Amazon Kindle is a software and hardware platform developed by Amazon.com subsidiary Lab 126 for reading e-books and other digital media. Three hardware devices, known as “Kindle”, “Kindle 2，” and “Kindle DX” support this platform, as does an iPhone application called “Kindle for iPhone”. The first device was released in the United States on November 19，2007.
亚马逊Kindle是一款由亚马逊网站分公司126实验室研发的阅读电子书和其他数码媒体的 硬件和软件平台。这三款硬件设备，包括“Kindle”、“Kindle 2” 和“Kindle DX”都支持这种平台。同样，一款iPhone的应用软件 “Kindle for iPhone”也支持这种平台。2007年1丨月19 R，第一款设 备在美国发售。
The Kindle hardware devices use E-Ink brand electronic paper displays, and are able to download content over Amazon Whispemet using the Sprint EVDO network. Kindle hardware devices can be used without a computer, and Whispemet is accessible without any fee. These devices also provide free internet access to Wikipedia. The Kindle is not available outside the US due to import/ export laws and other restrictions.
Kindle硬件设备运用了电子墨水品牌的电子纸显示器，并且可 以使用Sprint移动宽带网络通过Amazon Whispernet下载内容。 Kindle硬件设备的使用不需要电脑，而且使用Whispernet也不用支 付任何费用。这些设备同时也可以免费链接到维基百科。Kindle由 于进出口法律和其他的限令，只在美国境内有售。
Amazon’s first offering of Kindle in November 2007 sold out in five and a half hours and the device remained out of stock for five months until late April 2008.
亚马逊最初是在2007年11月发售Kindle，在五个半小时就销售 一空，在此后的5个月内直到2008年4月底一直处于缺货状态。
The Kindle device featuring a 6 inch (diagonal) 4-level grayscale display retailed for US$399; Amazon subsequently lowered the price to US$359 and now down to US$299. The 250 MB of internal memory in the Amazon Kindle 1 can hold approximately 200 non-illustrated titles, and the memory is expandable with an SD memory card. This model is no longer available, as it was replaced by the Kindle 2.
Kindle拥有6英寸(对角线)4级灰阶显示屏，零售价为399美元; 亚马逊之后将价格下调到359美元，现在为299美元。拥有250兆内 存的Kindle可以存储大约200本没有插图的书，并且还可以通过SD 记忆卡扩展内存。不过这个版本已经停产，现在已被Kindle 2所取 代。
On March 3, 2009, Amazon.com launched an application entitled Kindle for iPhone in the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch owners to read Kindle content. Through a technology termed “Whispersync,” customers can keep their place across Kindle hardware devices and other mobile devices.
2009年3月3日，亚马逊网站在苹果专卖店中发布了名为“Kindle for iPhone”的软件，使iPhone和iTouch的用户都可以阅读到 Kindle里的内容。通过一个“ Whispersync”的技术手段，用户也可 以将这种应用程序在除Kindle以外的各种移动设备上使用。
Amazon announced the Kindle DX on May 6，2009. This device has a larger screen than its predecessors and supports PDF files natively. It is marketed as more suitable for displaying newspaper and textbook content.
亚马逊网在2009年5月6日发布了Kindle DX。该设备与以前的 几款相比,拥有更大的屏幕,并且能够直接支持PDF文件。它的卖点 在于更适合显示报纸和课本的内容。
Criticisms involve the business model behind Amazon’s entire implementation and distribution of e-books. Amazon recently introduced a software application allowing Kindle books to be read on an iPhone (or iPod Touch). Due to Amazon’s DRM policies, there is no right of first sale with the e-books. Amazon states they are licensed not purchased. The e-books are bound to the Kindle, and users must repurchase e-books after downloading the e-book past an undisclosed limit, or being banned from Amazon Kindle/e-book platform for too many returns, preventing use of already purchased e-books with the account.
人们对亚马逊网的整体运作和电子书的发行背后的商业模式颇多 微词。亚马逊网最近引进了一种应用软件程序可以使Kindle里的书在 iPhone(或iTouch)上也能阅读。由于亚马逊网的内容数字版权加密保护 政策，在销售时是无权附带电子书的。亚马逊表示这些书籍已获得了许可 但是并没有被购买。这些书籍被附带在Kindle里，用户必须在下载了电子 书后，通过一个未公开的限制认证再重新购买该书，或者由于太多次的反 馈而被亚马逊Kindle的电子书平台禁止阅读，使得人们无法阅读已经购 买了的书籍。
A reviewer from CNET expressed concern with the presentation of the device despite its ergonomic appeal.
科技资讯网的一位评论家表达了对此款设备外观的关注，尽管它具 备人体工程学的设计。
Amazon owns Mobipocket, and the Kindle AZW file format and DRM scheme are almost identical to the Mobipocket file format and DRM scheme, yet Kindle is not able to read DRM-protected Mobipocket books without resorting to third-party conversions tools. This situation has led to great frustration for Kindle users.
亚马逊拥有Mobipocket，其Kindle AZW格式文件和内容保密计划基本与Mobipocket的文件 格式和保密计划一样,然而Kindle还不能阅读加密的Mobipocket书籍，除非求助于第三方转换工 具。这种情况使得很多Kindle的用户非常苦恼。
Another claim is that the price of the device is too high-especially given that by design the Kindle is closed to the kind of expansion and customization available to many other consumer electronic devices in the same price range.
还有人抱怨该设备的价格过高——特别是与Kindle价格相同的电子产品中很多都支持内存 扩展和个人设定。
The Kindle 2 was also criticized for its high original retail price of US$359, compared to the $185.49 it allegedly costs to manufacture. On July 8，2009, Amazon reduced the price of the Kindle 2 to $299.
相比其宣称的185.49美元的制造费用而言,Kindle 2也一度因为其最初发售时359美元的高 昂零售价而饱受争议。在2009年7月8日，亚马逊将Kindle 2的价格下调为299美元。