240,000 Kindle customers served.

Sometimes Amazon.com makes what seem to be the craziest decisions (free shipping? Prime shipping? A high-end shoe store? Whut? How does all that work out?) and then makes good.

If the Kindle price drops a bit lower, we may see a really scary turn of events for traditional publishing—and as they say, a rising tide raises all boats, or something like that. This will be good for the other eBook readers as well, as they watch what Amazon does and copycat—like Sony’s new eBook store for its reader.

Oh my lovely Kindle.