Amazon could have a stand-alone Kindle and a software version too

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?  Amazon last week started shipping their new, highly rated Kindle 2.  Besides the text-to-speech controversy that came up this week, it is by most accounts a favorable upgrade.  The design is much cleaner (iPod-ier?), it holds more media and the screen is supposedly much better.  But many people, myself included, wish Amazon would just release Kindle as a software application on the iPhone and other smartphones as well as PC/Macs.

First of all, let me say this: I will never own a Kindle hardware product unless someone gives me one as a gift.  I am just not the target market and there are so many other toys I'd spend that $359 on. 

I'm not a big book guy and read newspapers and magazines online either on my laptop or my large flat panel screen.  I genuinely enjoy the experience much, much more than paper.  Also, if there is something I want to know more about while reading, there is always a hyperlink, Wikipedia or one of my online buddies hanging around to discuss it.

If I am outdoors in nature or the beach, I'll take some traditional "dead tree" media with me or whip out my iPhone in an emergency.  Unfortunately, I don't spend a lot of time in this fashion so it isn't something I'd spend $359 to placate.  Plus, do I really need another gadget between my laptop, netbook and iPhone?  Not really.

Sure the Kindle's screen is great for reading outdoors, I can really appreciate that, honestly.  The device is also much smaller than my laptop for reading on the road or on the couch or even in bed.  And pages flip like they would do on a book.  Meh.  But, I just don't care. 

I like to have full Internet when browsing the web ... and that is where the Kindle falls way short.  It can't even browse the web or get emails with any efficiency or do important things like send instant mesages or VoIP.  For that same money at Amazon, I can get the latest ASUS 1000HE PC.  Or I can get a cheap iPod touch for around half that price.  There is just no way I'd spend the extra money on something so one dimensional.

This is where the larger screened Smartphones like the iPhone excel.  While they have eBook reading capabilities, they do a bunch of other stuff really well too.

But don't get me wrong,  I don't think the Kindle is a bad idea for heavy readers, and I could certainly take advantage of some of its functionality.   I can obviously provide the screen, the Internet connection and the Kindle software can take over from there.  But I don't expect to pay fees for what I can currently get for free on the net.  

I am, by no means, the first to suggest a Kindle software-only solution.  The problem is that people who want software, seem to only think a software Kindle should exist. 

Me?  I think Amazon should do both.