Amazon.com introduced its third generation Kindle ebook reader on Thursday with a redesigned body and the option to buy versions with Wi-Fi and 3G, or Wi-Fi only. The new models highlight Amazon.com’s plans to steer clear of Apple’s iPad and focus on the dedicated ebook reader market.
Amazon’s third generation Kindle
The new Kindle uses the same E-ink display as the new Kindle DX for faster refresh rates, and shares the same graphite colored shell color, too. It weighs 8.7 ounces thanks to a smaller form factor compared to the second generation Kindle, can run up to a month on a single battery charge, and it can store up to 3,500 books — substantially more than the 1,500 books the second generation Kindle could hold.
The third generation Kindle is priced in line with other dedicated ebook reader devices, too. The Wi-Fi plus 3G model costs US$189, and the Wi-Fi only model is priced at $139.
The new Kindle is available for pre-order now and will ship on August 27.
2 Comments
Find more thorough info at, for example,
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/technology/29kindle.html?th&emc=th
I actually pre-ordered this. I don’t yet have an iPad, and at this point, I’ll probably wait until the 2nd generation. But, it would be nice to tote my books with me, and at $139, it’s a fairly pain-free purchase. I’m also hoping it’ll mean I’ll read more. It’s also a third of the weight of an iPad, although the screen is of course significantly smaller and it’s a single purpose devise.
The other factor in buying this over the iPad is that I just purchased an iPhone 4 (to replace my 3G). This has done three things: Placated my desire for a new iDevice; taken up a chunk of my iDevice budget; and, perhaps most importantly, spoiled me with that gorgeous display. Will the next iPad have a retina display? In some ways, I doubt it; doubling the resolution would give it a resolution exceeding the 21.5” iMac, and that has a lot more graphic horsepower to throw at the screen. But I can hope so.
Besides, I’ve got about a month to come to my senses and cancel my pre-order. If I keep the order, then when the next iPad comes out, the Kindle would make a nice hand-me-down gift for my mom. All in all, this was a “Why not?” purchase decision.
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