It’s been a long time coming – or at least that’s how it feels – but Amazon has finally revealed its latest, upgraded and enhanced Kindle reader. Dubbed the third generation Kindle by Amazon, there are a variety of improvements.
The latest enhancements on display in the Kindle 3 seem likely to appeal to most e-book reader fans. It retains the same 6” e-ink technology display, but the screen contrast has been improved by 50%, which should make reading an even more pleasant experience. The speed of page turns, already good for the Kindle 2.0, is now a full 20% faster.
The outside dimensions of the reader are reduced by 21% and the weight is just 8.7 ozs – a reduction of 15%. With the Wi-Fi turned off, the battery will now last for a month – even with the Wi-Fi on, a 10 day life is achievable. On board storage capacity has been increased from 2 to 4 GB, enough for approximately 3,500 books. So the new Kindle is smaller, lighter, easier to read, has a longer battery life and allows users to carry a small personal library with them wherever they go. What more could you want from a mobile reader?
For many, a color screen would have been one item on their wish list. However, although Amazon have been developing a color e-ink technology display, it is not yet ready for commercial release. Perhaps this might be incorporated in the next Kindle 4 release. Some users may have liked to see the inclusion of an SD slot for memory expansion. However, with 4GB memory, the majority of people won’t suffer too badly as a result.
As well as all the upgrades, Amazon have adjusted the price downwards and introduced a new Wi-Fi only Kindle for customers who don’t feel the need for a 3G connection. Just $ 139 will get you the new entry level Wi-Fi only model, with the 3G plus Wi-Fi version on sale at $ 189. The new Kindle 3 is now available in graphite, the same as the new DX model, as well as the original white.
Amazon has also opened a dedicated UK Kindle store on their British website. UK consumers will no longer require to have their Kindles shipped across the Atlantic. In the first instance the UK Kindle store will have 400,000 Kindle books to choose from. It seems quite likely that Amazon will also be opening dedicated Kindle stores for its other “local” websites in Germany, France etc. in the future.
The Kindle 3 seems to be in high demand. Potential customers currently face a 4 week wait before their readers are shipped. It may be that all the reports of the Kindle reader’s demise, brought about by the release of Apple’s iPad, were very premature. The latest upgrades, the reduced prices and the fact that there is no monthly connection charge, will appeal to many potential customers. It looks as though the launch of the third generation Kindle may serve as a timely reminder of just how influential Amazon are, and will continue to be, in the world of books in general and e-books in particular