Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos unveiled the much-anticipated large-screen Kindle e-reader in a lecture hall on Wednesday at New York's Pace University.
Called the Kindle DX, the new device is geared toward readers of personal and professional documents, newspapers and magazines — and textbooks, a potentially huge target market.
The debut of the bigger Kindle was no secret: rumours of a larger-screen Kindle had been around for quite some time, and concrete reports began to surface earlier this week.
According to Amazon's Kindle DX page, the device has the following:
- A 9.7-inch display with 16 shades of grey (the standard Kindle has a six-inch display)
- Capacity to hold up to 3,500 books, periodicals and documents
- An auto-rotating screen to show either portrait or landscape views
- A built-in PDF reader
- 3G wireless network support with no monthly fees or annual contracts
- Battery capacity to "read for days without charging"
- Text-to-speech abilities to read publications aloud
Several of those features are shared with the current Kindle 2, but several are unique to the Kindle DX: the native PDF reader that does not require the files to be converted, the rotating display, the 3,500-publication capacity compared to 1,500 for the Kindle 2, and of course the larger screen.
"You never have to pan, you never have to zoom, you never have to scroll, you just see the documents," Bezos said.
The Kindle DX retails for $489 (£325; the standard Kindle is $359), and is available for pre-orders now on Amazon. It will ship this summer.
As expected, education is a big market for the bigger Kindle. Amazon has partnered with textbook manufacturers Pearson, Cengage Learning and Wiley to bring textbooks to the Kindle — which Bezos says make up 60 percent of the textbook market — as well as several US universities to launch a Kindle DX pilot program this autumn.
"We're going to get students with smaller backpacks, less load, easier access," said Bezos, who then introduced Case Western Reserve University president Barbara Snyder. She said that the university would be seeing how study habits and the learning process change with the use of Kindles as textbook replacements.
Many predicted that the Kindle DX would be geared in part towards helping out the struggling newspaper industry, and indeed, three newspapers will also be testing out the Kindle DX this summer in exchange for future product development help. The publications participating are The New York Times, The Boston Globe (owned by the New York Times Company), and The Washington Post.
Arthur Sulzberger Jr, chairman of the New York Times Company, said that the Times and the Globe will first be available on the Kindle DX in markets where home delivery is not available.
The Kindle DX showcases "our commitment to reinvention and to taking full advantage of digital media," Sulzberger said, "which are providing a compelling laboratory for entrepreneurs, for technologists, and of course for journalists. The new Kindle DX is an important milestone in the convergence between print and digital."
"Newspapers have been an absolute bestseller on Kindle," Bezos said. "People love waking up in the morning to find that their New York Times, their Washington Post, their Wall Street Journal have been 'automagically' delivered overnight. They like the fact that when they travel their subscription follows them around."
In addition to launching the new device, Jeff Bezos hailed the rise of the Kindle phenomenon in general, and its lofty goal of working toward "every book ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds".
"Eighteen months ago, we launched Kindle, and at the time we had 90,000 books available for Kindle. [We had] 230,000 books just three months ago when we launched Kindle 2," Bezos said. Now, the count is 275,000 books. "We've added another 45,000 books in just the last three months. We're actually accelerating."
Talkback
I love the idea of getting newspapers delivered to a Kindle ready on the bedside table in the morning, which I believe happens in the US. The saving on paper, let alone the convenience is massive.
As I understand it none of this is possible in the UK yet. It would be good if a progressive newspaper (The Guardian?) worked with Amazon to make that happen.
Mike Thacker
I am looking for an e-reader with slightly more function:
- Web browser
- Note taking ability (handwriting recongnition if possible)
Do you know if such a device exists?
I have searched and searched by can't find anything other than a tablet, web-pad or web slate - most of which are still chunky and over speced.
Basically I am after an I-touch like device with a 7" or bigger screen. Thin, light, solid state, touch screen with web access via wifi and mobile (3g prefered).
No keyboard needed
Little or no Operating System processing power needed (ARM Chip with pocket PC or Linux would do
The Kindle looks great - except for the web access and touch screen
Ho ho he he ha ha....the only person laughing harder than me is Santa, who'll be going gaga over this new contraption. Probably rubbing his paws in front of the fire getting ready to count all that cash that'll be rollin' in this Christmas.
By this time next year most people will be carrying yet another device they'll need to keep an eye on, protect and remember to grab before they leave school, exit a cafe, bus, train or race out of the office on Friday night for that 'I-cant-wait-for-the-weekend' booze up party down the local!
What about the....It does have the capacity to hold up to 3,500 books, periodicals and documents! Like we don't have enough information to keep up with every minute of the day? And what about Twitter??? Do I receive that on my mobile?? And what about my emails??? Oh that's right....now I remember....they arrive on my other device...hang on a second man...I must have the bullS*** in the other pocket.
And ya gotta love this bit..."as expected, education is a big market for the bigger Kindle." Big market...for the Bigger Kindle. And Glamazon are going to manufacture a squillion of these things which will probably end up in tomorrow's junk piles.
And 347604 (is that your prisoner ID?) how can you love (?) the idea of getting newspapers delivered to a Kindle ready on the bedside table in the morning! Is that before or after you answer your mobile and respond to your 26 messages??
My my...am I the only one who sees what's really going on here?
TFD
If they can get the next version double-sided to open up like a book, but with the screen protected when closed; and in colour - then they would have a real winner.
Almost there . . but not quite yet.