What Can Amazon Learn from Abacus!

I am a gadget junkie. I have probably spent more on gadgets than I have ever made money in my life so far. The concept of a smart watch too intriguing for me to ignore a couple of years ago. Think about it. No need to adjust your watch when you travel, having the ability to get the latest news on your watch, and figuring out the closed roads and avoiding them, these were all features that were interesting to have on a watch at a time. But watches were on their way down even in 2006. Studies have shown year after year that less people actually wear watches in the U.S. and rely on their cell phones to get the information they need.

Smart Watch 2006 may be dead, but Kindle can learn a thing or two from the tiny watch. For one,  that tiny device allowed access to much more information on the fly than Kindle. It’s true that folks are using Kindle as laptops these days (sending instant messages, e-mails, and Twitter updates), but Smart Watch was a very interactive and unique device. For instance, you would get news alerts on your watch, helping you keep yourself up-to-date with the latest sports, science, or political news. You could also customize the type of information you wanted to see on your watch (e.g. track a specific stock).

Smart Watch died a quick death, and there was a reason for that. But Amazon should put more effort in improving Kindle’s software than its hardware if it wants to truly become a mega device in this digital era.

You decide: what would you change about Amazon Kindle’s current software? How would you improve it.

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving and holiday to everyone.