This is one of the first of hundreds of similar "Kindle receiving" photographs that are going to be taken in high schools and colleges all over the world in the next couple of years.

Thanks to the Kindle Educators' Group for emailing this pretty amazing photograph of Clearwater (FL) High School Principal Keith Mastorides from the St. Petersburg Times with some of the 2,100 new Kindle 3s he and his staff are getting ready to open and hand out to high school students.

The Times story says everyone at the high school is "giddy with anticipation" about the new Kindles, and one senior even used Apple's R-word: "Everyone I've talked to is excited to get one," said Heath Anderson, 17, a senior who helped unpack the Kindles last week. "It's revolutionary really."

What's clear about this sign of the coming wave of change is that schools that adopt the Kindle will soon achieve the critical mass that will make textbook publishers listen to the demand that they must provide their content in Kindle-compatible form. We've heard a lot in the past two years about the Kindle not being textbook-compatible, but within another two years the conversation will be flipped and the question will be about whether textbooks are Kindle-compatible.

Principal Keith Mastorides also points out that the Kindle's free wireless connectivity and Webkit web browser will help to "bridge the digital divide, providing Web access for students who previously had none at home."

I don't know about you, but I'm going to printing out this article for the principal of my son's middle school this week. I'm sure that Clearwater High didn't have to pay $189 each for the 2,100 Kindles it just bought, and it strikes me that Amazon should go public with a device-and-content discounting program for secondary schools, colleges, and their students. Apple has been doing it with Macs for years.

During the first week of September there was a bit of a buzz among some Kindle owners who reported problems with their Kindles automatically rebooting under various circumstances, some of which seemed to be related to activities that might have overtaxed the Kindle's processor capacity or dynamic memory. I tried to monitor this buzz, but I'll admit I wondered how widespread the problem could be because I did not receive a single email from a Kindle 3 owner about the issue. On September 7 and 8 I ran a brief "Kindle 3 User Experience Poll," with very little fanfare to see if I could get a handle on the level of incidence.

As you can see from the poll results below based on 185 responses, the number of Kindle owners who experienced the "rebooting" problem was enough to call it significant, but far from a level I would call catastrophic. About 1 in 20 responding Kindle 3 owners appeared to have contacted customer service, based on the poll results. (By comparison, a detailed 2009 Kindle Nation survey indicated that perhaps as many as 12% of Kindle 2 owners may have returned their units because of a problem in which early Kindle 2 unit displays tended to fade when exposed to bright sunlight.)

Nonetheless, on September 8, the day after the poll, Amazon went public with a beta software update version 3.0.1, downloadable from Amazon's website, that addressed the "reboot" issue for all Kindle 3 models. The following day, September 9, Amazon made the software update "official." It remains downloadable from the Amazon website here (or see below), and it will also be rolled out wirelessly to all Kindle owners in the coming weeks.

Also, importantly, if you are waiting for a Kindle 3 to be shipped from Amazon, it will be factory-outfitted with the software update.

Kindle 3 User Experience Poll

Kindle Software Update -- New Release Available

Kindle (Latest Generation) Software Update

We're excited to announce that a new, free software update is available for the latest generation Kindle 6" device. This software update adds the ability to create a new Amazon.com account directly from your Kindle, as well as additional performance improvements.

Here's how to download Kindle software update version 3.0.1 and transfer it to your Kindle via USB (we will also deliver this software update wirelessly in the coming weeks for customers who choose not to manually update via USB now):

1. Determine your software version: From Home, select Menu, then Settings. On the Settings screen and you will see the version information at the bottom of the screen. If you see "Version 3.0", please proceed with the steps below to update your Kindle to the latest software. If you see "Version 3.0.1," your Kindle already has the latest update.
2. 
   
