Kindle’s Free Internet Support Makes Iwata Interested in the Technology
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has told the Financial Times that he is “interested” in what Amazon has done with allowing customers who bought the Kindle, the digital E-book unit, have access to the internet without having them have to pay for a service. Amazon allows Kindle users to download books and access the Internet using Whispernet, which is done by communicating with the Sprint EVDO network. Meaning, if someone buys the Kindle, they can download a book for a price from anywhere, without paying for an ISP. “I’m interested because it’s a new business model in which the user doesn’t bear the communications cost,” he told the Times.
People who already own the PSP and/or the DSi and want to download a game instead of purchasing one in a actual store, needs to be connected to a WiFi service. What’s intriguing to Nintendo and other companies (I assume) about the Kindle, is the ability to download a title from anywhere. People who don’t have a WiFi setup, would be able to take advantage of a digital only world and not have to worry about any extra cost.
I also feel this wouldn’t be just limited to a handheld. A big argument some analysts make about videogames or other forms of media being distributed by digital means, is the fact some people don’t have broadband access, especially in rural parts of the country. By having some kind of free ISP or cellular network that the company provides, would solve this glaring problem. Of course for that to happen, the technology needs to become cheaper and more advance because unlike books, the size of the download for a game is considerably larger, although, more so with a home console.
