New Amazon Kindle Announced: WiFi-only and 3G Model Available August 27th!

The new Amazon Kindle!

Let’s be honest — you saw this one coming, didn’t you? Yesterday Amazon introduced a new reading device for e-book aficionados dubbed simply… the Kindle. The new handheld — slated to be released on August 27th — is 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the previous model, has a 20 percent faster refresh rate on its E Ink (yep, still E Ink) screen, and will now come in two colors (graphite, like its big brother the DX, and the original white). In addition to the color changes, there will be two radio configurations available: a $139 WiFi only version, and a $189 3G version (utilizing AT&T’s network, just like the last model).

The screen will remain the same 6-inch size as the last two Kindles, though the company claims page turns are faster and contrast is improved. The internal storage on the device has been cranked to 4GB, and the battery life is now rated at a month with no wireless, and 10 days with wireless switched on. The company also announced plans for a UK-localized version at £109 and £149, respectively, as well as a UK e-book store.

Along with the big changes, there have been minor tweaks as well — the keyboard and five-way controls have been streamlined and altered slightly. The rocker is now more compact and flush with the device, and the side buttons have been modified in length to emphasize the forward paddles, while the back buttons have been downsized. Software wise, there are some interesting new features, the most notable being the inclusion of an “experimental” Webkit-based browser. If you’re expect future iterations to go even bolder with their multimedia capabilities, we kindly direct you to some choice quotes by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos care of WSJ: “For the vast majority of books, adding video and animation is not going to be helpful. It is distracting rather than enhancing.

You are not going to improve Hemingway by adding video snippets,” adding later, “there are going to be 100 companies making LCD [screen] tablets… why would we want to be 101? I like building a purpose-built reading device. I think that is where we can make a real contribution.”

Those who had a chance to play with the device for a short while during a meeting with the company,  can report that the Kindle is still very much the reading device you know and love (or hate, depending on your preferences). The build quality and materials used did seem slightly more polished than the previous version, and they really liked the new, more subtle rocker.

They can also attest to screen refreshes and overall navigation feeling noticeably more responsive and snappy compared with the previous generation. Amazon was showing off a jacket accessory which will be made available at launch that includes a small, pull-out light for late-night reading sessions. I’m sure it will please a lot of folks eager to keep their partners undisturbed while they tear through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

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  By Meghan, July 29, 2010 @ 1:50 pm

  Hi Andrew,

  Great write-up regarding what users can expect from the new Kindle. If you are interested in learning more about the new Kindle, Jeff Bezos, founder & CEO of Amazon.com, will be discussing it tonight on Charlie Rose on Bloomberg Television. To discover where to tune-in, you can find your local listings here: http://bloomberg.viewerlink.tv/

  Again, thanks for the thorough write-up.

  Best,
  Meghan
  Community Manager
  Bloomberg Television
  http://www.Facebook.com/BloombergTelevision

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