With Amazon.com widely expected to unveil a new larger-screen version of its Kindle reader Wednesday, reports and leaks about the device are starting to come in fast and furious. Here's a rundown what to look for in the new Kindle, which is being targeted at newspaper readers and college students.
Screen size. If grainy photos at Engadget are to be believed, the new Kindle will have a 9.7-inch display, up from the current Kindle's 6-inch screen. That may be better for newspapers, but what about college textbooks? One of the chief drawbacks of the current Kindle for textbook publishers is that it can't display complex charts and graphics. It will be interesting to see if the new Kindle addresses that problem.
Name. What will Amazon call the new Kindle? This may be a critical issue. If Amazon simply calls it "Kindle 3," it could anger a lot of people who just shelled out for a Kindle 2 -- and who could have waited for the upgrade. Amazon may position the new Kindle as a niche product for newspaper readers and the college crowd -- a "special edition." One name floating around is Kindle DX.
Pricing. Amazon kept a relatively high price point of $359 for Kindle 2. Will that go up or down with the new device? This could be an important factor for college students. Students typically shell out hundreds of dollars for textbooks each term, so a Kindle could save them money in the long run, provided that electronic versions of textbooks are cheaper. But will students be willing or able to pay $359 up front for a Kindle? The Wall Street Journal reports that students at Case Western Reserve University "will be given" Kindles, which implies that they will be free, at least initially, to encourage adoption. On the newspaper front, there's speculation that the New York Times will lower its subscription cost for the new Kindle, to get readers on board.
Other features. Reports indicate the new Kindle will have a more fully functional web browser (the browser initially had limited capability and was classified as "experimental") and the ability to annotate, which could be useful for students who like to highlight their textbooks or write notes in the margins. Will the new Kindle have Wi-Fi capability as well? Another question is color. Current Kindles, which use E-Ink technology, can only show shades of gray, though color would certainly enhance the display for some newspapers and textbooks.
Bring on the Jeff Bezos show in New York.
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