Amazon Kindle Oasis is One Funky E-Reader

Amazon's marketing philosophy with the Kindle line has been consistent for nearly 10 years now — to make the device disappear, by making it as close to paper as possible.

After a week since Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos dropped the hint of a new Kindle coming, it's finally here. Amazon has brought its flagship e-reader back into the consumer tech conversation with a bold device, and it carries with it some new compromises.

The company announced that Kindle Oasis is the lightest, thinnest, and most impressive e-reader yet.

Here are all the details on the Kindle Oasis:

• It weighs just 4.6 ounces, making it 20 percent lighter than any other Kindle.
• The Kindle's newest design is meant to rest in the center of your palm, instead of gripping it.
• The screen is the brightest ever — with 60 percent more LEDs.
• A leather cover in three colors, Black, Merlot, and Walnut, will now come with the Kindle.
• The leather cover recharges the Kindle as soon as it's connected. If both the Kindle and cover are unplugged, the cover will lose battery before the Kindle does.
• You can charge the cover and device at the same time, as long as each is plugged into its charging console.
• With just one charge, the Kindle Oasis's battery will last for more than two weeks. With the charging cover, it will last for more than nine weeks.
• A new hibernation mode will use the least amount of battery when the Kindle is not in use.
• It is not waterproof.
• It will be available in a WiFi model and WiFi with included 3G.
• The Kindle Oasis will cost US$ 290 for the WiFi model and US$ 360 for the WiFi model and free 3G. Preorders begin today, and shipping starts on 27 April.

The Oasis joins the Kindle family at an interesting time for e-readers. While not quite the Kleenex of the category, Kindle is pretty close to being the only brand an everyday consumer could name with ease. Sure, there’s Canada’s Kobo, and Barnes & Nobles' Nook is hanging on. But Amazon’s e-reader, through its aggressive pricing and e-book market share, has become more or less synonymous with digital reading.

That doesn’t necessarily translate to sustained hardware sales. E-readers, like tablets, have longer lives than other mobile products. It’s not hard to find a Kindle owner who’s happy with a four- or five-year old device and unwilling to upgrade. By being good at just one thing, Amazon wields a double-edged sword. So long as an e-reader can be used to read e-books, there’s no point in shelling out for a newer, flashier model unless there’s a substantial benefit gained.