Verizon Wireless sees Kindle-type e-readers coming

(AP) -- Amazon's Kindle might soon be getting new competitors in the market for electronic-book devices.

Tony Lewis, who heads an initiative within Verizon Wireless to provide access to non-phone devices, says that five companies have approached Verizon about wireless connections for e-readers.

Lewis wouldn't say what manufacturers Verizon is talking to. But he hints that they are looking at entering parts of the e-book market that the Kindle doesn't focus on, like college textbooks.

Amazon.com Inc. launched the second version of the Kindle a month ago. It uses Sprint Nextel's wireless network to provide near-instant access to a store with 100,000 books.

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