Patrick Beeson

Online retail giant Amazon launched their Kindle wireless reading device yesterday to mixed reviews.

Though much of the criticism was levied on the features that weren't included, I was more curious about those that were, especially in what looked like a revival of the old newspaper subscription model.

Bonus: It's got a face only a mother could love!

Amazon touts several newspaper subscriptions available for launch including: The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Le Monde, The Seattle Times and even the embattled San Jose Mercury News. Here's their description of how the subscriptions work:

Subscriptions are auto-delivered wirelessly to your Kindle so the latest edition is waiting for you every morning. And because Kindle is wireless, your favorite publications follow you wherever you go, whether you are at home or on the road.

Hasn't the news industry moved away from the once-a-day prescription of the old news cycle? If the "paper" is delivered every morning, what do readers do about the news that happens throughout the day?

I guess they fire up their iPhones.

And why is Amazon still referring to the news options as "newspapers" despite the fact that they're not printed on paper? I don't care if the technology is also suggestive (eink) -- we need to get away from mislabeling the media.

If the news ain't printed on paper, it can't very well be a newspaper can it? (Said with my best Tennessee accent.)

Don't get me started about paying for something I can get for free in my RSS reader (without ads). Though I guess I can pay for RSS on Kindle.

I think Amazon has a good business model with creating a device that interfaces with its successful book sales operation. But the add-on media (newspapers) seem to be little more than an afterthought.