, it looks ever more likely that the most probable source of the long awaited Kindle Killer could be Amazon itself. The Kindle 4 looks like the most likely contender. Could we expect to see it in the next twelve months?

The organisers of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, being held in Las Vegas have, for the first time ever set aside a dedicated area for e-book readers. Not without some justification – there are a minimum of two dozen different manufacturers showing off e-book readers at the show.

The heightened level of interest, both from electronics manufacturers and the public is no big surprise. After all, 2009 was a bumper year for e-book readers. All the signs are that 2010 could be even bigger.

Of course, much of the credit for the huge buzz surrounding e-book readers in 2009 must go to Amazon’s Kindle reader. The Kindle 2.0 launch in February, swiftly supported by the launch of the larger DX version in June, generated a large amount of publicity for e-book readers as a whole and for the Kindle in particular.

The Kindle quickly became the top selling product on Amazon and, during the festive season of 2009, the Kindle became the most gifted item on Amazon. Kindle book sales had been running at 35% of all book sales (where a Kindle edition existed). On Christmas day 2009, for the first time ever, Amazon sold more Kindle books than traditional books.

The market for both e-book readers and e-books had been firmly established and now seems set to take off.Currently, Amazon has a 60% share of the American market and Sony has 35%. Obviously there are plenty of other manufacturers who want their slice of the pie. On the face of it, they will have a difficult time considering Amazon’s dominance – but the market is new and developing rapidly. Exponential growth seems probable in the near future and the right product at the right time could rewrite the rules overnight.

Electronics manufacturers are not the only businesses interested in the growth and development of the e-book reader market. Third party manufacturers who produce various accessories – reading lights (the displays of e-book readers are not back-lit),chargers, covers, screen protectors etc. – also stand to benefit from a market that, until very recently, simply did not exist. At the moment, Kindle accessories are, understandably, the most common, but as other readers begin to make inroads in the market these will, no doubt, also be catered for.

2010 will be a big year for both e-books and e-book readers. The 2011 Consumer Electronics shows will also have a dedicated e-book reader section – but it will probably be somewhat increased in size compared with 2010.

The organisers of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, being held in Las Vegas have, for the first time ever set aside a dedicated area for e-book readers. It’s hardly surprising – there are a minimum of two dozen different manufacturers showcasing e-book readers at the show.

The increased level of awareness, both from electronics manufacturers and the public is perfectly understandable. After all, 2009 was a bumper year for e-book readers. All the signs are that 2010 could be even bigger.

Of course, much of the credit for the huge buzz surrounding e-book readers in 2009 must go to Amazon’s Kindle reader. The Kindle 2.0 launch in February, swiftly followed by the Kindle DX launch in June, created a great deal of good press for e-book readers as a whole and for the Kindle in particular.

The Kindle rapidly became Amazon’s number one selling product and, over the 2009 Christmas period, the Kindle became the most gifted item on Amazon. Kindle book sales had been running at 35% of all book sales (where a Kindle edition existed). For the first time ever, on Xmas day 2009, Amazon sold more Kindle books than traditional books.

The market for both e-book readers and e-books had been firmly established and now seems set to take off.At the moment, Amazon has a 60% share of the American market and Sony has 35%. Obviously there are plenty of other manufacturers who want a share of this new market. On the face of it, they will have a challenging time considering the dominant position of Amazon – but the market is new and developing rapidly. Exponential growth looks very likely in the near future and the right product at the right time could change everything overnight.

Apart from electronics manufacturers, there are other parties who have a vested interest in the growth and development of the e-book reader market. Third party manufacturers who make a variety of accessories – reading lights (the displays of e-book readers are not back-lit), covers, chargers, screen protectors etc. – are also benefiting from a market that, as little as a year ago, was simply not in existence. Currently, Kindle accessories are, predictably, dominant, but as other readers begin to increase their volume of sales these will, almost certainly, also be catered for.

This is going to be a very successful year both for e-books and e-book readers. Next year’s Consumer Electronics shows will certainly incorporate a separate e-book reader section – but it may be considerably larger in size compared with this year.

