Just yesterday at lunch, two friends brought their Kindles to compare. One had the first Kindle, and the other had the new Kindle. As we compared the modifications in the Kindle, we also discussed if the Kindle would become the Web 2.0 college textbook. Then today I read in the Wall Street Journal that Amazon.com does plan to announce a new Kindle that is designed to be a platform for textbook delivery.

The universities that are trying out the new Kindle for textbooks are: Case Western Reserve, Pace, Princeton, Reed, Darden School at the University of Virginia, and Arizona State.

Some of the reader-friendly qualities of the Kindle include:

• Word/phrase search function.
• Ability to write notes.
• Some Web browsing qualities.
• Ability to change font size.

One of the major benefits is being able to carry what would be hundreds of pounds of books in the small book-size Kindle. For any student carrying a knapsack and riding a bike or the bus or walking, how wonderful.