Kindle Ebook Readers

The Amazon Kindle is the dominant force in ebook readers today, currently holding around 47% market share in the US.  Thanks to wireless capability, simple devices that work straight out of the box, their readers have caught the attention of even the most technophobic book-worms.

There are currently several different Kindle eBook Readers available to buy new:

• The Kindle 4 with wi-fi (with or without sponsored ads and special offers)
• The Kindle keyboard 3G and wi-fi (with or without sponsored ads and special offers)
• The Kindle Touch with wi-fi or 3G and wi-fi (with or without sponsored ads and special offers)
• The Kindle Fire Tablet wi-fi
• The Kindle DX with 3G

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 6″ Kindle Readers

Now the first three are all extremely similar.  With their six inch Pearl e-ink displays they all offer exactly the same reading experience.  Where they differ is how you can access the internet and the Kindle ebook store on them.  You can choose either wi-fi, or the flexibility of wi-fi and 3G, so you switch depending on where you are.

You can also choose whether or not to have a “real” keyboard, or to use a touch-screen virtual one. Finally you can save your money and go for the simpler Kindle 4 which is not touch-screen and relies on a virtual on-screen keyboard.

7″ Kindle Fire Tablet

This is unique amongst the Kindle range. It is not a true ebook reader, but instead a multi-functional tablet computer, using a back-lit LCD display to make books, games and movies come alive.

9.7″ Kindle Reader

The last model, is the much larger DX with the 9.7″ Pearl e-ink display.  It has only 3G capability so you will need to check the coverage in your area before choosing this model.

Of course you can still always get hold of older models, either second hand or factory refurbished.  Until the factory refurbished models come down in price considerably I don’t really see the point in buying them, since the latest models have so much more improved displays and firmware.

The 3rd Generation Kindle Book Reader

By far the most popular Kindle reader to date, the 3rd generation model from Amazon uses the most advanced e-ink screen technology to date, and has the best internet browsing capabilities.

Kindle With Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi & 3G?

Whether you go for the 3G + wi-fi, or simply the wi-fi only version will really depend on just how flexible you need the internet access to be.  For all your daily browsing needs (checking web based email, and facebook for example), you will rely on the wi-fi access.  For browsing the Kindle ebook store, viewing Wikipedia and other selected sites the 3G access will give you a faster connection, but only if you have a strong 3G signal.

Most of the time you will simply be reading, and for that no wireless access is needed, so switch it off and double the battery life, to around a month!

Cheaper Kindle With Ads

The latest addition, is a $25 reduced Kindle 3 with sponsored ads and special offers.  After the success of the introduction of the $114 wi-fi version, Amazon have now also released their 3G model with a discount offset by sponsored ads and discounts.

These ads will only appear as screen-savers and on the home-screen so they shouldn’t interfere with your enjoyment, and might be a worthwhile way to get hold of a cheaper ebook reader.

Kindle DX Reader

If you want (or need) a larger screen, you might wish to consider the DX model which has a significant 9.7 inch display.  Of course the size makes it a lot less portable and also far heavier than its little brothers.  But for those viewing PDF, work or newspaper files it might be worth the pay off.  Personally I would opt instead for the Sony PRS950 Daily Edition Reader.  With its touch-screen, wi-fi and 3G it is more flexible and not quite so hefty either!

Next Generation Kindle Ebook Reader

Amazon have tended to be pretty secretive when it comes to possible advances and developments within their Kindle department.  But bearing in mind that the company own a touch-screen business, are developing Android applications, and looking into color displays it seems likely that the next generation Kindle will offer something significantly different to the current batch.  A color Kindle option might be on the cards, thanks to e-ink Triton and Mirasol color, low energy displays, or perhaps even a totally new Android Kindle Tablet to join the ranks of the Amazon ebook reader family.

It now looks pretty likely that we will see two new Amazon tablet devices, a 7″ color tablet to perform as a more versatile Kindle, as well as a completely new 10″ Amazon tablet with a focus on video streaming and cloud computing via Amazon’s own mobile computing services.

Whatever the future Kindle looks like, you can be sure we will be excited to check it out as soon as possible!

Kindle Tablet Release Date

The Kindle tablet release date looks set to be announced on Wednesday September 28th. Jeff Bezos will be speaking at a New York press conference on “matters undisclosed”. As soon as the event was announced the tech press began speculating as to what the topic could be…

They didn’t speculate for long before the general consensus was agreed though! That nothing other than a new tablet Kindle could be the reason for the event.

