Amazon's , of course, is the slim white e-book reader with access to over 350,000 books and counting. (Though, personally, I'd hate to be the guy whose job was to do the actual counting.)

But soon after launching the Kindle device, Amazon quickly bastardized its own noun, releasing and iPod touch. That software offers access to that massive library of digital books, without needing to buy the $260 hardware Kindle. With desktop software, one imagines you'll be able to read books right on your bright computer screen while you're supposed to be working.

Desktop Kindle software--whether for Macs or PCs--will mark the first time consumers can buy and read books from Amazon's library without owning some other pricey hardware. Except for, uh, the computer itself.

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