Today Amazon unveiled an updated version of their popular Kindle, a refreshed design that is lighter, thinner, has a sharper resolution, faster page turns, and will made available in two models to bring the price down. A Wi-Fi only model will sell for $139 US while a second version offering both Wi-Fi and free 3G connections will sell for $189 US. Both will start shipping on August 27th to 140 countries with pre-orders starting through the Amazon.com website this Thursday, 29th.
Other changes in the revamped model include a battery the company says will last a month if the connections are turned off, better grey-scale contrast, and increased storage capacity to 4 GB. In many ways the Kindle will retain its look and design, although fans can look forward to a few tweaks to make the keyboard and buttons more user friendly and, building upon the recent addition of Twitter and Facebook-related features, the new software will add web browser based on the WebKit engine (used by Safari, Chrome, etc.) to the Kindle's experimental feature selection. According to an interview with Bloomberg this week, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos confirms that they are testing colour screen technology at their labs, but that neither colour or touch screens will be added to the Kindle any time soon.
In size the new Kindle has a body that's 21 percent smaller while keeping its six inch screen. It's 15 percent lighter at 8.7 ounces and the screen has a contrast "50 percent better than any other e-reader" and performs very well in sunlight.
It can now turn pages 20 percent faster and with new custom-built fonts display words and letters to make them "more crisp, clear, and natural-looking".
The expanded 4GB of storage means it can now hold 3,500 books and the larger capacity battery means it can hold a charge for one month with connections turned off and ten days turned on.
As the pictures show, you can now choose between the original white finish or the darker graphite and a slight redesign to the keyboard and buttons give them a quieter action, allowing you to turn pages without a clicking noise disturbing anyone sitting (or trying to sleep) next to you.
The new experimental web browser (unlikely to work in Canada) will run the WebKit engine and include an "article mode" that simplifies web pages to focus just on the text for easier reading.
For those who've enjoyed the Kindle's Text-To-Speech feature, an update now allows it to also read aloud menus, item descriptions, and screen selections.
To support the new Kindle design Amazon is also launching a new Lighted Leather Cover that includes an integrated, retractable reading light. Amazon promises that the high-quality LED light (permanently affixed to the cover) will provide illumination without glare. The whole unit draws its power from the Kindle itself through a connection housed within a gold-plated hinge system. No word yet on what the price for the new cover will be.
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