The thing is Amazon don’t go around holding press conferences very often. So whatever is planned for Sept 28th has to be big, really big. In fact the only similar events held previously have generally introduced us to new Kindle hardware, so it would make sense that something similar is coming this time too.

Kindle Tablet Success?

Whilst we do not doubt that any new Kindle product is likely to do well, will it really do as well as it needs too? Whilst it might not be what everyone wants, there does seem to be a huge interest in an affordable multi-function device that is truly portable. Whilst a seven inch tablet might not fit in everyone’s pocket it will certainly be easier to carry around than Apple’s current offering.

The new 7″ tablet will face some stiff competition. After all everyone and his mother seem to be attempting to jump on the tablet band-wagon. However, so far, few are really managing to produce what customers actually want. The biggest stumbling block for all (including Amazon’s tablet) is that they aren’t iPads, and that is something there is simply no getting away from. However, whereas other manufacturers are selling simply a device, at least Amazon have a whole host of content provision sorted out. You won’t be buying just one gadget, but a portal to the Amazon store with its wealth of music, film, applications, books and more.

Amazon will be stretched even further because 7″ just doesn’t deliver what 9 or 10″ will! However, with a loyal band of millions of Kindle reader owners that are happy with a measly 6″ there should be a fair few interested parties turning up to buy into a new tablet that is priced low.

There is a lot to suggest that a new Kindle tablet from Amazon will indeed be a success. And announcing its release date late in September will initiate a holiday shopping scramble no doubt!

Hollywood Kindle Movie Tablet Release Date

The Kindle for Movies; otherwise known as Amazon’s Hollywood tablet should begin shipping in time for the Christmas gift buying rush.

Historically new Kindle releases are brought to us by the end of the summer.  And, since Jeff Bezos has been suggesting we stay tuned to find out more about Amazon’s move into the mobile computing world, it would make sense that something similar will happen for their master-stroke device.  A 10″ quad-core tablet using the Android Honeycomb operating system could access Amazon’s cloud computing system, as well as be the perfect platform for their video streaming service released earlier this year.

A Kindle Movie Tablet release date of August or September 2011, with a free trial period (at least) of video streaming is definitely on the cards according to Detwiler Fenton.

What is most exciting is news that this high end device will come with a $399 price tag.  This gives it a marked definition compared to the iPad which starts at $499.  A key to the success of an potential tablet PC entering the market today, is that it stands out as something different, rather than simply an Apple copy.

Whilst their expected color Kindle tablet will be an entry level device, focusing more on ebooks and less on multi-media, this 10″ tablet will be the hot contender against the iPad.

With Amazon gradually creating a mobile computing hub with android applications, cloud storage, video and music on demand, they could tempt wary consumers into the tablet market for the first time.

It now seems more likely that the 10″ Hollywood tablet won’t hit the stores until spring 2011. But that isn’t to say we won’t be seeing something new and exciting from Amazon before hand. A seven inch Kindle tablet release is due to be announced on Sept 28th. If sales of that new device do as well as expected, expect a larger model in a few months time.

Color Kindle Tablet Release Date

People have been waiting for a color Kindle for a while now.  Once Barnes & Noble brought us the Nook Color it seemed only a matter of time before Amazon introduced some kind of tablet Kindle to compete.

If anything it has been a real surprise just how long Amazon have waited to introduce such a device.

But, it seems like the wait maybe nearly over, since a color Kindle release date looks imminent.  If the history of Kindles is anything to go by we should hear some definite news by the middle of July, with release expected by the end of the summer 2011.  The Kindle 3 was announced mid July, and started shipping on 27th August so something similar would be sensible.

After all a late summer / early fall release date would put the color Kindle firmly onto just about everyone’s holiday shopping lists, which obviously would be something Jeff Bezos would be pretty keen on!

We will of course keep you posted, but expect the small Kindle tablet (codenamed the Amazon Coyote) to give you a lot more bang for your buck than the color Nook reader though.  We expect the new tablet to have far more functionality, and to really perform as a compact tablet PC, rather than merely a back-lit ebook reader.

Update - On 28th Sept Amazon are holding a rare press conference in New York. This is something previously only done to announce big new changes, such as the release of new ebook reader hardware. So could this be the day we finally find out the Amazon tablet release date.