 The Amazon Kindle burst onto the scene in 2007, and has gone out to dominate the e-reader marketplace with an extensive library, robust ecosystem, and regular updates. If this were a normal tech review, we might talk about the latest Kindle size, speed, and hardware specs. But this review is anything but. Hi, my name is David, and this is a Digital Matters and Cultural Review. At the University of Utah, we're launching a new e-reader review series based on one question. How well does this device serve the reading public? Does the form, function, and software of the e-reader make it easier for the reader to access information and culture? Or does it make it harder or more expensive? To that end, we're going to toss out the conventional criteria for tech reviews, and instead, we're going to measure e-readers against this, the book. Like most e-readers, the Kindle has a rubbery matte finish that's tactile but smooth. It's roughly the size of a paperback novel and can easily fit in a small bag, jacket, or even your pants pocket. The Kindle uses e-ink technology, a series of magnetically charged black and white capsules to mimic the resolution of print. You can view the text in the sun, and unlike a laptop or tablet, it doesn't require a backlight, which can strain the eyes. This version of the Kindle holds about 3GB of storage, which for many people is plenty of room. Now, Amazon tends to expand its onboard storage regularly with each new version. But what I like to see is the option for expandable storage, such as a mini SD or micro SD card slot, which is available on its tablet cousin, the Kindle Fire. I don't think that's in the cards for the e-reader version of the Kindle, and I'm not sure that it ever will be. Ultimately, the form of the Kindle is that it's a great e-reader, but that's not its primary purpose. Its primary function is to be another portal to the Amazon store. You're locked into its library and marketplace, and the object of the Kindle itself is secondary. For the reading public, it doesn't do much. The Amazon system is designed to keep you buying and purchasing, and there's no second life for the books that you've bought. But most distressing of all is that the Kindle doesn't natively read the open EPUB format. It never has, and it probably never will. You'd have to jump through a number of hoops to convert the files so that the Kindle could read them, and you'd have to be pretty savvy with the computer, or pretty comfortable with the computer to do that. From a cultural perspective, that's a deal breaker. As long as the Kindle is designed to sell you everything under the sign of the Amazon store, I don't recommend that you choose it for your e-reader. Thanks for watching, and happy reading.