Amazon continues its revamping of the Kindle line. Fresh off of big price cuts for the traditional model, a roll-out of picture/video software for Apple devices, new social media features, and a new Android app, Amazon today announced a new version of its larger model of the Kindle: the DX. The key differences? It’s cheaper, sharper, and available in black (or as they call it, graphite).
The Kindle DX is particularly interesting because of its 9.7 inch screen — the exact same size as the screen on the iPad. And now, with the new black trim around the screen, the Kindle DX looks more like an iPad. Of course, the key difference is that the iPad’s screen is both in full color, and it’s a touchscreen — the Kindle DX still has neither of those features. What it does have, is a more attractive price: it’s now $379.
The price cut is also interesting. Previously, the Kindle DX was $489, which is only $10 cheaper than the cheapest version of the iPad. Undoubtedly, that was a very hard sell for Amazon to make. It’s still going to be a hard sell, but Amazon is pushing hard for the reading crowd with 50 percent better contrast and darker fonts on its e-ink screen.
Not surprisingly, Amazon is also playing up the Kindle’s access to a huge digital library — one larger than the one the iPad has access to. Amazon says that over 200,000 titles have been added to the store in just the past six month (in other words, since the iPad was announced). And they now have over 620,000 books in the store to buy — on top of 1.8 million free, out-of-print books.
It’s still not clear why anyone would get a Kindle DX when they can get the iPad for a little bit more — or a regular Kindle for much less. But it’s clear that Amazon it willing to try different things to see what, if anything works.
The Kindle DX is available for pre-order now. It ships July 7.
Amazon Kindle DX is the largest version of the Kindle, released in May, 2009. The DX has a much larger screen size than earlier Kindle versions, as well as a built-in PDF reader. The Kindle DX also features a partnership with three textbook companies for school use, as well as partnerships with 3 major newspapers for subscription deals. Technical Specifications: Display: 9.7” diagonal E-Ink® electronic paper display, 1200 x 824 pixel resolution at 150 ppi, 16-level gray scale. Size (in...
The Apple iPad, formerly referred to as the Apple Tablet, is a touch-pad tablet computer announced in January 2010, and released in April 2010. It has internet capabilities running on either WiFi or 3G, and offers an optional dock with a full size mechanical keyboard. The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. Its size and...
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