Kindle Paperwhite announced

As anticipated, the new device announced by Amazon this morning is the Kindle Paperwhite which seems to fit snugly onto the palm of your hand without running the risk of it slipping. Amazon claims that the Kindle Paperwhite has 62% more pixels and 25% more contrast than its predecessor where its capacitive touchscreen display is concerned. The new buzzword introduced this time around would be “Nanoimprinted Light Guide” which is incorporated into this frontlit device, allowing light to travel down the screen in the same vein as ambient light. The result? Easier reading on your eyes, not to mention better battery life.

We are looking at 8 weeks of battery life with the light on, where the Kindle Paperwhite measures a mere 9.1mm thin while tipping the scales at 7.5 ounces. It sports a user interface that is reminiscent of the Kindle Fire, making a transition easier I presume for those who want to jump aboard the Paperwhite bandwagon. I guess 4 years of research and development ought to yield something impressive, and the Kindle Paperwhite does seem to live up to expectations at the moment.

You are able to change the font size on-the-fly via a pinch and zoom technique. It remains to be seen whether users will take to the touchscreen user interface, but I guess not many will be dragged in that direction kicking and screaming, with all the touchscreen devices we own these days.

There are some interesting features in Kindle Paperwhite, and X-Ray is one of them, letting you check out just how many pages you have left to “digitize” what we take for granted with a normal paperback.

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite will ship from October 1st onwards, retailing for $119 a pop. Those who want the Kindle Paperwhite 3G version will have to fork out $179 for it. Bear in mind that the 3G model will boast of free 3G – does this mean no additional monthly data plans to pay for? A one-time $60 upfront fee for free 3G sounds sweet to us.

“Collateral damage” within the Kindle family with the Kindle Paperwhite’s announcement would be the original Wi-Fi Kindle e-reader experiencing a price cut to $79, while the vanilla Kindle is now just $69.

Which Kindle do you think suits you?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Tablets
Tags: Amazon