UK based company Plastic Logic has finally revealed its Que e-book reader which will now compete with the Amazon Kindle reader. The lightweight device, with touch screen controls incorporated was displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The Que is the result of over ten years of research and development at the UK’s Cambridge University. It’s estimated that the R&D program cost well over $ 200m.

The reader incorporates 3G wireless connectivity and has a large format black and white screen. It is considerably more expensive than Amazon’s Kindle and is targeted at “mobile professionals”.

Two different models are available. The 4GB model has a price tag of $ 649 and the 8 GB has sells for $ 799. The Kindle 2.0 and the larger Kindle DX (which is probably more comparable with the Que) sell for $ 259 and $ 489 respectively. The 4GB model has sufficient memory for around 35,000 documents. The 8GB model will hold 75,000 documents – which is equivalent to the contents of 75 filing cabinets.

According to Plastic Logic, the Que is “more than an eReader”. It features a massive 10.7 inch shatterproof display – currently the biggest of any e-book reader in the world. Apart from the sheer size, the display is noteworthy due to the fact that it is made of plastic rather than glass. It is therefore more durable, surprisingly flexible and lighter.

The overall dimensions of the device are 8.5 X 11 X 0.33 inches and it weighs in at less than a typical periodical – around about one pound. It will be a bit like carrying a pad of letter sized paper around with you.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Que is more than an e-book reader, Plastic Logic have entered into partnership with Barnes and Noble who will supply books for the device. Agreements with newspapers, for example USA Today, have also been put in place.

Barnes and Noble will make 700,000 books available for Que users. Amazon currently have around 400,000 Kindle books available for their Kindle reader – but they are adding, on average, a further 500 titles every day.

The Que will begin shipping in mid-April 2010. Customers can buy it from either the Que website or from the Barnes and Noble website.

Towards the end of the year, when Amazon’s management team get together to review the company’s performance in 2009, they will have good reason to feel content – but not smug. It’s been a very good year for the internet retail giant – and much of the credit must go to the Amazon Kindle reader.

Amazon released the Kindle 2 in February of 2009. It was generally viewed as a big step forward. Amazon had clearly paid close attention to customer feedback regarding the original Kindle, which debuted in 2007. Wireless connectivity and the vast selection of Kindle books were retained and more rapid page changes, longer battery life and increased storage capacity were among the enhancements which were introduced.

Best selling author, Stephen King wrote a special Kindle book to mark the launch and the Kindle 2 rapidly became the “must have” gadget among a blaze of publicity.

In June of 2009, just a few months later, Amazon unveiled the Kindle DX. This had a large screen and was targeted at readers of magazines, newspapers and academic textbooks. A little surprisingly perhaps, it was the stuffy world of academic publishing that helped to gain the DX a lot of publicity.

The academic community was quick to realise the potential opportunities which the Kindle offered. Not only would it be very much easier to keep textbooks updated but interactive education – pop quizzes and tests for instance – would be possible. Academic bodies would not only save money as a result of using digital books, but they would be more environmentally friendly also – an important factor for such institutions who have both budgets and environmental targets to meet nowadays.

As well as cementing partnerships with a number of universities and colleges, Amazon benefited from a lot of publicity created by political bodies such as the New Democratic Leadership Council and Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – both of whom waxed lyrical on the educational potential of e-book readers in general and the Amazon Kindle in particular.

However, as rosy as things were looking for Amazon, there were indications that trouble was looming. Other manufacturers, having seen Amazon develop the e-book reader market, were now becoming aware of the massive potential of this fledgling sector. An impressive list of competitors, including the likes of Microsoft, Apple, Barnes and Noble and Sony, wanted their share – and they all had their own readers in development.

In a way, it’s a huge compliment to Amazon that almost every ebook reader under development which shows the slightest potential is immediately dubbed the “Kindle Killer”. The trouble is that, at the moment, in spite of all the development work by the competition, Amazon is still the only show in town. Sony’s Daily Edition reader and the Nook from Barnes and Noble have both had their release dates put back. In fact, it looks increasingly likely that the most probable source of the long awaited Kindle Killer might be Amazon itself. The Kindle 4 looks like the most likely challenger. Might we expect to see it in 2010?