Amazon's e-book reader endorsed by Oprah

Oprah Winfrey has announced her endorsement of Kindle, Amazon.com's e-book reader.

According to The New York Times, "Right now, the Amazon website features a video trailer for today's show, in which Winfrey says she'll reveal? her 'new favorite gadget.' In the course of the 30-second commercial, she also describes it as 'life-changing, for me' and 'the wave of the future.' Interestingly, the commercial doesn't identify the Kindle specifically, but it's not hard to connect the dots. Amazon has also sent out an email saying founder Jeff Bezos will be on the show to talk about the Kindle, according to the Financial Times."

Unarguably, such a favorable endorsement is sure to give Kindle a boost but unfortunately, Kindle is not an inexpensive proposition. With a troubling economy that has the public up in arms, e-book users as well as Oprah's devoted audience might not be so quick to shell out $359 for the next up and coming gadget.

Yet with Winfrey's endorsement, Kindle is sure to give its rival, the Sony Reader a run for its money. Despite the lofty price tag for Kindle, according to InformationWeek.com, the backing of the talk show magnate is a sought after gift, "The endorsement by the media mogul is the gold ring coveted by many consumer-product companies. Winfrey has proven her star power through the popularity of her book club, which has catapulted many authors to The New York Times best-seller list. When Winfrey endorsed Obama for president, a study by University of Maryland economists Craig Garthwaite and Tim Moore showed that Winfrey's nod would add 1 million votes to the Democratic nominee."