   
   
   
3. Download your software: Visit the appropriate link below to download the software update file directly to your computer:

4. Kindle (Wi-Fi) Download: Kindle (Wi-Fi) Settings Serial Number: Starts with B008
   U.S. and Canadian Customers Download: Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi) Settings Serial Number: Starts with B006	European Customers Download: Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi) Settings Serial Number: Starts with B00A

5. Transfer software to your Kindle: Turn your Kindle on and connect it to your computer using the USB cable. Then use your computer's file browser to copy the update file from your computer to the Kindle root directory. (The root directory contains a number of folders - such as "audible," "documents," and "music" - and is typically denoted by a "device" icon).
6. 
   
7. Monitor file transfer and disconnect: Check your file transfer progress to ensure file transfer to your Kindle is complete before disconnecting. After the file has transferred successfully, eject the Kindle to safely disconnect Kindle from your computer. Disconnect the USB cable from your Kindle and your computer.
   
   
8. Start the software update: Go to the Home screen, press the Menu key, and select "Settings." Press the Menu key again, and then select "Update Your Kindle." (This option will be grayed out if the most recent update has already been installed or if the file transfer was not successful.) Select "Ok" when prompted if you want to perform an update.
   
   
9. Once the update is complete: Your Kindle will automatically reboot. When you go to the Settings page, you should notice Version: Kindle 3.0.1 at the bottom of the screen. Once you see this, you know your update is complete.
   
   
10. Please share your feedback about the update: E-mail kindle-feedback@amazon.com. We look forward to hearing about your experience and appreciate your feedback.

Thanks to Pat for this question which may Kindle owners keep up with the latest software updates:

Pat, if you've got a Kindle 2 previous generation 6-inch Kindle, the latest version of the software for your Kindle will begin, as yours does, with 2.5. It may be 2.5.1, 2.5.2, 2.5.3, etc. So you're all set, and here is a link to Amazon's support page on the subject. The only way to update to 3.0 or higher is to get one of these models of the Kindle 3:

• Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, 6" Display, Graphite - Latest Generation ($139)

• Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" Display, Graphite, 3G Works Globally - Latest Generation ($189)
  

• Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" Display, White, 3G Works Globally - Latest Generation ($189)
  

Every morning I check one of my favorite book business newsletters, Shelf Awareness, and one of my favorite features there is a "quotation of the day" that is often provocative. This morning's quotation is an interesting one from William Gibson, whose latest novel, Zero History, was released last week:

"My dream scenario would be that you could go into a bookshop, examine copies of every book in print that they're able to offer, then for a fee have them produce in a minute or two a beautiful finished copy in a dust jacket that you would pay for and take home. Book making machines exist and they're remarkably sophisticated. You'd eliminate the waste and you'd get your book--and it would be a real book. You might even have the option of buying a deluxe edition. You could have it printed with an extra nice binding, low acid paper." --William Gibson

I love the idea too, and I am certainly a fan of the imaginative energy behind various print-on-demand technologies including the Espresso Book Machine, which is popping up in a growing number of well-capitalized bookstores but remains a pretty expensive technology for many others.

But here's what's a little funny about the quotation: it's not a "futuristic dream scenario" at all. Amazon has been doing this with tens of thousands of "real books" for over three years. I know they are real books because they have sold thousands of copies of my books. The print quality and production values are better than copies that I used to have printed at a reputable printing company an hour from where I live, and the production costs are lower, and the price for customers is as low as on any comparable trade paperbacks.

It's true that I can't "go into" Amazon's "bookshop," which means that I have the convenience of buying such books in seconds and waiting 24 to 48 hours for their delivery. It is also true that I can't get a deluxe hardcover edition, which of course eliminates less than 1/10th of 1 percent of all book transactions.

If I don't want to wait 24 to 48 hours, of course, I can download many of these books instantly and directly to my Kindle, BlackBerry, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, PC, or Mac.

Either way, I think that the future is probably here for most of us, Mr. Gibson. And I am liking it.

I love bookstores, too. And I loved the grand old publishing companies of the mid-20th century. And my collection of great 45 RPM records and LPs. And horses, too.