WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Amazon, the online retail giant, formally launched its long-awaited e-book reading device Kindle on Monday, which is hoped to revolutionize the future of reading.

    "Today, we at Amazon are excited to announce Kindle, a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more than 90,000 books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers," Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon, said in a statement posted online.

    With a 399-dollar price tag, Kindle is lighter and thinner than a typical paperback, and weighs only 10.3 ounces (about 300 grams).

    The revolutionary electronic-paper display used in Kindle can provide a sharp, high-resolution screen that "looks and reads like real paper," said Amazon.

    Advanced wireless technology enables users to shop the Kindle Store directly from their Kindle. People can buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.

    "We chose the same wireless technology used in advanced cell phones, so you never need to locate a Wi-Fi hotspot," said Bezos. "But unlike cell phones, there are no monthly wireless bills, no service or data plans, and no yearly contracts."

    There are currently more than 88,000 books available online in Kindle Store. Even best-sellers and new releases are sold at just 9.99 U.S. dollars, much cheaper than a paper edition. The Kindle device can hold over 200 titles.

    Kindle users can also subscribe to top U.S. newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and top magazines including Time, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes -- all auto-delivered wirelessly.

    Through Kindle, people can browse more than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including Boing Boing, Slashdot, etc.

    Amazon set out to design and build the device three years ago. "We designed Kindle to provide an exceptional reading experience," said the Amazon Kindle team.

    After the highly-anticipated launch on Monday, Amazon posted a series of positive comments by many book authors about Kindle.

    "This is the future of book reading. It will be everywhere," said Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball and Liar's Poker.