Amazon.com Inc. is excited to introduce the Amazon Kindle DX, the new Kindle electronic book device with a larger screen. The new addition to the Kindle family, which is geared towards textbooks, magazines and newspapers, is expected to shake up the economics of multiple industries at once.
The Seattle-based online retailer is not giving details about what it will announce at its press event at Pace University in New York, but the company has not disputed widespread reports that a larger Kindle is on tap. The most recent version of the Kindle was announced at New York's Morgan Library & Museum in February.
However, one thing is sure and that is with a beautiful large screen, Kindle DX’s display is ideal for a broad range of reading material, including graphic-rich books, PDFs, newspapers, magazines and blogs. Kindle DX’s display is two and a half times the size of the Kindle display and it is as thin as a a magazine, which means the rollout could help students get educational materials more cheaply and give newspapers and magazines a better way to sell digital versions of their content. It can also hold up to 3,500 files of documents (vs. 1,500 on the Kindle).
So far the Kindle's digital delivery method has meant lower prices for its content. New releases of books are typically Us$ 10.00. Newsweek is US$ 1.49 per month via Kindle, about half of what a subscription to the print edition sells for on Newsweek's Web site.
As any college student knows, textbooks are notoriously costly. A 2005 Government Accountability Office report put the average cost of textbooks at US$ 900.00 per year for students at four-year public colleges. (The textbook industry noted that the figure includes supplies, and estimated that books alone cost about US$ 625.00 per year.)
Textbook publishers say they must charge such prices because the books are expensive to produce and often have only one year of sales to recoup their investment. After the first year, students tend to buy used books, cutting out revenue for the publishers.
A larger Kindle could also intrigue newspaper and magazine publishers that have been staggered by the recession and the online migration of readers and advertisers — and are hard-pressed to get people to pay for content in Web browsers.
Up to now selling digital copies to portable devices like the Kindle mainly has been an experiment. Ken Doctor, a media analyst at Outsell Inc., said that a larger-screen Kindle would be another reason for publishers to hope for profitable electronic distribution. He added, however, that a lot will depend on how much of each page a reader can see on a device's screen, and how intuitive it is to navigate the content.
Some of the features of Kindle DX released to the media includes the following:
The Seattle-based online retailer is not giving details about what it will announce at its press event at Pace University in New York, but the company has not disputed widespread reports that a larger Kindle is on tap. The most recent version of the Kindle was announced at New York's Morgan Library & Museum in February.
However, one thing is sure and that is with a beautiful large screen, Kindle DX’s display is ideal for a broad range of reading material, including graphic-rich books, PDFs, newspapers, magazines and blogs. Kindle DX’s display is two and a half times the size of the Kindle display and it is as thin as a a magazine, which means the rollout could help students get educational materials more cheaply and give newspapers and magazines a better way to sell digital versions of their content. It can also hold up to 3,500 files of documents (vs. 1,500 on the Kindle).
So far the Kindle's digital delivery method has meant lower prices for its content. New releases of books are typically Us$ 10.00. Newsweek is US$ 1.49 per month via Kindle, about half of what a subscription to the print edition sells for on Newsweek's Web site.
As any college student knows, textbooks are notoriously costly. A 2005 Government Accountability Office report put the average cost of textbooks at US$ 900.00 per year for students at four-year public colleges. (The textbook industry noted that the figure includes supplies, and estimated that books alone cost about US$ 625.00 per year.)
Textbook publishers say they must charge such prices because the books are expensive to produce and often have only one year of sales to recoup their investment. After the first year, students tend to buy used books, cutting out revenue for the publishers.
A larger Kindle could also intrigue newspaper and magazine publishers that have been staggered by the recession and the online migration of readers and advertisers — and are hard-pressed to get people to pay for content in Web browsers.
Up to now selling digital copies to portable devices like the Kindle mainly has been an experiment. Ken Doctor, a media analyst at Outsell Inc., said that a larger-screen Kindle would be another reason for publishers to hope for profitable electronic distribution. He added, however, that a lot will depend on how much of each page a reader can see on a device's screen, and how intuitive it is to navigate the content.
Some of the features of Kindle DX released to the media includes the following:
- Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
- Carry Your Library: Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents
- Beautiful Large Display: 9.7" diagonal e-ink screen reads like real paper; boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images
- Auto-Rotating Screen: Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as the reader turn the device so they can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages
- Built-in PDF Reader: Native PDF support allows the reader to carry and read all of their personal and work documents on the go
- Wireless: 3G wireless lets the reader download books right from your Kindle DX, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
- Books in Under 60 Seconds: The reader can get free wireless delivery of books in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
- Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging
- Read-to-Me: With the text-to-speech feature, Kindle DX can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to the reader, unless the book's rights holder made the feature unavailable
- Big Selection, Low Prices: Over 275,000 books; New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are only US$ 9.99, unless marked otherwise
- More Than Books: U.S. and international newspapers including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, magazines including The New Yorker and Time, plus popular blogs, all auto-delivered wirelessly
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