Amazon’s Kindle 3 Release This Friday
Amazon has announced that their new Kindle 3 will be shipped this Friday. Orders placed today will not ship until on or before Sept. 17.
Amazon new and updated graphite coloured Kindle 3 will sell for $139. Not sure how this is going to compete with Apple iPad, Amazon is still using a non colour LCD screen. The price of the new e-reader will be $139 for a Wi-Fi version and $189 for a model with both 3G and Wi-Fi.
Features listed on Amazon website:
- All-New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen – 50% better contrast than any other e-reader
- Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
- New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
- New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6″ size reading area
- 17% Lighter – Only 8.5 ounces, weighs less than a paperback
- Battery Life of Up to One Month – A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off
- Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 Books
- Built-In Wi-Fi – Shop and download books in less than 60 seconds
- 20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
- Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
- New WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi (experimental)
Amazon Reveals Kindle 3
Amazon is releasing the latest updated graphite coloured Kindle 3 for $139. Not sure how this is going to compete with Apple iPad, Amazon is still using a non colour LCD screen. The price of the new e-reader will be $139 for a Wi-Fi version and $189 for a model with both 3G and Wi-Fi.
Features listed on Amazon website:
- All-New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen – 50% better contrast than any other e-reader
- Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
- New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
- New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6″ size reading area
- 17% Lighter – Only 8.5 ounces, weighs less than a paperback
- Battery Life of Up to One Month – A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off
- Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 Books
- Built-In Wi-Fi – Shop and download books in less than 60 seconds
- 20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
- Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
- New WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi (experimental)
Amazon Adds Video And Audio To Kindle App For iPad, iPhone
Amazon has updated their Kindle app for ebook with multimedia features, with books that can play back audio and video when you view them on Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. Starting toady, some Kindle e-books include full video playback as well as embedded audio.
Amazon Competes With iPad With Slimmer Kindle
Amazon could soon release slimmer 0.36 inch thick Kindle which is slightly thinner than 0.5 inch Apple iPad. It will be very difficult for Amazon to get anywhere with the Kindle if it has no colour and a device which is only for reading books.
Amazon planned to release the thinner Kindle this August.
Amazon Kindle Too Expensive With Apple’s iPad Arrival
The question is why do you now need a Kindle when the Apple’s iPad is a better choice for reading eBooks. Kindle is now selling at $259 and also gave way to publisher setting e-book pricing higher than the default $9.99.
Apple’s iBookstore is launching tomorrow with titles from major publishers such as Penguin, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group and Macmillan.
Amazon, Barnes and Noble Creating Apple iPad Apps
Both Amazon and Barnes & Nobles are developing iPad Apps for their e-book readers and shop. This will be a challenge to Apple’s iBook Store. Amazon says that more than 450,000 Kindle books will be available when the iPad launch on April 3.
Amazon intended to circumvents Apple’s 30 percent cut of in-app purchases. Not sure how they are going to do this? Purchase books via Safari browser?
Apple Mac Is Getting Kindle
Amazon has released its Kindle application for Mac OS X, and users can get e-books in Kindle format onto their machine. IT is a no frills e-book reader. The release of the application came in 2 weeks before Apple releases iPad tablet.
If you want a good e-book reader, check out Stanza. The app is available on the PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod touch and more.
Amazon Rolling Out Kindle Development Kit
Amazon has release its limited beta for the Kindle Development Kit. Accepted beta developers will be able to download the Kindle Development Kit, access developer support, test content on Kindle, and submit finished content.
Source: Kindle Development Kit
Amazon Buys Touchco And A Microsoft Executive
Amazon is planning to best Apple’s iPad by buying touchscreen vendor Touchco and Microsoft marketing veteran Mike Nash. Touchco technology is made for color transparent displays, is low power, and is inexpensive, costing as little as $10 a square foot.
Source: Amazon Buying Touchscreen Vendor
Amazon Kindle Feeling The Heat From Apple’s Tablet
Amazon is feeling the need to improve the Kindle before Apple releases iSlate tablet. Amazon opens Kindle SDK to developers to create and sell apps through the Kindle Store. The company also offer developers a 70-30 split, similar to what iPhone developers get.
Can Amazon out smart Apple with these changes to Kindle? We say no. Why would developers create apps on a device that is only for reading text. And you cannot play games on the Kindle and games are the number one seller on the iPhone. In addition to that, the device can only render in shades of grey! The Nook at least has some colour on their device.
Our prediction is Apple is going to trump Amazon with their new iSlate tablet.
